Record Store Day is Saturday April 20

Are you ready for Record Store Day 2024? This year RSD is on Saturday, April 20, and the list of exclusive releases is one of the longest yet, nearly 400 separate titles. We’ll be open at 7 am in Boulder and at 6 am (the earliest allowable time) in Petaluma. Please note that Record Store Day coincides with Butter & Eggs Day in Petaluma, so pay attention to parking restrictions when you come down to the store. As always we’ll have coffee and pastries for those intrepid shoppers who show up early to make sure they get what they want; this year we expect the two Noah Kahan releases to be the fastest movers.

You can check the full list of releases here. Please remember that we cannot guarantee or hold anything. Feel free to check with the store in the week leading up to Record Store Day to make sure we’ll have what you’re looking for, but on that day everything will be available on a first come first serve basis.

This year features a slew of jazz and picture disc releases. Here are a bunch of the rock selections I’m most excited about. See you at the store!

The Beatles

Sixty years after they changed the musical landscape through their appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Fab Four have a plethora of offerings for Record Store Day. Devotees can purchase a special turntable that plays three-inch singles to go along with three-inch editions of early hits “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” Three of the four members also have exclusives: for John fans there are color and black editions of a Mind Games EP (teasers for the box coming later this year), George Harrison lovers will savor new picture disc editions of his Electronic Music and Wonderwall Music efforts, and Ringo Starr is releasing Crooked Boy, an EP produced in collaboration with Linda Perry.

David Bowie — Waiting in the Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth)

There may be some dispute over which Bowie effort is best, but The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is the one that made him a global superstar while transforming the seventies. This release is a brand-new, earlier version of the album that omits several tracks while adding four songs that didn’t make the final cut, including a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around.”

John Craigie — Let It Be Lonely

Portland folk artist John Craigie is famed for his songwriting prowess and sense of humor. This 2LP set is from his series of live shows where he pays tribute to the Fab Four by playing an entire album in sequence while sharing his own experiences and what each song means to him. Craigie delighted the crowd at the Folks Festival in Lyons in 2022, and his fanbase expands with every performance.

Death Cab For Cutie — Live at the Showbox

Death Cab For Cutie played three sold-out shows for hometown fans in Seattle shortly before the pandemic shut down concert activity for the rest of 2020. This 2LP set on pink marble vinyl is the first physical release from the run, previously only available on Bandcamp for 24 hours. This is the group’s first live record in a twenty-five year run as indie darlings, and features their most popular songs including “Soul Meets Body” and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.”

The English Beat — Wha’ppen (Expanded Edition)

Hot on the heels of the 2023 Black Friday re-release of the ska band’s debut comes an expanded 2LP edition of the their sophomore effort. Wha’ppen may not have the frenetic energy of I Just Can’t Stop It, but it is in many ways a richer, deeper effort. Relying less on ska rhythms and more on traditional reggae beats, the album is more political and less dance crazy. “Drowning” captures the ennui of being lost in the workaday world while “I’m Your Flag” parodies jingoism and could’ve been written yesterday. The second disk includes dub and remixed versions. Wha’ppen may be less commercial and inviting than their debut, but it’s far more likely to make you think.

Fleet Foxes — Live on Boston Harbor

The first Fleet Foxes live album after five studio records over fifteen years is a 3LP set from the 2020 Shore Tour. Featuring the majority of tracks from that excellent LP along with a career-spanning set list, the album comes with an orange bottom obi strip. Perhaps no other band this century has done as good a job at updating the lush harmonies of the Laurel Canyon sound with a modern folk-rock sensibility.

Fleetwood Mac — Rumours (Picture Disc)

Fleetwood Mac’s biggest seller–which somehow ranked as the fifth-highest selling vinyl record of 2023, nearly fifty years after its release–gets its first pressing as a picture disc. Shocking that it took this long to be put out in this format, this just might be the final edition of the classic (but don’t bet on it).

Lowell George — Thanks, I’ll Eat It Here (Deluxe Edition)

Lowell George was the founder of Little Feat and his contributions were always the highlights of the band’s records. George sadly passed away shortly after releasing his first solo effort in 1979. This new reissue includes an entire album of never-before heard outtakes and alternate versions. Highlights include a cover of Jackson Browne’s “Doctor My Eyes” and a different rendition of the Feat classic “Roll ‘Em Easy.”

Grateful Dead — Nightfall of Diamonds

The Dead never disappoint on Record Store Day, and this year is no exception. 1989 was a strong year for the band–highlighted by a run in Hampton, Virginia as The Warlocks–their original moniker–that saw the return of classics “Dark Star” and “Attics of My Life.” The same tour took them to Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey, where they delighted Deadheads with a circular set that saw them weave in and out of “Dark Star” and  “Playing in the Band.” This 4-LP set, new to vinyl, features the entire second set along with first-set highlights. Deadheads will also be all over Electric on the Eel, an also-new-to-vinyl 4LP set from the Jerry Garcia Band recorded four months before the Nightfall of Diamonds show.

Noah Kahan — I Was/I Am

In the absence of material this RSD from Ms. Swift (aka Travis Kelce’s psyop girlfriend), this year’s biggest draws will be two releases from roots-rock phenom Noah Kahan. I Was/I Am, his second album, will be available while supplies last in blue vinyl. Kahan and Olivia Rodrigo are also teaming up for a single; one side features Kahan covering Rodrigo’s “Lacy” while Rodrigo covers Kahan’s hit “Stick Season” on the flip side.

Mark Knopfler– The Boy

Dire Straits founder and guitar wizard Mark Knopfler is the opposite of prolific. His solo albums and tours are few and far between, and he was last heard from on 2018’s Down The Road Wherever. For RSD Knopfler is releasing this 12-inch EP with four brand-new tracks all focused around the theme of fairground boxing booths, where amateurs could challenge professional fighters and get paid if they survived three rounds in the ring. The EP comes on the heels of One Deep River, his new album out the week before Record Store Day.

Lost in Translation Original Soundtrack — Deluxe Edition

The first repress of the soundtrack from arguably Sofia Coppola’s best film was a fast seller in 2019. Since repressed and widely available, this new deluxe 2LP edition includes all the music that never made the original release. Most importantly, it finally brings to vinyl Bill Murray’s incredible karaoke rendition of Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” the highlight of the movie. That alone makes this one worth the price of admission.

Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and Marty Stuart — Sweetheart of the Rodeo 50th Anniversary Live

The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo is widely regarded as the Rosetta Stone of country-rock. The only record by the band to feature Gram Parsons, it took the group in a decidedly Americana direction and inspired The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and countless others. In 2019 original members McGuinn and Hillman were joined by Marty Stuart for a tribute tour. This 2LP live set is taken from that tour, and includes the entire album plus Byrds classics including “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn Turn Turn.” This one is a must for all fans of the genre.

Paramore — Re: This is Why

This year’s Record Store Day Ambassadors are Paramore, whose sixth album, 2023’s This is Why, was one of the best of the year.  They are offering fans two selections: the first is a red vinyl edition of Re: This is Why, the 2023 digital release that included covers of the album’s material from artists including Panda Bear, Romy, The Linda Linda’s, Wet Leg, Bartees Strange and others; the second is a double album that includes the same vinyl edition of Re: This is Why along with a pink vinyl version of This is Why. Both editions include a new, Jack Antonoff-produced rendition of “Sanity,” a track that dates back to 2017’s After Laughter. But that’s not all; Paramore have also announced a combined 12-inch EP in partnership with David Byrne. The Talking Heads leader will cover Paramore’s “Hard Times” on one side while the Tennessee group returns the favor with their new rendition of “Burning Down The House” on the flip.

Pearl Jam — Dark Matter

Grunge Gods Pearl Jam are releasing Dark Matter, their 12th studio album, the day before Record Store Day. No Denver show on the supporting tour has been announced yet, but hopefully it’s just a matter of time. Fans willing to wait a day can get the new album, their first since 2020’s excellent Gigaton, in a special yellow and black ghostly edition.

Joe Pesci — Little Joe Sure Can Sing

No, that is not a misprint. In 1968, eight years before he launched his film career, Joe Pesci released an album of covers that featured three Beatles songs, The Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody” and six other tracks. The album is being repressed in an orange swirl edition by Real Gone Music, a label that specializes in finding and re-releasing lost gems. Can Pesci sing as well as he can act? Buy the record and find out for yourself, just don’t tell him he’s funny.

The Ramones — The 1975 Sire Demos

The Ramones changed the world. Their aggressive, highly original proto-punk combined a simple but infectious sound with lyrics that were often hilarious. This album features their earliest studio recordings, a handful of which made it onto their 1976 debut. Some may argue that The Stooges or MC5 deserve more credit for birthing punk, but it was The Ramones who sent sonic shock waves through the scene, killed Prog and motivated a thousand bands to start a new movement on their early tours. This record finds them at their earliest and rawest; studio efforts would gradually polish off their rougher edges.

The Rolling Stones — The Rolling Stones (UK)/Live at Racket, NYC

The Beatles versus Stones debate rages on for Record Store Day. Not to be outdone by the aforementioned Fab Four releases, the Rolling Stones have two albums out this year: The Rolling Stones (UK) is a 60th anniversary edition of their debut effort pressed on blue/black swirled vinyl. Live at Racket, NYC features seven songs from the 10/19/23 launch party for Hackney Diamonds last fall. Notable inclusions are “Shattered,” one of the greatest songs ever written about New York with the classic line “Go ahead, bite the big Apple, don’t mind the maggots” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” with help from Lady Gaga on vocals.

Linda Ronstadt — The Asylum Years

Linda Ronstadt was without question one of the most important female vocalists of the seventies. The Eagles started out as her backing band and she helped bring attention to many important songwriters, including Warren Zevon, Karla Bonoff and Elvis Costello. She’s received a lot of attention lately thanks to her excellent memoir and two documentaries. This 4LP box collects her mid-seventies output when she was at the peak of her pop-rock powers. With the notable exception of Heart Like a Wheel, Linda never sounded better than on these albums: Don’t Cry Now, Prisoner in Disguise, Hasten Down the Wind and Simple Dreams.

South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert

Matt Stone and Trey Parker are two of CU’s most notable alumni. South Park, the TV show the pair created, is one of the longest-running animated comedy series. In 2022 they celebrated its 25th anniversary with two sold-out shows at Red Rocks. The concerts were filmed and are now available on vinyl–in Toweli-Blue color of course–and the 3LP set features classics from throughout the show’s run, with musical assistance from Primus, Ween and members of Rush. This one is sure to move fast.

Talking Heads — Live at WCOZ 77

The Talking Heads are experiencing a renaissance right now thanks to the re-release of their classic concert film Stop Making Sense. The group reportedly turned down $80 million to headline the festival circuit in 2024. This show from after their highly influential debut was excerpted for their first live album, The Name of This Band is Talking Heads. Recorded at a November 1977 and cut at 45prm over 2 LPs, it features seven songs never-before-released by the group. Fans of Tom Tom Club, the side project featuring drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth, will also want Genius Of Love 2001 Remixes, the first-time-on-vinyl compilation of remixes of what is probably the most sampled track in history, first available on a 2001 CD. See the Paramore section above for details on David Byrne’s 12-inch combination release with the RSD Ambassadors.

U2 — Atomic City

U2’s just completed a 40-show residency at the new state-of-the-art Las Vegas Sphere that was mind-blowing both in its staggering visual and audio presentation and in its reminder that Achtung Baby (which they played in full) was a daring and impressive step forward for Ireland’s most popular musical export. This 10-inch features their latest single recorded at the venue along with a remix and a poster.

Wilco — The Whole Love (Expanded Edition)

Wilco fans eagerly awaiting a box for arguably their best record, A Ghost is Born–next up in their reissue series–will be pleasantly surprised by this compilation of material from 2011’s The Whole Love. The 3LP set includes the full album along with EPs, demos and alternate takes from the era, including songs on the rare Speak Like a Nose 10-inch EP. They’ve added some previously in-studio recordings broadcast on WXRT to round it out. Wilco never sounded more like Radiohead than on album opener “Art of Almost” and never more like Nick Drake than on the penultimate track “One Sunday Morning.”

Neil Young with Crazy Horse — Fu##in’ Up

Last November Neil Young played a tiny club in Toronto as a birthday gift to a (wealthy) friend of his. The group played their 1990 classic album Ragged Glory–which both presaged and influenced the Grunge movement–in its entirety. The show is being released on April 26, but impatient fans can get a clear vinyl pressing of the 2LP set a week early on Record Store Day.