Dust off your turntables and replace those needles because Record Store Day is right around the corner for Black Friday, Nov. 29! Yes, the main Record Store Day is celebrated around the globe on the second Saturday of April, but there’s another one on Black Friday every year too.
Record Store Day is a celebration of local record shops still selling authentic mediums of music in the digital age. For the occasion, artists big and small release limited edition records only available at record stores on that day.
Usually artists will release EPs with never-before-heard B-sides, live renditions of favorite songs, rereleases of popular albums or hidden gems, or just cool looking records (like Toto’s ‘Africa’ single on an Africa-shaped vinyl). This year, over 150 artists are releasing their own special records.
For the Record Store Day in April, people flood the stores for the special editions. If there’s a year where the list has stuff I want, I hop in line at midnight and wait 10 hours for the store to open.
This way I have a good chance of getting what I want and getting out fast, because if you come when the store opens and think you’re going to get what you want, you have to wait about two hours to get in the store.
However, it’s a different ball game for Black Friday. Not many people come because it’s nice to sleep in the day after Thanksgiving, there’s other shopping to do, or they don’t even know record stores do this.
For this Record Store Day, I typically show up a couple hours before the store opens because I’m right in front and get what I want.
Here’s what I’d stand for in the cold:
Cardi B, Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 1.
The mixtape that started it all for Cardi B gets the vinyl treatment. The rapper has become a household name quickly in the past few years, with just coming off a worldwide tour in promotion of her Grammy-Award-winning album, Invasion of Privacy. The Bardi Gang might be coming out to get this vinyl.
Aretha Franklin, The Atlantic Singles Collection 1968.
The Queen of Soul lives on through this singles collection box set, which contains four 7” singles. It’s a follow up to a similar box set with singles from ‘67. This set from ‘68 includes classics like ‘Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet, Sweet Baby)’ and ‘The House that Jack Built.’
Jimi Hendrix, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Yes, it’s almost that time of the year too! Recorded at a gig around the holidays at The Fillmore East in 1969 New York, Hendrix played a Christmas medley that consisted of ‘Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night/Auld Lang Syne.’ The 12” record has a picture of Hendrix on one side dressed up as Santa Claus. Can it get any merrier? Well, you’ll find out soon.
Madonna, ‘I Rise.’
The “12 has remixes of Madonna’s ‘I Rise’ from her latest album, Madame X. While the album didn’t receive much acclaim, her play interpretation of X on her new theater tour has stunned many (not just about the ticket prices).
The Monkees, Christmas Party Plus!
Another good stocking stuffer! Christmas Party Plus! offers two versions of the fun single ‘Unwrap You At Christmas’ along with two B-sides from The Monkees 2018 Christmas album Christmas Party.
Although frontman Davy Jones passed away six years ago and bassist Peter Tork died just last February, Christmas Party includes two Christmas songs from Jones and Tork’s final recordings with the other two surviving members of the band, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith.
Willie Nelson, ‘Sometimes Even I Can Get Too High.’
Here’s something worth rolling up to a record store for. On 7” vinyl, the record features the very single from his latest album, along with a B-side ‘It’s All Going to Pot’ with Merle Haggard. Nelson’s still going at 86, so whatever he’s smoking is working!
Katy Perry, ‘Never Really Over.’
This one’s for the Katy Kats. The colored 12” has the pop star’s latest hit, along with a new song ‘Small Talk.’
Bruce Springsteen, ‘Western Stars.’
Giddy up for a 7” vinyl that has two singles, ‘Western Stars’ and ‘The Wayfarer’ from The Boss’ recently acclaimed album Western Stars. Springsteen also has a movie out to visualize the record.
Frank Sinatra, ‘My Way.’
In celebration of The Chairman’s 50th anniversary of his incredible comeback, this 12” features the legendary ‘My Way’ with a live B-side rendition. “The record shows” these might fly off the shelves.
Slipknot, ‘All out of Life.’
The lyrics from ‘All out of Life’ gave Slipknot the name of their latest hit album We Are Not Your Kind, but didn’t appear on the record.
This 7” picture disc gives the song the treatment it deserves, along with a B-side of ‘Unsainted.’ It might not be the most beautiful record because it features the skull of satan, but fans may pick it up because many have got their hands on We Are Not Your Kind.
IMAGES TAKEN from Record Store Day
