Tomorrow, Record Store Day is once again upon us! It's that time of year where music lovers and vinyl flippers get together at their favorite physical music retailers and wait in line to snag some treasured albums - almost all of which are pressed on vinyl instead of CD (or, you know, sold on secondary marketplaces for above their retail value).  This year, the list tops out at over 350 titles, so there's very nearly something for everybody.  It wasn't easy to narrow our choices down to around 20 titles, but here you are!

It's certainly easy to be cynical about this stuff, but the crux of the RSD idea still lives: find some music that moves you, something from an old favorite you've maybe never heard before, and let the joy of discovery fill you up - even as you support a cherished independent record store. Plus - have you seen the numbers on vinyl? You may not understand paying $25 for a record that you can get on CD for half that, but your neighbors might not, if sales figures are any indication. And, to be completely honest, there are many truly great titles on RSD's 2024 list (including some CDs)!

Visit RecordStoreDay.com in the U.S., RecordStoreDay.co.uk in the U.K., and RecordStoreDayCanada.ca in Canada for the complete list of participating stores, and please sound off below as to which titles you're most anticipating!  Without further ado, Mike, Joe, and Randy have a handful of the titles upon which they'd stake their reputation as catalogue connoisseurs. Whatever you have on your shopping list for Saturday, may your lines be short and your delight be deep!  Enjoy!

Mike's picks are up first!

Elton John, Caribou (50th Anniversary Edition) (Mercury/UMe)

For reasons I can't explain and don't necessarily delight in, Elton John's spate of 50th anniversary edition releases have become relegated solely to Record Store Day appearances. While expanded editions of Madman Across the Water and Honky Château​ were issued on CD independent of the holiday, a recent deluxe edition of Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player hasn't appeared anywhere other than its RSD release last year. I hope that changes for Elton's new expansion of Caribou, a freewheeling, slapdash and vaguely underrated album known for some big hits ("The Bitch is Back," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me") and featuring a few great deep cuts ("Solar Prestige a Gammon," "You're So Static"). This 2LP blue vinyl set will include a classic non-album single (Elton's version of The Who's "Pinball Wizard") and a few B-sides and wholly unreleased songs - all the more reason to hope it exists beyond the grooves of this release.

Joe Pesci, Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (Real Gone Music)

Now this is the one of the best uses of Record Store Day production and hype, to me: weird, rare things that might make you do a double take enough to leave your house with a plan to find a copy. This clear/orange swirl pressing from our pals at Real Gone is, if you can believe it, the first official reissue of a 1968 Brunswick release originally credited to "Joe Ritchie" but absolutely sung by the future star of Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Home Alone and My Cousin Vinny. (Pesci made inroads in pop music before turning to acting, playing guitar with Joey Dee and The Starliters and famously introducing his longtime friend Tommy DeVito to fellow musicians Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli, paving the way for the Four Seasons.) Wouldn't you want to hear him sing covers of Beatles and Bee Gees tunes? You must be a little curious, right? This Record Store Day, you can satisfy that curiosity - no shine box required.

Chappell Roan, Pink Pony Club (Island)

There's always a few little RSD tidbits to get younger buyers into their local shops, and I can't complain when someone as fun as Chappell Roan is in on the action. The campy, captivating twentysomething has been gaining notoriety between her performances as Olivia Rodrigo's opening act - the pair frequently collaborate with sterling writer/producer Dan Nigro - and a terrific recent NPR Tiny Desk Concert. It's tempting to compare her to Cyndi Lauper, as she possesses a big voice and an LGBT-positive style, but I really think she's blazing her own trail, and I can't wait to see where she goes. If this sounds like a winning match for you, check out the pink 7" of her single "Pink Pony Club" (backed by album cut "Naked in Manhattan") - you just might have to get there before someone younger than you snags it first.

Linda Ronstadt, The Asylum Albums (1973-1977) (Rhino)

The 1970s' best female interpreter of rock and roll gets a box set matching her prestige: new LP pressings of Don't Cry Now (1973), Prisoner in Disguise (1975), Hasten Down the Wind (1976) and Simple Dreams (1977), which collectively feature great versions of "Desperado," "Tracks of My Tears," "Heat Wave," "That'll Be the Day," "It's So Easy," "Blue Bayou" and "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" - a veritable bonanza of Linda Ronstadt in the studio. One could only wish for a CD edition to match, the way Rhino is doing with their Dwight Yoakam box set.  They're all pressed on black vinyl in replica jackets; all but Don't Cry Now are in gatefolds, and the cover of Prisoner in Disguise has the artist's name and title embossed.  The four albums are housed in a slipcase.

Talking Heads, Live At WCOZ 77 (Sire/Rhino)

While we're at it, can we talk about the run Rhino has been on lately? When we started The Second Disc, there were serious rumblings that they were going to go away; now, it seems like they're announcing at least one new catalog title a week and have a formidable RSD slate this weekend as always. We're glad they're still here - and we're glad they're releasing this live set from the Talking Heads! Hot off the love and restoration for Stop Making Sense last year, this double vinyl set features a complete live-in-studio recording from the original quartet line-up that was excerpted on The Name of This Band is Talking Heads more than 40 years ago.

Now, here are Joe's picks!

Average White Band, Live at the Rainbow Theatre, 1974 (Edsel)

Edsel has unearthed a live gem from the early days of Average White Band.  The inner sleeve of this single-LP presentation replicates both of the newly-discovered, original stereo tapes (one for Side One and one for Side Two) for this concert.  The July 1974 show at London's Rainbow Theatre is the only officially released show from this lineup featuring drummer Robbie McIntosh, who died just two days after the band's second album, AWB, entered the Billboard Albums Chart in September 1974.  He was 24.  Many of that album's key tracks are here in energetic and extended renditions with ample soloing, including "Work to Do," "Pick Up the Pieces," "Keepin' It to Myself," "You Got It," and "Got the Love."  The package notes that "as there aren't any multitracks, nothing has been altered from the live performances," and it's that immediacy that makes Live at the Rainbow Theatre, 1974 such a funky, loose, and altogether enjoyable listen from start to finish.

Parliament, Osmium: Deluxe / Lamont Dozier, The New Lamont Dozier Album - Love and Beauty: 50th Anniversary Edition (Demon)

Edsel also has reissued two gems from the Holland-Dozier-Holland production aegis, perhaps in anticipation of the label's upcoming H-D-H box.  The green vinyl 2LP edition of Parliament's debut album, 1970's Osmium, reconfigures the 2009 expanded CD reissue.  The original album is spread across two-and-a-half sides of vinyl for superior sound, with five bonus tracks added (all new to long-playing vinyl).  Produced by George Clinton and another Invictus signee, Ruth Copeland, Osmium is filled with eclectic, far-out musical experimentation reflecting the psychedelic soul era.  If more conventionally melodic than the hard-hitting funk that would follow, Osmium was nonetheless too "out there" for commercial Detroit soul.  (Dig the bagpipes on "The Silent Boatman," for one thing!)  And there's some of that funk, too, as on "Breakdown," heard in both its album and single versions, "Red Hot Mama," and more.  Today, Osmium is a fascinating curio of the early days of George Clinton and P-Funk's artistry (though not as early as Clinton's doo-wop days with The Parliaments).  The single-pocket jacket contains both LPs in sleeves with lyrics, photos, and Dom Williams' liner notes.

Upon its initial release in 1974, The New Lamont Dozier Album - Love and Beauty wasn't really new at all.  Lamont Dozier had broken up with his musical and business partners Brian and Eddie Holland and migrated to ABC Records to restart his solo career which had stalled at Motown when H-D-H became preeminent producer-songwriters with such evergreens as "Where Did Our Love Go," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Reach Out, I'll Be There," and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)."  Restructuring the trio's Invictus label, the Holland brothers assembled this LP from previously released singles, outtakes, and alternate mixes/versions - but it held together as well as any of Lamont's "proper" solo albums thanks to his expressive pipes and a strong-as-ever complement of H-D-H tunes including "Why Can't We Be Lovers" and "Don't Stop Playing Our Song."  Demon's 50th anniversary reissue is on 2LP blue marble vinyl and places one song ("Slipping Away") on Side 3 for better sound; five bonus tracks (including singles and alternate versions) drawn from the label's 2009 CD reissue complete Sides 3 and 4.  The single-pocket jacket has both LPs in sleeves with Tony Rounce's liner notes, updated from his 2009 essay, plus memorabilia images.  Even if the album was assembled as a hodgepodge, it's first-class soul from one of the genre's most successful progenitors.

Lowell George, Thanks, I'll Eat It Here (Warner/Rhino)

This deluxe edition of the late Little Feat frontman's 1979 lone studio album more than doubles its length, adding 11 tracks - 10 of which are previously unreleased - to the original nine.  Thanks, I'll Eat It Here was in the funky, raw, ramshackle, and eclectic spirit of Little Feat's early albums, reflecting the frontman's desire to return to a back-to-basics approach that wasn't necessarily shared by his bandmates.  For the LP, he supplied a quartet of his own tunes (including "Honest Man" with Fred Tackett, "Cheek to Cheek" with Van Dyke Parks and Martin Kibbee, "Twenty Million Things" with Jed Levy plus a remake of Feat's "Two Trains") while turning to friends, collaborators, and inspirations (Tackett, Jimmy Webb, Rickie Lee Jones, Allen Toussaint) for the rest.  The outtakes here are uniformly choice, and often rough-and-tumble with studio chatter left intact.   Among the many highlights are extended, alternate versions of Jones' swaggering "Easy Money" and Toussaint's slinky "What Do You Want the Girl to Do," a revival of Little Feat's "Roll Um Easy" (the only previously released bonus track), and the George-penned outtakes "China White" and "Heartache."  (A demo of the bluesy "China White" would appear on Feat's Hoy-Hoy! compilation in 1981 while a version of the pretty, world-weary "Heartache" with Valerie Carter has also appeared before.)  George takes Jackson Browne's "Doctor My Eyes" straight to the bayou, replacing the original's gracefulness with an appealingly funky immediacy.  He drawls over a heavier rhythm with hard-hitting drums and piano.  He's right at home, too, with a rollicking romp through Allen Toussaint's "Brickyard Blues," a.k.a. "Play Something Sweet."  The guests on the LP speak for themselves: Jim Keltner, Jeff Porcaro, Richie Hayward, Fred Tackett, David Paich, Bill Payne, David Foster, Nicky Hopkins, John Phillips, Maxayn Lewis, JD Souther, and Bonnie Raitt, among others.

Everything's been sourced from the master tapes, with lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman, and the sound quality mastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot is as superb as the material.  (The outtakes have been newly mixed by Brian Kehew and Jason Jones from the multitracks.)  This expanded edition is housed in a single-pocket jacket; the inner sleeves have credits, photos, the original liner notes, and new appreciations from daughter Inara George, widow Elizabeth George, stepson Jed Levy, son Forrest George, and reissue producer Jason Jones.  Please: bring this one to CD and digital.  It's a worthy companion to the equally-excellent Little Feat titles currently enjoying deluxe reissues from Rhino.

Todd Rundgren, Todd: 50th Anniversary Edition (Rhino)

How to follow something as radical as Todd Rundgren's A Wizard, A True Star?  The artist took his pop-deconstructionist approach even further on 1974's Todd, placing greater emphasis on synthesizers and electronic effects, often as bridging material between the more traditional songs.  Todd is a slightly less free-form album than A Wizard, but in the same mind-altering, forward-thinking vein with heavier guitars and synths, plus spacey jazz- and progressive rock-leaning instrumentals that augured for his work with Utopia.  As with his past LPs, some songs were completely played by the versatile Rundgren, and on other tracks, he enlisted musicians including Moogy Klingman, Ralph Schuckett, John Siegler, The Brecker Brothers, Kevin Ellman, and John Miller to bring his musical fantasias to life.  Unlike A Wizard, the result was a double-LP, beautifully replicated here on orange and green vinyl with Bearsville replica labels.  (Bearsville wouldn't pay for a gatefold, and so the original single-pocket approach has been faithfully recreated here, too.)

Rundgren's shimmering return to pop form on the moving "A Dream Goes On Forever," shimmering "Izzat Love?" and soulful "The Last Ride" are among the high points of Todd, but his humorous "An Elpee's Worth of Toons," hard-rocking "Heavy Metal Kids," trippy instrumental "The Spark of Life," and showstopping rendition of Gilbert and Sullivan's tongue-twisting "Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song" from Iolanthe are all oddball delights from an artist who refused (and refuses) to be pigeonholed in one genre, sound, or style.  Rundgren biographer Paul Myers has supplied an essay for the insert which folds out to also include lyrics.  (The original LP's photo of Rundgren composed of names of record-buyers who'd returned postcards to the record company has not been reprinted.)  Innovative, imaginative, and playful, Todd remains an album unlike any other, and this fine remaster (from lacquers cut by Chris Bellman with Bill Inglot) does its zany anything-goes sensibility justice.

The 4 Seasons, The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette (Rhino)

A spiritual companion piece to Frank Sinatra's subsequent LP Watertown, composed by the same team of producer Bob Gaudio and lyricist Jake Holmes, Genuine Imitation Life took The 4 Seasons into ambitious and experimental territory.  Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, and Joe Long (who had replaced founding member Nick Massi in 1965) - along with Charlie Calello on piano and a horn section - joined Gaudio to embrace psychedelic pop-rock on a decidedly non-commercial song suite that veers from the satirical to the heartfelt.  It takes sharp aim at suburban gossips ("Mrs. Stately's Garden"), views love through an impressionistic lens ("Look Up, Look Over"), and soberingly reflects on a divorced dad ("Saturday's Father," sung by Valli at his most poignant) and a parent's musings on a child growing up ("Wonder What You'll Be").  "Wall Street Village Day" - a jazz-inflected, tight-harmony item propelled by piano - recalls a New York brand of sunshine pop, imagining the collision between Wall Street and Greenwich Village types.  "Idaho" offers nostalgia for simpler times, but as sung by this quintessentially New Jersey group, a dash of irony is also present ("Lovely, lovely Idaho/Daisies on the grass/Grandma's stew/The cows and you...")

Genuine Imitation Life occasionally approaches straightforward pop ("Something's on Her Mind") but revels in its most outré moments, whether the transfixing opener "American Crucifixion Resurrection," the musically shifting birth-to-death chronicle "Soul of a Woman," or the trippy, "Hey Jude"-recalling title track.  Gaudio's ornate, adventurous music was complemented by Holmes' provocative lyrics, led by Valli with conviction.  The album may have been too far out for those expecting the Seasons to continue in the more direct, rocking tradition of "Beggin'" or "C'mon Marianne."  But despite its lack of commercial success, it found them meeting the zeitgeist on their own terms.  Rhino's 140-gram black vinyl reissue is a great way for new listeners to acquaint themselves with this lost classic; the jacket meticulously replicates the original newspaper, but the supplemental color insert included with the original pressing (featuring the comics section, the movie listings, crossword puzzle, and more including an A&P grocery store ad with sale prices on Moby Grapes, Country Joe's Fish, Fresh Cream, Elvis Parsley, Vanilla Fudge, Electric Prunes and more!) is absent.  This clean, quiet new pressing is in stereo; a recently-discovered mono mix was issued on vinyl as part of last year's massive Working Our Way Back to You: The Ultimate Collection box set.

Bill Evans, Everybody Digs Bill Evans [Mono Edition] (Craft Recordings)

Pianist Bill Evans' second album as a leader didn't arrive on Riverside Records until two years after his first; the famously self-effacing musician simply he felt he hadn't anything yet to say.  When he finally did enter the studio for this set, he had plenty to say, indeed.  Everybody Digs Bill Evans offers his own "Peace Piece" as its centerpiece, plus two short epilogues, as well as interpretations of classic songs such as Cole Porter's "Night and Day," Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green's On the Town showstopper "Lucky to Be Me," and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg and Vernon Duke's "What Is There to Say?"  (As we noted, plenty!)  Though "Peace Piece" and the two epilogues were unaccompanied piano solos, Evans was joined on the balance of the LP by Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums.  The album's striking cover offered testimonials from Miles Davis (whose band Evans had just left; Miles would engage him again in short order for Kind of Blue), George Shearing, Ahmad Jamal, and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, and it's not hard to see why they lavished praise upon the young but already prodigiously-gifted pianist.  He had already developed his introspective, intimate style, but the LP also showcased his fleet tickling of the ivories on non-ballad material, too, such as the rousing opener "Minority."  Everybody Digs Bill Evans is filled with lyricism, an abundance of melody, and improvisational invention; it's also sounding better than ever in this 180-gram AAA mono edition with lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio.  It's been pressed at RTI and the LP (in a protective sleeve, naturally) is housed in an old-fashioned, sturdy, tip-on jacket that perfectly replicates the original.  (Labels, of course, are replicas, too.)  One doesn't have to be a jazz connoisseur to find much to admire in this rich set from one of the genre's finest players.  Dig.

Wilco, The Whole Love: Expanded (dBpm/Legacy)

Wilco's eighth studio album - and first to be released on the band's own dBpm label - returns in a handsome new slipcased edition for RSD.  The expanded The Whole Love presents the original album on three sides of vinyl, with the Deluxe Edition's bonus tracks (including a cover of Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label") on the fourth side.  The fifth and sixth sides round up various sessions for iTunes and SiriusXM along with a demo of "Art of Almost," rough versions of "Rising Red Lung" and "Sunloathe," and a faithful performance with Lowe of his hit "Cruel to Be Kind."  The bonus tracks add to the freewheeling tapestry that was the original album.  This Whole Love pulsates with an energy that animates its songs which touch on both pop and rock in all their many permutations.  Nuanced and textured, it's very much a true "band" record, too.  While frontman Jeff Tweedy composed its tracks, his bandmates all shine with their tight, even intuitive interplay throughout.   The package of the RSD reissue is up to the standard of the music, with a heavy, die-cut slipcase containing all three LPs (housed in individual jackets with protective sleeves for each disc) and a squarebound 28-page booklet with lyrics, credits, artwork, and photos.  This Whole Love: Expanded serves to deepen one's appreciation for the sprawling original album - and that's even without any new liner notes.

Dr. John, Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya: Singles 1968-1974 (Omnivore) (2LP)

Here at TSD HQ, we can't get enough of Dr. John, and this 2LP collection is just big enough to fit his most memorable singles as originally released between 1968-1974!  That's right - every one of the good Doctor's U.S. and U.K. A- and B-sides from that period is here, including "I Walk on Gilded Splinters," "Wash, Mama, Wash," "Such a Night," and "Right Place Wrong Time."  This set of New Orleans soul, funk, and R&B from Mac Rebennack and his many friends has been reconfigured and expanded from Omnivore's 2015 CD release and looks to be every bit as enjoyable.  Want more good news?  If you're not into vinyl, it's coming next week (April 26) on CD, too!

And, last but not least, here are Randy's picks!

Farm Dogs, Last Stand in Open Country (Rhino)

Bernie Taupin is of course known for his legendary collaborations with Elton John (see: Caribou, above!).  The famed lyricist has mostly avoided performing over the years in contrast to John, but he has recorded a few albums.  The first was a spoken word album in 1971 before he tried two albums in the 1980s as a singer.  None of those achieved much success so he wouldn't record an album again until 1996.  Taupin formed a band at the time called Farm Dogs.  He recruited Rod Stewart's longtime collaborator and guitarist Jim Cregan, Stewart's and Johnny Hallyday's guitarist Robin Le Mesurier, and The Buckinghams' lead singer Dennis Tufano.

The quartet wrote all of the songs on the album with Taupin, Cregan, and Tufano providing vocals.  The sound harkens back to the country vibe of Elton's Tumbleweed Connection.  Sheryl Crow guests as a background vocalist on "Burn the Bed;" years later, Willie Nelson and Kid Rock would cover the title song on Nelson's 2002 album The Great Divide.  Last Stand in Open Country didn't make much of a splash back when it was released but it was certainly worthy of one; hopefully this reissue will garner some new fans.

This RSD edition marks the album's first time on vinyl.  It has been spread out over 2 LPs and cut at 45 RPM.  The 2 LPs are each housed in an individual plain white paper sleeve and both are contained in a single jacket.  A two-sided, full-color insert featuring lyrics and credits is also included.  It is limited to 3,500 copies.

Fools Garden, Lemon Tree (BMG)

This one is more of a personal pick than anything else.  When I took a school trip to Germany in the spring of 1996, "Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden was all over the radio and TV.  The song, written by the only two permanent members of the German group, vocalist Peter Freudenthaler and guitarist Volker Hinkel, hit No. 1 in the country.  So it was no surprise that it was so ubiquitous when I visited.  The bouncy pop-tune about waiting for someone to arrive, with its 1960s bubblegum-like feel, lodged itself in my head, and I had to find the CD single to buy as a souvenir of my trip.  The song also performed well in various other European countries but didn't do much in the U.S., only climbing to No. 13 on the "Bubbling Under" chart.

BMG's RSD 12" EP doesn't replicate any of the original B-sides for "Lemon Tree."  It instead has three other songs from Fools Garden's career: "Probably" and "Suzy" from their fourth and fifth albums, respectively, and "Outta Love," recorded during the pandemic.  The EP is a lemon-shaped picture disc.  It might be a little harder to find as it a "Regional Focus" RSD release and limited to 900 copies.  But if you do happen to see it, "Lemon Tree" is a fun tune to listen to on a lazy day.

Various Artists, Black Girl (Original Soundtrack Recording) and Ennio Morricone, Orca (Music From the Motion Picture) (Varese Sarabande)

Varese Sarabande kicks off its new "Reel Cult" series with these two releases.  This new line of vinyl reissues concentrates on more cult-like and obscure releases from film history.  As the label describes it, "Reel Cult resurfaces the wildest B-movie soundtracks, cult classic creature features, Blaxploitation cinema, Wild West revenge sagas and spine-tingling horror flicks." Sign us up!

Directed by Ossie Davis and based on J.E. Franklin's 1969 play, 1972's Black Girl is a drama about the relationships between African-American mothers and daughters.  The soundtrack, originally released on Fantasy Records, was written and produced primarily by Ed Bogas and Ray Shanklin.  The pair would also be known for scoring two of Ralph Bakshi's groundbreaking cult films: Fritz the Cat and Heavy Traffic.  This album is a mix of instrumental and vocal songs with an early 1970s soul-jazz and funk feel.  Vocal contributions come from Betty Everett, Rodger Collins, J.J. Malone, and Walter Hawkins.  Several instrumental solos are also featured including John Hunt on trumpet, Merl Saunders on organ, and Sonny Stitt on saxophone.  The package itself is classy, featuring a tip-on jacket and OBI strip with original label replicas.  The AAA mastering has been done by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl from the original master tapes.  It is pressed on 180g clear black-swirl vinyl and is limited to 1,500 copies.

1977's Orca was one of the many films trying to capitalize on Jaws mania.  Directed by Michael Anderson and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, the sea creature in question this time is a killer whale seeking revenge for the murder of its mate and unborn calf at the hands of a fishing boat captain and his crew.  Scored by the legendary Ennio Morricone, the soundtrack features many of his melodic hallmarks and also finds sympathy for the titular whale on its bloody quest for vengeance.  Like Black Girl, Varese's Orca reissue comes in a nice package featuring an OBI strip and tip-on jacket once again.  This time, a four-page color insert is also included.  Two pages on one side feature a mini-poster while the other side includes detailed liner notes by film soundtrack journalist Daniel Schweiger.  The album has been remastered by Chas Ferry and Melinda Hurley.  The vinyl is colored "Blood in the Water" red and is limited to 1,700 copies.

These two reissues kick off Varese Sarabande's new Reel Cult series in fine fashion and lovers of cult music soundtracks should definitely seek them out while awaiting news of the next entries.

Various Artists, Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live at the Hollywood Bowl Vol. II (Legacy Recordings)

In a little under two weeks, Willie Nelson will celebrate his 91st birthday.  Even in his 10th decade, the country legend show no signs of slowing down as he has a new album scheduled for next month and is currently on tour.  Last year, to celebrate his landmark 90th, an all-star tribute concert was held on April 29th (his actual birthday) and 30th at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.  The concert was released in a CD/Blu-ray package and digitally.  A 2-LP highlights edition was also released.  For RSD, Legacy is now putting out a second 2-LP set of highlights from the show.

Over these 19 songs, a wide variety of artists honor the country legend.  Several standouts include versions of Nelson's songs such as Sheryl Crow's rendition of "Crazy" and Dwight Yoakem's "Me and Paul."  Others perform songs memorably covered by Willie over his career, like Jamey Johnson, Warren Hanes and Booker T. Jones doing "Georgia on My Mind" and Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson performing Kris' own "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" which Nelson recorded in 1979.  Orville Peck contributes "Cowboys Are Frequently Fond of Each Other," a song he and Willie just released in a new studio duet version.  And Nelson himself performs on several of the tracks including a fun pairing with Snoop Dogg on "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" and a team-up with Keith Richards on "Live Forever" (a track not on the CD version) to close the set.

The 2-LP package comes in a gatefold sleeve.  Each LP is housed in a full-color paper sleeve.  It is limited to 4,500 copies.

The Who, The Story of The Who (Geffen)

This 2-LP compilation was originally released in the UK in September 1976, a little under a year after the release of The Who By Numbers.  At the time it was considered one of the most comprehensive Who collections at 26 tracks.  It would peak at No. 2 on the U.K. charts.

The music is all great here, of course.  There are couple of variations from just standard album or single versions: "Magic Bus" is the extended version from Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, while "Summertime Blues" and "My Generation" are taken from Live at Leeds (with "My Generation" appearing in edited form).  Longtime collectors will of course have all of this material.  But this particular compilation was never released in the U.S. so it is the kind of reissue that RSD seems well-suited for and it is a nice addition for a Who collector.

The package includes a replica of the original eight-page booklet and comes on pink and green vinyl.  It has been mastered by Jon Astley and cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road.  It is limited to 4,500 copies.

Bonus Quick Pick:

John Lennon, Mind Games EP (Capitol/UMe)

Preview the upcoming Ultimate Collection edition of John Lennon's 1973 album Mind Games (due in July) with this EP featuring four of the reissue's 72 expected tracks.  This 12" release includes new "Ultimate Mixes" of "Mind Games," "I'm The Greatest Star" (featuring Ringo Starr and George Harrison) and "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)," and an alternate take of "You Are Here."  The EP comes in two versions: a 180g black vinyl or a 140g glow-in-the-dark color vinyl.  This is a good appetizer as we wait for the main course.

And we have two special U.K. Record Store Day exclusives to spotlight:

Lulu, "The Man with the Golden Gun" b/w "A Boy Like You" (Demon Music Group)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.  To celebrate, Demon Music Group has released a special 12" picture disc single of the title song from the film performed by Lulu.  The John Barry/Don Black tune actually has the unfortunate distinction of being the only Bond title track to not chart in the U.S. or U.K. as a single.  It is also considered to among the most suggestive of the Bond songs.  Despite Lulu's powerhouse performance, Barry actually considered Golden Gun to have his weakest Bond song and score.  And while it may not rank among the greatest of the Bond songs, it does a have a certain kitschy appeal that's only grown with him.  This new 12" version retains the original single's B-side: Lulu's cover of The Young Rascals' "A Boy Like You."  (Their version was titled a "A Girl Like You.")  It is a fun rendition of the song although a bit less bombastic than the A-side.

Demon's 12" picture disc does make a nice-looking collectible - suitable for framing! - and makes this worth picking up for fans.  The A-side features the movie poster art while the B-side list the titles and song credits.  It is housed in a clear plastic sleeve.

Marianne Faithfull, Faithfull Forever (Decca U.K.)

Marianne Faithfull's Faithfull Forever stands apart in the chanteuse's discography.  While London Records would repackage Marianne's U.K. recordings for the U.S. audience, Faithfull Forever has no direct analog in her core British catalogue.  Though some of the tracks would appear months later on the U.K. album Loveinamist, six tracks were exclusive to Faithfull Forever.  The cover shoot, too, was especially commissioned, and the artist chose one of her favorite poems for the liner notes.  So Faithfull Forever deserves to be considered as an album proper, and that's exactly what this first-time U.K. vinyl reissue demands.  The LP is illuminated in all its ethereal beauty, fusing folk and baroque pop on songs from some of the finest writers of the period including Donovan, Jackie DeShannon, Bob Lind, Norma Tanega, Ewan MacColl, Michel Legrand, and Eric Woolfson.  Mike Leander's dramatic arrangements comfortably suited Faithfull's delicate, vulnerable soprano; she even charms on the more overtly pop material including a cover of The Mamas & The Papas' "Monday, Monday," Les Reed and Barry Mason's pretty "Lucky Girl," and Leander's own, slinky "That's Right, Baby."  If Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story aria "I Have a Love" was, by the singer's own admission, not quite right for her willowy tone, she nonetheless brought heart and soul to it.  Those qualities are abundant on Faithfull Forever which has been gorgeously remastered by Andrew Batt who also provides the new, period design (with Eric Torino) and detailed sleeve notes.  It's pressed on clear vinyl with replica labels.  For fans of '60s folk and pop, Faithfull Forever is simply essential.  Not in the U.K.?  Happily, you can order this album in North America, too, from Amazon U.S. or Amazon Canada!  (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)