The coronavirus stopped many worldwide events in their tracks, but one of those that couldn’t be stopped was Record Store Day. The biannual celebration of independent record stores (one in April and one on Black Friday) just had to change things up. Over the next four months, Record Store Day will be releasing their haul of rare, one-time releases over the course of four “drops,” the second of which will be happening this Saturday, September 28th. To celebrate, two record enthusiasts (John Saeger & Tyler Asay) will share what they are most excited about for The Philadelphia Globe.
A Rooster Says, Brandi Carlile
The ambassador for Record Store Day 2020 is Grammy-winning country legend Brandi Carlile, and her release (out this week for Drop #2) will be a 12’’ two-sided single titled A Rooster Says. To pay homage to the recently departed Chris Cornell (one of her strongest influences), both tracks are Soundgarden covers (“Black Hole Sun” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed”), which she recorded with the remaining members of the band. –Tyler
The Replacements, The Complete Inconcerated Live
A companion to their Don’t Tell A Soul reissue which came out last year, The Complete Inconcerated Live sees The Replacements at a height in their career as a live band. Recorded at The University Of Wisconsin in 1989, this 3LP set includes favorites from all over their insane career (and there’s sure to be some out-of-left-field covers on here too). And don’t forget, their reissue of Pleased To Meet Me comes out in a couple weeks too. –Tyler
Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions Of The Wu-Tang Clan
This one is pretty self-explanatory. –Tyler
Lenny Bruce Is Out Again, Lenny Bruce
Record Store Day frequently includes a smattering of comedy albums. Fans of Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will recognize comedian Lenny Bruce. The counterculture standup is regularly portrayed as a love interest of the protagonist and an integral comic of his time. Comedy lovers can rediscover the work of the edgy standup through this limited LP. Authorized by the comedian’s daughter, Lenny Bruce Is Out Again is a bootleg packed with material that never received a formal release. The NSFW album was originally recorded by Philles Records, a Philadelphia label co-founded by Phil Spector. – John
Paul McCartney – “McCartney“
Paul McCartney’s first solo album celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 17, 2020. McCartney represented a unique gap period between Macca’s transition from the Fab Four and the formation of the Wings. The album featured 13 songs from the former Beatle, including the timeless “Maybe I’m Amazed.” The LP held the number one spot in the U.S. for three weeks before yielding to the final Beatles record, Let It Be.
McCartney was mastered at half-speed for a limited Record Store Day vinyl release. The high res sound is available on just 7,000 copies (a relatively limited number for Classic Rock exclusives this year). – John
The Wall – Live in Berlin, Roger Waters
Pink Floyd’s bassist breathed fresh life into one of his former band’s greatest records on recent tours. Prior to his reimagining of the album with new technology, Waters played his timeless record in the most classic setting imaginable in 1990. Alongside Van Morrison, The Band, and Cyndi Lauper, Waters performed The Wall at the site of the Berlin Wall less than a year after the structure fell in November of 1989. The historic concert took place at the Brandenburg Gate as hundreds of thousands of fans looked on. The album is being re-released in 2020 to commemorate the show’s 30th anniversary. – John
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