Scoop up these fab Record Store Day exclusives
You hate Black Friday shopping. But do you hate shopping for “Back in Black,” “Back to Black,” “The Black Album,” “Black Sabbath,” “Black Celebration,” and “Black Market Clash?”
On Nov. 29, you can join the throngs in WalMart on the hunt for a bargain toaster, or you can celebrate Record Store Day at an indie record shop. Feel free to crate-dig for Sabbath or the Clash, or keep your eye out for one of these awesome RSD exclusives.
“So Jealous,” Tegan and Sara
It has been two decades since Tegan and Sara perfected the indie rock/Top 40 pop hybrid. Time to celebrate with this 20th anniversary deluxe edition of “So Jealous.” The second LP here included demos from that era debuting on vinyl. But the real treasure is just rediscovering the original album. It represents the duo’s arrival at a revelatory sound somewhere — somehow! — in a space between bubblegum and broken-and-jagged alternative rock. If there are other people in the world who equally love Joan Jett, Carly Rae Jepsen, and New Pornographers, welcome to your new favorite album.
“Don’t Turn Me from Your Door,” John Lee Hooker
Good Lord, this stuff is raw. John Lee Hooker’s vocals are rough, tough, brokenhearted, alive, and electric. Hooker’s guitar is coarse and crude, thumping through boogie woogie rhythms and picked-out shuffles. The blues legend’s lyrics are bloody and cruel and wounded — “I’m a pilgrim in a strange land/Traveling through this world alone/Don’t turn me away/My mother dead, and my father too.” A re-issue of a 1963 LP compiled of recordings made in 1953 and 1961, this version includes four exclusive bonus tracks. Take them sitting down. This stuff is raw and wonderful.
“Riot!,” Joe Bataan
One of the greatest reflections of New York City in the ’60s, “Riot!” pairs sounds and styles that many wanted to keep separate. Born to a Black mother and Filipino father and raised in Spanish Harlem, Joe Bataan pulls together everything he heard in the streets and clubs. The LP puts together mambo, salsa, soul, doo wop, and Latin Jazz in songs sung in English and Spanish. A reissue limited to 2,100 copies, “Riot!” is a one-of-a-kind find, a record that effortlessly bounces from genre to genre with equal doses of reverence and irreverence.
“Manley Field House, Syracuse University April 7, 1972,” Allman Brothers
It’s a concert nobody really wanted and everybody loved. This spring Syracuse show came five months after Duane Allman died. The remaining band, now a quintet, carried on with the constantly-underrated Dickey Betts doing Duane’s slide work and making his own lead guitar magic. Oh, and brother Gregg fills in some space playing his best organ grooves while in perfect voice. All your favs are here: “Statesboro Blues,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” “Midnight Rider,” “Whipping Post.” Also included the one-time-only “Syracuse Jam,” released for the first time here.
“Jazz Dispensary: The Golden Hour,” various artists
Best jazz compilation? Too hard to say. Most fun? Absolutely. A bit of funk, a bit of fusion, a bit of classical, and a boat load of soul jazz, this collection gathers ace tracks from Sonny Rollins, Nat Adderley, Vince Guaraldi and more that are revelatory. Who knew Sonny could get this in the pocket? Who knew Chico Hamilton could simmer with such touch and taste? The whole thing adds up to an hour of pure groove.
Find where to buy these and more at recordstoreday.com
(Courtesy Rhino Records)
(Courtesy Craft Recordings)