Fall For Limited-Edition Vinyl

As many vinyl fanatics already know, the second of this year’s three RSD Drops takes place tomorrow (Saturday, September 26) around the globe. Usually, the main Record Store Day is held on the third Saturday in April, and the less popular but still worthwhile 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 last Drop will be on 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 September 26th section when putting together your wish list. Otherwise, you might show up a month too early for the record you want. The list spans every imaginable genre, including jazz, blues, hard rock, prog 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 might 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: Fleetwood Mac - The Alternate Rumours LP; The Hot Rats - Turn Ons: 10th Anniversary Edition 2 x 10-inch; Various Artists - This Are Two-Tone LP; Various Artists - Dance Craze LP; Matt Watt + The Secondmen “In Quintessence” seven-inch; Yardbirds -  Roger The Engineer Stereo and Mono LP. The Hot Rats are Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey of Supergrass doing covers of some of their favorite songs; Mike Watt is a founding member of The Minutemen and is covering an early Squeeze hit, This Are Two Tone is a SKA hits collection, and Dance Craze is a movie soundtrack with live versions of SKA hits.

There a lot more RSD Drop 2 releases I’d love to buy, but I only have so much money and shelf space. As in previous years, I’ve made the Reckless Records in downtown Chicago my go-to stop for Record Store Day. They came through again for the first RSD Drop in August, so that’s where I’ll be tomorrow.

While I’m in the record buying mood, I might drop by Target to see if they have the exclusive lemonade vinyl R.E.M Out Of Time release that was advertised in their flyer last Sunday. Inventory varies per store, but I was told a while back by an employee at the suburban Target that didn't have The Go-Go’s Greatest Hits I wanted, that the records can be ordered online at Target.