Record Store Day 2011?

[baconfat]

Any news from the Matador camp on upcoming releases for this holiest of holidays?

[Patrick]

Various Artists - David's Town LP
Esben and the Witch - Chorea 12"
The New Pornographers - Moves 7"
TBA - TBA EP

[Brushback]

Various Artists - David's Town LP


Wow, you guys named a sampler after me? Thanks. I hope it's got all my favorite bands on it-- The Reducers, Conversion Party, Singing Bridges...

[Fiona]

Various Artists - David's Town LP
The New Pornographers - Moves 7"
TBA - TBA EP

Hi Patrick, are these going to be exceptionally limited releases? We've only got one participating shop in Dublin so I'm most likely going to be in a bind when it comes to getting these.

-edit- Another Dublin record shop closed over the weekend :(

[Patrick]

None are exceptionally limited.

[baconfat]

so it's just the three releases then, no further TBAs?

[Fiona]

Thanks Patrick. I'll see if I can get them later on the day so. RSD has gone from being a fun day to buy records and see bands to becoming a shitshow of the highest order.

[Brushback]

RSD has gone from being a fun day to buy records and see bands to becoming a shitshow of the highest order.

Yep. Each year there seem to be fewer and fewer Record Store Day releases that I'm interested in. Last year none of them hit any of the stores near me, and I've looked quickly at the list for this year and there's only one so far (the Ty Segall 12") that I want to buy, and I've got no hope that I'll actually get a copy. Instead of nice new releases from mostly the small labels that have been the ones supporting the vinyl-oriented mom and pop stores all along, it's become all major label wank (shit that you could buy on CD at FYE and Best Buy anyway) and gimmicky "who cares" cover songs from stupid bands that I don't care about-- which is what was predicted to happen years ago, anyway.

[tinobeat]

Once I started seeing/hearing people indicating that they were specifically NOT going to record stores until RSD, because they had to save up or there was nothing they were looking for other than the special RSD-only treats, I realized what was a cool solidarity exercise has definitely gone wrong.

On the walk to work this morning I was thinking about this conundrum, and I thought of a way forward: no more forced scarcity, no more single-day cabbage patch doll frenzies. Just commission labels to make certain releases only available in brick and mortar stores, not online, and not on itunes. And year-round. And hell, to make it fun, don't announce when or where or how many there will be. Just tell people that there'll be, at some point, a new ________ LP and there's nowhere to find it online or in (legal) digital form, just in your local independent store, if at all. Make it a year round easter egg hunt, not a one-day shitshow. Oddly, this would essentially be how things used to be before the internet, but maybe if the people who get really stoked about RSD but don't go to their local shop once or twice a week like I do, might start doing it because there's a cool marketing thing attached to it.

I dunno, I'm definitely just pretty sour on the whole RSD exercise now, and think its actually defeating the purpose in some cases.

[Elijah]

↑ Hell yes.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

RSD items I aquired via surrender of credit card to cashier(s):

Antony and the Johnsons Swanlights 10" EP
Beth Ditto Beth Ditto 12" EP
The Jimi Hendrix Experience "Fire" CD single ('twas cheaper than the 7" version, so the choice was easy)
Opeth "Throat of Winter" single-sided 7"

Things I kinded wanted that were too expensive:

Grateful Dead Grateful Dead mono LP ($25)
Red Crayola "Hurricane Fighter Plane" 7" ($12.99!)
Television Live at the Old Waldorf dbl-LP ($35)
13th Floor Elevators "Wait for My Love" 7" ($12.99!)

other things I snagged while attending RSD:

free thing:
Social Espionage Things That Hurt CD
$1 bin things:
Dark Dark Dark Wild Go CD
Dignan Porch Tendrils CD <-- know nothing about them but looked interesting
Garuda Cold Wired Sentiment CD <-- know nothing about them either but also looked interesting
Puccini La Boheme dbl-LP w/Renata Tibaldi and other names I didn't recognize
used things:
Brownsville Station Yeah! CD
Tom Jones Somethin' 'Bout You Baby I Like LP <-- already own but this one was sealed and the one I bought 18 or 19 years ago is in crappy condition
Iggy Pop California Hitch-Hike CD <-- 1979 live recording w/Brian James (The Damned), Glenn Matlock (Sex Pistols), Ivan Kral (Patti Smith Group), Klaus Krüger (Tangerine Dream??)
Dick Powell In Hollywood 1933•1935 dbl-LP
40% off special for RSD thing:
The Reactionaries 1979 LP <-- pre-Minutemen
full price things:
Interference Interference dbl-LP <-- way cool no wave stuff from 1982 just finally released last year
Neu! '86 CD

[johansen smith]

Dick Powell In Hollywood 1933•1935 dbl-LP


Awesome

[Fiona]

I got Fucked Up's David's Town - that was it. I didn't see the Moves 7" in Tower and one or two of the shops I visit in England didn't have it so I suspect if it made its way to this part of the world, it was in small quantities. God, stuff was SO expensive this year. The Fucked Up album was €19.99, I suspect that was Tower's mark-up more than anything else though. They were selling the Beck/Bat For Lashes 7" for €8. Morrissey's "Glamorous Glue" was €7. Ridiculous. What was the FU lp going for over in the US?

Tower had a really good day of instore sets - amongst others they had A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Steve Mason and Lykke Li. One of the other shops started instores at 4 and kept going until 9, really good to see that.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

I saw the New Porners 7" in several stores, Fiona. Want me to pick one up if I see one the next time I'm out?

[Fiona]

I saw the New Porners 7" in several stores, Fiona. Want me to pick one up if I see one the next time I'm out?

Aw, you're very thoughtful. I don't mind too much about missing it - it's only one song really. Had I missed out on the Fucked Up lp then I'd have been crying. Think I'll wait and see if it shows up in a 7" box when I'm browsing one day and enjoy the surprise of that. Thanks so much for the offer though :)

Btw I did look out for the Van Der Graaf Generator 7" but no sign in Dublin. However Piccadilly Records in Manchester will be selling any remaining copies (http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/shop/product.php?pid=75412) of the 7" online from next Saturday the 23rd, so you might luck out there!

[tinobeat]

I went to Weirdo records where I enjoyed a Mike's Hard Lemonade (gross but appropriate for the time/weather etc.) and gripped the Numero Group Pressed At Boddie 2LP and the massive Les Rallizes Denudes 5LP box.

I heard that Newbury and Armageddon were totally bonkers and I didn't wanna wade into that. Apparently at one of the Newbury Comics, some older dudes with pony tails were looking at the RSD-specific shelves actively blocking everyone else's view so they could score hot grips without interference. JEEZ.

Weirdo had a wonderful festive atmosphere tho. Lotta people crammed into a tiny store chatting.

[Brushback]

Weirdo is almost definitely the tiniest record store I've ever been in. If there's another person in the store at the same time as you, you have to make arrangements with them to switch places before you can get to the other side of the store.

[tinobeat]

Yeah, totally. Imagine a whole dozen people in there at once!

She has shows in there every Monday too, which is awesome. You can book something 5-6 people will attend and its a sellout!