Elbows at the ready, it’s that time of year when you need to wake up at dawn to go queue outside your local record store for a limited edition vinyl.
For music lovers, Record Store Day is like Christmas. It happens just once a year, you’ll spend too much money on things you don’t need and probably have an argument with someone. Between us in the Wonderland office, we’ve nearly had fist fights with a skinny teenage boys over limited edition red disc releases of Jesus and Mary Chain’s Psychocandy and been picked up outside Rough Trade East by The Heartbreaks to join them on a double decker bus for a mini tour.
Get down early and you’ll have your pick of everything and most likely an adventure but if, like us, you’re not allowed to bunk off responsibilities to buy a piece of plastic, don’t fret. Vinyl nerds will hide their treasures down the back of anything, and chances are, if you visit most stores within the following week you’ll find something, somewhere, left over. Here’s our seven best picks of what’s on offer this year, we’re hoping something from this list will be left by 6 o’clock.
The Classic
Sing along, you know all the words. Revive one of Bowie’s best for RSD15. With Ziggy Stardust’s own face on the disc, what more reason would you need to buy a copy? We might frame ours if we can find one.
The Song From a Film
Air – “Playground Love WMG”, released on Rhino will be a special edition orange seven inch with the b-side “High School Lover” both tracks taken from the original score for Sophia Coppola’s lo-fi dream flick, The Virgin Suicides. Only listen to this lying on your bedroom floor writing love letters in glitter gel pens.
The Newbies
Brummie head-bangers God Damn have been riffing up a storm for a few years now but were finally signed to One Little Indian last year. Up against Baby Godzilla, the “sex for dinner, death for breakfast” band from Nottingham, they’ve released a GD v BG grey 7 inch for RSD. Battle of the bands for them, battle against your neighbours for you.
The Live Edition
Didn’t manage to get your mitts on a Jesus & Mary Chain release last year? No worries, they’re back. With this live recording of their 30th Anniversary show at Glasgow’s Barrowland, you can pretend you’re there every day. There will be a limited run of 340 red discs amongst the 1500 releases. Get hunting.
The Novelty
Of course you need an A-ha “Take On Me” picture disc in your life, stop being silly and take it to the tills, now. Was this not the most futuristic music video you’d ever seen at the time? Now it’s the ultimate throwback.
The Guitars
Shoegaze stormers Slowdive are releasing their 1992 compilation album “Blue Day” on blue disc. Full of moody, long tracks, there are only seven songs on there but you still get over forty minutes of pedals and distortion to dream to.
The Remix
Jungle and Shura, two huge break out names for 2014 have teamed up to bring you a remix. You might have heard this funked up disco rendition of “Indecision” before, but now is the first time you can buy it on vinyl. There’s only 500 copies out there, so be quick.
Words: Lily Walker