It’s just a few days until Record Store Day arrives, packed to the gills with goodies and whispering sweet nothings in your ear as you cling to that last hard-earned tenner in your otherwise moth-eaten wallet.
The politics of the event have been well documented in recent weeks - notably by Kudos in this open letter - and the knock on effect for independent labels is something that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. But, while we’re here, it’s hard not to get sweaty palmed and over excited at the prospect of stacks of records, limited edition goodies and great in-stores.
So, forget the ridiculous major label reissues and take a look below for just a few of the releases that have made Record Store Day look good for another year. Just try not to get overwhelmed at how cool/utterly insane RPM Football is.
Emily Barker And The Red Clay Halo - ‘Songs Beneath The River’
Last year we chatted with Barker during a sweltering in-store at Spillers Records in Cardiff, which formed part of her quite brilliant Record Store Tour and reinforced the fact that your local shop needs support every day of every year, not just when there are nerd quests to fulfil. For this year’s Record Store Day she’s pulled another one out of the bag, recording four covers that influenced the recent ‘Dear River’ album direct to vinyl.
Bruce Springsteen - ‘American Beauty’
Four new songs from the Boss, three cut from the same sessions as his recent ‘High Hopes’ album and one, like the dearly departed Ultimate Warrior, from parts unknown. This 12” will feature Mary Mary, Hey Blue Eyes, the title track and Hurry Up Sundown. UPDATE: Hurry Up Sundown, a driving rocker featuring drums from Josh Freese, is streaming at NPR.
Radkey - ‘9 Lives At The 100 Club’
Right, cassettes are shit. They were shit back in the day, they still are. No musical format should require the listener to have a pencil on hand in case of emergencies, while I still have nightmares about my Alba Walkman knock-off brutally murdering some excellent mixtapes. But, and it’s a big one, this Radkey release - which the ‘80s hardcore-loving brothers recorded at their recent London show - nails the limited edition idea. There will only be 500 of these lo-fi beauties. That’s it. So get them while you can.
LCD Soundsystem - ‘The Long Goodbye’
The final show by James Murphy’s oft-celebrated band has been documented in many different ways, including the Shut Up And Play The Hits concert film, but this one is pretty special. It’s spread over five LPs, is unabridged and mixed to tape by Murphy himself. “It’s stripped to what I think we sound like in my head,” he recently told Q.
Songs: Ohia - ‘Journey On: Collected Singles’
This release is, much like Songs: Ohia’s best work, both very beautiful and incredibly sad. Jason Molina died last March, aged 39, as a result of serious alcohol abuse, and this nine 7” set collects the odds and ends from a songwriting career that puts many bigger names in the shade.
Head here to find your nearest participating record store, and check back tomorrow as the latest edition of The View From The Front delves in to the many joys of collectables.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
