Samstag, 19. Apr 2014, 23:26

Another year, another Record Store Day eagerly observed and celebrated. When RSD began, it appeared as if record stores were on the endangered species list, along with video rental stores and mainline book chains. Thanks to loyal music fans like me (and you, too, probably if you're reading this) RSD has become a worldwide phenomenon. Fans flock to a store near them in the hopes of finding rare releases exclusive to today and to feed their music jones. Record stores once destined to a dodo-like extinction find their registers jingling and (hopefully) stuffed to the gills.

I will say this was a far more productive jaunt for me compared to last year. Of course, last year I was on vacation in northern Wisconsin, which never really had much in the way of record stores even before the bottom fell out. (I still ended up finding a store in Escanaba, Michigan – a good hour drive but a nice excuse to visit the town besides.) This year, I was able to travel to a few different record stores throughout the day, and for me, it quickly became finding sheer volume in used good over 2-3 particular new pieces I really coveted. I'm like a content guy anyway, so having picture discs on a weird color vinyl means little if I can attain the actual song by other means. I did pick up one RSD item, but I was more interested to filling gaps in my physical library then finding whatever exotic kitsch item people were fighting each other for (Ron Jeremy Explains Classical Music 7 inch, I am looking at you.)

OK, here's my list, broken down by price from highest to lowest. I should say as far as bang for the buck, I did really well. (Oh, and the stores did well, too – I was in line at the Exclusive Company in Brookfield, WI for about an hour, with the lines obscuring much of the product, and I was at the same store's Janesville location when they opened, and a crowd of 30-40 were waiting bright and early at 7 am.)

$15
* Various Artists, Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles

$6.99
* Josh Rouse/The Autumn Defense, "Trouble"/"Sentimental Lady" (RSD exclusive…I almost got that Beauregarde 7" considering I am a fan of pro wrestling *and* of Greg Sage but I saw it at my 1st store wanted to make sure my budget would get me to other stores, and never saw it again…)

$5
* Boscoe, Boscoe
*The Final Solution, Brotherman OST
*Los Nombres, Los Nombres
* Various Artists, Don't Stop: Recording Tap

$4.50
* Scott Walker, The Drift
* Scott Walker, Bish Bosch

$4
* Quasimoto, Yessir Whatever

$3.50
* The Blues Magoos, Kaleidescopic Compendium: The Best Of
* Earl Sweatshirt, Doris

$3
* Sloan, Parallel Play
* The Drums, The Drums
* Wild Cub, Youth

$2.50
* Gigolo Aunts - Full On Bloom EP

$2
* Neil Young, Chrome Dreams II
* Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What
* Hot Chip, The Warning
* Lou Reed, Coney Island Baby (Legacy reissue)
* The Fiery Furnaces, Gallowbird's Bark

$1.70
* Guided By Voices, Do the Collapse
* Travis Morrison, Travistan
* Ramones , Ramones (Rhino re-issue)
* Various Artists, The OF Tape Vol 2
* The Dismemberment Plan, The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified
* Kaiser Chiefs, Yours Truly, Angry Mob (which it turns out I had already, oops)
* U2, Rattle and Hum (I blame listening to the Earwolf podcast U Talkin' U2 to Me?)
* Various Artists, Terminal Sales Vol VI: The Silver Ticket
* Leona Naess, Leona Naess
* Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
* The Get Up Kids, Eudora
* The Get Up Kids, On a Wire
* Eightball, Lost

$1.50
* Diddy - Dirty Money, Last Train to Paris Deluxe Edition
* Holopaw, Holopaw
* The Fiery Furnaces, Rehearsing My Choir
* East River Pipe, The Gasoline Age

Plus, from here to there, I found a used bookstore that had 50 cent CDs so I grabbed discs from Sinead O' Connor, A Fine Frenzy, Pat McGee Band, Miles Kane, Bayside, Cody ChestnuTT, The City on Film, Lisa Hannigan, Ex Norwegian, The Phantom Family Halo, Readymade, and 2 from Puerto Muerto. Throw in a free 7" from Red Bull Sound, a few label comps and a bunch of those Monitor This samplers, along with a few stickers and buttons, and I should be busy until at least next Record Store Day. Problem is, folks like me celebrate RSD several days a year…