While there are definitely considerations to be made about Record Store Day, as pointed up by Phil Hebblethwaite’s excellent investigation we published yesterday, that’s not to deny that it brings out some ace releases. This year sees a plethora of new material, reissues, compilations and box sets heading to the racks, and we’ve run through the full releases list to pick out 40 worth seeking out tomorrow.
Alexander Tucker – Alexander Tucker (Thrill Jockey)
One half of Grumbling Fur, Tucker’s sound-sculpting 2003 debut is being pressed on vinyl for the first time and will be accompanied with a download code that’ll unlock a further 20 minutes of original material. There’s ‘The Black Bear’ from the LP above.
Bathory – Bathory (Black Mark)
From the decidedly dark-hued end of the RSD 2014 catalogue, Black Mark are repressing the Swedish extreme metallers’ first six albums as limited edition picture discs.
Bok Bok feat. Kelela – ‘Melba’s Call’ (Night Slugs)
We’ve previously heard this track when the Night Slugs co-founder announced his return earlier this year (his new EP is out next month), and tomorrow he’ll be giving it a physical release, on 10” and backed with a stripped-back ‘Deleted Mix’ (listen above) as part of the imprint’s white label series.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre/The Magic Castles – split 12" (A Records)
A taster of The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s forthcoming album Revelation in the form of album track ‘Goodbye (Butterfly)’, as well as the non-LP ‘Lions Ride Free’ and a couple of tracks by “mysticore” crew The Magic Castles, signed to BJM leader Anton Newcombe’s label.
Carter Tutti – Remix Chris & Cosey
The Throbbing Gristle co-founders adopt their Carter Tutti guise to re-work five tracks originally released as Chris & Cosey: ‘Cowboys In Cuba’, ‘Dancing Ghosts’, ‘Deep Velvet’, ‘Lost Bliss’ and ‘October Love Song’ – get a taster of the latter above.
Clint Mansell – Into The Wall OST (Death Waltz Recordings Company)
A strictly one-off pressing featuring exclusive art by Jay Shaw, Clint Mansell’s eerie and tragic soundtrack reissue will be available in brown and red swirl wax. Listen to the main theme above.
Cuz (Mike Watt & Sam from The Go! Team) – Tametebako (Bleeding Heart)
Ex-Minutemen bassist Mike Watt and The Go! Team’s Sam Dook sit at two different tables in the music business cafeteria, but their Cuz hook-up is looking tight, with the duo’s debut LP enjoying a limited-edition run of 200 vinyl boxes.
David Bowie – ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’ (Parlophone)
You’ll have to be quick off the mark to get your hands on Bowie’s two limited edition RSD picture disc 7”s: his 1974 single ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’, backed with Ziggy’s ‘Farewell Speech’ from his final, July 3 1973 show at Hammersmith Odeon in the UK and ‘1984’, with a live performance of the track on The Dick Cavett Show on the flipside in the States.
Destroyer – Kaputt (Dead Oceans)
Dan Bejar’s none-loucher Destroyer guise is set to keep quiet for a while after last year’s Five Spanish Songs EP; get your fill of his immaculate indie and wry lyricism on this repress of his excellent 2011 album.
Ennio Morricone – Il Buono, Il Brutto Il Cattivo (The Good, The Bad & The Ugly) OST (AMC)
Neither bad nor ugly, this cornerstone soundtrack rides again via limited edition colour vinyl and inlay – which is very good. Whootle along to the main theme above.
Fairhorns – Doki Doki Run (Invada)
Geoff Barrow’s generous Invada imprint is putting on a fine RSD spread, with releases from Power Glove, College, Ringo Deathstarr and Fairhorns, aka Matt Williams of BEAK> (sample them above). The latter’s excellent 2012 album Doki Doki Run is donning green vinyl LP and digipack CD threads for a 300-copy release.
The Flaming Lips – 7 Skies H3 (Bella Union)
Wayne Coyne and co. whittle down their 2011-released 24-hour song that originally came in a real human skull to a manageable, 43-minute single vinyl disc.
Gemma Ray feat. Alan Vega – ‘Death Disc’ (Bronzerat)
Ray’s penned a couple of teenage tragedy songs for her RSD 7", enlisting the help of Suicide’s Alan Vega and the 64-piece Filmorchester Babelsberg orchestra in the process – have a listen to the sterling results above.
Grace Jones – ‘Me! I Disconnect From You’ (UMC)
One of the most interesting additional tracks to get featured on the deluxe reissue of Jones’ landmark 1981 LP Nightclubbing coming later this month, her cover of the Gary Numan and Tubeway Army gets an early outing on 12” for RSD.
Holger Czukay – On The Way To The Peak Of Normal (Grönland)
The Can founder member’s third solo album is venturing back into print on pink vinyl on a limited run of a mere 500 courtesy of Grönland.
J Spaceman & Kid Millions – Live At Le Poisson Rouge (Northern Spy)
Oneida sticksman and percussionist extraordinaire John ‘Man “Kid Millions” Forever’ Colpitts joined up with the Spiritualized man last year at the New York venue for an improvised set, which now gets a full release over a 3,000-run package comprising a 7” and a 12”.
John Foxx & The Maths – Interplay/The Shape Of Things (Metamatic)
An extremely enticing proposition: the first two albums from John Foxx And The Maths, packaged with a limited edition print by artist and Foxx and Bowie collaborator Jonathan Barnbrook. Foxx is a busy man come RSD: he’s also reissuing his 1980 debut solo LP Metamatic on individually-numbered white vinyl, of which he says: "Great bit of time travel, this – futuristic retrovinyl Metamatic – sounds the way it was built to sound – like a phonecall from your former self."
John Tavener – The Protecting Veil (Bella Union)
One of the late composer’s masterworks, written in response to the Russian Orthodox Church’s feast of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, and originally released in 1992 gets issued on vinyl for the first time by Bella Union.
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – ‘She’s On It/Jack The Ripper’ (Bronzerat)
With studio time for a new album on the cards, the JSBX have laid down their live favourite mash-up of the Beastie Boys’ ‘She’s On It’ and Link Wray’s ‘Jack The Ripper’ in the studio for a 12” single.
Joy Division – An Ideal For Living (Rhino)
The band’s 1978 debut EP was freshly remastered by their engineer Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road earlier this year and the “scaffolding” artwork of its 12” release given a subtle update for a limited edition version from Rhino.
Liars – ‘Mess On A Mission’ (Mute)
Liars will release single Mess On A Mission on a limited edition vinyl embedded with string, and it will be stuffed with remixes by Black Bananas and Silent Servant (listen above), plus an exclusive B-side, ‘Blah Vets.’
LCD Soundsystem – Live The Final Show NYC (Parlophone)
Very, very much what it says on the tin: their entire 2011 farewell show at Madison Square Garden, running across five (FIVE) 12”s in a natty box set.
Luke Haines – ‘Lou Reed’/‘Jeff Starship Superhero’ (7")
The first single from the prolific esotericist’s upcoming exploration of New York in the 1970s, NY In The 70s, due next month.
Matt Berry – ‘Music For Insomniacs Part IV’ (Acid Jazz Records)
A non-album track teasing his new LP, Music For Insomniacs, which sees him putting down his magickal folk to make an Eno-like exploration into the world of ambient somnolence.
Melt Yourself Down – Live At The New Empowering Church (The Leaf Label)
Limited to just 900 copies, this live LP was recorded late last year at the Dalston venue and is a mind-altering snapshot of the band at the height of their powers.
The Memory Band – Further Navigations (Static Caravan)
Further ace sonic meanderings down Harrow Way following on from last year’s On The Chalk (Our Navigation Of The Line Of The Downs), and aided by remixes from The Belbury Poly and Grantby.
Mike Watt – ‘Mud Puddle’/‘We Come To Learn’ (Org Music)
Not only is he a righteous man of punk, but he’s a prolific dude this Saturday: in addition to his release with Cuz, he’s also putting out his own 7” single.
The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death (Bad Boy)
A mammoth three-disc clear vinyl reissue of Biggie’s final album. Why should you buy? As Liars’ Angus Andrew said in his Baker’s Dozen this week: "He is in my opinion one of the greatest recording artists that ever lived and I’m 1000% certain there will never be anyone who comes remotely close to his skill with rhyming words."
Omar Souleyman – Jazeera Nights: Folk & Pop Sounds of Syria (Sublime Frequencies)
A nine-track scan over the Quietus favourite’s back catalogue courtesy of the ace Sublime Frequencies label.
Oneohtrix Point Never – Commissions I (Warp)
No stranger to music for art, film and performance commissions, Daniel Lopatin’s RSD release is a collection of three such commissions, pressed on 12” in a black foil sleeve. Stream his remix of the Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski’s Preludes, ‘Music For Steamed Rocks’, above.
Opeth – Watershed (Roadrunner)
Roadrunner are to reissue Opeth’s 2008 masterstroke as a double green vinyl, and that’s definitely something worth shouting about.
Ozric Tentacles – ‘Sloosh!’ (Madfish)
The only single released by the Ozrics in their cosmic 30-year career, ‘Sploosh!’ is to be reproduced as a 12” with its original artwork.
Pet Shop Boys – ‘Fluorescent’ (X2)
The Pet Shop Boys have produced two reworks of this track from last year’s brilliant, tQ favourite album Electric themselves, serving up the ‘Indio’ and ‘Cali’ remixes on a 12”.
Peter Zummo – Lateral Pass (Foom)
London imprint Foom have dug deep to unearth this 1985-recorded LP from master of minimalism Peter Zummo and featuring his long-term collaborator Arthur Russell, which will be pressed on 12” vinyl, followed by a digital edition on June 2.
Teeth Of The Sea – A Field In England: Re-Imagined (Rocket Recordings)
Teeth Of The Sea have recast the soundtrack to Ben Weatley’s psychological punk flick and are unleashing it as a limited edition LP. Prepare for cosmic tremors.
Soundgarden – Superunknown: The Singles (UMC)
Celebrating 20 years of their ageless-sounding Superknown, Chris Cornell and co. are reissuing the album in two deluxe versions and a double-disc gatefold LP in June. Ahead of that, they’re putting all of the album’s singles and their B-sides on as a 5 x 10” box set with brand new artwork.
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld – Spring (Specula)
Following on from last year’s excellent Still Smiling album, this EP finds the collaboration between the Einstürzende Neubauten man and Italian composer bringing together some previously unreleased tracks and covers of Caetano Veloso and ‘Crimson And Clover’.
Tim Burgess – ‘Oh Men’ (O Genesis)
Co-written with Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner, Burgess’ saxophone-gilded ‘Oh Men’ is getting the limited edition 7” and 12” treatment, and features a cover of Arthur Russell’s ‘I Couldn’t Say It To Your Face’. Listen to the gorgeously languid single above.
Various Artists – The Space Project (7" box set) (Fat Possum)
Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce, Beach House, The Antlers have created tracks using NASA’s recordings of space, brought together here on a 7” box set.
