Pencil Storm’s Record Store Guy - Scott Carr - on the 2022 Record Store Day.
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Read MoreRecord Store Day 2016 Wrap-Up - by Scott Carr
Record Store Day 2016 is officially in the books. Saturday April 16 was one of the biggest shopping days for the record buying community and vinyl fans were out in full force. On a normal Saturday when you walk into a local indie record shop you will find people calmly milling around digging through bins of records looking for a lost gem and discussing why Pink Floyd's records with Syd Barrett are the only ones that matter. The scene is a little different on Record Store Day. On RSD shops open bright and early and typically have a long line of customers waiting in line to come in and snatch up exclusive limited edition albums released specifically for the event. Some people wait in line all night long. Once the doors open there is a constant stream of people coming through the door all day long. Most shops add additional staff for the day and offer extended hours to handle the additional business.
By all accounts this years RSD was the most successful yet. Local shops reported having huge lines all day long and record sales.
So, you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about surrounding RSD exclusive releases. I have compiled a list of titles that came out on RSD that I think are some of the best. Keep in mind there were probably around 400 releases that were released on RSD and these are just a few that I think are among the best.....
Cheap Trick - At Budokan - The Complete Concert.
Finally available on vinyl for the first time! Cheap Trick's classic Budokan concert in its entirety. This is a release that I have been hoping would happen for awhile now. I actually told someone a few years back that this would be a perfect RSD release and here it is. The Record Store Day Gods were listening, now maybe we will see an official release of the Wicked Lester demos. If you love the original At Budokan, this one is twice as good.
Note - Cheap Trick also released a limited edition 10" record for Record Store Day this year called Found New Parts which is sort of a sequel to their 1980 Found All The Parts. The new ep features songs from the band's latest record Bang Zoom Crazy...Hello along with one exclusive track called "Arabesque." Not as exciting as the Budokan release or even 1980's Found All The Parts, but a must for Cheap Trick fanatics..
Fleetwood Mac - The Alternate Tusk
Just as the title implies, this release is an alternate version of the entire Tusk album from Fleetwood Mac. Previously only available as part of the deluxe box set of Tusk, this is the first stand-alone vinyl version of the alternate version of the album. Of all the Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac albums Tusk is without a doubt my favorite and is often considered their masterpiece.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Kiss My Amps Vol. 2
RSD exclusive release featuring deep cuts, hits, and handpicked covers from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Recorded during their 2013 tour and sounds as good as ever. This release is a follow-up to Petty's 2011 RSD Black Friday release Kiss My Amps Vol. 1 that was recorded during The Heartbreakers 2010 Mojo tour.
Note - Record Store Day also saw a release from Petty's band Mudcrutch. A limited edition single featuring two songs from a new Mudcrutch album that will be released later in the year.
Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers - Vive La Revolution: Live Paris 1977 At The Bataclan
Tom Petty's Heartbreakers weren't the only ones with a limited edition release for Record Store Day. Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers see the first official release on vinyl of show that was recorded at the last date of their 1977 European tour. The show was to be the soundtrack of a film but the film never got produced. Terry Chimes of The Clash fills in on drums as drummer Jerry Nolan had left The Heartbreakers prior to this show.
(editor's note: The 1970's were definitely the last decade that you could have TWO major bands in the same genre of music with the same name and the situation got settled without lawsuits. You've gotta kinda love that fact.)
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Sinner
Joan's 2006 Bob Rock-produced album Sinner released on vinyl for the very first time. Limited edition clear vinyl with a download card featuring bonus material. Most of the songs on this record originally appeared on Joan's Japan-only release Naked in 2004, but many are different mixes. Joan delivers some of her strongest original material in some time and Sinner also features excellent covers of Sweet's "AC/DC" and The Replacements "Androgynous." Joan has done several Record Store Day releases in the past and Sinner is one of her best.
Those are just a few of the official RSD releases that caught my eye this year. It's also worth noting that local Columbus artists were well represented with their own RSD releases, including two new singles on the Lost Weekend Records label from The Electric Hand and Mr. Tiger, and Pat Dull's Break Up Records released their third installment of the Columbus Blood compilation series featuring exclusive tracks from some of the best bands in the city. There was also a new single from The Girls.
Lydia Loveless also made an appearance on a new RSD release. The 12" single for a song called One Voice brings Lydia together with Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Suzanna Hoffs, Neko Case and Brian May. The song is from an animal welfare documentary called A Dog Named Gucci. Yes, you read that correctly: Lydia Loveless is on a record with Brian May from Queen. That's pretty cool.
Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps andReturning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.
Record Store Day At Lost Weekend Records, by Scott Carr
Record Store Day 2015 is happening this Saturday April 18th. If you are not familiar with Record Store Day, it is a day set aside on the third Saturday of April every year to celebrate and bring attention to independent record stores all around the globe. Over 400 exclusive releases will be available for this year's Record Store Day, many of them in very limited quantities. Some of the most anticipated are releases from The White Stripes, Grateful Dead, Foo Fighters, The Doors, Bob Dylan, The Decemberists, Metallica, David Bowie, Brand New, Father John Misty, Public Enemy, The Flaming Lips, The Kinks, Jeff Beck, The Dead Milkmen, Johnny Cash, Gov't Mule, The Lemonheads, Lydia Loveless, The Replacements and the list goes on and on. There will be something for everyone.
I will be working at Lost Weekend Records along with owner Kyle Siegrist for this year's Record Store Day and to quote Kyle "It's gonna be huge!". Lost Weekend Records will be open at 8am Saturday morning and we will be ready to get the music to the people. We will have tons of Record Store Day Exclusives including one that you will only find at Lost Weekend Records, the new Psychic Wheels 7" released on Lost Weekend Records own record label.
Besides all the great music that is being released for Record Store Day this year, Lost Weekend Records will have tons of other fun stuff going on including Sticky Fingers Food Truck, PromoWest Productions will have a tent in the parking lot with cool stuff and Alison Rose will be doing custom screen-printed shirts and record bags while you wait. The first 65 people in line at the store Saturday morning will receive a swag bag full of great stuff and we will also have a drawing you can enter to win some great prizes including a signed Blackberry Smoke LP, tickets to see Styx at The LC, weekend passes to Nelsonville Music Festival, a test pressing of Columbus Blood LP and more. Also there will be a big 4 day sale beginning on Friday April 17th, see the flyer below for all the details.
As an avid music lover and collector I consider myself lucky to live in a city that is so rich with record stores. At last count Columbus has upwards of 12 or 13 independent record stores and they all have something different to offer. Most of the stores will have special events going on for Record Store Day, so I would suggest making a day of it and hit as many as you can.
I started buying records at a very early age, I always spent my birthday money on Kiss and Cheap Trick records and not much has changed over the years. I was recently recognized at a Stevie Wonder concert and this lady walked over to me and said "aren't you the vinyl guy?", I kinda laughed and said "yeah, I work at Lost Weekend Records". She had been in the shop a few weeks back with her son who was spending his birthday money on records. We talked for a few minutes and she told how much her son loved coming to Lost Weekend Records and couldn't wait to get home and play his records.
For me record store day is everyday but it's nice to have a day that brings so much attention to independent stores that really need the support. It will be a fun day and the hope is that we will make some long lasting relationships with people who have never been to our store or a record store at all.
Hope to see you this Saturday April 18th.........
Hey, notice the sly Cheap Trick reference!
Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps and Returning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.
Psychic Wheels Record Store Day release only available at Lost Weekend Records.
People waiting in line at Lost Weekend Records last year for Record Store Day...........