OT: Record Store Day 2018!

Submitted by JWG Wolverine on

Happy Record Store Day MGoBlog!

Make sure to support your local music stores today and enjoy the lost art of a full album!

Did anybody else pick up anything today?

As for me:

RSD 2018 Exclusives:
 
7”:
Led Zeppelin-Rock and Roll/Friends (Yellow)
 
The Police-Roxanne/Peanuts (“Red Light”, red record)
 
Jimi Hendrix & The Trash Men - Mannish Boy
 
Fleet Foxes-Crack Up Choral Version/In The Morning (Live)
 
45:
 
David Bowie- Let’s Dance (Live)/Let’s Dance Demo
 
LP:
 
Prince-1999 (rare single record version)
 
RSD Free Goodies/Swag:
 
Extremely Awesome tote for RSD 2018!
 
2 Pins (RSD and Run The Jewels RSD Ambassadors)
 
2 CDs (“The Music You’ll Be Looking For on a Future Trip to the Record Store”, “The New Whole Burbank Catalog”)
 
1 Poster (Dogfish Head (The Official Beer) RSD2018 Art)
 
Just For Fun:
 
Chuck Berry-Berry Up On Top
 
Rocky Soundtrack (Used)
 
What about you guys? Let me know!

garde

April 22nd, 2018 at 9:33 AM ^

starting to twitch? vinyl has been surging since early 00s...i think last year was its weakest growth rate since the revival became mainstream, but sales have grown every year for the last 12 (and yes when places like Barnes & Noble are selling vinyl, you know its doing decently and is mainstream)...the vinyl revival would probably be doing better if there were enough plants to manufacture all of the demand

i thought this year's RSD releases were on the weaker side and sat it out...i heard the live Neil Young sounds phenomal from a buddy who picked it up and I'll be waiting for the earlier Tom Waits reissues to come out later in the year...although if i can find one online, ill likely buy the Van Morrison "Moondance" alternative version...if you like Van and listen to vinyl, both Moondance and Astral Weeks are two of the best sounding records I own...amazing what digital compression does to kill music 

Bando Calrissian

April 22nd, 2018 at 2:54 AM ^

Pitchfork's ratings for JWIII's three solo records:

7.8

7.1

4.7

Guess which one is Boarding House Reach.

Most polarizing and easily the most inconsistent music he's ever released. To a person, every longtime Jack/Stripes fan I've talked to has reported this album does not measure up. YMMV, but it's been getting panned.

Shadowban

April 21st, 2018 at 7:42 PM ^

I mean, have some sales or something. Record Store Day is basically "Here's a bunch of supply restricted albums at 150% of normal retail". No thanks

Torchlakeblue

April 21st, 2018 at 7:47 PM ^

The 61 days in church- Eric church live. Waited in line for 30 mins and couldn’t find it after searching in all the bins. Finally found it in one I had already looked in. They only got one copy. Feeling pretty lucky. Also got Uncle Tupelo - no depression demos. Love me some Jeff Tweedy.

UESWolverine

April 21st, 2018 at 10:17 PM ^

Oh man - you got some great stuff! Kudos for that passion. My store didn't have this year's RSD Ambassador pins so no RTJ pin for me. Bummer. 

I've been downsizing my vinyl collection significantly this year so I really wasn't planning on getting anything (knowing already that somebody set aside the Krush Groove soundtrack for me) but I did get the Beastie Boys Rockabye Baby vinyl since my kid is 7 months old and this was his first RSD. I also got the Lady Antebellum 7". 

I literally spent more on clothing at this store in the past month than I have on vinyl. Crazy.  

And for those who don't know where their local record store is located, go to recordstoreday.com and put in your zip code to find the nearest store:

https://recordstoreday.com/Home

It's worth going even if you missed RSD today. 

Bando Calrissian

April 21st, 2018 at 10:19 PM ^

Have a couple friends I go out with every year for RSD, been doing it for years. It's gotten out of hand, but we're more just in it for the hang/beers/tacos. Got some good stuff this year, only one RSD-related release, but the novelty is outweighed by the ritual. We're all folks who go to record stores multiple days a week, so the whole fiasco of watching people buy stupid picture discs and one-off releases they'll never listen to more than twice is sort of entertaining at this point.

I know it does a lot for independent stores, but the official RSD stuff is almost beyond parody. Nowadays I more appreciate the stores who don't even bother to front the thousands of dollars to buy the required RSD stock.

freelion

April 21st, 2018 at 10:15 PM ^

It's apparently very chic now. I let her play my Led Zeppelin IV album to test her turntable out but didn't go as far as playing the Spring Clean for the May Queen line backwards.

BlueMan80

April 21st, 2018 at 10:41 PM ^

At the Axpona 2018 audio show. There are some people out there willing to pay crazy $$ on stereo equipment. Heard some amazing systems and got into the spirit buying a new 180g pressing of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (Bowie). Scouted new turntables to replace my 1977 vintage Philips GA-427 that has been idle for 25 years. It was fun to rediscover good old stereo....but I still like multi-channel HD audio best. Even more fun...

Larry Appleton

April 21st, 2018 at 10:52 PM ^

I was up at 6, aiming to get to the Exclusive Company shortly after it opened in the hopes of picking up the Zeppelin 7” and the Sufjan Stevens 7”, but like all the plans I’ve made since having my second child under 3, this one fell apart. I didn’t get in until after 1pm, and it was slim pickins at that point.

I’ll be cool again in about 17 years.

killerseafood3

April 21st, 2018 at 11:27 PM ^

I love music and have a killer collection that I manage through iTunes. Always “heard” vinyl sounds good, but I just don’t see the appeal. As I have a one year old, the only time I can listen to music that I want is on the drive to work and back.. do you vinyl fans have record players in your cars?



On a side note, the Cracker Barrel is Benton Harbor has a collection of vinyl albums for sale (mostly newer stuff). Thought that was interesting.

JWG Wolverine

April 21st, 2018 at 11:37 PM ^

Vinyl is appealing due to it's collecting aspect, and the fact that it is the most intimate way to listen to music. It makes you appreciate every album more.

While it lacks effort and is quite robotic to scroll through your iTunes Library and select an album, there is nothing like taking an album off the shelf and opening it up, consuming all of the artwork and letting the artist fully speak to you.

Matte Kudasai

April 22nd, 2018 at 7:26 AM ^

I'm just not ready to re-take the plunge.  I still have thousands of CD's and DVD's that I'd like to get rid of.

And the new vinyl is pretty expensive.  I'm pretty sure I'd go nuts wanting everything.

garde

April 22nd, 2018 at 9:29 AM ^

prices have skyrocketed in last few years because there's not enough manufacturing plants to meet the demand because now the Taylor Swift's and Justin Beiber's of the world release on vinyl

i've cut back last couple years because of the prices and usually now only buy

1. a recent release from an artist i love

2. buy it at a club show from an indie artist (for a deep discount because all money goes straight to their pocket)

3. used records i kind of want to have, but are not must haves

4. a remasterd classic (done from the original tapes) which ill pay a premium for because some of them sound f'ing incredible 

but yes, I kind of went nuts around 2003 when i took my old records out of my parent's house, bought a new system, and started buying vinyl again..it can be an expensive habit these days..not to mention the amount of space it can take up in a NYC apartment

jrems

April 22nd, 2018 at 1:04 PM ^

I love this post. It’s great seeing everybody talk about their collections, listening habits, etc.



Thank you!





Question to the OP (or anybody else that went out yesterday): what store did you hit for RSD?



Favorites in Michigan include: Dearborn Music, Vertigo (Grand Rapids) & Street Corner (Oak Park)



I really miss Record Time in Ferndale...

UESWolverine

April 22nd, 2018 at 4:42 PM ^

I once spent 5 hours in Record Time when I was a kid. I was into too many genres and spent a lot of time at the listening station that day. That place was the best!

I used to love Tower in Ann Arbor too - I would spend a lot of time at those listening stations - before I became a germaphobe and realized that nobody ever cleaned the headphones. 

 

JWG Wolverine

April 22nd, 2018 at 7:15 PM ^

Since I live in Chicagoland, I hit up Vintage Vinyl in Evanston (Yes, THAT Vintage Vinyl mentioned in High Fidelity), and that place is always just THE BEST! Selection is great, the place is pretty big considering the city environment (They've got a $5 used room and a basement with their comedy, jazz, blues, 50s, and poster selection) There was some live music outside too! I highly reccomend.

The one thing though was that he has some shipping issues with his RSD orders, so I jogged over to Squeezebox Books and Music to get most of my Record Store Day exclusives.

One great day!

Here are their websites if you want to learn more. Keep supporting local music business guys!

Vintage: https://www.vvmo.com (They have mail order too, if you want to support them from Michigan or anywhere else, as I said I highly recommend. Great business.)

Squeezebox: http://www.squeezeboxbooks.com (Great book selection in there too and as I said, the guy's RSD exclusive list was plentiful)

Bando Calrissian

April 23rd, 2018 at 12:44 AM ^

Go to Vintage Vinyl if you don't mind paying about three times as much for a record than even the most opportunistic store would charge. In an area full of amazing, world-class record stores that not only get in good stuff, but charge reasonable prices, I don't know why anyone would bother with VV.

But, hey, if buying $40 James Taylor records and never being able to look at the merchandise to check condition is your thing... Go with God.