Every year, Record Store Day inspires music fans to flock to their local shops to seek out an impressive array of exclusive and limited-edition releases from a massive range of bands. Naturally, 2013 will be no exception, and the last few months have been peppered with exciting announcements about all the goodies that will be coming our way this coming Saturday (April 20).
These exclusive releases can be hard to find, and many of them will inevitably end up fetching massive amounts of money on eBay. Regardless of their value as collectibles, here are 10 releases that we hear at Exclaim! are excited to hunt down at our local record shop. Of course, there are many, many more awesome exclusives not listed here, and you can also see the full list of RSD exclusives here.
10 Great Releases to Hunt for at Record Store Day 2013:
10. GZA
Liquid Swords Chess Box: Vinyl Edition
(Get on Down)
Last year, GZA's 1995 album Liquid Swords was released in a deluxe CD box set with an actual chess board. Even better, that concept will now be applied to vinyl. This 12x12 hard-case box comes with four LPs, a 24-page booklet, a sticker sheet, and a full-size wooden chess set that can be played on a board printed on the box's inner lining.
9. Big Star
Nothing Can Hurt Me
(Omnivore Recordings)
Big Star will soon be celebrated with a documentary, and this rarities collection serves as that film's soundtrack. Pressed on coloured vinyl, it includes 20 alternate versions of classic Big Star songs, with material ranging from different mixes to demos and even some in-studio banter. This will be a must-hear for fans of the celebrated pop-rock band.
8. Mercury Rev
Deserted Songs
(Light in the Attic)
Mercury Rev's 1998 album Deserter's Songs has been reissued a few times over the years, but the rarities that make up Deserted Songs — note the slightly different title — are just now coming to vinyl. These 11 outtakes, demos and alternate versions from the Deserter's Songs sessions will be available on white and clear vinyl in a hand-numbered edition of 2,000. An announcement explains, "Where Deserter's Songs is an album of grandiose proportions, Deserted Songs strips back to the songs' fragile hearts."
7. Orange Juice
Texas Fever / Rip It Up / The Orange Juice / You Can't Hide Your Love Forever
(Domino Records)
If you own Texas Fever, Rip It Up, The Orange Juice or You Can't Hide Your Love Forever on vinyl, there's a good chance that you spent hours scouring through bins and online auctions in order to track down all these out-of-print albums. Luckily for indie pop fans, finding these records just got a whole lot easier thanks to this batch of reissues. On the other hand, our Exclaim! news editor's collection of Orange Juice records are about to get a little less valuable.
6. Sub Pop 1000
(Sub Pop)
Way back in 1986, the fledgling Sub Pop Records released a compilation called Sub Pop 100. In celebration of the label's 25th anniversary (don't think too hard about that math), the label is following it up with this 10-song collection, which features songs from acts like Peaking Lights, Iron Lung, Chancha Via Circuito and My Disco. Given that this is Sub Pop's silver jubilee, it's appropriately being pressed on silver vinyl.
5. Caribou
Start Breaking My Heart / Up in Flames / The Milk of Human Kindness
(The Leaf Label)
If you own a prior vinyl copy of 2001's Start Breaking My Heart or 2003's Up in Flames, the front cover is printed with songwriter Dan Snaith's original moniker, Manitoba. These reissues update the releases to reflect his new name, Caribou, which he took on with the release of 2005's The Milk of Human Kindness. These records have long been out of print, and these Record Store Day versions will be pressed on coloured wax.
4. Pornography
7 Minutes in Heaven
(Pax-Americana Records)
Alt-country troubadour Ryan Adams goes punk on the debut release from his new band. Pornography features his frequent collaborator Johnny T. Yerington and Leah Hennessey, and this short EP includes seven songs in just seven minutes. In other words, these songs are all short, punchy blasts of rowdy punk. Some of Adams' previous genre experiments have been greeted with a rather tepid response — remember his so-called metal record? — but this looks to be an entertaining diversion.
3. Death Waltz Recording Company soundtrack reissues
(Death Waltz)
UK label Death Waltz Recording Company is amassing an impressive catalogue of soundtracks, and it will expand this Record Store Day with five more vinyl releases. Two of these are full-length scores: Antoni Maiovvi's Yellow: Original Music from the Short Film will be available in a pressing of 1,000 yellow vinyl records with blood splatter, while Steve Moore of Zombi will have his score for Horror Business pressed on black and red split vinyl. The other three releases are 7-inches that pair up TV show themes; the Star Trek and Lost in Space themes will appear on black and glitter vinyl, with other 7-inches bringing together The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, as well as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Munsters. These comes with a 7-inch-by-7-inch art print.
2. Stephen Malkmus and Friends
Can's Ege Bamyasi
(Matador)
Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the classic Ege Bamyasi by Krautrock legends Can. To celebrate the occasion, Pavement leader Stephen Malkmus teamed up with Germany's Von Spar to cover the album in full. Interestingly, the songs don't appear in the original running order, and "Pinch" and "Soup" are condensed into one track. It will be pressed on green vinyl in a pressing of 3,000, and represents everything that's great about Record Store Day: an unusual concept that brings legendary acts together for a one-of-a-kind release.
1. The Flaming Lips
Zaireeka (vinyl box set)
Warner Bros.
The Flaming Lips topped our Record Store Day list in 2012, and this year unsurprisingly has another amazing treat for fans of the psychedelic pop outfit. Their 1997 album Zaireeka was originally released in an experimental format that included four synced-up CDs, requiring fans to listen to the album using four stereos all playing at the same time. Now, each 45 RPM 12-inch record in this four-disc box set will be uniquely coloured, and the whole thing comes with a 12-page booklet, making the first time Zaireeka has ever graced vinyl.
These exclusive releases can be hard to find, and many of them will inevitably end up fetching massive amounts of money on eBay. Regardless of their value as collectibles, here are 10 releases that we hear at Exclaim! are excited to hunt down at our local record shop. Of course, there are many, many more awesome exclusives not listed here, and you can also see the full list of RSD exclusives here.
10 Great Releases to Hunt for at Record Store Day 2013:
10. GZA
Liquid Swords Chess Box: Vinyl Edition
(Get on Down)
Last year, GZA's 1995 album Liquid Swords was released in a deluxe CD box set with an actual chess board. Even better, that concept will now be applied to vinyl. This 12x12 hard-case box comes with four LPs, a 24-page booklet, a sticker sheet, and a full-size wooden chess set that can be played on a board printed on the box's inner lining.
9. Big Star
Nothing Can Hurt Me
(Omnivore Recordings)
Big Star will soon be celebrated with a documentary, and this rarities collection serves as that film's soundtrack. Pressed on coloured vinyl, it includes 20 alternate versions of classic Big Star songs, with material ranging from different mixes to demos and even some in-studio banter. This will be a must-hear for fans of the celebrated pop-rock band.
8. Mercury Rev
Deserted Songs
(Light in the Attic)
Mercury Rev's 1998 album Deserter's Songs has been reissued a few times over the years, but the rarities that make up Deserted Songs — note the slightly different title — are just now coming to vinyl. These 11 outtakes, demos and alternate versions from the Deserter's Songs sessions will be available on white and clear vinyl in a hand-numbered edition of 2,000. An announcement explains, "Where Deserter's Songs is an album of grandiose proportions, Deserted Songs strips back to the songs' fragile hearts."
7. Orange Juice
Texas Fever / Rip It Up / The Orange Juice / You Can't Hide Your Love Forever
(Domino Records)
If you own Texas Fever, Rip It Up, The Orange Juice or You Can't Hide Your Love Forever on vinyl, there's a good chance that you spent hours scouring through bins and online auctions in order to track down all these out-of-print albums. Luckily for indie pop fans, finding these records just got a whole lot easier thanks to this batch of reissues. On the other hand, our Exclaim! news editor's collection of Orange Juice records are about to get a little less valuable.
6. Sub Pop 1000
(Sub Pop)
Way back in 1986, the fledgling Sub Pop Records released a compilation called Sub Pop 100. In celebration of the label's 25th anniversary (don't think too hard about that math), the label is following it up with this 10-song collection, which features songs from acts like Peaking Lights, Iron Lung, Chancha Via Circuito and My Disco. Given that this is Sub Pop's silver jubilee, it's appropriately being pressed on silver vinyl.
5. Caribou
Start Breaking My Heart / Up in Flames / The Milk of Human Kindness
(The Leaf Label)
If you own a prior vinyl copy of 2001's Start Breaking My Heart or 2003's Up in Flames, the front cover is printed with songwriter Dan Snaith's original moniker, Manitoba. These reissues update the releases to reflect his new name, Caribou, which he took on with the release of 2005's The Milk of Human Kindness. These records have long been out of print, and these Record Store Day versions will be pressed on coloured wax.
4. Pornography
7 Minutes in Heaven
(Pax-Americana Records)
Alt-country troubadour Ryan Adams goes punk on the debut release from his new band. Pornography features his frequent collaborator Johnny T. Yerington and Leah Hennessey, and this short EP includes seven songs in just seven minutes. In other words, these songs are all short, punchy blasts of rowdy punk. Some of Adams' previous genre experiments have been greeted with a rather tepid response — remember his so-called metal record? — but this looks to be an entertaining diversion.
3. Death Waltz Recording Company soundtrack reissues
(Death Waltz)
UK label Death Waltz Recording Company is amassing an impressive catalogue of soundtracks, and it will expand this Record Store Day with five more vinyl releases. Two of these are full-length scores: Antoni Maiovvi's Yellow: Original Music from the Short Film will be available in a pressing of 1,000 yellow vinyl records with blood splatter, while Steve Moore of Zombi will have his score for Horror Business pressed on black and red split vinyl. The other three releases are 7-inches that pair up TV show themes; the Star Trek and Lost in Space themes will appear on black and glitter vinyl, with other 7-inches bringing together The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, as well as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Munsters. These comes with a 7-inch-by-7-inch art print.
2. Stephen Malkmus and Friends
Can's Ege Bamyasi
(Matador)
Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the classic Ege Bamyasi by Krautrock legends Can. To celebrate the occasion, Pavement leader Stephen Malkmus teamed up with Germany's Von Spar to cover the album in full. Interestingly, the songs don't appear in the original running order, and "Pinch" and "Soup" are condensed into one track. It will be pressed on green vinyl in a pressing of 3,000, and represents everything that's great about Record Store Day: an unusual concept that brings legendary acts together for a one-of-a-kind release.
1. The Flaming Lips
Zaireeka (vinyl box set)
Warner Bros.
The Flaming Lips topped our Record Store Day list in 2012, and this year unsurprisingly has another amazing treat for fans of the psychedelic pop outfit. Their 1997 album Zaireeka was originally released in an experimental format that included four synced-up CDs, requiring fans to listen to the album using four stereos all playing at the same time. Now, each 45 RPM 12-inch record in this four-disc box set will be uniquely coloured, and the whole thing comes with a 12-page booklet, making the first time Zaireeka has ever graced vinyl.
