Hot Wax In The SummerTime

Vinyl fanatics will finally get their 2020 day in the sun when the first of three RSD Drops takes place this Saturday. Usually, the main Record Store Day is held on the third Saturday in April, and the less popular Black Friday version comes in November. This year’s trilogy is pretty much the main RSD chopped into separate dates to keep stores from getting too crowded in the midst of a pandemic. The remaining Drops will be on September 26 and October 24. 

The official RSD site has the entire list of limited-edition releases coming out this year, so make sure you’re looking at the Aug 29th section when putting together your wish list. Otherwise, you might show up two months too early for the record you want. The list spans every imaginable genre, including jazz, blues, hard rock, prog rock, classic rock, techno, punk, country, and hip hop; and includes artists from several decades.

Check with your favorite record store to see if they’re participating. Chicago area stores involved include Reckless Records, Laurie’s Planet Of Sound, Dusty Groove, Vintage Vinyl, and Val’s Halla. RSD regulars have proven to be pretty level-headed over the years so it’s likely we’ll all be following the now-customary social distancing and mask-wearing rules. Some stores will be selling official RSD face masks. This year, more than ever, it will be important to have a written or printed list ready to hand over; store employees won’t want to look at your phone.

As for my own list, I’ll be aiming for The Pretenders - Live! At The Paradise, Boston LP; The Soft Boys - “I Wanna Destroy You”/Near The Soft Boys 2 X 7-inch; U2 - “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” 12-inch; The Kinks - The Kink Kronikles 2 X LP; Pink Floyd - “Arnold Layne Live 2007” 7-inch; and Various Artists - Girls In The Garage Vol. 8 LP. 

In previous years, I’ve waited outside the Reckless Records downtown in April and November—months when the morning air can have a definite chill. This will be the first Record Store Day where I could actually work on getting a tan.