Record Store Day Survival Guide

This Saturday is a pretty huge day for a lot of people. Stoners are always stoked for April 20th, as it's pretty much their designated day to blaze. As it happens, this Saturday is also the 20th anniversary of kind of a landmark album that's been enjoyed equally by partakers of the herb and chronic-less music lovers alike. We'll commemorate that album in three days, but today I want to talk about Saturday's main event.For those in need of a quick history lesson, Record Store Day was the brainchild of Chris Brown (record store employee as opposed to recording artist douchebag), and was officially launched in 2007 as a way to drum up much needed business for independent record stores. It didn't take long to catch on; by the next year it had gone global, with Metallica as "unofficial ambassadors".

Of course, all anyone really talks about when it comes to Record Store Day are the exclusive releases. Mostly vinyl, always in limited runs, these special releases tend to sell out fast and sharply rise in value depending on demand. Many of these releases have become formidable collector's items, which makes Record Store Day a big event for collectors (and, less awesomely, eBay flippers). It's also a big event for labels, who have steadily ramped up the number of exclusives they offer. In 2008, there were about 10 exclusives, whereas this year's lineup includes in excess of 300. With so much to choose from and not enough to go around so to speak, here's some of the highlights of this year's crop along with a few helpful tips to make your Record Store Day awesome. Keep in mind that many of these releases are tied to specific regions or territories, and these are limited runs, so your record store may or may not have access to some of these titles.

AT THE DRIVE-IN: Relationship of Command
The highly influential Texas rockers' 2000 breakthrough album gets a long overdue vinyl reissue, this one of the colored variety and limited to 4000 copies.

BIFFY CLYRO: Black Chandelier single
Contains a live version of the lead single from the excellent Opposites, plus an unreleased B-side. But its real draw is the clear vinyl with black splatter pattern. It's frickin' gorgeous. Limited to 2000 copies.

 

BLIND MELON: Blind Melon / Sippin' Time Sessions EP
Soup is a better album, but the debut from Blind Melon isn't without merit; here, it's presented in remastered form as a double album which adds sessions with David Briggs. These tracks, three of which were rerecorded for the debut, reportedly are slicker than their album counterparts. So it should be interesting to hear what they might have been. Only 2500 available.

DEFTONES: Live Volume 1 - Selections From Adrenaline
Exactly what it sounds like; tracks from their debut in a live setting. Will be of considerable interest to collectors as it signals the beginning of a planned series. 3000 copies printed.

FLAMING LIPS: Zaireeka
The Lips' gonzo 1997 undertaking (released as four discs which could be synched up in mix n' match form, resulting in many different versions of the album's songs) gets a 45 RPM vinyl box set reissue. You're going to need more turntables. Limited to 7200 copies.

THE HOLD STEADY: Criminal Fingers 7"
Contains two unreleased tracks, including the one they wrote for Game of Thrones that aired this week. Limited to 1000.

MGMT: Alien Days single
I have no personal interest in this one, but it's notable in that it's only being released on cassette. Remember those? If you like the band and have a functional tape player, snag one of the 2000 of these.

PORNO FOR PYROS: S/T
This one's pretty scarce (only 1500), and I put heavy emphasis on the pretty:

SUPERCHUNK: Void/Faith 7"
One of my favorite power pop bands from the 90's puts out two new songs on clear vinyl in a very limited run of 600.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Record Store Day
Features Still Life With Hot Deuce And Silver Platter (aka my favorite track on last year's Local Business album) backed with two unreleased tracks. Only 800 available.

THE WHITE STRIPES: Elephant
The hugely successful fourth Stripes album gets the reissue treatment on 2 LPs (one black/red split, the other white). No word on the scarcity of this one but, considering Jack White is this year's official RSD ambassador, this one could be plentiful. Which is a good thing, of course, since it is very likely the most wanted exclusive this year.

Lastly, here's a few common sense tips to make sure your Record Store Day experience is a good one:

1. SHOW UP EARLY.
How early depends, but some locations are bound to draw a pretty good crowd prior to store opening. Plus, stores are often lucky to receive what little stock they did, and most will have no more than a handful of copies (smaller stores often get no more than one or two). You probably won't have to camp out overnight where you are, but I recommend planning on arriving at least an hour before opening. It's also a good idea to find out if your record store is opening early for RSD, as some do. Of course, how early you show up is ultimately dependent on how long you can stand waiting in line.

2. BRACE FOR SOME DISAPPOINTMENT.
As I've mentioned, these are limited runs that not all stores will have. Resign yourself to the fact that you're probably not going to get everything you want.

3. THAT'S NOT ALL THEY HAVE FOR SALE
If you do strike out, why not spend your cash on something else? Surely there's something else in stock that's worthy of purchase. Often, these stores are having secondary sales in addition to the RSD exclusives. You brought cash to spend; even if they don't have what you wanted, doesn't mean you shouldn't still support them.

4. CHECK THE STORE'S WEBSITE/SOCIAL NETWORKING.
Many locations will keep their patrons posted ahead of time as to which releases they'll have in time for RSD (yes, sometimes the shipments are just late). Like your store on Facebook or follow on Twitter. If they post a list in advance, you'll be able to do some serious strategy planning.

5. DON'T LOSE YOUR SHIT.
Even with the best laid plans, you might not be first in line. Thus, you might miss out on something you're after even if it's confirmed to be in stock because somebody grabbed it before you had a chance. If there's only a few folks in line ahead of you, strike up a conversation. Ask them what they're after, compare strategies. Being cranky won't win you any favors. Example: last year, I was second in line, so I had a good conversation with first in line. Not only was I fortunate in that we wanted different things, he actually found a few things I was after as I was looking in another section, and handed them to me before anyone else could grab them. Friendliness pays dividends. Also, if you strike out on something, don't waste your breath bellyaching about it to a clerk. This is one of their (if not the) busiest days of the year; the last thing they want is you copping attitude because someone scooped you on the Blind Melon album you were after.

6. IF YOU'RE A FLIPPER, GO AHEAD AND SLEEP IN.
Record Store Day is about music fans and record collectors giving indie record stores a shot in the arm and helping to keep them in business, not greedy grabasses scooping up whatever they can and making a few bucks on eBay. If you scoop me on something I'm after and then turn around and put it up for auction at triple the retail price, I consider you my enemy, and will talk shit about you on the internet accordingly.

That about covers the basics; the full list of RSD exclusives can be found here. Now get to planning! And, if you're in the Moncton area, you just might see me Saturday morning. Hopefully from behind me in line, of course.