Record Store Day, April 16, 2016

In Store Acquisitions

• Al Casey - Surfin' Hootenanny (Green Sundazed LP LEx1000)
• Animals - Animal Tracks (10'' EP, LEx3000)
• The Belairs - Volcanic Action! (Sundazed LEx1000)
• Buzzcocks - More Product in a Different Comilation (Orange ORG 2xLP LEx3000)
• Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting / Dance The Kung Fu (Yellow 7'' LEx2100)
• Cavern of Anti-Matter - Void Versions (12" Clear Single LEx1000)
• Cheap Trick - At Budokon: The Complete Concert (Legacy 2xLP LEx5000)
• Clint Mansell / Kronos Quartet - Requiem For a Dream (LEx5000)
• The Doors - Live at The Aquarius Theater (Clear 3xLP, LEx8500)
• The Challengers - Hot Rod Album (Sundazed LP LEx1000)
• Fleetwood Mac - Alternative Tusk (Rhino 2xLP LEx5000)
• Johnny Cash - All Aboard the Blue Train (Blue ORG LP LEx3000)
• Phish - Hoist (2x Pink Splatter LP LEx5000)*
• Tom Petty - Kiss My Amps II (LP LEx7500)
• The Tornadoes - Best of The Tornadoes (Sundazed Blue LP LEx1000)
• Various Artists - Mystery 7" (Mystery color, mystery artists)

Acquired after RSD (mostly online)

• Alanis Morissette - The Demos: 1994-1998 (2016, Splatter LP, LEx4500)
• Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours to Keep (2006, LP LEx2500)
• Alejandro Escovedo - Gravity (2xLP, LEx1200)
• Alejandro Escovedo - Thirteen Years (2xLP, LEx1200)
• Dead Can Dance - Antastasis (2xLP Opaque Green, LEx1500)
• Elvis Presley - I'm Leaving: Elvis Folk-Country (Legacy LP LEx5000)
• Field Music - Field Music (Blue LP LEx500)
• Focus - Hocus Pocus (1971, Yellow 7" MOV, LEx1500)
• Ida - Will You Find Me (45rpm 2xLP LEx2000)
• Idle Race - Idle Race (Splatter LP, LEx1800)
• James Last - Voodoo Party (Yellow LP, LEx?)
• J.D. Crowe - J.D. Crowe and the New South (1975, LP LEx1500)
• Jimi Hendrix - Smash Hits (1969 LP, LEx5000)
• Lucinda Williams - Just a Little More Grace and Faith (12" Blue LEx3000)
• The Monkees - Saturday's Child/You Just May Be The One (2016, PicDisc, LEx5000)
• Pinback - Blue Screen Life (Splatter Blue/White 2xLP, LEx2000)
• Son Volt - Live At The Bottom Line February 12, 1996 (2xLP LEx6000)
• The Remains - The Remains (White LP, LEx2500)
• The Third Power - Believe (Red LP, LEx2000)*
• The Turtles - Happy Together (1967), Green 7", LEx800
• Various Artists - Silly Symphony Collection (10" EP, LEx2500)
• Various Artists - From Dusk Till Dawn OST (Red/White Splatter 2xLP, LEx3500)*
  • *Delayed release (June, 2016)

Worth Consideration

• The Easybeats - Good Friday (LP, LEx2500)*
• Etta James - At Last (Colored LP, LEx2000)
• James Brown - Get Down at the Apollo (2xLP, LEx2400)*
• Jethro Tull - Too Old to Rock 'n Roll... (Steven Wilson Mix LP, LEx3000)
• Johnny Cash - The Best of the Johnny Cash Show (LP, LEx5000)
• John Grant - Queen of Denmark (LP +7", LEx1500)
• John Renbourn - The Attic Tapes (2xLP, LEx1000)
• Modern Jazz Quartet - The Quartet (LP, LEx1500)
• Todd Rundgren & Utopia - Disco Jets (Red LP, LEx1000)*

At first glance the 2016 Record Store Day list appeared on the underwhelming side to Chuck, but as per usual he purchased many on RSD and several more in the days/weeks following the event based on forum reviews. This was especially true when it comes to artists Chuck was unfamiliar with prior to RSD. These include The Remains, Idle Race, Pinback, Ida and Alejandro Escovedo.

The event seems to grow every year. Hundreds were in line by 7:30am. My son and his friend got to the store at 3:30am (and nicely held a spot for me, I arrived at 5am), but we were still about 20th in line! Fortunately, the store opened early this year (8am), so the wait wasn't too bad and we just barely got in with the first group. The guy behind me was bummed! Flippers were clearly present, including the first women in line who I talked with. She got there the night before (10pm) and when asked what she was after in particular, she had no response and had no interest in talking music. In other words, she didn't really know...she just planned to purchase everything in sight and list them on eBay within hours for twice what she paid. I wish these opportunists weren't a part of the event, but I guess they are here to stay. I try to avoid these sellers after RSD, but admittedly I bought one LP this year that I just couldn't find through any of my usual (more reasonable) sources. This was the Pinback "Blue Screen Life" release. I waited about a week before pulling the trigger on Discogs, and only paid about $10 more than I would have likely paid at the store (after tax) on RSD.

Overall prices seemed inflated. Sundazed titles were especially high. $30 for a single LP by The Remains in a non-gatefold cover? $23-26 for their various surfer releases with sub-par mastering, at best? Give me a break. Singles were expensive as usual - greedy labels have now priced me out of the RSD 45 market for the most part. I couldn't resist the Carl Douglas "Kung Fu Fighting" single (it was one of the first records Chuck purchased in the 70s), but opted out of the Focus "Hocus Pocus" single due to its unbelievably inflated price @ $15. Really? Fifteen smackers for two songs? I'm a fan of the Music on Vinyl label, but they can take this overpriced single and stick it up their arse. Eight months or so after the event I found two copies of the "Happy Together" colored vinyl single by The Turtles on eBay for only four bucks apiece!

The disappointment of the year is probably the alternate cover Legacy release of "Smash Hits" by Jimi Hendrix. I resisted buying this at the event only because I can usually get my Hendrix RSD material for less online. Turned out to be a good decision based on the forum reviews, which suggest that the mastering completely fails on about half of the songs. Too bright with sibilance. Needless to say I will be avoiding this release. I already have all of the songs on other Hendrix titles anyway. Edit: I ended up buying this release on sale at a store a few months after the event. I haven't listened to it yet to confirm the supposed subpar mastering.

As I listen to my RSD booty I will post additional thoughts.