Record Store Day

Record Store Day, the celebration that pays tribute worldwide to record stores “resisting” the advent of digital music, grows richer every year with an ever-increasing number of limited editions released specifically for the occasion: hundreds of reissues, rarities, special releases, unreleased material, bootlegs, compilations, box sets, and so on. A true feast for all lovers of music on physical formats, with a particular fondness for vinyl which, once again this year, is the undisputed star of the event (though, alongside it, there's also a confirmed desire to bring back even cassette tapes). The face of the 2016 edition of Record Store Day is Metallica, with the previously unreleased “Live At Le Bataclan” from 2003, but the catalog is studded with real “gems”. As we did last year, in collaboration with the Stampaprint team, we've selected 10 titles and tell the story behind them and their artwork.

David Bowie – “The Man Who Sold The World” (Rhino) Calling this Rhino release a mere "gem" almost feels like an understatement. A 12-inch picture disc pressed in just 5,000 copies for an album that has gone through so many metamorphoses that it's nearly impossible to keep track of its countless editions. Originally released in 1970 only in America with a cover designed by comic artist Michael J. Weller, the artwork depicted, in vaguely pop-art tones, a cowboy (modeled on John Wayne) armed with a rifle, standing in front of the ghostly entrance of Cane Hill Hospital, a mental health facility in south London. The empty speech bubble was meant to read: "Roll up your sleeves and show us your arms," a reference to drug use and weapons.

After the initial enthusiasm, Bowie rejected the artwork and asked Philips Records to hand the job to photographer Keith MacMillan. The result was completely different: MacMillan captured Bowie in a now-famous shot at Haddon Hall, the sumptuous country residence in Derbyshire. Bowie was pictured reclining on a chaise longue, wearing the satin dress designed by Michael Fish, long curls framing his face (this is the era of "Hunky Dory"), the last sheet of an entire ream about to join the others on the floor. This artwork accompanied the 1971 UK release. But just the following year, for the RCA reissue, "The Man Who Sold The World" already had a third cover: here Bowie was photographed by Brian Ward in the act of kicking, a gesture entirely at odds with the almost supernatural grace of MacMillan's photo. The picture disc pressed by Rhino for Record Store Day 2016 instead revives a rare 1971 German edition originally issued as numbered copies by Mercury Records. The cover shows a red circle inside which a winged Bowie, long-haired and smiling, has the body of a giant hand in the act of tossing the Earth like a marble. Also from Bowie, for RSD, come the "TVC15" single, released exactly 40 years after its original release (again on Rhino), and the box set "I Dig Everything – The 1966 Pye Singles" on BMG/Sanctuary.

The Charlatans – “Trouble Understanding (Norman Cook Remix)” (BMG) Just 1,500 copies in total for this "Balearic" version of the Charlatans track, remixed by none other than Fatboy Slim himself. The black 12-inch vinyl features two reworkings of the song courtesy of the ingenious Norman Cook: his remix, destined to soundtrack summer nights for the lucky owners, plus a bizarre a cappella remix. "Trouble Understanding" appeared on the Charlatans' latest album, "Modern Nature", released in early 2015. The cover photo, showing the West Midlands band bathed in pastel tones, is the work of English photographer Cat Stevens, who also shot the cover of "Modern Nature" (almost certainly from the same session) and has recently worked with artists such as Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Joanna Newsom, Knife, Deerhunter.

Foals – “Rain” / “Daffodils” (Warner) Only five thousand copies pressed on 7-inch vinyl for this double A-side, featuring an unreleased track by the English band, "Rain", and an exclusive cover of Mark Ronson's "Daffodils". All housed in a magnificent artwork created for the occasion by Leif Podhajsky, the graphic designer and art director of Czech descent, Australian by birth and London-based by choice. Podhajsky had already collaborated with Foals on the artwork for the previous "Holy Fire" and "Inhaler", as well as on the recent video for "A Knife In The Ocean", not to mention other musical projects: virtually every release by Tame Impala, the cover of the debut album by All We Are, plus Lykke Li, Bonobo, Splashh and many more. A must-have.

Green River – “1984 Demos” (Jackpot) Here we step straight into pure mythology. In 1984, Green River were a Seattle quartet featuring Mark Arm and Steve Turner, later founders of Mudhoney, and Jeff Ament, who went on to found and still plays bass in Pearl Jam. Stone Gossard would join the lineup shortly after. Either way, the raw 1984 demos, recorded and mastered by Chris Hanzsek, are unanimously considered the first grunge record in history. Journalist Verna Doherty, writing for the zine Orgy Issue, received the tape and commented: "I have no idea whether this recording will ever be released, but I'm certain this band will eventually come up with something, so I'm reviewing it anyway. It's not punk, it's not noise, it's not industrial or new wave. It's just what it is, take it or leave it." The nine tracks have in fact remained unreleased until now, and are being pressed in just 2,000 copies on vinyl, complete with the flyer used at the band's shows, a band sticker, and a download link. As for the cover photo, I admit I had to call in the Seattle band's own entourage to track it down (thanks, Vincent!). The photograph is by Mike Leech and shows Green River on stage at Seattle's Gorilla Gardens on the night of December 7, 1984. What he couldn't have known at the time is that he was photographing the dawn of a whole new music scene.

Jason Molina – “The Townes Van Zandt Covers” (Secretly Canadian) This is one of those stories that deserves to be told. Legend has it – and it's not even really a legend – that artist and illustrator William Schaff met Jason Molina in the early 2000s, at a gig by his Songs:Ohia. What followed was a friendship that lasted for years, cemented by an exchange of "artistic favors" that was anything but ordinary: Molina asked Schaff to draw his portrait in the style of the creatures born from his pen, and Schaff agreed, on one condition. In exchange, Jason would record covers of Townes Van Zandt songs he'd heard him perform that night on stage. And guess who ended up creating the cover art for the masterpiece "The Magnolia Electric Co."? For RSD 2016, a 7-inch vinyl arrives containing the two Van Zandt covers ("I'll Be Here In The Morning" and "Tower Song"), accompanied by artwork made by Schaff for the occasion titled "Apropos of everything", depicting a skeletal creature in flight. Just 3,500 copies available.

Joe Strummer – “Gangsterville” (Legacy) The single "Gangsterville" was released in 1989, taken from the album "Earthquake Weather", virtually the only solo album in Joe Strummer's entire career (that is, without Mescaleros, 101'ers, and obviously the Clash, etc.). The single is being reissued on 12-inch vinyl, and most notably with unreleased artwork created by Strummer himself together with Josh Cheuse. The artwork loosely echoes the original cover, but differs in the greater number of elements and details within the image (in fact, the only recurring motif is the light blue car). There are two sides: the first features "Gangsterville" and "Punk Rock Blues", the second "Sleepwalk" and "Cholo Vest".

Trivia: among the musicians backing Strummer on the album is drummer Jack Irons, who had previously played with Red Hot Chili Peppers and, in the mid-Nineties, with Pearl Jam.

Manic Street Preachers – “A Design For Life” (Legacy) The first song written by the Welsh band after the mysterious and still unresolved disappearance of Richey Edwards. Bassist Nicky Wire, who penned the lyrics, described it as "a flash of light from a very dark place." He sent the words to James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore, who, after reading them, wrote the music in ten minutes. In truth, the song deals with class conflict and the condition of the poorest sections of society, reportedly – though it's never been confirmed – as a response to the carefree indifference of the Blur's "Girls & Boys". Either way, "A Design For Life", later included on the album "Everything Must Go" (whose 20th anniversary is being celebrated right now), is regarded as one of the high points in the entire career of the Blackwood band.

For Record Store Day 2016, a limited edition of 2,000 copies on 12-inch vinyl will be released: Side A features "A Design For Life" and "Dead Trees And Traffic Islands", Side B "A Design For Life (Stealth Sonic Orchestra Remix)" and "Mr. Carbohydrate". What makes this edition special is the double artwork that comes with it: the outer sleeve, in elegant copper-colored Mirri Card, reproduces the original 1996 artwork, while the printed inner sleeve is signed by artist Mark Farrow.

Ocean Colour Scene – “Moseley Shoals” (UMC) The most incredibly underrated record of the entire Nineties British scene, steeped in Britpop sounds mixed with the Birmingham band's blues roots, celebrates the 20th anniversary of its release – originally on the MCA label – with a special edition pressed on red vinyl across two sides (worth noting the album had never previously come out on vinyl). The cover of "Moseley Shoals", which over the years has become the band's most iconic image, shows Steve Cradock, Simon Fowler, Oscar Harrison and Damon Minchella posing for John Rankin in front of the Jephson Memorial, a temple-shaped monument located in the Jephson Gardens in the town of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The whole thing shot in sepia tones. Over the decades, Rankin has shot dozens of covers for celebrated artists both British and otherwise: among others, "Last Night on Earth" by U2, "Different Class" by Pulp, "The Boy Racer" by Morrissey, "Matador" by Gaz Coombes, and even "L'eccezione" by Carmen Consoli.

Superchunk – “Tossing Seeds: Singles 1989-91” (Merge) Indie-rock nostalgics unite: this collection of Superchunk's early singles is nothing less than the very first full-length release ever put out by the storied Merge Records, the band's own label, which issued it on April 1, 1992. The cover image was painted by artist Wendy Moore and depicts (or rather, seems to depict) a patio surrounded by a garden, potted plants, a chair, and, right at the center, a black-and-white cat dozing off. The artwork is rounded out with photographs by Jay Brown, a photographer who since the Eighties has captured an impressive number of American bands. Only 900 copies will be pressed for the occasion, on vinyl with an included download card. The 13 songs also include covers of the Shangri-Las ("Train From Kansas City"), The Flys ("Night Creatures") and Sebadoh ("It's So Hard To Fall In Love" and "Brand New Love").

Xiu Xiu – “Xiu Xiu Plays The Music Of Twin Peaks” (Bella Union) By far one of the most anticipated releases of Record Store Day 2016. Essentially, Xiu Xiu reinterpreting in their own way the themes written by Angelo Badalamenti for the celebrated cult series directed by David Lynch. The studio recording follows the performance commissioned last year by Australia's Gallery of Modern Art for the exhibition "David Lynch: Between Two Worlds". Produced by former band member Jherek Bischoff and mixed by Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, this double LP (the first record is red, the second blue) comes out in the US on Polyvinyl and in Europe on Bella Union: two thousand copies in total, which are sure to sell out fast. The artwork is a minimal design showing a red circle, at the center of which two peaks are depicted crossing into a double X.

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