It’s just a few days from Record Store Day 2024, the annual holiday for music lovers that takes place Saturday.
Celebrating both independent record stores and the ongoing resurgence of vinyl, hundreds of new and limited items will debut on shelves this weekend.
The brick-and-mortar shops observe the day in any number of ways, from opening doors early, typically to lines of consumers eager to find the collectibles on their list, a host of giveaways and some will even have in-store performances from regional or national acts.
This year, the Record Store Day ambassador is alternative rock band Paramore.
“We are humbled to be your Ambassadors for Record Store Day 2024,” the group said in a statement. “The discovery of music was always meant to be romantic. Indie record shops are some of the only spaces we’ve got that offer a tangible, tactile experience of music discovery. In this world that feels more disconnected and hostile than ever, it feels important to remain in touch (literally) with what inspires us, empowers us, or simply brings us joy.”
The full list for Record Store Day ’24 titles can be found at recordstoreday.com.
Last week we looked at some titles you might want to have on the shopping list and today we’re dropping another round.
David Bowie: “Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth)”
Considered a “new” David Bowie album, the material here is taken from the Trident Studios 1/4” stereo tapes dated Dec. 15, 1971, which were created for the then-provisional track listing of what would become “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” album, which came out the following June.
The track listing for “Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth)” runs differently from the “Ziggy Stardust” album and features four songs that didn’t make the final product. It’s limited to 8,000 copies and pressed on 140-gram vinyl.
Nancy Sinatra: “How Does That Grab You?”
Originally released in 1966, on the heels of her hit debut LP “Boots,” Nancy Sinatra’s “How Does That Grab You?” offers an enticing blend of pop covers and Lee Hazlewood-penned originals, including her iconic rendition of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” the classic “How Does That Grab You, Darlin’?” and her earliest duet with Hazlewood, “Sand.”
Limited to 2,000 copies, the album was pressed on orange cream-colored wax at Record Technology Inc. and is presented in a beautiful, expanded gatefold jacket with a 20-page booklet featuring a question-and-answer with Sinatra, plus never-before-seen photos from her personal archive.
Faces: “The BBC Session Recordings”
This two-LP set comes on 140-gram clear vinyl and is limited to 4,000 copies.
It’s the second set of highlights from the Faces many memorable performances at the BBC over the years.
Collected mostly from Top Gear and the David Lee Travis Show, the compilation brings together top performances from 1970 and includes rarer tracks and fan favorites like “Wicked Messenger,” “Shake, Shudder, Shiver,” and “Had Me a Real Good Time.”
Various Artists: “Spawn – The Album”
Throughout the ’90s, the crossover and blending of divergent styles and artists was ever-present, specifically in the genres of hip-hop and rock.
Taking that a step further, mixing techno with nu-metal, breakbeat with rap, and drum and bass with hard rock, was 1997’s soundtrack to the film “Spawn.”
To match the dystopian wasteland aesthetics of the movie, this double LP is pressed on smoky red vinyl and limited to 2,700 copies.
It features collaborations between Metallica and DJ Spooky, The Prodigy with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Filter with The Crystal Method just to name a few.
The Replacements: “Not Ready for Prime Time: Live at The Cabaret Metro, Chicago, IL, January 11, 1986”
It’s the first time on vinyl for this live Replacements performance from the acclaimed LP “Tim (Let It Bleed Edition).”
Limited to 6,000 copies, the double record on 140gram black vinyl features the original lineup of the band performing in January 1986 during the week of their infamous performance on Saturday Night Live, hence the title.
Some 28 tracks are included on the set, featuring blistering performances of “Bastards of Young,” “Unsatisfied,” “I Will Dare” and more.
Dio: “The Last in Line [40th Anniversary Zoetrope Picture Disc]”
Rhino celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Platinum-selling Dio album “The Last in Line” — the band’s highest charting album on both sides of the Atlantic — with a special Zoetrope-design picture disc, limited to 4,500 copies.
Housed in a die-cut jacket, the Zoetrope picture disc animates characters and figures from the iconic cover art when played on a vinyl turntable, creating a wild looking optical illusion.
Featuring the singles “Mystery” and the title track, this 1984 classic also features live favorites “We Rock,” “I Speed at Night,” and “One Night in the City.”
The Cure: “The Top [Picture Disc Edition]”
The latest in the series of beautiful picture discs from The Cure, their fourth album from 1984 “The Top” celebrates 40 years with this edition. The set features founding drummer Lol Tolhurst on keyboards and then-new drummer Andy Andreson on the skins.
Cut from the 2006 remaster, the LP is “limited” to 10,000 copies and features “The Caterpillar,” “Shake Dog Shake,” “Birdmad Girl,” and “Dressing Up” among other
fan favorites.
“Ernest Tubb & His Texas Troubadours: World Broadcast Recordings 1944-1945”
This compilation is of country pioneer Ernest Tubb’s radio transcription contributions for the World Program Service.
Across 14 tracks, Tubb is backed by his Texas Troubadours including Jimmie Short on lead guitar, Leon Short on rhythm guitar, Butterball Paige on bass and Johnny Sapp on fiddle.
The audio has been restored and remastered, sounding better than ever for the first vinyl pressing of this collection, limited to 1,800 copies.
Motley Crue: “Supersonic and Demonic Relics”
This 1999 collection from the kings of Sunset Strip sleaze makes its debut on vinyl.
Limited to 2,500 copies, the double LP set features rarities and live tracks from the Crue, some of them which were then previously unheard and others only available on compilations, soundtracks and EPs the band released in limited numbers.
The Sisters of Mercy: “Body and Soul/Walk Away”
The 40th anniversary of gothic rock icons Sisters of Mercy’s first two EPs is celebrated by packaging them together as one LP on 140-gram blue smoke vinyl and limited to 3,500 copies in the United States.
Here are the previous 10 recommendations.
To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to rockmusicmenu@gmail.com. Also, check out his website at thechroniclesofmc.com.
