Black Friday & Holiday Shopping Guide ’22
Welcome back to the Paradise Found Records blog. There is a stacked slate of music and music-related books out this holiday season, as well as more than a hundred Record Store Day “Black Friday” exclusives. To view the full list of Black Friday releases, click here (and remember, supplies are not guaranteed).
To help you navigate the plethora of choices, here is a guide for the music lover on your shopping list:
The Beatles–Revolver
The latest in the Fab Four reissue series focuses on their eleventh, 1966 release in the U.S., the record that preceded Sgt. Peppers. Revolver was a big step forward for the group in terms of songwriting and production quality; it and Rubber Soul, released the year before, formed the building blocks for their most beloved and well-known work. The 2022 Giles Martin remix comes in multiple vinyl and CD packages; the expanded editions feature outtakes highlighted by surprisingly subdued, mournful early Lennon demo of “Yellow Submarine.” (Available now)
Dr. John–Things Happen That Way
Mac Rebennack aka Dr. John was one of New Orleans’ leading musical lights, a guitarist and pianist who worked with most of the Crescent City’s most notable performers and producers. His intoxicating, original mix of swamp funk added a voodoo flavor to the rolling rhythms of hitmakers like Fats Domino and played a big part in popularizing the New Orleans sound, partially through his vast influence on other musicians. This country tribute with covers of many classics and a shuffling take on the Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line” (with an assist from Aaron Neville) was produced before he passed in 2019 at seventy-seven. His estate has unnecessarily augmented some of the recordings with overdubs, but this posthumous release is still a strong reminder of the artistry of the guy who coined the phrase “Desitively Bonnaroo.” (Available now)
Jerry Garcia Band–Pure Jerry: Coliseum, Hampton, VA, November 9, 1991
This 5LP set features the final incarnation of the Jerry Garcia Band. The only original Garcia composition here is “Run for the Roses,” but the set list includes stellar covers of Motown classics “How Sweet It Is” and “I Second That Emotion,” a sideful of jamming on “Don’t Let Go,” and Garcia’s always-stirring take on The Manhattans hit “Shining Star.” (Available November 25)
Grateful Dead–Wembley Empire Pool, London, England 4/7/1972
This 5LP set, which features the first night of the band’s legendary Europe ’72 tour, is a companion to the box released for RSD earlier this year. For those keeping score, this show has thirteen songs not repeated the next night, including “Greatest Story Ever Told,” “Chinatown Shuffle” and a lengthy workout on “The Other One” into “El Paso” back into “The Other One.” Essential listening for Deadheads and only the third full show from the tour to be released on vinyl. (Available November 25)
Janis Joplin & Jorma Kaukonen–The Legendary Typewriter Tape: 6/25/1964 Jorma’s House
Yes, it may include a typing sound in the background, but this is still a treasure: Jorma and Janis rehearsing a bunch of blues standards at Jorma’s South Bay Area house, including “Trouble in Mind” and “Hesitation Blues.” Never before released, this rare recording proves both musicians knew their way around the blues long before they achieved stardom. (Available November 25)group’s most lasting work. (Available now)
Olivia Newton-John–Physical
Aussie pop and film star Olivia Newton-John left us in August. Physical was one of her best-sellers, with the title track spending ten weeks at the top of the U.S. charts. On Black Friday the multi-platinum LP is being released in picture disc format for the first time. (Available November 25)
Jaco Pastorius–Truth, Liberty & Soul- Live in NYC: The Complete 1982 NPR Jazz Alive! Recording
This one is sure to go fast: a 3LP show from legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius, who played with Joni Mitchell, Weather Report and others. This heavily-bootlegged show contains an additional unheard forty minutes, and finds the famed bassist backed by a 22-piece band. (Available November 25)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers–Live at The Fillmore, 1997
Petty and his band played a twenty-night run in 1997 at San Francisco’s intimate Fillmore Auditorium. This collection, available in three- and six-album varieties, finds the group at peak energy running through their classics and a bunch of covers, some with guest musicians including John Lee Hooker and Roger McGuinn. Long available only in bootleg form, Live at The Fillmore 1997 is a must for fans of the gone-too-soon Petty. (Available November 25)
Iggy Pop–Apres
Iggy’s 16th studio effort has never been released on vinyl in the US. This special edition, which finds him singing crooner classics in both French and English, features a bonus track, new cover art and an OBI strip. Pop’s cover of “La Vie en Rose” alone is worth the price of admission. (Available November 25)
Lou Reed–Words & Music, May 1965
Just when you thought the Velvet Underground archives had run dry: this amazing recording sat in Lou Reed’s office, sealed in a postmarked envelope, for years after his 2013 death. Closer inspection revealed a demo tape of Reed and fellow VU member John Cale demo-ing tracks that would be developed into some of the group’s most beloved material (Reed sent it to himself to prove authorship for publishing purposes). Included are early but compelling folk versions of “I’m Waiting for the Man” and “Heroin,” among others. (Available now)
Bruce Springsteen–Only The Strong Survive
Here’s one no one saw coming: on the eve of a global 2023 reunion tour with the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen is releasing his first album of covers since 2006’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. This time the Boss is turning his musical attention to R&B classics including Motown classics “Someday We’ll be Together,” “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” and “I Wish It Would Rain.” Based on his cover of The Commodores classic “Nightshift,” this one could be good or bad–or both at the same time–but whatever you think, give Springsteen credit for finding a new musical vein to mine this far into his career. (Available November 11)
Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band–Live at the Greek Theater 2019
Only the second live album from Starr’s “All-Starr” band to hit vinyl, this 2LP set includes Beatles favorites plus hits from bandmembers during their tenures in Toto, Santana, Men at Work and Average White Band. That’s right: for the first time ever, “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “Africa” are available on the same record, at least on vinyl. (Available November 25)
Joe Strummer–Live at Music Millennium
Clash co-founder Joe Strummer would have turned seventy in 2022. This never before released LP finds the punk-rock icon playing acoustic at Music Millennium, Portland’s largest record store. The soundboard recording from his 1999 in-store performance is a treat for Clash and Mescaleros fans and should move fast. (Available November 25)
Wilco–Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco’s 2001 masterpiece, their fourth album, came at no small cost. Their record label refused to release it and dropped them, and two bandmembers were dismissed during its painful recording process. Neil Young and Bob Dylan may be “first take/best take” proponents, but Jeff Tweedy (like Springsteen) tends to wrestle his songs to the ground through experimenting with multiple formats for each composition. The 20th anniversary of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a year late due to supply chain issues, but it comes in multiple editions–including an 11LP Super Deluxe format–that provide fans with an uber deep dive into the group’s most lasting work. (Available now)
Weyes Blood–And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Natalie Marling aka Weyes Blood’s fourth album, 2019’s Titanic Rising, held a spot on many of that year’s best-of lists, and her follow-up has been long anticipated. Judging from the first single from her follow-up, “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everyone,” the new album is more highly-developed, sumptious Carpenters-inspired pop from this critical darling. (Available November 18)
BOOKS
We love reading about music almost as much as listening to it, and the store is always stocked with a large library of music books. Here are some of the most popular titles out this season:
Bono–Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story
U2 is rumored to be planning a 32nd anniversary celebration of Achtung Baby as part of its residency at the debut of the brand new, state-of-the-art MSG Sphere “super arena” in Las Vegas in the fall of 2023. In the meantime, fans of Ireland’s most beloved musical export can tide themselves over with this eloquently written autobiography from frontman Bono, which combines tales of his youth with a look at the life of a global rock star and political activist. The book’s title refers to its forty chapters, each named after a U2 song. (Available now)
Bob Dylan–The Philosophy of Modern Song
Bob Dylan’s last book was 2004’s incredible Chronicles, Vol. 1, a stirring retelling of a few pivotal moments from his career. His latest is a companion to his Theme Time Radio Hour, and features him riffing on and inhabiting sixty-six songs that he believes embody “Modern Song,” selections from a highly diverse group that includes Little Richard, Willie Nelson and The Clash. Many of the song chapters include two interpretations: a stream-of-consciousness take on the song’s perspective and an attempt to describe why the composition is so important. The book also features photos that serve as a love letter to the record-buying experience. (Available now)
Margo Price–Maybe We’ll Make It: A Memoir
Margo Price’s long journey from struggling artist to Americana star–which included a brief homeless stint in the woods near Nederland–is chronicled in this deeply personal look at her career. Price suffered through the loss of a child and the near-demise of her marriage before finding notoriety in the rich musical landscape of Nashville; a postscript at the end brings the reader up to date with her recent success. (Available now)
Jann Wenner–Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir
Joe Hagan’s excellent 2017 book, Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine was an in-depth look at the publication that chronicled rock’n’roll’s rise as the voice of the boomer generation through the pages of its most beloved magazine. Founder Jann Wenner, who had initially authorized that book, ultimately found it too tawdry and unflattering. His response is a 550+-page tome that tries to correct the record even as it overly focuses on his lifestyle with the rich and famous. This is an entertaining read for followers of the magazine that tried to change the world back when print media had that kind of power, even if Wenner does ultimately come off as entitled and not very likable. (Available now)
