The Current's staff share their Record Store Day wishlists and favorite finds
April 16, 2016
Record Store Day 2016 is Saturday, April 16. In the run-up to the big day, a number of staff people at The Current shared what they'll be looking for while they're out shopping, along with some of their favorite record-store finds from years past.
Jim McGuinn
I'm gonna try to find a copy of this early Bowie stuff, cut in 1966 at the very beginning of his career. Bowie's 1967 self-titled debut album is a bit twee for my taste, but some of the singles he did as he was coming out of his Mod/Small Faces vibe were terrific — and like most of the world, it took his passing for me to rediscover gems like "Can't Help Thinking About Me" and "I Dig Everything."
From the exact same era, I'm also gonna be looking for this album from The Easybeats, which includes "Friday On My Mind," one of the songs Bowie would cover on PinUps, his tribute to the mid-'60s.
Plus the Idle Race (pre-ELO Jeff Lynne!) and the first vinyl release of Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend demos are things I hope to find as well.
Last week, I popped in at Barely Brothers in St. Paul and picked up a couple of '60s nuggets, including Big Hits of Middle America. I've had volume two of this collection on Soma Records, which includes arguably bigger hits like Little Latin Lupe Lu by the Chancellors and Run Run Run by the Gestures, but volume one is another great batch of mid-60s garage rock from the Twin Cities, including The Underbeats' "Foot Stompin'."
Jay Gabler
Emmylou Harris's Wrecking Ball is a sublime album — one of my all-time favorites. I'd love to hear the bonus tracks on the RSD release.
Meanwhile, the new pride of my record collection is the Tegan and Sara box set! It's nicely complemented by the giant Sainthood album-cover display that Stacy Schwartz grabbed for me when the Electric Fetus was done with it.
Sean McPherson
What I'm excited about on this year's Record Store Day:
Bill Evans - Some Other Time
I did an Essential albums piece about Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and it sent me into a realization. I am a Bill Evans guy. He is the nerdy, introspective piano player who helped get Miles' mojo back in the late 1950s. Evans worked with a trio or solo for essentially his entire career as a leader. This record came about for the short period of time when he had Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack Dejohnette on drums. It was a high watermark for the group and I'm excited to hear it.
J Dilla - The Diary
J Dilla stands with Dr. Dre and DJ Premier as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time. His work is spectacular behind the boards, but he was also a gifted rapper. I'm excited to see how a record that he constructed and masterminded, but didn't produce, will sound.
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter II
Tha Carter II is the best hip-hop album released between 2000 and 2010. It is absolutely incredible. I cannot wait to have it on thick ass vinyl and bump it loudly at parties.
Back in 2010 on Record Store Day, I picked up a record called Pathways. I bought it on a whim because I know that Dave Holland is an incredible bassist and bandleader. I didn't know that he's been celebrated for his large ensemble writing and the way he created amazing beds for soloists without using a piano player. Arrangement- and composition-wise, this record is light years ahead from what you hear on most jazz records. The textures change so frequently with this sensitivity towards ear fatigue that it stands out. Sometimes buying jazz records is more fun than listening to them, because for my modern ears, I don't always hear enough communication to keep me engaged. But this Holland record spent years in frequent rotation in my home.
Bill DeVille
One of my favorite record-store finds is a copy of Howlin' Wolf, The Real Folk Blues. I was doing some shopping at Mill City Sound a few months ago and came across a really sweet vinyl copy of this blues classic. I think it was part of Jon Bream's vinyl collection, which Mill City purchased a while back. They don't make records like that anymore!
Jade
Typically, I'm not trying to look for something specific when we're out on Record Store Day; there's still something fun about the hunt and letting the vinyl pick you. But I am a little intrigued by the Taxi Driver soundtrack on vinyl. It would make for a great theme-party soundtrack.
Whenever I'm traveling, I like to see what I can find in the record stores. Sometimes there's a different cover or different songs, depending on the label and country the record is distributed in. I just got back from Turkey, and while I didn't find anything super unique to bring home, I did bring back a copy of Ella Fitzgerald Live in Berlin. I like my records to have a story.
Meanwhile, here's a fun DIY project for you for Record Store Day:
Mark Wheat
A rather wonderful thing is happening with the rebirth of pressing vinyl: some albums that were NEVER on it before are available now, if only in a limited run of 300!
Back in 1986, the weekly magazine in the U.K., NME, in one of the first compilations that I remember being put together by a publication, tried to capture the "next big wave in UK music." This "cassette only" issue became so well known and cherished that the name of it became almost its own musical genre! These weren't Britpop, punk or new wave bands, we weren't sure what they all were together except — NME C86 bands! Some went on to relative success, like Primal Scream, The Wedding Present and The Pastels.
Some just had awesome names like; Bogshed (an outdoor lavatory in Britain!); We've Got A Fuzzbox and We're Going To Use It; and one of John Peel's faves, Half Man Half Biscuit (a cookie to us)!
When I went to get a vinyl copy of the NEW St. Germain a couple of months ago, there was also a brand-new copy of his 2000 release, Tourist, so I got that, too. I don't remember seeing it on vinyl before … we were all into CD's back then!
Happy Hunting on RSD!!
Kelsey
This Record Store Day, I'm especially excited to get my hands on Ezra Furman's Songs By Others. It's a 12" collection of some pretty incredible covers, and it plays like a personal invitation to peruse Ezra's record collection. He and his band The Boy-Friends reimagine gems like "Devil's Haircut" (Beck), "I Can Change" (LCD Soundystem), and even a little hometown favorite called "Androgynous." I've been a longtime fan of Ezra's and love this chance to sort of step inside his listening experience.
"I listen to so much great music and just ache to be able to inhabit it more fully," Ezra says of this project. "I want to be Beck or Melanie or Jackie Wilson. So this record is me playing dress-up, with the help of my incredible band."
Plan ahead if you're looking to add Songs By Others to your collection, as it's a Limited Run/Regional Focus Release; there are only 500 copies (total!) of this record, and they won't be available at all RSD locations!
Luke Taylor
A couple years ago, I wandered into a record shop on Record Store Day and was instantly struck by an album cover emblazoned with the iconic Sun Records logo. The cover art piqued my interest and the album turned out to be a Record Store Day exclusive. The tracks on the record are by artists like Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Howlin' Wolf and Charlie Rich, and all were recorded at Sun Records in Memphis between 1953 and 1967.
Last year, as Record Store Day approached, Corey Sweeter (whose illustration appears at the top of this feature) told me Sun had released a volume two for RSD 2015, so I picked up a copy of it. This year, Corey tells me there will be a Sun Records volume three compilation — so I'll be on the lookout for it once again!
Jake Rudh
I'm especially looking forward to the David Bowie TVC15 7-inch picture disc. I've been collecting the Bowie releases for years and now adding one of my favorite songs to the collection is icing on the cake.
The Current itinerary for Record Store Day
On Record Store Day 2016, folks from The Current will be traveling around the Twin Cities in The Current van. Look for them and be sure to say hello as they make stops at these locations*:
9:20 a.m. Down in The Valley
9:45 a.m. Mill City Music
10:20 a.m. Flashlight Vinyl
10:45 a.m. TreeHouse Records
12:20 p.m. Electric Fetus
1 p.m. Hymies Vintage Vinyl
2:20 p.m. Barely Brothers
3:10 p.m. Eclipse Records
*All times approximate. Schedule subject to change.
Illustration Acknowledgement
The Record Store Day illustration at the top of this page was created exclusively for and donated to The Current by designer Corey Sweeter. You can see more of Corey's work by viewing his portfolio at coreysweeter.com.