Record Store Day Announces Formidable 2024 List

The best list in quite a while!

As expected right about now, the Record Store Day 2024 list is officially out. Amidst the usual gimmicks and barrel-scraping—the 371st reissue of Rumours, 3” Beatles records, or zoetrope picture discs of George Harrison, Blur, T. Rex, and Dio—is a solid smattering of releases sure to lure the RSD-jaded back into the Saturday morning line. This year it’s on April 20; I plan to line up for the first time since 2020. It'll be interesting to see if any specific releases draw crowds this year, considering there's no Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, or Olivia Rodrigo. Here are a few noteworthy items on the list:

David Bowie - Waiting In The Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth)

Remastered from the Trident Studios 1/4” tapes, Waiting In The Sky captures an early tracklist for what soon became The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust…, featuring four non-album tracks later released elsewhere. Limited to 18,000 copies in the US.

Talking Heads - Live at WCOZ ’77

Though the live album The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads used some of these recordings, Live at WCOZ ’77 is the first complete release of the band’s 1977 performance for Massachusetts radio station WCOZ. This double LP is limited to 13,500 copies cut at 45rpm.

Two Cannonball Adderley releases from Elemental Music

Elemental Music, one of the labels associated with esteemed reissue producer Zev Feldman, presents two Cannonball Adderley shows for their first official release. The double LP sets, Burnin’ In Bordeaux: Live In France 1969 and Poppin’ In Paris: Live At L’Olympia 1972, are both digitally mastered from the original tapes, cut by Bernie Grundman, and pressed at Memphis Record Pressing.

The Doors - Live At Konserthuset, Stockholm, September 20, 1968

Sourced from a live radio broadcast previously unreleased officially, this album by The Doors is available as a 3LP box set (140g translucent light blue vinyl) and a 2CD set. Oddly enough, the LP box is limited to 11,300 copies while another 13,100 copies come on those pesky little things called CDs. Can someone explain the logic behind those numbers?

Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson - Winter In America

Originally planned for RSD Black Friday last year but delayed to this year’s April RSD, Culture Factory presents a desperately needed reissue of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s out-of-print 1974 classic Winter In America. Whether or not it’ll sound good remains to be seen, but it’s a “deluxe package” with a mock obi strip, printed inner sleeve, original disc labels, and black/white “inside/out effect” “specialty” colored vinyl. (The description also mentions “original album artwork” and “gatefold album jacket with one pocket” as if that wasn’t already expected.) 4000 copies that will either sell very fast or sit around in shops for ages—nothing in between.

Daft Punk - “Something About Us (Love Theme From Interstella 555)”

Is Daft Punk launching a 12” reissue program? Who knows, but this reissue of the “Something About Us” 12” would be a great place to start. Original commercial pressings go for higher prices than they probably should, and in addition to the Discovery tracks “Something About Us” and “Veridis Quo” on side A, the B-side is “Dominique Torti’s Wild Style Edit” of that “Voyager.” Reissue limited to 4500 copies in the US.

Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Basically a Craft OJC pressing without the mock obi strip, Craft Recordings will release a mono pressing of Everybody Digs Bill Evans limited to 4500 copies. Cut from tape by Kevin Gray, pressed on 180g black vinyl at RTI, and housed in a Stoughton tip-on jacket. What more could you ask for?

The Rolling Stones - Live At Racket, NYC

Recorded during the Hackney Diamonds launch event at Racket, New York City and previously released in that album’s deluxe CD package, this 180g white vinyl LP captures all seven songs from the performance. 7000 US copies.

The Replacements - Not Ready For Prime Time

Recorded at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago within a week of their infamous SNL performance, The Replacements’ Not Ready For Prime Time was released last fall in the spectacular Tim: Let It Bleed4CD/1LP box set. Now, it’s available as a double LP limited to 8500 copies.

Tom Verlaine - Souvenir From A Dream: The Tom Verlaine Albums (1979-1984)

Souvenir From A Dream collects Tom Verlaine’s first four solo albums—Tom Verlaine, Dreamtime, Words From The Front, and Cover—which have been out of print on vinyl since their initial release. Box set limited to 2500 copies and pressed on crystal clear vinyl.

Television - Live At The Academy

Released in 2003 as a tour-only CD-R, Live At The Academy NYC 12.4.92 captures a show from Television’s first reunion in 1992. It’s a soundboard recording that’s been “cleaned up and remastered” for this 2LP RSD reissue limited to 2500 colored vinyl copies.

Captain Beefheart - The Spotlight Kid

Limited to 7000 copies on 140g milky clear vinyl, Rhino’s deluxe 2LP reissue of Captain Beefheart’s 1972 album The Spotlight Kid features the original album cut all-analog plus an additional LP of previously unreleased alternate takes and outtakes.

Chet Baker & Jack Sheldon - In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album

Another Zev Feldman reissue production (this time through his Jazz Detective imprint), In Perfect Harmony is a previously unreleased studio album led by trumpeters Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon, also featuring pianist David Frishberg, bassist Joe Mondragon, drummer Nick Ceroli and guitarist Jack Marshall. This album is cut directly from the original master reel by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab and pressed on 180g vinyl at Memphis Record Pressing. It’s also set to include a sumptuous booklet. An “RSD First” release limited to 1500 copies.

De La Soul - Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996

Continuing a recent, long-delayed De La Soul reissue campaign is Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996, which has appearances by Common, the Jungle Brothers, and a then-unknown Mos Def. Available on LP and CD, no quantities listed.

Charles Mingus - Reincarnations

Candid presents Reincarnations, a new set of rare Mingus recordings cut by Bernie Grundman; if it follows the precedent of their last Grundman-mastered Mingus release Incarnations, the lacquers would be cut from a freshly assembled tape reel. Let’s hope!

Sonic Youth - Hits Are For Squares

Compiled for Starbucks (???) in 2008 and released on vinyl in 2010, Geffen presents a reissue of Sonic Youth’s “greatest hits” compilation Hits Are For Squares. Curated by “a diverse group of artists, actors, directors and musicians [with their] own progressive and unconventional style,” its existence seems ill-fitting for a band like Sonic Youth but could be a decent starting point for the intimidated. 5000 RSD copies on “gold nugget” vinyl with a gold foil jacket.

The 1975 - Live From Gorilla

Last year, The 1975 commemorated the 10th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with an intimate set at Gorilla, a 600-capacity Manchester venue. Already released as a bonus CD with yet another reissue of their debut album (of which I already have too many copies), Live From Gorilla now gets a vinyl release, and thankfully isn’t as limited as RSD 2023’s Live With The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Pulp - Intro: The Gift Recordings

Unfortunately exclusive to the UK RSD list, this is the first reissue of Pulp’s 1993 compilation Intro. Remastered at Abbey Road and pressed on blue vinyl, Intro compiles the three 12”’s that Pulp released for Gift, a Warp subsidiary. It’s absolutely worth seeking out, even if just for the (superior) single mix of “Babies.”

Scott Walker - Tilt

Another UK exclusive. Drag City has kept Scott Walker's daring 1995 comeback Tilt in print in America, but Universal overseas hasn't been as consistent. Now, UMR is reissuing it as a 45rpm double LP mastered by Frank Arkwright and cut at half-speed by Miles Showell. The Drag City edition pressed at RTI from the original UK single LP cut already sounds great. I'm personally skeptical that a new reissue can beat it, though I plan to get it anyway.

Nine Horses - Snow Borne Sorrow

I’ll close this roundup with one more UK RSD title. Snow Borne Sorrow, the excellent 2005 album from the short-lived Nine Horses project (David Sylvian, Steve Jansen, and Burnt Friedman) is long overdue for a vinyl release. This upcoming white vinyl edition corrects that, and adds non-album tracks "Money For All" and "When Monday Comes Around" plus a previously unreleased Burnt Friedman remix of the album's "Atom and Cell." Considering the spectacular sound of the other late-period Sylvian vinyl reissues, this should be great.

View the complete US and UK lists. Good luck in the morning line on April 20!