Record Store Day 2018 Exclusive Releases - Our Picks
Record Store Day 2018 is on April 21st, 2018. At Turntable Lab, we study the 400+ exclusive releases and narrow them into our Record Store Day 2018 Selection. This post goes one step further, as we pick our favorite releases from our edited list. Please join us at our new NYC storefront location on Record Store Day. If you can't make it, sign up for stock notifications for any leftovers.
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↳ ps. we didn't include the super-obvious ones, eg. J. Dilla, Arcade Fire, Bowie, Diplo, Run The Jewels etc.
nerdus optimus pick
BRIAN ENO / KEVIN SHIELDS
The Weight Of History / Only Once Away My Son Vinyl 12"LP
Opal
One of the most hyped RSD releases and with 5000 copies pressed, this seems to be one that every nerdus should be able to cop and enjoy. "Only Once" was a 2017 Adult Swim single (listen below), and has some real gravitas to it. Seamlessly layered and alien, the track clocks in 9 minutes... perfect for the 12" format. The A-Side, we can't seem to find online, which makes this release all the more desirable.
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do you got the original-original version tho? pick
CAR SEAT HEADREST
Twin Fantasy - Mirror To Mirror Vinyl LP
Matador
Not to be confused for the recently re-recorded "Twin Fantasy" 2018 release, this is the original 2011 self-released recording that helped CSH reach BC cult status. Will Toledo is an intriguing enigma; check one of his live performances and he looks more like someone who works part time at Barnes & Noble (which seems like awesome job btw, book babes and policing homeless dudes in the bathroom, don't ask me about their crappy cardboard record crates tho), while sending his resume to Buzzfeed at night. With their strong fanbase and early-stage stardom, this 4000 copy first-time vinyl pressing is sure to be in-demand for a while.
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f the haterz pick
CHEECH & CHONG
Up In Smoke (Colored Vinyl) Die-Cut Vinyl 7"
Warner Bros.
Before you drop "this picture disc ish is corny AF," let us explain how it goes:
1) your initial reaction: this <insert ltd edition die cut pic disc> is Corny AF.
2) you do not buy.
3) you see someone with it on their turntable and realize that it is a JOYFUL OBJECT in an otherwise DREARY EXISTENCE.
4) you are immediately filled with regret, because some things are best enjoyed as Fun and Corny (F.A.C.), and not to be taken seriously (N.T.B.T.S.).
5) reference: Toto's Africa pic disc from last RSD (currently on secondary mrkt at around $100?!)
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#gangstadadrap pick
COMPTONS MOST WANTED
Music To Driveby Vinyl LP
Get On Down
Get On Down is a lock for the annual #dadrap pick. This is what RSD Releases should strive to be in terms of 'Scogs pedigree. This West Coast unclassic was released in 1992 on promo-only domestic vinyl and ultra-rare import (both pushing 2 hundo). With no official reissues to date, this is your chance to soak in the pre-sample-clearance milieu... kinda reminds me of a WC-cousin of the Geto Boys. In the distance, you can hear a German hip-hop collector yelling "YAS YAS DAS IT!" (sidenote: 1992 was the year of the Rodney King Riots, Justin Chon's Gook on Netflix is a good watch).
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the art pick
DAVID AXELROD
Song Of Innocence Vinyl LP
Now Again
During the diggin' scene's early aughts pinnacle (I read the word "aughts" in the New Yorker and have always wanted to flex it), you could easily find grey-area Axelrod pressings of various quality. Some of the better european pressings even gained value. Thanks to Egon-Mon, we can now just rely upon this official Now Again pressing (remastered from OG tapes). For some of us, it doesn't get more classic than this... kinda like a piece of musical Michelangelo in a Koons-Jebbia world.
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reggae pick
MAYTONES
Only Your Picture Vinyl LP+12"
Burning Sounds
One of my romanticized (often flawed) criteria for judging reggae albums is "is it on Spotify?" This one isn't, and hasn't been reissued since its 1983/4 release on the UK's Vista Sounds (founded by Jeffrey Collins who used to supply us promo 12"s back in the day). Worth it alone for the sugary "Throw Down Your Arms" (the hesi-dropstep opening line about "I got the vision from Selah" is prime rewind material). At a modest 900 copy pressing plus a bonus 12", this is one of our sleeper picks.
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meat and potatoes pick
Nas
Live From The Kennedy Center (180) Vinyl LP
Mass Appeal Records
RSD shoppers will get first bite at this 2018 National Symphony-enhanced live recording, part of PBS' Great Performances series. Note that this is a "RSD First," and it will be available on wider release (perhaps with changes to packaging) at a later date.
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do I really care what's on the record? pick
POWELL PERALTA
The Search For Animal Chin Soundtrack (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 2LP
Kanine Records
For anyone who grew up during Bones Brigade era, this is pretty compelling. Do I really care what's on it (original music + skits)? Will I maybe give it away after a month? Perhaps, but I still need to own it for a bit. Apparently there's also a download code for the full film included. Any of our readers follow Weckingball?
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b-side wins again pick
JESUS JONES
Zeroes And Ones - Aphex Twin Remix (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 12"
Razor & Tie
B-Side Wins Again (damn, I love saying that)! A very targeted pick (filter by > Aphex Twin > hardcore Aphex Twin fans that still have favorable Brit-Pop nostalgia), but one we appreciate. Tracking down RDJ remixes was one of my favorite record shop pastimes (often tipped by NME or Select). I never owned this one, and it also comes with a remix from The Prodigy (which could've been left out tbh). What's next, a Ned's Atomic Dustbin Tartan Shoulders Mix 12" (prob not)?
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prob the most in-demand after Taylor Swift 1989 pick
SUNDAYS
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (180g) Vinyl LP
Legacy
I respect how they the label has been dropping Sundays albums exclusively on RSDs. I respect even more how they saved the Big Kahuna for last (extra-respeck for the 180g BLACK vinyl too). THE WELL-EXECUTED LONG PLAY. By now "Here's Where The Story Ends" is about 2m plays from "Jane Says" status, which means you can still squeeze some joy from it. Personally I thought it sounded best with skate noise included (anybody got an edit?).
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strategic drop pick
Lil Uzi Vert
Luv Is Rage (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl LP
Atlantic
Like the Sundays releases, here's another catalog that's been strategically released via RSD. Following last year's in-demand "Vs. The World" drop (currently going for over $100), we get two more Uzi mixtapes on vinyl. The combo of farris' cover art + colored vinyl does have a magical quality to it.
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most emo pick
SOFT CELL
Say Hello Wave Goodbye / Youth Reimagined (180g, Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 12"
Atlantic
I've never gotten into the Soft Cell catalog beyond "Tainted Love." So when I heard "Say Hello" for the first time, it was opening an 80s emo-wave time capsule. Yeah, I appreciate all these obscure 80s new wave reissues coming out, but there's nothing quite like major label, professionally-produced new wave. There's nowhere to hide in the crystal clear soundscapes: all that repression, sadness, and angst comes to the top. For this special release, "Dave Ball uses the original studio parts to create what he and Marc would have wanted fans to hear in 1982. Not remixes but exquisite period reimaginings."
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women in electronica pick
DORIS NORTON
Personal Computer Vinyl LP
Mannequin Records
In the spirit of last year's Suzanne Ciani's "Fish Music" 2017 RSD release, Berlin-based Mannequin Records has dug up this 80s electronic oddity for an official RSD release. If you're wondering how that Apple logo appeared on the cover, turns out Doris Norton was sponsored by the company (and also worked with IBM). With tracks titles like "Binary Love" and "Parallel Interface," the nerdus is deep (Autechre used "Caution Radiation Norton" from this album in a mix a couple years back, what better co-sign?). Another first time official reissue, this pressing is limited to 500 copies.
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completist pick
JOHNNY CASH
At Folsom Prison - Legacy Edition Vinyl 5LP Boxset
Legacy
This 5LP Boxset is symbolic of how big RSD has become. In previous years for something of this magnitude, a major label would only designate this title "RSD First" and do a wide release later in the year. However, this is apparently a true exclusive, meaning the 2500 copies on RSD are the only copies that are going to be produced. Although, the different mixes (Stereo, Surround Sound) of the same song might be superfluous to most, there's also an unreleased rehearsal that we'll be able to hear on vinyl for the first time.
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the best RSD series pick
JAZZ DISPENSARY
Soul Diesel Vol.2 (Colored Vinyl) Vinyl LP
Craft Recordings
Craft Recordings is currently producing some of the best reissues on the market (their recent Isaac Hayes records were exceptional). Jazz Dispensary has been their RSD showpiece, digging through the vaults of the major labels and their subsidiaries for collector's favorites. These releases always seem to fly under the radar of most RSD shoppers, but collectors really appreciate the selections (like this smokin Cal Tjader track below) and the impeccable packaging (this year's might be the best thus far).
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HONORABLE MENTIONS
