RECORD STORE DAY 2019: Real Gone’s top picks

When Record Store Day first began, it was a great idea. Those who were regulars at independent record shops like Avalanche in Edinbugh and Resident in Brighton could potentially get their hands on very limited, exclusive items. It was a celebration of record buying culture, more than anything. Over the years the event has grown. After all of the major labels sensed a potential cash cow, it increasingly became about reissuing stuff en masse at inflated prices.

Record Store Day has become an event full of mixed feelings. There are now tales of people not actually visiting their local (and favourite) stores on RSD as the crowds of unfamiliar faces have made the experience quite stressful. People queue for hours in the hope of finding one of the many artificially created rarities – a lot of which seem to appear on ebay just hours later at even more inflated prices. In recent years, there have even been dealers “pre-selling” their RSD wares on the internet up to two days before the event that was supposed to get people into their shops.

Yes. RSD can be frustrating. That hasn’t stopped it becoming one of the biggest days on the music buying catalogue, though. Underneath all of the cynical feelings, it still speaks to those of us who love coloured vinyl, 180g slabs of black goodness and an occasional retro-styled picture disc.

For those who’ve lovingly collected vinyl by some of the world’s biggest artists – Madonna, Prince, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, George Michael, Glenn Madeiros – RSD brings the thrill of the chase that we all felt before we were able to click buttons in our living room. It isn’t all bad.

There are several thousand RSD items available for 2019 event and Real Gone has singled out a few items we think will be of greatest interest to our loyal readers. Obviously, this is meant as a guide only – we can’t actually tell you which stores will be stocking each item, or more importantly how much these things will cost.

Happy hunting!

YES – Yes (coloured vinyl)

Throughout their career, Yes have released a few critically acclaimed records and it’s often their earlier work that gets praised first. Despite that, this 1969 is all too often overlooked. It’s a fantastic album with the sound of a band really feeling their way with elements of rock, psych, 60s pop, jazz and a few nods to the prog that would make their fortunes. RSD19 brings a lovely coloured vinyl edition. [Expect to pay £27-£30]

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART – Trout Mask Replica

An avant-garde classic, this album’s reputation is better known than the actual music it contains. Original vinyl copies now cost a packet and any vinyl copies at all aren’t easy to find, so a heavyweight reissue for RSD19 is bound to attract attention. [Expect to pay £25+]

BINGO HAND JOB – Live At The Borderline

It’s well known that REM didn’t tour for their mega selling ‘Out of Time’ album, but a secret gig at London’s Borderline was recorded and subsequently bootlegged to infinity. This is your chance to own the first – and only – official release. [Expect to pay £24-£32]

FRANK BLACK – Frank Black & Teenager of The Year (vinyl reissues)
Frank’s first two albums are impossible to find on vinyl. In March 2019, an original pressing of the 2LP ‘Teenager of The Year’ can be spotted on ebay for £200+. The very limited reissues will be on coloured vinyl – orange and white, respectively – and look like a must have for the Pixies/Black Francis enthusiast. [Expect to pay £28ish and £40ish]

KRISTIN HERSH – Crooked LP

Like Frank Black’s albums for 4AD, a few of Kristin Hersh’s early works are now hard to find on analogue formats, but for this RSD the label have outdone themselves by issuing her 2010 album on vinyl for the first time. Better still, it’s been pressed on orange vinyl and includes extra material. Limited to 2000 copies. [Expect to pay somewhere in the region of £35]

MOTORHEAD – Rockaway Beach 7”k

A limited purple vinyl pressing, complete with Ramones inspired artwork, this is our favourite of the two Motorhead RSD19 releases. Two of the best bands ever celebrated on a trashy 7”! What’s not to like? Possibly the price – if previous RSD 7”s can be used as a guage, this might actually cost you in excess of a tenner.

DAVID BOWIE – Pin-Ups (LP picture disc)

How many copies of ‘Pin-Ups’ can one Bowie fan own? Here’s another, this time continuing the Bowie RSD tradition for a picture disc. [Expect to pay £30ish]

THIN LIZZY – Black Rose 2LP

Considered by many to be Thin Lizzy’s best album, an argument could be made for ‘Black Rose’ being one of their most consistent. The only Lizzy album to feature Gary Moore on all tracks, it includes the massive singles ‘Waiting For An Alibi’, ‘Sarah’ and ‘Do Anything You Want To’. The RSD19 LP is a double disc coupling the original album with a second LP featuring unheard demos from the Phil Lynott archives. [Expect to pay £33-£40]

THE ROLLING STONES – High Tide & Green Grass (green vinyl LP)

Obviously, if you’re a Stones fan, you’ve owned this album on vinyl already, upgraded to CD, possibly re-bought a vinyl LP and maybe even forked out for the SACD version. This one’s green though, and by the looks of things, it looks pretty nice. [Expect to pay £30-£35]

FERRIS & SYLVESTER – Sickness / Burning River (red vinyl 12”)

One of Real Gone’s favourite acts to emerge in recent times, with their mix of pop, folk and country, Ferris & Sylvester have released a couple of absolutely cracking EPs to date. This RSD brings a very limited red vinyl 12” single which – obviously – won’t be as in demand as Bowie and Stones items, but it’s your chance to own a small piece of history. [Expect to pay £15-£18]

ELASTICA – BBC Sessions

Over the past few years, various releases from the Britpop era have been given the deluxe reissue treatment. We’ve seen excellent Gene, Echobelly and Sleeper 2CD sets and an incredible Blur box set hit the shelves, but the Elastica debut remains unloved by reissue champions despite a wealth of extra material. Maybe one day it’ll get a 2CD deluxe edition, but in the meantime, fans have an opportunity to get their mitts on the BBC Sessions on vinyl for the first time. White vinyl + poster. [Expect to pay £22ish]

SLEEPER – Live At The Ritz

This limited four track 12” will eventually become the holy grail of Sleeper items. For tracks recorded live in 2018, it features two tracks from the then unreleased new album ‘The Modern Age’. It’s on coloured vinyl, but the colour is unconfirmed. [Expect to pay £20]

 

ELTON JOHN – Live From Moscow 1979 2LP

We love Elt here at Real Gone. RSD18 saw the release of his ’11-7-70′ live album in its complete form for the first time, but unfortunately, it’s yet to be released on a more convenient format. This year, Elton releases the audio from his first, history making trip behind the Iron Curtain in 1979. His two studio albums from the tail end of the 70s – ‘A Single Man’ and ‘Victim of Love’ are far from his best, but archive live material is always welcome! [Expect to pay £35-£40]

THE FALL – Imperial Wax Solvent LP

Much like those Frank Black albums, Fall albums on vinyl from the 90s and beyond command high prices on the second hand market. ‘Imperial Wax Solvent’ is one of the rarest and copies change hands for three figure sums. This timely reissue from Cherry Red Records – ahead of their expansive “Fall Sound Archive” reissue campaign allows fans to plug an important gap in their collections. [Expect to pay £35+] [*Various other Fall live releases are issued on vinyl for RSD19.]

PINK FLOYD – A Saucerful of Secrets (mono version) LP

Floyd’s much loved second LP gets a long overdue reissue for the mono mix.  Nothing new here, just nice to have.  [Expect to pay £27-£32]

TEENAGE FANCLUB – The King LP

Always an anomaly in the Fannies’ catalogue, ‘The King’ was released in 1991…and then deleted on the same day. A mish-mash of noise rock and cover tunes recorded by the legendary Don Fleming, the album has retained a mystique for years. Original vinyl and CD editions change hands for ridiculous amounts of money, so even this costly vinyl reissue will be the sane buyers’ choice. [Expect to pay £28-£34]

SUEDE – Head Music (3LP coloured vinyl)

One of the year’s most fetishistic Record Store Day releases is this reissue from Suede. Their fourth album has been repressed on triple coloured vinyl and expanded to include various period b-sides. [Expect to pay £50-£60]