Record Store Day 2019 Exclusive Vinyl Releases - Our Picks
Record Store Day 2019 is on April 13th, 2019. At Turntable Lab, we study the 400+ exclusive releases and narrow them into our Record Store Day 2019 Selection. This post goes one step further, as we pick our favorite releases from our edited list. Please join us at our NYC storefront on Record Store Day. If you can't make it, sign up for stock email notifications for any leftovers.
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↳ ps. we skipped some of the bigger releases: eg. Al Green Boxset, Twin Peaks, Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Gorillaz etc., but rest assured, we'll have them on RSD.
THE YEAR OF THE SOUNDTRACK
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Lost In Translation / Label: Ryko
The Crow / Label: Atlantic
Office Space / Label: IGA
Ghost World / Label: Shanachie
Record Store Day 2019 is unofficially headlined by some of the most beloved soundtracks. 2003's Lost In Translation Soundtrack has been on the our reissue wishlist for over a decade. It set the bar for high-brow soundtracks with contributions from Kevin Shields / MBV, Sebastien Tellier, Squarepusher, Phoenix, AIR, Jesus & Mary Chain and others.
The Crow Soundtrack (not to be confused with the readily available score) is one of our most requested soundtracks of all time. This first time vinyl pressing serves as a perfect mid-nineties mall-goth snapshot, most notable for The Cure's sublime "Burn" (which was written specifically for the film).
The Office Space soundtrack also makes its first vinyl appearance. We all know what it did for the Geto Boys, but the inclusions of Slum Village's "Get Dis Money" and Ice Cube's "Down For Whatever" were masterstrokes.
Lastly, we'll always have a strange soft spot for Ghost World even if in reality, it was pretty mediocre. (Ed. Note: damn, 2x ScarJo!)
ALT PICKS
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Insides
Euphoria / Label: Beacon Sound
Frank Black
Teenager Of The Year / Label: 4AD
The Charlatans
Some Friendly / Label: Beggars Banquet
Chapterhouse
Whirlpool: The Original Recordings / Label: Space Age Recordings
To the delight of the indie nerdus, this year's selection of alt rock releases cut below the well-lit surface. We would have never learned about Insides if not for Martin Aston’s exhaustive 4AD biography. They put out this one album on short-lived 4AD sublabel Guernica and laid low until 2000. One stream and we were hooked. Euphoria devotees are small in number but deep-pocketed, hence the OG rarely trading hands for under a c-note.
Speaking of 4AD, the label’s been pretty generous with Pixies reissues, but not much love for frontman Frank Black’s weird but potent solo catalog. They aim to change that this year with not only a reissue of his self-titled debut, but a nice 2LP edition of what is generally considered his best: Teenager Of The Year. Already received allocation notes about these 2, expect them to go fast.
Only the most dedicated, baggy pants-adorned anglophiles dare venture far enough into the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses catalogs to ask “cool, what else ya got?” - if you made it as far as The Charlatans, you prob spent all your cash on weed with no money left over for records, and while their debut isn’t the most expensive piece from the era, it doesn’t pop up very often.
Ahh, Chapterhouse, the missing link between space rock and shoegaze. Space Age (Spacemen 3’s label) finally released these coveted original versions of the band’s classic debut album (fun fact: Rachel Goswell from Slowdive and Robin Guthrie of the Cocteaus help out on one track apiece) in 2009, and then made their poor fans wait a whopping ten years for a vinyl issue.
HEAVYWEIGHT CRATE
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RZA
Birth Of A Prince / Label: BMG
Fatlip
The Loneliest Punk / Label: ORG Music
Craig Mack & The Notorious B.I.G.
B.I.G. Mack (Original Sampler) / Label: Bad Boy Records
Goodie Mob
Still Standing (Picture Disc) / Label: Red Music
For those who've been following us since the beginning, you might remember we used to call our hip-hop section "Heavyweight Crate." These 4 RSD selections could have easily been command-c'd straight off those hand-coded HTML pages. Leading off, Fatlip's lone solo album (2005) used to be an easy pull, but has become a true hip-hop rarity in the last decade. A lot of that has to do with Spike Jonze's What's Up FatLip mini-documentary which helped elevate the album to cult status.
2003's Birth Of A Prince gets its first vinyl reissue. RZA's solo arc has always been abstruse: constantly jumping mid-market labels, vinyl coming out sporadically. The Sanctuary original has become a bonafide Wu-collectors item (market value approximately $120) and features the algo-standout "Grits."
You probably own these songs on vinyl already (unclear if this version features previously uncleared samples), but get this as a celebration of Bad Boy marketing. The original 1994 promo cassette (that title was just meant to be, give that intern a promotion!) helped ignite the buzz behind both Biggie and Craig Mack (can't believe both are gone, RIP), and features (2) EPs worth of material from each artist. Interesting that Mack had A-side billing emphasizing his now unthinkable headlining position at the label at the time.
Goodie Mob's 1998 sophomore album also gets its first vinyl reissue. I'm not going to convince a Dungeon Fam novice to pick this up, but heads know the deal. Can't decide if we like the pic disc pressing or not (we'll reserve judgement until we see it).
DIGGERS 🤝
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Ziad Rahbani
Abu Ali / Label: Wewantsounds
Alice Clark
Alice Clark / Label: Wewantsounds
Poppies - Assorted Finery From The First Psychedelic Age / Label: Craft Recordings
Herbie Hancock
Dedication / Label: Get On Down
The digger scene and RSD have always had a love-hate relationship, but every year there's more and more for diggers to chew on. Ziad Rahbani's 13 minute Arab disco-jazz heater has been high on many wantlists for the last couple years. It went into outer space when it sold for over 1K a couple years back.
Alice Clark's self-titled 1972 is one of those rare want list albums that's quality from beginning to end. More people should know about this gem. Also got to give it up this early 70s Mainstream Records series with its strong visual identity and that accompanying feeling of musical randomness (tip: the excellent Jack Wilkins was also recently reissued).
Craft Recordings comps have become one of the yearly highlights of RSD for the musically curious (see also: Jazz Dispensary). With access to a major back catalog, the label is able to mine where other labels can't. This year, they've hit up the Concord vaults for 13 psych re-discoveries.
For collectors with The Sickness, 2018 was without a doubt the year of Japanese vinyl. Following the trend, Get On Down offers up the previously JP-only Herbie Hancock 1974 live album Dedication. This 4 track session features synthesizer-reinvented versions of "Maiden Voyage, Dolphin Dance, Nobu," and "Cantaloupe Island."
CHILD'S PLAY
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Bob Dorough
Multiplication Rock Soundtrack / Label: Jackpot Records
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Pizza Power / Label: iam8bit
Pinkfong
Baby Shark / Label: Pinkfong
South Park
Bigger, Longer & Uncut Soundtrack / Label: Atlantic
The novelty record serves different purpose in your collection. Shit that reminds you of your childhood or just makes you smile. People who don't have a novelty section in their collection are generally mean. Multiplication Rock (1973) is one of the ultimate novelty records. The defining De La sample source (would there have been a Daisy age without it?) gets the first- time reissue thanks to Portland's Jackpot Records. Mastered from OG tapes too!
If you don't know about iam8bit, they have been issuing some of the best video game-related vinyl since 2015. Their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7" features music from a 1990 tour cassette that eventually was featured in the Turtles In Time arcade machine. Topping it off, the record includes (2) iron-on patches. Give me a cowabunga if April is still your favorite journalist...
Have a kid that is obsessed with "Baby Shark?" Blow their tiny freakin brainz with this vinyl pressing. Crab scratch it and they might poop their pants.
South Park records are some of the most collectible novelty records. True fact, they put out (2) Kanye diss singles. This year's release is pricey, but it's the gang's most expansive release yet with lithograph front cover and 1 in 500 chance to get the "golden ticket" copy which includes a signed print from Matt & Trey.
CROWD PLEASERS
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Weezer
Dusty Gems And Raw Nuggets / Label: Ume
Robyn
Body Talk / Label: Interscope
Devo
This Is The DEVO Box / Label: Rhino
Fleetwood Mac
The Alternate Fleetwood Mac / Label: Warner Brothers
As we run out of U2s, Dylans and Bowies to reissue, here's the the next movement of big name artists integral to this year's RSD. Devo are often seen as whip-smart one-hit wonders, but the recent reissues of Hardcore Devo Vol. 1 and 2 reminded us of the many strange fruits borne by the partnership of Mothersbaugh and Casale. This is the first vinyl boxset collecting their first six albums. From the Eno-produced Q: Are We Not Men? to the drum machine experimentation of New Traditionalists, these essential discs are pressed on six unique colors, complimenting the original sleeve artwork.
Weezer returns to the era of Windows 95 with Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets, a collection of Blue Album-era bonus tracks. This is the first time on vinyl for many of these takes, which include ‘kitchen tape’ demos, live and acoustic versions, and an alternate, more subdued mix of "Say It Ain’t So."
Body Talk began Robyn’s international conquest in earnest. The complete album has not been issued since a single pressing in Sweden in 2010, with current pricing more in line with fine watches than glucose fish. "Call Your Girlfriend" and tell her the good news.
Fleetwood Mac was never the same after their self-titled 1975 self-titled effort, which marked the addition of hitmakers Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Much like previous years' Alt Versions of Tango In The Night, Tusk & Mirage, this release compiles alternate takes from the recent deluxe reissue into a single disc, presented in the sequence of the original LP.
FILE UNDER "ODD"
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AxCx
Picnic Of Love / Label: Anti-Corp
Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind
Kubrick / Label: Silva Screen Records
Anton Dodson Feat. The Gregory Brothers
Bed Intruder & Various Other YouTube Hits / Label: Enjoy The Ride
Vitamin String Quartet
VSQ Performs Bjork / Label: Vitamin Records
Beyond novelty children's records, there's curious underbelly of oddball RSD releases. It doesn't get more kooky than An*l C*nt, they're pretty much Napalm Death plus Weird Al. Their “barely listenable” under-a-minute grindcore tunes spread wide in the early days of illegal digital downloads, and have become highly collectible on vinyl. This is absolutely your safest choice from their catalog, an album of gentle acoustic ballads (designed to baffle a legion of proto-Trolls?).
You know it: Antoine Dodson’s off-the-cuff conversation with reporters, chopped and screwed into an R&B Masterpiece by Auto-Tune The News. Topping the streaming charts to this day, we are happy to get physical for the first time with this UK/EU Import 7”. Features 4 other viral hits.
Vitamin String Quartet is a RSD mainstay, showcasing their eclectic tastes with recent releases paying tributes to everyone from Kanye to Studio Ghibli. 2019 sees their take on Bjork, stripping her multimedia hits bare to violin, viola, and cello.
Thrift diggers are haunted by endless sightings of Wendy Bach's Switched-On Bach. But she is a true pioneer; an early master of the Moog Synthesizer in addition to being one of the first public figures to undergo gender reassignment surgery. This 7” features two well-known classical themes given an icy touch for classic Kubrick films. A side “March From Clockwork Orange” is the first recorded song to feature a Vocoder. The flip sees one of 2 tracks from Carlos and collaborator Rachel Elkind’s mostly unused efforts to score The Shining.
BEST OF THE REST
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Death Grips
Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix) / Label: Harvest
Nitzer Ebb
That Total Age / Label: Pylon
Grodeck Whipperjenny
The Grodeck Whipperjenny / Label: Now-Again
Prince
The Versace Experience - Prelude 2 Gold (Cassette) / Label: Legacy
Best of the rest... Death Grips rarities have become a RSD staple for the early arrivers. These dudes are out here playing that 3D chess: signing their catalog to a major label so they can help independent record stores through random art pieces like this 🙏 .
Before the age of inclusiveness, Nitzer Ebb's 1987 album was one of those albums you listened to in private for the fear of getting your ass beat for listening to some Nazi shit. The communist symbology didn't help either. Yup, this still sounds sooo crazy today (glisten little children!). Aside from a recent boxset pressing, this is the first domestic vinyl reissue and it includes several bonus 12" versions on the 2nd LP.
The Grodeck Whipperjenny is one of the lesser-known nooks of the James Brown catalog. Thought of as the sister album to Sho Is Funky Down There, this Dave Matthews-led recording is the darker sibling messing with fuzzed-out guitars in the basement. Now-Again delivers the definitive reissue (previously there's only been (1) mediocre reissue) from the master tapes and new accompanying booklet.
File next to the B.I.G. Mack, here we get another grail promo item. This cassette was originally given out at Versace's Paris Fashion Week Show in 1995 and features assorted Prince rarities. Crazy to think Versace would allow the Prince symbol to be placed on top of the Medusa, but that's that 5' 2" clout.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
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