Record Store Day (RSD) 2024 is on April 20. For fans looking forward to hitting up their local record stores, the list of titles has been out for a while now, with additional titles added after the list was released.
As in recent years, releases are broken up into three different categories:
–RSD Exclusive: These titles are physically released only at indie record stores.
–RSD First: These titles are found first at indie record stores. However, they may be released to other retailers or websites at some point in the future
–Small Run/Regional Titles: These titles are either regionally based and sold at specific stores or are press runs under 1000, which means they may be harder to find at record stores around the country.
Without further ado, the following are five titles we think you might want to add to your shopping list. The full titles list can be found at RecordStoreDay.com where you’ll also be able to find a list of participating stores.
But First, A Fun Fact About Record Store Day
Record Store Day has been an annual event for nearly two decades, and it grows with every year. However, if you look forward to RSD every year, you may have to thank Metallica for it.
During a panel at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in April 2022 moderated by Variety, RSD co-founder Michael Kurtz gave massive props to the metal icons for the popularity of the event. Kurtz recalled RSD’s inaugural celebration in 2007 saying, “In the beginning, it was very hard, because almost nobody carried vinyl unless it was used, and most used vinyl was 25 or 50 cents…So when I talked to record store owners to get on board, the initial response was pretty negative.”
But then, thanks to some connections, Metallica got on board.
“From the feedback we got from the band, the reaction was ‘Hell yeah, let’s do that, that would be fun,'” said Kurtz. “It really was like a big explosion for everybody involved, because Tower [Records] had just gone out of business, and everybody was a little bit down, uncertain about everything. And then Metallica comes in and goes, ‘F— all that. Let’s have a party.’ And they put out their records on vinyl for that first Record Store Day, and then it just exploded from there.”
Record Store Day may just be the driving force behind vinyl’s increasing sales in recent years. Per Fortune, “[Vinyl record] sales jumped 61% [in 2021] to $1 billion, the most since 1986, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).”
Talking Heads - 'Live at WCOZ 77'
According to RecordStoreDay.com, “Previously unreleased in full, this celebrated live performance recorded live in 1977 for WCOZ that originally appeared on “The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads” is available as a 2LP collection. Cut at 45rpm and featuring fourteen tracks (seven are previously unheard from the original two-track tapes) recorded at Northern Studios on November 17, 1977, this blistering performances includes “Psycho Killer”, “Pulled Up”, “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town”, “A Clean Break (Let’s Work)” and more.”
This is another RSD exclusive release, and only 8,000 copies have been pressed.
Rhino Entertainment
