RSD26
It's been a while since I've done a Record Store Day. I used to not do my homework, show up late, get whatever caught my attention. This year, I went through the catalog in advance and settled on two albums I wanted, leaving room for two wildcards that caught my eye in the rushed line of tired souls who'd spent four hours waiting. Is it worth it? I guess, if there's something you really want from the list. Me? I just happened to underestimate the line, and how slowly it queued down, and by the time I started questioning whether I should bail, I realized I'd come this far and might as well see it through. In the end, I'm glad I did.
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Greatest Hits - The Cure
First wildcard. I try to avoid greatest hits albums, but this is The Cure, and this is a limited pressing. Originally released in 2001, it features four UK Top 10 hit singles and was curated and remastered by Robert Smith himself for this 25th Anniversary RSD exclusive, now on 2LP silver bio vinyl—the first time it's been available in that format.
Only 7,300 copies were pressed. Gotta have it.
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Live In Newport - Pixies
The first-ever physical audio release of the Pixies' acoustic performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 2005, featuring the reunited lineup of Frank Black, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering working through 22 tracks across two discs—one green, one yellow—released twenty years after the original DVD. The set was recorded on the shores of the Atlantic at the same venue where Bob Dylan went electric. The tracklist alone makes this a no-brainer: Bone Machine, Where Is My Mind?, Gouge Away, Gigantic.
All stripped down. Turns out they don't need much to sound massive.
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Live At The Budokan - Blur
The first vinyl pressing of a set that originally appeared in 1996 as a Japanese exclusive CD, now getting a 30th anniversary release on red 2LP. The recording is from November 8, 1995, captured before the band's North American breakout, so no "Song 2," but nine tracks from The Great Escape, including Country House, This Is a Low, and The Universal.
Only 2,000 copies pressed worldwide. This one felt like an artifact worth having.
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Bluey: Up Here - Joff Bush, The Bluey Music Team
Second wildcard. Tell me you're a girl dad without telling me you're a girl dad. I can't say I was surprised by how beautiful this orchestral album is, but I was caught off guard by how much it hit.
The RSD release is an exclusive Zoetrope picture disc.
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Four hours in line for four records. I left the store knowing this was my last RSD—not worth the lines. That was before opening and appreciating the details in the albums. As I'm listening to Pixies Live writing this I'm sure I'll give another go next year.