Record Store Day 2024: Far Out Magazine staff’s £150 hauls
Much like all the best things about music, the beauty of buying vinyl transcends any single element. Record Store Day really rams that point home. It isn’t just a celebration of buying vinyl but everything that enterprise entails. It’s a celebration of…
- Giving something back to deserving artists who brighten our dismal days with beautiful art.
- Supporting record stores which remain pillars of the creative community and employable havens for snooty old men in gingham.
- Having a physical heirloom of something you love that will remain a time-stamped tangible memory of a moment in your life forevermore.
- A chance to listen to music via a medium that usually ensures the highest quality audio fidelity (or so you’ve been told).
- A mere chance to get you out of the house and closer to the record store’s neighbouring pubs and cafes (but mainly pubs).
- A chance to pretend your rather frivolous £40 purchase is actually an investment.
- A chance to meet fellow like-minded hipsters and either bond about music or have an engaged disagreement about the merits or lack thereof of the latest buzz band.
- The sensual pleasure of peeling off the cellophane.
- Free tote bags.
- Future arguments with your partner during the divorce proceedings when battling over who bought what.
- Sipping coffee from a takeaway cup while ‘sifting through the racks’ and desperately trying to pretend you haven’t turned into that cliched bastard from High Fidelity.
- Getting back home, flicking the kettle on or cracking open a beer, and dropping the needle into the new masterpiece you’ve just bought.
- The odd sense of pride that comes with buying vinyl.
- Trying to slyly scrutinise what your fellow patrons have bought.
That last point might not be the most noble or noted element of buying vinyl, but comparing hauls is, nevertheless, an integral part of the supermarket sweep that is Record Store Day. The buzz of limited editions sets you racing among the various record store day vendors in your city, scampering for the best buys, which, as ever with vinyl, say something about you.
With that in mind, a selection Far Out staff were given a £150 spending limit to secure the best vinyl selection that money could buy this Saturday according to their tastes from the full list of releases. The results are now in, and we present them below for your ruthful scrutiny. Enjoy deciding who you’ll cynically bash and who you might even doff your Barbour© cap to.
Far Out Magazine staff’s £150 Record Store Day vinyl hauls:
Tom Taylor’s Record Store Day 2024 purchases:
The following haphazard selection of records was snapped up on the streets of Newcastle as Record Store Day did its best to replace matchday buzz on this fixture-less weekend at Reflex, JG Windows and RPM Records…
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club: An ideal luscious golden disc to spin while trying my hand at cooking tacos on a Friday night in… and sadly burning the fucking house down thanks to a blissful Cuban folk-induced lapse of concentration. (£36.99)
The Lost Studio Album – Chet Baker & Jack Sheldon: An enigmatic curio from the greatest crooner of them all and his best trumpeting buddy. Ideal music for clearing up the chaos caused by Buena Vista. It’s beautiful soft serenity for people who merely like the idea of jazz. (£33.99)
The Gallows Pole: Original Score – Goat: More masked madness from everyone’s favourite mental Swedish hippies. As ever with Goat, I’m not sure when I’ll ever listen to this scary psychedelia, but the time will come, and when it does, it will be interesting. (£28.99)
Little Joe Sure Can Sing! – Joe Pesci: Sweet soul music from the wildly intimidating 5’3” thespian, pressed onto translucent orange vinyl of the finest quality. If blowing nearly 40 quid on this and listening to it a grand total of 0.8 times before the joke wears thin isn’t what Record Store Day is all about, then what is? (£36.99)
The Space Lady’s Other Hits – The Space Lady: Susan Dietrich Schneider is an eccentric nurse who used to channel the ether into a Casio keyboard, like a cosmic answer to Daniel Johnston, on the streets of San Francisco. She did this bedecked in a sort of space Viking attire that marked her as the centre of much pedestrian pandemonium. And this is her limited-edition RARITIES. Get in the basket! (£22)
Subtotal: £158.96 (An over-spend of £8.96)
Ben Forrest’s Record Store Day 2024 purchases:
Living in the glorious People’s Republic of West Yorkshire, I am pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to record shopping. As such, the following releases were snapped up from The Record Cafe in Bradford, Five Rise Records in Bingley, as well as Crash and Jumbo in Leeds – variety is the spice of life, after all… and the source of a very busy morning.
Harvest Time (Radio Edit) / Love Will Find A Way (Radio Edit) – Pharoah Sanders: One of the more highly sought-after releases this year, but I am not too proud to throw hands with a fellow jazz nerd. Does the Japanese writing on the cover make it sound better? Who knows? But it certainly looks cool. (£19.99)
Flesh – Viv Albertine: As the outdated medium of CDs is gradually replaced by the far more modern advent of vinyl, this solo EP from iconic Slits guitarist Viv Albertine is long overdue for its first repress on wax. Tender, personal, beautiful – not words often afforded the work of punks, but it is certainly fitting here. (£22.99)
Pedigree Charm – Lora Logic: Look, I am a simple man; if you stick ‘Deluxe Edition’ on an album, I’ll probably buy it. Another reissue of an often overlooked woman of the punk revolution, this double-LP from X-Ray Spex and Essential Logic saxophonist Lora Logic is a must-have for punk completionists. (£30.99)
The 1975 Sire Demos – Ramones: If you imagine the abrasive sounds of the Ramones, but somehow even more lo-fi and chaotic, then you may arrive at something close to what is contained on this demo album. They weren’t good enough to receive a widespread release back in the 1970s, but they are good enough to fork over 35 quid for, it would seem. (£34.99)
Gagarin – Public Service Broadcasting: PSB’s Race for Space was among the first albums I ever bought on vinyl, so it seems fitting to pick up this seven-inch slice of Soviet goodness. Yes, the song will sound the same as it does on the album that I already own. No, that will not stop me from spending my hard-earned wages on this pressing. (£11.99)
Higher State of Consciousness [Erol Alkan remix] – Josh Wink: A rogue choice, spurred on by my regret at missing Erol Alkan’s set at Bluedot last summer. The RSD website claims this is the first time the remix has been pressed on vinyl, though a very similar version did feature on Alkan’s A Bugged Out Selection back in 2005, sans the ‘House of Jealous Lovers’ sample. (£25.99)
Subtotal: £146.94 (An underspend of £3.06)
Lucy Harbron’s Record Store Day 2024 purchases
On a mission to craft the ultimate heirloom record collection to score cool mum or cool aunt points down the line, the addition of any new title to the rack comes along with lofty pressures. Attempting to capture a moment in life, locking in the soundtrack of my mid-20s, these selections’ prime selections have just made the cut…
Live At Gorilla – The 1975: I didn’t get to go to this gig, and it has haunted me since. The 1975 are one of those bands where when you’re in, you never get out. I got in all too young with their debut album, soundtracking early teen nights scrolling on Tumblr. As they celebrate that album with this live release, it’s a perfect joint nod to then and now. (£39.99)
ITEIAD Sessions – The Japanese House: The Japanese House’s In The End It Always Does was one of my favourite releases in 2023, with ‘Sunshine Baby’ leading my way as my ultimate track of the year. These delicately rearranged takes let Amber Bain’s lyricism shine through in the most beautiful way. I can see myself spinning this over and over on sunny Sunday mornings. (£19.99)
Songs From The Wicker Man – Katy J Pearson & Friends: Creepy folk glory reigns on this EP from Katy J Pearson, combining one of my favourite new artists with one of my favourite old films. Pearson’s unique vocals do these weird little songs with such amazing justice, and hearing it on vinyl format with little cracks and scratches feels like the right way to experience it. (£27.99)
Hard Times / Burning Down the House – Paramore / David Byrne: What a strange and brilliant coming together of two artists. As the A24 Talking Heads covers album has been revealing tracks, I’ve had Paramore’s ‘Burning Down The House’ cover on repeat, so I’m intrigued by how David Byrne has reimagined their track in return. Holding a beloved band from my teens and a beloved artist I got really into recently, this single disc will be a welcome addition. (£14.99)
A Night At The Symphony – Laufey: I think Laufey will be one of those artists who will be held tenderly in history and remembered with real respect for her contributions. As she makes moves to bring classical music and traditional jazz into the modern age, her work is a captivating dichotomy between old-school form and freshness. This live album shows that at its finest as a whole orchestra backs her up. (£27.99)
Eat The Music – Kate Bush: I’m usually pretty anti-picture discs, but this one is too beautiful to miss. Coming along with a message on how she always wanted ‘Eat The Music’ to lead her The Red Shoes era, this disc contains a few of the album tracks in the order she wanted them, so I’m intrigued about how that might reinvigorate the songs. Kate Bush being Record Store Day ambassador also feels like an interesting move and perhaps a slight first step back into the public eye. (£24.99)
Subtotal: £155.95 (An overspent by £5.94, so I’ll simply have one less print at the gig later on.)
Dale Maplethorpe’s Record Store Day 2024 purchases:
Bonjour. I’m in France this Record Store Day, but I sent out a list of must-haves, would-likes and if-you-see-its to my vinyl buddy in advance, and I’m reliably informed that they secured me the following cracking collection from the streets of Sheffield. It’s my understanding that the queues at Bear Tree Records and Spinning Discs went out the door and round the street, which sounds busy and stressful, but it’s hard to sympathise neck deep in a bottle of vino and halfway through a bucket of mussels. Au revoir!
Live at Leadmill – Def Leppard: I was at this gig, and it’s probably the loudest I’ve ever heard Leadmill. Def Leppard are local legends but had never played the iconic venue, so to see them finally take to the stage however many decades after the band’s inception and a couple of days before they were due to play to a sold-out Bramall Lane was something special. It would be cool to relive that or come as close as I can to reliving it as possible. (£39.99)
Live at the Brudenell Social Club – English Teacher: A couple of months ago, I interviewed English Teacher for Independent Venue Week. They spoke about Brudenell Social Club as if it were a distant loved one. There’s something about hearing an excellent live band play in a venue deeply connected to them and their music that appeals massively. (£23.99)
AT THE SHOWCASE – LIVE IN CHICAGO – Sun Ra: A live jazz album often seems like a contradiction of itself; given so much of the genre is built on improvisation, the idea of committing anything to tape almost feels like cheating. That being said, the chaotic excitement of Sun Ra is too tempting to pass up, regardless of possible contradictions and the steep price. (£62.00)
Live at Hammersmith 16/11/1976 – Thin Lizzy: The amount of quality music Thin Lizzy made despite the band’s runtime being cut so short is inspiring. Their sound was injected with energy, making for a perfect live band. I’ve never seen them and never will, so I’ll keep trying to get as close as possible with albums like this. (£39.99)
Subtotal: £165.97 (An astronomic overspend of £15.97, but at least it wasn’t on my dime.)
Elle Palmer’s Record Store Day 2024 purchases:
Somewhere between Elland Road and Headingley Stadium, you’ll find a crawl of record stores far more worthy of your Saturday afternoon and your savings than the Otley Run. Crash Records, Jumbo, Vinyl Whistle, take your pick. The perfect April 20th.
Parklife – Blur: My record collection is severely lacking in some Britpop, and what better way to rectify that than with Damon Albarn’s dulcet tones? The glorious guitars of ‘To The End’ and those repeated declarations of “Parklife” are sure to be made all the more hypnotic by the zoetrope vinyl on offer, which features the Parklife dog chasing its own tail. (£28.00)
Live On Tour – Talking Heads: Where my record collection is lacking in Britpop, it’s overspilling in Talking Heads live albums, but I have no problem with being predictable. A collection of unreleased live recordings from the late 1970s, Live on Tour will slot in perfectly next to its predecessor, Stop Making Sense and is sure to have me dancing around my turntable sans big suit. (£41.00)
Live At The Brudenell Social Club – English Teacher: The best band in Leeds at the best venue in Leeds? Yes, please. Ahead of the release of their dazzling debut, English Teacher took to the stage at the city’s beloved Brudenell and recorded a set which is now available on wax. Get it while you still can. (£23.00)
Orbital – Orbital: An album that will make me consider embarking upon a career in DJing before remembering that I have no idea how to mix vinyl efficiently. Orbital’s erratic and melodic debut on red and green splatter vinyl. (£44.00)
‘Heart as Big as Liverpool’ – Pete Wylie and the Mighty Wah!: In an effort to stick to the budget we were set, I’m rounding things out with a single that shows off my pride in Liverpool Football Club and fulfils my long-time dream of owning a red heart-shaped record. (£14.00)
Subtotal: £150 (Nailed it.)
