Record Store Day is back with another raft of exclusive vinyl releases for Black Friday, and there are some big names involved. The vinyl initiative usually has its biggest annual celebration on the third Saturday in April (the official "Record Store Day"), but offers exclusive deals, discounts and events across the year in a bid to keep the vinyl flag flying and celebrate music in its traditional form.
This year's RSD Black Friday event is one of the biggest we've seen, with more than 170 exclusive releases being made available to customers on a first-come, first-served basis. Taking place officially on 24th November of this year and continuing online for as long as remaining stocks last, the event features a raft of exclusives that can only be snagged as part of this major event.
Tastes will vary, of course, but massive names such as Jeff Beck, Lil Wayne, Post Malone, Prince and Charles Mingus will have an allure for many. A box set of De La Soul's seminal 3 Feet High And Rising, not to mention Joni Mitchell's Court And Spark Demos and The Doors' Live From Bakersfield are the sort of highlights that feature tracks with a heavy rotation within the walls of our testing rooms.
More than 90 artists have come together to join in with this latest RSD initiative to release limited edition vinyl recordings that can only be found from independent record stores within the UK. You can find the full list of participating stores right here.
The full list is available online here, but we've picked out a few choice releases that should have vinyl lovers salivating at the prospect:
- Bob James Two (12")
- Charles Mingus Incarnations (LP)
- De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (7" box set; 12 7", 42 gram, custom 7" and more)
- The Doors Live from Bakersfield (2CD, 2-LP/140g)
- Faces Had Me A Real Good Time...With Faces Live In Session At The BBC 1971 (LP)
- Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - Live at the Paradise Lounge (LP)
- Gil Scott-Heron Winter in America (LP)
- Grateful Dead Fillmore West, San Francisco (5-LP)
- Jerry Lee Lewis Live at the Palomino Club (2LP)
- Post Malone The Diamond Collection (Clear 2xLP)
- Prince Gett Off (12")
- Ultravox Quartet (2LP, 2CD)
- Various Artists Asteroid City (2LP)
- Willie Nelson Shotgun Willie (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (140g 2LP)
According to the initiative's official website, Record Store Day looks "to shift the culture of 'Black Friday' by moving away from the mass-produced, low-priced nature of the day to creating an array of unique and special vinyl records that will bring value and joy to collectors all over the world". A fine sentiment indeed.
Record Store Day continues to run its April placeholder event, even if it was interrupted by the smaller matter of the global pandemic in 2020 and 2021. This year’s event took place on 22nd April 2023 and saw a raft of releases from eclectic artists ranging from The Cure to The Cranberries, Elton John to Ennio Morricone. This Black Friday's showcase isn't quite as mega as the main day itself, but there are still plenty of fantastic exclusives to enjoy.
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