One for the records: Vinyl back in vogue
Old albums now outselling digital downloads
After more than a decade, there’s probably no other musician more proud of Record Store Day than rocker Jack White.
April 21 marks the 11th anniversary of the vinyl celebration and White, who helped spark interest in the format, couldn’t be happier.
“It’s wonderful to see a lot of that come to its fruition,” White told Postmedia in a recent interview.
On the third Saturday every April, Record Store Day celebrates vinyl at your local record shop from sun up to sun down. For the first time since 2011, vinyl and CDs are outselling digital downloads. Hundreds of titles are being released — from reissued classics to limited-edition coloured pressings.
Here is a highly subjective list of some of the most collectible releases. For a list of all the albums available, visit recordstoreday.com:
AC/DC — Back in Black (cassette)
While Record Store Day celebrates vinyl, there are still some cassette and CD-only releases. AC/DC are set to reissue Back in Black — the second-biggest-selling record of all time behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller — on cassette.
Arcade Fire — EP
Album of the year Juno winners, Arcade Fire are going back to where it started for this year’s Record Store Day. Their seven-track debut EP (known unofficially as Us Kids Know) will be available for the first time on transparent blue vinyl.
David Bowie — Welcome to the Blackout (Live London ’78); Bowie Now; Let’s Dance (full-length demo)
This year there are three limited-edition Bowie items. Welcome to the Blackout — a previously unreleased three-LP set recorded in London during the ISOLAR II tour — comes with imagery by photographers Sukita and Chris Walter. Fans can also try to snag a copy of Bowie Now, the first commercial release of a rare 1977 promo LP featuring tracks from the Low and Heroes albums. It features rarely seen pics taken in Berlin that same year.
Eric Clapton — Rush; Complete Clapton
Clapton will dust off two gems
from his discography — his mostly instrumental soundtrack to the 1991 film Rush (which featured the original version of his smash hit Tears in Heaven) and his 2007 compilation Complete Clapton. The latter boasts 36 of his most revered songs, from 1968 to 2006.
Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead — Dylan & the Dead
More than 30 years ago, two legends of the stage joined forces for an unforgettable tour. Dylan & The Dead recaptures that strange trip with stretched-out jams on tracks such as All Along The Watchtower and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.
Led Zeppelin — Rock And Roll/ Friends
Surprisingly, Led Zep has never had a Record Store Day release before. That’s about to change with a seven-inch Olympic Studio Mix of Rock And Roll and Friends specially selected by guitarist Jimmy Page. It comes in eye-catching yellow.
Madonna – The First Album; You Can Dance
The Queen of Pop is pulling out two gems from her vaults. The first is a reissue of a rare 1983 Japanese eight-track that comes with a foldout page Japanese biography/lyric insert and a pink heart-shaped sticker featuring the original Japanese text. She will also re-release a replica of her 1987 remix compilation You Can Dance. The red vinyl, out of print for 30 years, features hits Holiday and Into the Groove.
Elvis Presley — The King in the Ring
Towards the end of 1968, Elvis re-established himself as the King of Rock and Roll with an intimate special on NBC. Featuring hits like Heartbreak Hotel and Blue Christmas, King in the Ring gets a spiffy upgrade, including a new gatefold sleeve. There are only 3,000 available.