Record Store Day returns April 21, with another action-packed list of exclusive releases, most of them on vinyl.
As usual, psychedelic music bands are well represented. The spotlight will fall on the exclusive standalone LP release of the Grateful Dead’s epic “Dark Star” from the Europe ’72 tour — clocking in at just under 20 minutes.
There are follow-ups from on the Black Friday RSD releases from the Byrds, Janis Joplin and Pete Townshend.
The two Joplin albums are companions to Columbia’s April 17 commercial release of “The Pearl Sessions.” One offers “almost-never-heard alternate takes and early versions of classic songs,” while the other is the rare mono mix of the original album.
Other 1960s psychedelic bands repping on Record Store Day 2012 include the Small Faces, the Blues Magoos, Chocolate Watch Band and the Flaming Lips.
Over in the prog aisle, the big news is an eight-CD box set from King Crimson.
We’re spoiled here in California (L.A. and San Francisco) with the massive indie record seller Amoeba, but of course most of the record stores being honored are small shops, run by music-addicted guys and gals.
We’ll be spotted at Amoeba in L.A. and Freakbeat Records in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Here’s a list of selected psychedelic/1960s releases for Record Store Day 2012:
Blues Magoos: “So I’m Wrong And You Are Right”/”Wild About My Lovin'”/
“The People” on 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl. (Sundazed)
The Byrds: “It’s No Use”/”Feel A Whole Lot Better” on 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl. (Sundazed)
Captain Beefheart: “Diddy Wah Diddy” / “Who Do You Think You are Fooling”
“Moonchild” / “Frying Pan” on 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl. (Sundazed)
Chocolate Watch Band: “Psych Trip”/”Midnight Hour” on 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl. (Sundazed)
The Grateful Dead: “Dark Star: Europe ’72 Olympia Theatre: Paris, France 5/4/72” on 180 gram LP. “Longest and previously unavailable version” of 1972 tour at 19 minutes 21 seconds. Also slightly shorter take. Rhino.
Janis Joplin: “Highlights from the Pearl Sessions” on 10-inch LP. Vinyl companion to the double-CD reissue of “The Pearl Sessions.”
Janis Joplin: “Pearl” in mono, on vinyl LP. “From the original master.” Not exclusive but first release to RSD. (Columbia)
King Crimson: “21st Century Bundle” in eight-disc boxiest. More than 100 tracks. (Discipline Global Media)
Small Faces: “Itchykoo Park” and “I’m Only Dreaming” on 7-inch 45 rpm. Original sleeve artwork. (Snapper Music)
Small Faces: “Tin Soldier”/”I Feel So Much Better Now” 7-inch 45 rpm. Original sleeve artwork. (Snapper Music)
Pete Townshend: “Quadrophenia Demos Part 2” on 10-inch LP vinyl. Overseen and produced by Townshend. UMe.
The Flaming Lips: “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton” on 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl. Original track with cover by Mastadon as part of the Side by Side series. (Warner Bros.)
The Flaming Lips: “With Heady Fwends” double LP. Guests include Nick Cave, Yoko Ono and Chris Martin. (Warner Bros.)
View the full list of Record Store Day 2012 exclusives and first-releases. .
Record Store Day, launched in 2008, has grown from 300 participating stores to more than 1,000. It is largely a celebration of records on vinyl. The event is held on the third Saturdays of April, although there was the Black Friday edition.