Does
the aftermath of Record Store Day always feel like the day after
Christmas, or is that just me? For me, the day's approach inspires a
wealth of excitement followed by a ho hum sigh once it's over. But, the
spoils await, and eventually I'll have the chance to dig in, throw on
my new acquisitions and listen. In the meantime, though, here are a few thoughts:
This
year, I tagged along with some friends to Double Decker Records in
Allentown, PA., followed by a trip to Princeton Record Exchange in
Princeton, New Jersey. I was up this morning at 5:30AM when I saw a
Facebook post from Double Decker claiming there were two shoppers
already in line. The post had been made around 4:30.

I
love my records as much as anyone, hence my annual participation in
Record Store Day and my year 'round support of independent record
stores, but nothing on this year's list of RSD Exclusives was worth
being up and in line almost four hours before the store opened. In
fact, even after being on the road by 6AM, we arrived maybe fifteen
minutes before Double Decker opened and really didn't miss out on
anything. Another friend we were meeting at the store was there
earlier, and he was nice enough to grab
Things Fall Apart by
The Roots for
me in case I couldn't get a copy in time. (Cheating? Maybe.
Whatever. There were two or three copies left by the time I got to the
RSD goodies at the back of the store, anyway.)
 |
Johnny greets. |
The
line traced a perimeter around the inside of the store and it was slow
enough that you could check out their inventory. The first thing I
snatched up was a copy of
Madvillian's
Madvillainy LP, that brilliant 2004 release from
MF Doom and
Madlib, which was recently reissued on vinyl. My budget was limited, so I didn't get too carried away. I looked at albums from
Bill Withers,
Curtis Mayfield and
The Last Poets, not to mention a $50 copy of
Sunn O)))'s
Black One.
I didn't want the exclusives to necessarily dictate how I was going to
spend my money, but I had wants and they needed to be attainable. So,
just about everything I picked up was put back. I also found a $1 copy
of the split 7" from
Cap Pas Cap and
Marnie Stern.
 |
In line. |
I considered the
A Place to Bury Strangers release as well as the
Thurston Moore/Leslie Connors album, but wasn't completely sold.
Back On Black had reissued albums from
Megadeth,
Judas Priest,
Slayer,
Dio,
Iron Maiden and
Burzum
for the event, but they were all overpriced at $35 to $45 apiece, which
would've emptied my wallet very quickly. I picked up a copy of
Public Image Ltd's First Issue 7," which is packaged as it was in 1978 with a replicated version of the original newspaper. I also found
Wire's new album,
Change Becomes Us. There was one left.
 |
Outside Princeton Record Exchange. |
Once
we'd paid, it was suggested that we try the Princeton Record Exchange
just for the hell of it. I'd never been there, so it sounded like a
good idea. Figuring it wasn't too long before noon and that it was
likely most of the super-salivating record scavengers were done for the
day, we didn't think there would be much of a wait to get in. But,
there was.
For the reissue of
Mad Season's
Above,
I stood in line for an hour and twenty minutes. It was worth it, but I
decided that I wasn't really interested in having to do that, again.
Without getting into one of those cynically charged diatribes about the
exploitation of consumers, the propagation of eBay-minded philistines
looking to cash in and the over-commercialization of what had initially
been meant to save the record stores from the very same industry that
now feigns interest because it's realized the buck or two it could make,
the simple act of shopping at these stores is what will keep them
alive. For music lovers, there shouldn't be any need for a day to
recognize the importance of keeping the stores alive. I would rather be
able to shop casually than miss out on the majesty of the store itself
simply for the purposes of obtaining limited editions of this or that.

However, I remain a proponent for Record Store Day,
because, if the event has enabled these to stores to keep their doors
open and their shelves stocked, then it's worth it. Opportunists are
opportunists. Their rewards are superficial.
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
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