It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Over the past weekend I happened through the doors of my favourite record store to find a sight most uncommon- A store full of people perusing the shelves and digging through crates to find music. It wasn’t the usual record collecting demographic either. Younger kids, older kids, older women, younger men, hip seniors, hip juniors, skate kids... You get the idea. It was a healthy sized crowd, the likes I of which I have not seen in some time. These were people clearly there to find the music they loved. Could the tide be turning and people are turning back to the simpler pleasures in life like listening to music on something other than an iPod? Maybe. It’s certainly something I would welcome.

I am sure the organizers of Record Store Day would like to think so too. In just less than two weeks time on April 16th Record Store Day 2011 takes place across the globe. And wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone took a little bit of time from their busy schedules to peruse the racks at their favourite record store? Even better this one is just full of amazing limited releases as you can see from the list below.



List of Record Store Day 2011 Releases

Adele: "Rolling in the Deep" 10" [Columbia]
Akron/Family: "bmbz" 12" [Dead Oceans]
Arthur Russell: World of Echo [Rough Trade] [reissue]
Bad Brains: "Pay to Cum" 7" and God of Love [ROIR] [reissues]
Beth Ditto: Beth Ditto 12" EP [Columbia]
The Beach Boys: "Good Vibrations" b/w "Heroes and Villains" [Capitol]
Beady Eye: 7" vinyl box set [Dangerbird]
Bear in Heaven/Lindstrøm: Remix of Lindstrøm and Christabelle's "Lovesick" b/w "Lovesick Teenagers" Remix 12" [Hometapes]
Bibio/Clark: "Willenhall" b/w "Baskerville Grinch" 12" [Warp]
Big Star: Third [Omnivore] [reissue]
The Black Angels: Another Nice Pair and Phosgene Nightmare [Light in the Attic/Blue Horizon]
Black Twig Pickers/Glenn Jones: Split [Thrill Jockey]
Blitzen Trapper: "Maybe Baby" and "Soul Singer" 7" [Sub Pop]
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: "Gotta Get That Feeling" b/w "Racing in the Street" 7" [Columbia]
Built to Spill: "Ripple" 7" [WBR]
Busdriver: "ATM" 7" [Polyvinyl]
Caribou: Swim Remixes [Merge]
Charlotte Gainsbourg/Villagers: "Memoir" b/w "Becoming a Jackal" [Domino]
Cults: "Abducted" b/w "Go Outside (Remix)" 7" [ITNO/Columbia]
Daedelus: Tailor-Made [Ninja Tune]
Daft Punk: Tron 10" [Walt Disney Records]
Damien Jurado: Live at Landlocked [Secretly Canadian]
Danger Mouse/Daniele Luppi: "Two Against One" b/w "Black" [Third Man]
Death Cab for Cutie: Atlantic Records Presents: Death Cab for Cutie In Living Stereo! 7" [Atlantic]
The Decemberists: Live at Bull Moose EP [Rough Trade/Capitol]
Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity [Polyvinyl] [reissue]
Deerhoof/Xiu Xiu: Split 7" [Polyvinyl]
Deerhunter: "Memory Boy" 7" [4AD]
Dennis Coffey: Steinski Remixes [Strut]
The Dodos: "So Cold" 7" [French Kiss]
DOM: "Things Change" b/w "Jesus" 10" [Astralwerks]
Duran Duran: Girl Panic! [S-Curve]
Esben and the Witch: Chorea EP [Matador]
Fela Kuti and the Africa 70: Monday Morning in Lagos Parts 1 & 2 [Knitting Factory/MRI] [reissue]
The Flaming Lips: Heady Nuggs: The First 5 Warner Bros. Records 1992-2002 [Warner Bros.] [box set]
Fleet Foxes: "Helplessness Blues" b/w "Grown Ocean" 12" [Sub Pop]
Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma Alt Takes [Warp]
Foo Fighters: Medium Rare [Roswell/RCA]
Franz Ferdinand: Covers EP [Domino]
Fucked Up: David's Town [Matador]
Gorillaz: The Fall [Virgin/Parlophone]
The Go! Team: "Apollo Throwdown" b/w "Voice Yr Choice" 12"
Green Day/Husker Du: "I Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" 7" [WBR]
Grinderman: Palaces of Montezuma and Evil [Anti-]
Howe Gelb: "Sno Angel" b/w "Melted Wires" [Fort Lowell]
Javelin: Canyon Candy [Luaka Bop]
Jenny and Johnny and Gram Parson and Emmylou Harris: Love Hurts 7"
The Joy Formidable: "Whirring" b/w "Chwyrlio" 7" [Atlantic]
Justin Townes Earle: "Move Over Mama" b/w "Racing in the Streets" [Bloodshot]
Karen Elson: "Vicious" b/w "In Trouble With the Lord" 7" [Third Man]
Kate Bush: Hounds of Love [Audio Fidelity] [reissue]
The Kills: "Satellite" 10" featuring mixes by Mad Professor [Domino]
Kings of Leon: Holy Roller Novocaine [RCA] [reissue]
Kode 9 and the Spaceape: "Otherman" b/w "Love Is the Drug [ft Cha Cha]" 12" [Hyperdub]
Lady Gaga: "Born This Way" [Intersope]
Lower Dens: "Deer Knives" b/w "Tangiers" [Sub Pop]
The Luyas/Twin Sister: Split 7" [Dead Oceans]
Mastodon: Live at the Aragon [Warner]
Mastodon/ZZ Top: "Just Got Paid" 7" [Warner]
Mates of State: Team Boo [Polyvinyl] [Reissue]
Matt and Kim: "Block After Block" [Fader]
Midlake/Will Self: "Am I Going Insane?" 12" [LateNightTales]
Mitchell and Manley: Norcal Values [Thrill Jockey]
Mumford and Sons/Laura Marling: Dharohar Project [Glassnote]
My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges, It Still Moves, and Z [ATO] [reissue]
Nada Surf: "The Moon is Calling" 7" [Barsuk]
Neurosis: Neurosis [Savior]
The New Pornographers: "Moves" [Matador]
New York Dolls: "Fool for You Baby" / "Pills" 7" [Savoy]
Nirvana: Hormoaning EP [Geffen] [reissue]
OFF!: Live at Generation Records [Vice]
of Montreal: "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal" 12" [Polynvinyl]
Omar Rodriguez Lopez: Telesterion [Rodriguez Lopez Productions]
Opeth: "The Throat of Winter" 7" [Roadrunner]
Os Mutantes: Everything Is Possible [Luaka Bop]
Oval/Liturgy: Split [Thrill Jockey]
Owen: O, Evelyn [Polyvinyl]
Panda Bear: Tomboy limited edition LP [Paw Tracks]
Pearl Jam: "Immortality" b/w "Rearviewmirror" 7" [Legacy] [reissue]
Peter Bjorn and John: "Dig a Little Deeper" b/w "What I Could Do If I Wanted" 7" [Columbia]
Pinback: Information Retrieved A [Temporary Residence]
Polvo: Celebrate the New Dark Age [Merge]
Prurient: "Many Jewels Surround the Crown" 7" [Hydra Head]
Queen: "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Son and Daughter" [Hollywood]
R.E.M.: R.E.M. Three: First Three Singles from Collapse Into Now [Warner Bros.]
Radiohead: "The Butcher" b/w "Supercollider" 12" [self-released]
The Red Krayola: "Hurricane Fighter Plane" [Snapper Music]
Regina Spektor: Four From Far [Sire]
The Rolling Stones: Brown Sugar 7" [UMe]
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: Class Mythology EP [Pax-Am]
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: Broom [Polyvinyl]
Sonic Youth: Whore's Moaning 12" [Geffen] [reissue]
Suede: "The Drowners" and "To the Birds" [Demon] [reissue]
Superchunk: Where the Strings Come in Reissue [Merge]
Superchunk and Coliseum: Misfits covers 7" [Merge/Temporary Residence]
Syd Barrett: An Introduction To... [Capitol]
Television: Live at the Old Waldorf [Rhino]
Thirteenth Floor Elevators: "Wait for My Love" 7" [Snapper Music]
Urge Overkill: "Effigy" b/w "Smokehouse" 7" [Urge Overkill]
The Velvet Underground: Foggy Notion [Sundazed]
Vivian Girls: "I Heard You Say" b/w "I Won't be Long" [Polyvinyl]
The Wake: "On Our Honeymoon" and "Crush the Flowers" 7"s [Captured Tracks]
Wavves: "Thorns" b/w "TV Luv Song" 7" [Ghost Ramp / Trash Talk Collective]
The White Stripes: "Let's Shake Hands" and "Lafayette Blues" 7"s [Third Man]
Wild Flag: "Future Crimes" b/w "Glass Tambourine" 7" [Merge]
Yeasayer: End Blood [Secretly Canadian]
Various Artists: Portable Shrines Magic Sound Theater Vol. 1 [Light in the Attic]
Various Artists: No One Got Hurt [Bloodshot]
Various Artists: Kill Rock Stars [Kill Rock Stars] [reissue]
Various Artists: Mute Vorwarts [Mute]
Various Artists: Rhymesayers Vinyl Picture Disc [Rhymesayers]
Various Artists: Sing for Your Meat: Tribute to Guided by Voices [No More Fake Labels]
Various Artists: Sacred Bones Presents: Todo Muerte Vol 1. [Sacred Bones]
Various Artists: Local Customs: Pressed at Boddie [Numero Group]

* Handy dandy downloadable PDF with full Record Store Day release listings.
No it won’t be responsible for world peace or solve global economic woes but it just might remind people how important great, tangible music in their lives really is.

Maybe.


Record Store Day Promo 2011 from zach christy on Vimeo.