We’ve up closed the shop for our annual Spring Break. While we’re away, why not fire up our free Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?
Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here on Monday, 4/29.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings is pleased to announce the 25th anniversary reissue of GRAMMY®-award winning artist Dave Alvin’s King of California. Available at streaming services and on CD, and for the first time on vinyl, the album was originally released in 1994, to critical acclaim on Hightone Records. The remastered, expanded edition includes a previously unreleased instrumental studio track, “Riverbed Rag,” along with bonus material.
Recorded in Los Angeles the day after the historic 1994 Northridge earthquake and produced by Greg Leisz, King of California had its genesis in the album’s title track, a readymade folk ballad, written for his mother, in which an aspiring suitor heads west to make his fortune in the wild, still-young Golden State. “King of California is when I decided ‘this is when I let the song tell me what it sounds like,’” says Alvin. “Ever since then, that’s been my rule. It sounds ridiculous, but it was something I had to learn.”
Featuring acoustic interpretations of some of the finest songs in his catalog, along with new, folk-inflected compositions, and notable covers, Dave Alvin found the true measure of his own voice with King of California. “It was ironic that for a guy who was known as a loud guitar player and questionable singer, his best seller was an acoustic album,” says Alvin.
Included are songs written and originally recorded during the ’80s: “Barn Burning” from American Music (1980) the debut album from The Blasters, “Bus Station” and “Leaving” from the Blasters’ Non Fiction (1983), “Little Honey,” written with X’s John Doe and featured on the Blasters’ Hard Line (1985), and “Fourth of July,” which appeared on both X’s See How We Are (1997) and on Alvin’s solo album Romeo’s Escape (1987). “Every Night About This Time” also appeared on the latter album.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Out of the hundreds of punk bands that emerged from the late ’70s punk scene, only about a dozen or so have achieved iconic status four decades later. They include the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Damned from the U.K.; the Ramones and Patti Smith Group from New York; X, the Germs and Black Flag from Los Angeles; and from San Francisco, the Dead Kennedys.
The DKs embodied the spirit of punk from the get-go. Their very name was a shocking reminder of the collapse of the American Dream. Then again, the name would be nothing if the Dead Kennedys didn’t have the goods to back it up. DK40, a three-CD live collection due April 26 from Manifesto Records, offers the aural evidence that the Dead Kennedys were one of the most potent punk bands — period. It features the band serving up amped-up live versions of all their classic tracks, free from the constraints of the recording studio.
Formed in 1978 after guitarist East Bay Ray’s ad in The Recycler attracted the attention of singer Jello Biafra, they were soon joined by bassist Klaus Flouride; guitarist 6025 and drummer Ted. D.H Peligro soon took over the rule of the drum chair.
After gigging around the Bay Area, they soon built a reputation cemented by the release of their first single, “California Über Alles,” on their own DIY label, within a year of their formation. Over a boleroesque rhythm consisting of pounding drums, throbbing bass and jagged guitar lines, Biafra lays into then-and-future California Governor Jerry Brown and the hippy dream. The song includes such memorable lines as “It’s the suede denim secret police / They have come for your uncool niece.”
Little Rock, AK | New record shop headed to Little Rock’s Hillcrest neighborhood: A new record store selling and spinning new and used vinyl is headed for Little Rock’s Hillcrest neighborhood. Control Little Rock is set to open in the coming weeks as the owners and friends continue setting up the shop at 2612 Kavanaugh Blvd., which previously housed a real estate office. For the past nine months, co-creators Wes Howerton and Michael Shaeffer have been testing the waters by selling records at various Little Rock pop-up events ahead of looking for a permanent space. Howerton said it’s given them a chance to build a fanbase. He said pop-up customers have frequently asked him: “When are you opening?” The store’s focus has been on finding quality records, such as rare or iconic albums, over quantity, Shaeffer said. The opening is expected in the coming weeks, but a firm date hasn’t been set.
Lockhart, TX | Owners of new music store go on the record with LPR: Bluebonnet Records is open for business, adding another feature to a downtown district that already boasts a brewery, several eateries, clothing stores, antiques shops, art galleries and a community theater. The shop located at 112 E. Market Street sells new and used vinyl, CDs, cassette tapes, turntables, CD players, tape players, record care supplies, audio accessories and music-related gift items that include pins, stickers and jewelry. Bluebonnet Records is owned by Kana Harris, 31, and Cody Kimball, 27. The two are both musicians and began dating four years ago shortly after their band played a show together. The two recently took some time to answer some questions from the Post-Register about their new business venture and how they fit it in with a busy schedule that includes still performing with their respective bands.
Bandcamp Announces New Vinyl Pressing Service: Launching this year, the service will streamline the “financing, production, and fulfillment of vinyl records.” Bandcamp has announced a new service that allows artists to launch crowdfunding campaigns for vinyl releases. Once a campaign reaches its minimum goal, Bandcamp will press and ship the vinyl record directly to fans. Artists will maintain full control of the record’s design as well as its price. The service—which aims to streamline the “financing, production, and fulfillment of vinyl records”—is set to launch for all artists and labels later this year…Today, Bandcamp has announced its first four vinyl campaigns: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s Ancestral Recall, Jim Guthrie’s Below (Original Soundtrack), Juliette Jade’s Constellation, and Mesarthim’s Ghost Condensate. Earlier this year, Bandcamp opened a brick-and-mortar record shop and performance space in Oakland, California.
New York, NY | VP Records Launches The Reggae Trail: VP Records, the world’s largest reggae label, continues the yearlong celebration of its 40th anniversary announcing today the launch of the first phase of The Reggae Trail, an interactive map of locations in New York City that helped make the music genre an integral part of life in the city over the past five decades. “The first phase of the project, launches in conjunction with Record Store Day 2019, includes New York area reggae and Caribbean record stores with significant in-house record labels,” said Carter Van Pelt, VP Records’ Director of Catalog Development. “These include several dozen initial locations, chosen from literally hundreds.” …The Trail’s first phase highlights top record st ores that brought the music to the people starting in the early 1960s. One of these is VP Records, which moved from Kingston, Jamaica, to Brooklyn and eventually Jamaica Queens in the late 1970s, becoming a major distributor and label in the global spread of reggae. After 40 years, VP Records’ flagship retail space is one of the oldest continuously operated records stores in the Northeast.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | On April 17, 1989 in the UK and April 18, 1989 in the US, the Pixies’ second studio album Doolittle—the album now considered one of the quintessential alternative rock albums of the 1980s, that introduced the band’s signature “loudQUIETloud” sound, landed on a plethora of all-time “Best” lists in media outlets including Rolling Stone, NME, SPIN, Q and Pitchfork, the album that, when writing “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana’s late Kurt Cobain admitted, “I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies”—celebrates its 30th anniversary with a Platinum certification in recognition of one million units sold.
Produced by Gil Norton, Pixies – Black Francis/rhythm guitar, vocals, Joey Santiago/guitar, David Lovering/drummer, and original bassist Kim Deal – recorded Doolittle at Boston’s Downtown Recorders starting in the fall of 1988. The 15-track album, with its quirky, melodic sound and darkly humorous lyrics, was rooted in winos and hobos, Biblical violence, Hebrew numerology, torture, death, and surrealism.
Doolittle’s track listing was formidable—five of its 15 songs landed on a Rolling Stone Readers Poll that named the Top 10 Pixies songs of all time—”Wave of Mutilation,” “Hey,” “Debaser,” “Monkey Gone To Heaven,” and “Here Comes Your Man,” the latter two becoming Top 5 singles on Billboard’s Modern Rock/Alternative chart over the summer of 1989. London’s Daily Telegraph called the album “a scintillating rock’n’roll album,” the NME wrote, “‘Doolittle’ is consistently brilliant…let’s be honest: this is what music was made for,” and in its five-star review, Rolling Stone remarked that it “laid the groundwork for Nineties rock.”
“Just like I would fight to the death to prove that film photography looks and feels better than digital photography, I would do the same for vinyl records versus digitally streamed or downloaded music.”
“Music listening however—just like photography—is subjective, and most people under the age of twenty-five have likely only ever consumed music digitally (sweeping generalization there, sorry!). So I’m not about to stand here and say they are wrong for not appreciating vinyl—or film for that matter. It’s all about the personal experience, and I would never judge someone on their personal experience. That’s how religious wars start.
To me, vinyl feels like I’m in the room with the band. It feels like the sound is penetrating my very being. I can hear every nuance, every imperfection, every frequency. It’s warm, it’s dynamic, it has depth, and it feels like a living, breathing creature. I can get lost in vinyl, and I’m grateful that my turntable doesn’t stop automatically when the side is done, because it keeps me present with the record I’m listening to. I have to pay attention.
AU | Around the world in 10 record stores: We all travel for different reasons. And everyone has a unique vision for what will come from their intrepid expeditions. But some passions are very much shared, and one thing everyone here at Double J is looking for when they get off the plane is a good record store… We have decided to look at ten of our favourite emporiums across the planet that we’ve been lucky enough to have a dig through over the years. These are not necessarily the best record stores in the world – that’s a very subjective call – but they are definitely worth calling into if your travels take you into these areas. What’s the most unique and exciting record store you’ve ever visited? Let us know! Seriously, please do, we are nerds and we love this stuff.
Shakopee, MN | New record store hits high notes in downtown Shakopee: I was excited to hear that a record store opened about a month ago in downtown Shakopee. When I visited it last week, I had an amazing experience. Vintage Neil Young was playing on the stereo, more than 5,000 vinyl albums (and counting) filled the bins, and authentic concert posters and other collectibles from the 60s and 70s from some of rock’s biggest names adorned the walls. The store’s atmosphere took me back to the record stores I remember as a teen—bin after bin of vinyl, music enthusiasts combing through records, great music filling the space, scented candles made by a local woman, stereo equipment, glass art, and smoking accessories on shelves and in cases. I told Steve Shanks, the store owner, I felt like I had traveled through time coming into his store. “Good,” he replied. “That’s the way I want people to feel.” The store, Ramble On Records, is located on First Avenue next to Munkabeans. It sells both new and used records.
Los Altos, CA | Foothill college radio station plays more than 100 straight hours of vinyl: When Jennifer Waits first heard about Vinylthon, an annual event that challenges college radio stations nationwide to play only vinyl records, she thought Foothill College’s radio station might be able to go for 24 hours straight. As soon as she started telling the other Foothill DJs about the idea, it quickly became clear that the station could go longer – much longer. Foothill’s KFJC 89.7 FM is aiming to play only vinyl records for seven straight days, ending at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. As of the Town Crier’s Monday print deadline, the station was going strong. The challenge is a good way to mark the station’s 60th anniversary and bring attention to KFJC, according to Waits. “Vinyl is something that we celebrate every day, so it seemed like a perfect fit,” said Waits, also the station’s publicity director.
Santa Rosa, CA | Local latino DJ’s specialize in playing vinyl records at craft beer locations: For vinyl collectors, there is no sweeter sound than the slight scratch of a needle hitting the record. Listening to music on vinyl has made such a comeback that Record Store Day is a national event. For friends, Leslie Corral Cisneros (DJ Chiquita) and Gabriel Ferreira (DJ Chicano U Turn), their shared love of record collecting led them to form the Santa Rosa-based vinyl DJ collective, Cera Será. They met while working for AmeriCorps at Meadow View Elementary, and realized that they both loved listening to music on vinyl. Cisneros first discovered vinyl albums while attending college in San Diego. She befriended some DJs who introduced her to playing records. For Ferreira, it was an event called “Open Turntable” that sparked his interest in vinyl. “If it wasn’t for ‘Open Turntable,’ I would probably just be an album collector,” he said.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings is pleased to announce the first-ever vinyl edition of James Taylor’s 2007 live album, One Man Band.
Available June 7th, the double-LP set is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket. Mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed at RTI, this uniquely intimate performance captures Taylor at his best—paired only with his guitar, drum machine, and esteemed keyboardist Larry Goldings (John Mayer, Sia, John Scofield) plus pre-recorded accompaniment of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus on “My Traveling Star” and “Shower The People.” Full of his signature wit and warmth, Taylor’s anecdotes—interspersed throughout the evening—offer background on some of his most popular songs.
Following a three-year tour of the same name, One Man Band marked a triumphant homecoming for Taylor. Recorded over three nights, the performances took place at the historic Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA—a venue that was handpicked by the Berkshires-based singer-songwriter. The album, produced by James and Dave O’Donnell, contains 19 songs and spans material from Taylor’s five-decade-long career, touching not just on his beloved hits (“Fire And Rain,” “You’ve Got A Friend,” “Carolina In My Mind”) but also deeper cuts (“Chili Dog” off 1972’s One Man Dog; “Slap Leather” from his 1991 LP, New Moon Shine) and more recent material (“Mean Old Man” from his 2002 record, October Road).
The pared-down nature of the sets were very much a return to the singer-songwriter’s roots. In the album’s original liner notes, Taylor writes, “The last time I toured solo was in the late ’70s. That’s how I started out, just the guitar and a handful of songs. As time went by, I added other musicians because it’s great playing in a big band. But from time to time…it’s good to get back to basics and to present the songs in their original form.”
Northampton, UK | Queues stretch along Gold Street as Northampton shops join annual Record Store Day: Vinyl enthusiasts queued overnight outside Northampton record shops at the weekend to be among the first to buy some of the limited releases which were part of this year’s Record Store Day. By the time Spun Out in Gold Street opened its doors at 8am on Saturday morning, more than 100 collectors were queuing outside – with the first having arrived at 8.30pm the day before. Among those in the queue were Record Store Day regulars Mark Sarll and Chris Gedge who had both spent all night outside of the shop. Mr Gedge, was queueing outside Spun Out from 11.30pm on the Friday night. He said: “I was third in the queue. I dropped my dog off at friends in Northampton for the weekend and went direct to Spun Out.”
Dublin, IE | Bob Dylan surprises staff at Dublin record shop: Bob Dylan has sent the signed copy of his 1997 album Time Out Of Mind to a Dublin branch of Tower Records. The store, based on Dawson St in the city, received the unexpected gift just ahead of Record Store Day, reports RTE, the Irish broadcaster. The album arrived on Friday, April 12 and was signed, “To Tower Records Dublin, thanks for still selling records! – Bob Dylan.” Dylan is currently on tour in Europe. He is scheduled to play two shows at Vienna‘s Konzerthaus on April 16 and 17, then on through Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark before he co-headlines with Neil Young at London’s Hyde Park on July 12 and Kilkenny’s Nowlan Park on July 14.
Belfast, IE | Rebirth of vinyl sees new record store give it a spin in heart of Belfast: A new independent record shop has opened close to the Primark site in Belfast, offering a boost to city centre retail. Experienced music promoter Darren Smyth is one of the figures behind Strange Victory Records, with Jeff Doherty, owner of used vinyl speciality store Dragon Records on Wellington Place, also involved. Today’s official opening of the 22 Berry Street store coincides with Record Store Day, the now annual celebration of independent record shop culture. The new store is the latest boost for retail trade around the Primark cordon following the reopening of Zara’s only local outlet last week. Darren, who has helped bring over 400 bands and musicians to Belfast over the last 18 years, said he felt there was a gaping hole in the market for an independently owned outlet to buy new vinyl. “Outside of HMV there is nowhere to buy new vinyl in what is supposedly a capital city. We’re the only city I can think of in Europe I think that doesn’t have at least one,” he said.
New York, NY | Roy Ayers, Method Man & Redman & More To Play Crate Diggers NYC Music and Record Festival: Presented by Discogs, the “largest vinyl collector’s festival series on earth” is coming to the Bronx on July 27. Crate Diggers NYC, presented by renowned music database Discogs, and in association with Japanese audio company Audio-Technica, has announced the official music lineup for its New York City festival on July 27 at the New York Expo Center in the Bronx. Funk icon Roy Ayers will headline the fest, with support from by Method Man & Redman, Rudimental, Smif-N-Wessun, Black Moon, Mad Skillz, Jurrasic 5’s Soup Presents: The Fullee Love Collective, and more. Entrance to the record fair is free to attend all day, and tickets for the fest cost $30 and go on sale Friday, April 12 at 10:00 am EST. Crate Diggers NYC welcomes record sellers from around the region, as well as rare-finds and freshly pressed vinyl collectors looking to add to their stock.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | As part of their continuing reissue campaign, Domino are very proud to announce details of the release of Buzzcocks albums A Different Kind Of Tension and Singles Going Steady, which are out on Friday June 14th, 2019.
They follow the 40th anniversary re-issues of Another Music In A Different Kitchen and Love Bites in January of this year, and the re-release of the band’s debut EP, “Spiral Scratch,” and a 1976 collection of demos, Time’s Up, in March 2018. As previously, both albums have been lovingly restored and re-mastered from the original ¼” tapes for the first time and come packaged with lavish booklets containing unseen images and extensive liner notes by famed cultural commentators Jon Savage (A Different Kind Of Tension) and Clinton Heylin (Singles Going Steady).
Faithful to their original tracklistings, the re-issues see the albums released on vinyl for the first time in many years, available on deluxe 180g vinyl and CD. Their third studio album, A Different Kind Of Tension, was recorded at Eden Studio in West London in the summer of 1979 with producer Martin Rushent, who had worked on their previous two albums.
Their last studio album to feature the line-up of Pete Shelley (vocals / guitar), Steve Diggle (guitar / vocals), Steve Garvey (bass), and John Maher (drums), it was released in September 1979 and featured a distinctive cover by Malcolm Garrett who had provided the artwork for both Another Music In A Different Kitchen and Love Bites.
Newnan, GA | Vinylyte participates in Record Store Day: If the Mastodon doesn’t get you, the Gorillaz might. Saturday is Record Store Day, and Vinylyte Records will join thousands of other independent, brick-and-mortar stores around the world to celebrate. Vinylyte is opening its doors at 8 a.m. to give music lovers a chance to grab exclusive releases specifically designed to commemorate the event. Created in 2008 to celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store, Record Store Day is supported by a wide range of artists who contribute unique recordings each year. Those pressings are only distributed to shops participating in the event. It’s a day that brings together fans of all genres, because it’s all about the music. Places like Vinylyte are “a musical Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” says store owner Jesse Yates. “Record Store Day celebrates the relationship between people, their community record store and music,” he said.
Niagara, ON | Record Store Day draws customers looking for special releases and rare gems: A day that rocks for vinyl lovers. Music lovers and vinyl fans had their day on Saturday. Record Store Day, created to help local independent record stores, was first held on April 19, 2008. The day is now celebrated on every continent except Antarctica. “Busiest day of the year for sure,” said Chris Charowy, owner of Mind Bomb Records on James Street in St. Catharines. For the occasion, many artists unveil previously unreleased material, new remixes and box sets to entice people into their local record store. This year the big sellers included soundtracks for “The Crow” and “Lost In Translation,” Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Highway” and select Woodstock performances, which were released in honour of the festival’s 50th anniversary. “There’s literally hundreds of releases that come out for record store day, so it’s on the owner of the shop to bring in what they think is going to sell. Everything is in limited quantities so I can order 10 copies of something and get one…”
Ithaca, NY | Ithaca’s Angry Mom Records Celebrates Record Store Day: Conceived in 2007 at a gathering of more than a thousand independent record store owners across the globe, Record Store Day is held on one Saturday every April and every Black Friday in November to commemorate the unique culture of independently owned record stores and their importance within a community. Record Store Day has had a far-reaching impact on the reinvention of independent music in the streaming age. The event puts great emphasis on the role of the independent record store as a gathering space for music enthusiasts to interact. And the intimate connections fostered by such interactions are crucial in the formation of a local music scene…For Ithaca, Angry Mom Records serves as the backbone of the local underground music scene. Located in the basement of Autumn Leaves Used Books on the Commons, it is a safe haven for opinions and artistry to interflow.
Cumbria, UK | Music fans visit Barrow’s TnT records in their droves for Record Store Day 2019. More than a thousand people were said to have descended on a music shop for Record Store Day 2019. Music lovers queued up in their droves outside Barrow’s TnT Records hoping to snag limited edition vinyl. The only record store in south Cumbria, it was among hundreds in the UK to take part in the worldwide celebration of independent music shops. More than 500 special vinyl were released for the day, exclusively available in record shops. To celebrate the occasion, the Duke Street shop laid on a host of local bands to entertain the crowds, while budding musicians experienced drum lessons on the shop’s upper floor. Owner Dave Turner said: “The way people have supported us today is absolutely overwhelming.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Omnivore Recordings, in conjunction with the Buck Owens Estate, will release Buck Owens and the Buckaroos’ The Complete Capitol Singles: 1971–1975 on May 31, 2019, available on CD and Digital.
The set is the third and final volume in a series chronicling every one of Buck’s historic Capitol Records singles from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Taken from the original stereo masters, The Complete Capitol Singles: 1971–1975 collects the A- and B-side to all 21 singles from that period, including nine Top Ten hits, in their original, chronological form. Newly remastered, and featuring liner notes from author and Bakersfield country historian Scott B. Bomar, The Complete Capitol Singles: 1971–1975 presents the golden age of Buck Owens in an entirely new way.
“One of the good things that happened in 1970 was that I finally had my studio up and running in Bakersfield,” said Owens of that period. “If I was in the mood to record, I’d just call the guys and tell ’em when to be there. I didn’t have to deal with having to find out when Capitol’s studio would be available anymore, or go to the trouble of driving down to L.A. every time we were going to record, or knowing that every minute I was recording at Capitol it was costing me money. It was still costing me money to record at my own studio, of course, but at least I wasn’t billing myself at an hourly rate that would be charged against my record royalties like Capitol had done to me all those years.”
VIA PRESS RELEASE | TOTO is pleased to announce the release of their definitive CD box set: All In via Legacy Recordings (a division of Sony Music) on May 24th. In late 2018, a deluxe limited-edition vinyl/CD version of the set was released direct to consumers and quickly sold out (this is now out of print and will not be reprinted). However, due to demand, a CD only box-set will available from all major retailers worldwide.
All In features the following TOTO albums on thirteen CD’s: Toto, Hydra, Turn Back, IV, Isolation, Fahrenheit, The Seventh One, Kingdom Of Desire, Tambu, Mindfields, and Toto XX. The set also includes a previously unreleased “Live In Tokyo” EP from their 1980 tour, along with an album titled Old Is New. The Old Is New CD features ten tracks, seven which are previously unreleased along with “Spanish Sea,” “Alone,” and “Struck By Lighting” which are featured on the band’s greatest hits collection 40 Trips Around The Sun. All of the music in the box set was personally remastered by TOTO along with Elliot Scheiner. Also included in the box set is a 24-page booklet which includes new essays and previously unseen photos.
TOTO’s Greatest Hits package titled 40 Trips Around The Sun was released in early 2018 and impacted charts all over the world. The band recently completed another set of tour dates in New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. European shows are already scheduled for this summer along with an upcoming North American tour in the fall (Sept/Oct). Full details on the North American tour will be announced shortly. The 40 Trips Around The Sun tour has been the band’s most extensive run in years.
“File under ‘Everything Old is New Again.’”
“Fifty years ago, my parents’ generation had its own version of Spotify: the mail order record club. Once a month, five new LPs arrived in the mail and headed straight for the record player built into the top of the Zenith TV. That was the plus side. The minus side—none of them were rock and roll. Still, it warmed my heart to hear my dad singing along with all those albums by Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, and Tony Bennett. Those were his happiest moments in a young life heavily weighted with family responsibilities and an ever-increasing tab at the neighborhood tavern.
The only way to change the music selection was to start making my own money, cobble together speakers, an amp and a turntable from a pile of gear in an uncle’s basement, and ride the bus to the record shop after school. My first single was The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer” (B-side, “Rain”), which may still be in a box around here somewhere. Ultimately, I bought only a handful of singles. In order to make those lawn-mowing dollars stretch, I opted for albums, and like my dad, was happiest when I was singing along with records in my room.
Brighton, UK | Keen vinyl record buyers queue from very early hours in Brighton: For those vinyl enthusiasts the wait was finally over today as it is Record Store Day through Brighton, Sussex and the UK. Vinyl junkies have had the date Saturday 13th April etched on their brains for several months now, as it’s the one day of the year when over 200 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the event and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion. Thousands more shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar. Fans in Brighton were queuing for many hours before the stores opened in order to endeavour to secure their chosen limited edition treasures, which will in most cases be instantly highly collectable.
Grimsby, UK | Dozens queue outside Grimsby record shop to pick up new vinyl releases on Record Store Day: A popular independent record store in Grimsby has been boosted by the annual Record Store Day. This year’s celebration saw over 60 music lovers lining up outside the doors of Replay Records when it opened at 8am, eager to see what special edition vinyls had been released. “Releases by Queen, the Courteeners and Charlatans have been big sellers this year. The Mighty Boosh was also a surprise hit – we were saying we should have ordered more copies of it,” Scott Wardle, owner of the Grimsby shop, said. “There are 525 new releases for Record Store Day, and we’ve got at least 130 of those here. The list this year seems to have been designed for people who don’t regularly come to record stores, and I think it has definitely worked. It’s gone very well today.” Four people arrived early-afternoon on Friday in anticipation of the doors opening – over 18 hours early – and they weren’t alone by the time the Freeman Street shop started business at 8am.
Cornwall, UK | Record Store Day sees queues through the night at Drift Records in Totnes: Imagine arriving at your favourite record shop at 3am for Record Store Day and finding someone else in front of you in the queue. That’s exactly what happened to brothers Carlton and Bradley Farnham, from Plymouth, who turned up at Drift Records in Totnes in the middle of the night to find they’d been pipped to the front of the queue by Mark Rosser. By 8am there were around 50 people queuing through Totnes outside the store, which many believe is Devon’s finest record shop. They were all looking to get their hands on some limited edition vinyl, including David Bowie, Noel Gallagher, Prince, Duran Duran and even Baby Shark. Mr Rosser, 52, from Plymouth, said: “This is the best independent record store in Devon. I got here at 1.55am. I’m after three albums – XRay Spex, Prince and The Charlatans. I’ve been interested in music since I was 13 or 14.”
Chicago, IL | Fans of vinyl music camp out at Batavia shop before Record Store Day: For fans of turntables and vinyl, Saturday was — by all accounts — a record day. Nathan Rogers, 50, of Batavia said he was already at his local record shop, Kiss the Sky, by 2:30 p.m. Friday and was followed eventually by dozens of other vinyl fans, making the scene outside the store look more like Black Friday. “I slept outside in a chair with blankets,” Rogers said Saturday morning, after store owners allowed those camping out to come in for doughnuts and coffee. “This is the third time I’ve camped out although I didn’t even know about Record Day until a few years ago.” Record Store Day was first conceived back in 2007, during a gathering of independent record store owners, and officially rolled out April 19, 2008. For years, the day has been marked with special limited vinyl releases from independent record labels and distributors. But with vinyl gaining more of a foothold in the market, major labels have added their own releases for fans eager to scoop up something truly collectible.
