Record Store Day < April 16th > 2016

April 16th, 2016 | Your Turntable is Not Dead!

It's the most wonderful time of the year... April 16th is just around the corner, so too is your favorite local record store. Once again I'll be waiting out front of The Last Record Store. It's always fun to be a part of the magic that occurs on vinyl's biggest day. The Bay area is blessed with a host of shops that will hopefully have the pressed gems you're looking for. 

Record Store Day has a plethora of options, as the list continues to grow year after year. Releases from Børns, Bowie, Johnny Cash, J. Dilla, Bob Dylan, Etta James, Matthew E. White and Jimi are just some of the treasures catching my eye. A couple of those are 45's, while others are LP's. The  Jimi's Smash Hit will be a RSD 1st offering. Keep in mind there are three vinyl categories every year. They are: RSD exclusives, RSD 1st and Regional/Limited runs. Exclusives are only available on Record Store Day. RSD 1st means that its title will get "special treatment" on Record Store Day, but will be available for mass consumption at a later date. The last category is self-explanatory. For more information and the complete list, click here. 

There are three selections that I will be aiming for the morning of the 16th. I'm not even sure I should be divulging these precious (say it in your best Gollum voice) records. James Brown, Johnny Cash (different title than the one previously mentioned), and the White Stripes are at the top of my list. I'm not quite sure if  the White Stripes BBC double LP will make it to Sonoma County. The James Brown wax is a live recording and the Johnny Cash title is an homage to his TV show. Support your local record store.

eightychoices. 

Record Store Day Reminder

Record Store Day is April 19th, this Saturday!

Don't forget Record Store Day is this Saturday and with it comes the joy that only vinyl can bring. I'll be frequenting the Last Record Store in Santa Rosa in hopes of scoring one of the favorites on my personal list. Options that I'm stoked on this year come from LCD Soundsystem, Built to Spill, Johnny Cash, Phosphorescent, The Black Angels, Tame Impala, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and the Grateful Dead, let alone the countless other rad options.

Remember, this year there are three types of releases. There's the RSD exclusives, RSD limited run/regional focus, and the RSD 'first' releases. The last option also has a later release date, so if you can't grab it this Saturday, don't fret. Those titles will be re-released to the masses.

See you at the Last Record Store. Be there or be square. Besides, who wants to be square on a day that celebrates records, they're round? Enjoy, I know I will.

eightychoices.

PS. If you live in the City (SF), hit up Amoeba. For my peeps in Asheville, it's all about Harvest Records. Those back in Minneapolis, check out The Electric Fetus, Know Name, Roadrunner, Hymie's, or Tree House.

Record Store Day 2014

Records Store Day: April 19th, 2014

It happens only once a year and every time I get super stoked. I have my personal list of what I really want to grab and then there are those releases that are intriguing. Record Store Day has something for everyone, assuming you have a turntable. Remember, vinyl is not dead. This year's ambassador is non-other than Chuck D. If you don't know who he is, you'd better ask somebody. 

Another cool wrinkle in the world of wax is the Adapter Prize. The first recipients of the Adapter Prize were: Tame Impala - Lonerism (record of the year/new release), The Postal Service - Give up (Reissue), GZA - Liquid Swords chess box set (record store day release of the year), and Rodriguez - Searching for Sugar Man (breakout of the year). There are currently four categories, as mentioned in parenthesis. I totally agree with the GZA selection, which was beyond awesome, there was only one copy at my local record shop. I can definitely get behind the praise for Lonerism. The other two, not so much, and I own Searching for Sugar Man. See ya at the Last Record Store. 

This year's list is once again overwhelming. Here are some of my favorite releases:

LCD Soundsystem, The Long Goodbye | Built to Spill, Ultimate Alternate Wavers | Johnny Cash, With His Hot & Blue Guitar | Outkast, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik | Phosphorescent, Song for Zulu | Randy Newman, self titled | Black Angels, Clear Forest Lake | The Wizard of Oz, original motion picture soundtrack | Tame Impala, Chicago Live | Notorious BIG, Life After Death | Neil Young, Live at the Cow Palace 1968 | Bruce Springsteen, American Beauty, as well as a slough of other releases and 7" specialty records.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that there will be three types of releases this year; RSD exclusives, RSD limited run/regional focus, and 'RSD first' releases, which means that those albums will be initially released on Record Store Day and then will become available later to a larger retail audience. 

eightychoices.