Record Store Day is Saturday April 22!
Welcome to the latest Paradise Found Records blog. Spring in Boulder can only mean one thing: we are gearing up for another Record Store Day, with a huge selection of exclusive vinyl.
On April 22 we will open early at 7 a.m. with coffee and pastries for the diehards braving the elements to form a line before we open.
This year there are more than 300 releases for RSD. Here are the ten I’m most excited about; you can see the full list here. Feel free to check with us as the day approaches to see what we’ll have in stock, but please bear in mind we cannot hold anything or guarantee something will still be here when you visit the store.
Beach House — Become
Baltimore’s leading proponents of dream pop released one of 2022’s best records, Once Twice Melody, a little over a year ago. This new EP features five previously unreleased songs from those sessions in an RSD-exclusive on crystal-clear vinyl. Fire up the smoke machine!
David Byrne — The Complete Score from “The Catherine Wheel”
RSD 2023 offers a trifecta of material for Talking Heads fans. David Byrne is releasing the full, 2LP score from The Catherine Wheel, his funk opera Broadway creation with famed choreographer Twyla Tharp (the original 1981 edition was condensed into a single album). The track list includes multiple songs that were part of the group’s Stop Making Sense-era live repertoire: “Big Blue Plymouth,” “My Big Hands,” “Big Business” and “What a Day That Was.” Jerry Harrison’s excellent solo debut, The Red and the Black, is similarly receiving a 2LP, expanded release. The biggest seller of the solo efforts by Talking Heads members was The Tom Tom Club, the groundbreaking 1981 mix of pop, funk and rap by rhythm section/husband-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth that launched a thousand samples. The expanded 2LP release includes the extended version of the classic “Genius of Love.”
Jerry Garcia Band — How Sweet It Is
Record Store Day always features something special for Deadheads, and this year is no exception. I’m most excited about the first-time-on-vinyl release of How Sweet It Is, the Jerry Garcia Band live collection recorded in San Francisco in 1990 that was first issued on CD in 1997. The 2LP set features strong covers of Bob Dylan’s “Tough Mama” and “Tears of Rage” along with the classic Motown title track and a tasty rendition of “Gomorrah,” Robert Hunter’s retelling of the biblical tale. Deadheads can also feast on Boston Garden 5/7/77, a 5LP box (also new to vinyl) that spotlights a show from the Dead’s legendary East Coast run of May 1977.
Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires — The Sound Emporium EP
This year’s RSD Ambassadors are Americana royalty and husband-wife team Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, who are rewarding fans with two releases. The Sound Emporium EP is a single-sided 12″ EP featuring two new originals, a new version of “Tour of Duty” from Isbell’s Here We Rest, and a cover of Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing.” Side B holds an etching designed by Pearl Rachinsky-Moreland. Shires’ Live at Columbia Studio A features four tracks recorded during the sessions for 2022’s excellent Take It Like A Man, and includes guest appearances by Isbell and Maren Morris.
Stevie Nicks — Bella Donna Live 1981
This new-to-vinyl 2LP set features Nicks live from December 1981. All of the hits are here, including “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” “Leather and Lace” and “Edge of Seventeen” from Bella Donna along with Fleetwood Mac faves “Gold Dust Woman,” “Dreams,” “Sara” and “Rhiannon.”
Taylor Swift — Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions
If past history is any indication, the first person in line early on Record Store Day morning will be a Swiftie. And they won’t be disappointed; this year’s offerings include Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, a new-to-vinyl release. Because Folklore was recorded during the pandemic, Swift never got the chance to perform the album with her well-known collaborators. The Long Pond Studio Sessions was recorded in September 2020 once they could finally unite, and features Folklore material recorded live with Aaron Dessner of The National, Jack Antonoff of The Bleachers and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.
Peter Tosh — Live and Dangerous: Boston 1976
Peter Tosh, the co-author of “Get Up, Stand Up,” exited Bob Marley and The Wailers in the mid-seventies after Island Records chief Chris Blackwell refused to release his solo album. This new-to-vinyl 1976 concert was the last show of Tosh’s first solo US tour supporting Legalize It, his debut that espoused marijuana legalization (and which was later alleged to have been financed by drug smuggling money). Featuring the noted rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, this pressing comes on double transparent yellow vinyl.
Various Artists — Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era (1964-1968)
1973’s Nuggets was one of the greatest compilations of all-time, a 2LP set that spotlighted a curated set of the best psychedelic- and garage-rock from one-hit (and no-hit) wonders in the sixties. You may not have heard of these bands, but the songs are legendary, including “Dirty Water” by The Standells, “Pushin’ Too Hard” by The Seeds, “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, and many more. In honor of the 50th anniversary of this groundbreaking collection, Rhino is putting out a 5LP box with the original 2LPs, the planned-but-unreleased Vol. 2, and a single LP of songs that were considered for the original set but didn’t make the final cut. With new, detailed liner notes, this is a must-have for collectors
Wilco — Crosseyed Strangers: An Alternate Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco celebrated the 20th anniversary of what is widely considered to be the band’s finest hour, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, with 7- and 11-LP box sets last year. This new-to-vinyl collection, which first appeared as a bonus CD with the September 2022 issue of British music magazine Uncut, combines highlights from the box with four never-released tracks from the 4/19/22 New York show where the group performed the album front-to-back. Every song on the record is represented on the CD in the same order, making this a unique tribute to the album that moved Wilco beyond alt-country to a wider indie audience.
Warren Zevon — The Wind
As I write, it appears that Warren Zevon is on his way to long-overdue recognition in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Zevon tragically died nearly twenty years ago at 56 from mesothilioma, but not before releasing this record, a powerful coda to his musical catalog. The Wind features guest spots from Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, Emmylou Harris and Joe Walsh, and is an incredibly powerful, moving statement on living and dying. Zevon used his final album to craft some of his most deeply personal material; even as his abundant humor remained intact, he still made sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. This LP has been long out-of-print, so its re-release and the Hall of Fame nod will hopefully turn a new generation of fans onto Zevon’s unique songwriting talent and his dark, witty lyrics.
