Need or Want? - The Top 11 Record Store Day 2013 Exclusive Releases

The annual celebration of Record Store Day is just a few hours away. For the sixth straight year, the organizers of the holiday for music lovers have outdone themselves with their traditional list of exclusive releases. Not only the sheer number of them, but the variety of the artists featured as well as the unusual formats the exclusives are available on. Narrowing down the nearly 200 exclusives to a list of the Top 11 was no easy feat, especially when you factor in glowing vinyl, picture discs and cassettes. Yes, cassette tapes are back.

As much as I would like to pull a Rob Gordon and organize this list autobiographically, that would be over the top. Instead, we'll go in reverse alphabetical order, which makes the most sense given the impact of the first artist's recent Coachella performance.

Phoenix, Entertainment 

Less than a week ago, the alt-rockers from France were on the lips of everyone at Coachella and

watching the live stream of their set, because of the rumors circulating they would feature a guest performance by the elusive Daft Punk. The robots never arrived, but Phoenix very likely earned many new fans (myself included) because of the added eyes and the intensity of their performance. This 7" grey vinyl release features a Korean version of the title track on the B-side.

MGMT, Alien Days

Neo-psychedelia purveyors MGMT are dropping the first single
from their forthcoming new album in the newly reemerging cassette format, complete with a download code in case you don't have a Walkman handy.




Jerry Goldsmith, Poltergeist: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The first of two soundtrack exclusives on this list is an epic vinyl reissue of Jerry Goldsmith's score from the classic 80's Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg horror yarn. Limited to just 500 copies, this 12" release is pressed on, wait for it... GLOW IN THE DARK vinyl. (Insert theremin riff, here.) All-caps emphasis from the Record Store Day listing of this album.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The First Five: A Picture Disc Collection

ELP fans should be clamoring for this individually numbered box set featuring picture disc pressings of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Tarkus, Pictures At An Exhibition, Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery. Predicting here that more than a few people who get this one will also be ordering five frames to mount these pieces of art on their listening room walls.

Dust, Dust/Hard Attack

Heavy Metal historians will be all over this double album release from Brooklyn proto-metalers, Dust. The band originally released these two albums in 1971 and 1972 respectively. Drummer Marc

Bell would go on to play with Richard Hell & The Voidoids and later, would go by the name Marky Ramone, joining the punk rock legends, The Ramones, in 1978. These albums are also the first recordings of bassist Kenny Aaronson, who went on to play bass alongside Rick Derringer, along with Sammy Hagar, Blue Öyster Cult and many other performers in the rock community.

Drive Original Soundtrack Picture Disc (Various Artists)

The electronic throb of the soundtrack of the Ryan Gosling crime drama gets its first North American vinyl release. Featuring 19 tracks dominated by the music of Cliff Martinez, this picture disc is limited to 1000 copies and will only be available in the US.


Deep Purple/Type-O Negative, Side by Side: Highway Star

After several years of releases exclusive to the UK, Deep Purple gets its first North American Record Store Day release. Pressed on clear and "Deep Purple" opaque vinyl with a vintage style Warner Bros. Records label, the 7" single is part of the Side by Side series, pairing a classic song with a modern cover. The Type-O Negative version has been available since '06 on the band's Best of set.

The Dave Brubeck Trio, Distinctive Rhythm Instrumentals

The recently departed Dave Brubeck gets the Record Store Day treatment with a 10", red vinyl release, featuring performances of classic numbers including "Sweet Georgia Brown," "That Old Black Magic" and "Blue Moon".



The Cure, Kiss me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me

The Cure's classic seventh album gets a double-LP release from Rhino. Pressed on red vinyl and individually numbered, this is the album that brought The Cure a more mainstream audience in the US on the strength of the single, "Just Like Heaven".


Biffy Clyro, Black Chandelier

Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro gets one of the coolest looking vinyl releases on Record Store Day, featuring black splatter-on-clear vinyl. This 7" single features the exclusive tracks "Black Chandelier" (Live Zurich, Switzerland 19.01.13) on the A-side and "City Of Dreadful Night" on the B-side.

The Band, The Last Waltz

Rhino Records re-releases this legendary album after being out of print for over a decade. Featuring a trio of 180-gram vinyl pressings, and recreating the original packaging, foils and inner sleeves. This release has a higher, but still limited, number of copies available at 3500 units.

Major props again to the awesome organizers of Record Store Day for putting together yet another incredible offering of exclusive releases for the holiday. Also, an honorable mention for the very limited edition re-releases of the first four albums by Scottish post-punks, Orange Juice. Record Store Day is only a few hours away, depending on when your local music outlet decides to open their doors. If you haven't already, print The List (even if you don't plan to buy any of these releases, it is a great read), put a chair in your car and go to bed early. You need your rest to enjoy tomorrow's celebrations.

Follow me on Twitter tomorrow for live updates from Southern California's Record Store Day celebrations.

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