The 20 most prized vinyl records to buy on Record Store Day
Since its inception in 2007, Record Store Day has become an important part of the musical calendar and helped propel the resurgence of vinyl. In 2022, vinyl sales in the United Kingdom hit a 30-year high, and the popularity only looks to swell despite the dominance of streaming platforms.
This year, hundreds of record shops all across the United Kingdom will be participating in Record Store Day on April 22nd, with over 400 official releases being issued exclusively for the event. These range from reissues of classic albums to extremely limited-edition releases.
Previous ambassadors for Record Store Day in the United Kingdom include Elton John and Noel Gallagher. For 2023, The 1975 take on the role, and in a statement, frontman Matty Healy said: “The guys and I are really proud to be ambassadors for Record Store Day this year. Independent record stores are the lifeblood of the music industry and have played a crucial role in our story so far. It couldn’t be more important to support their vital community and culture.”
Meanwhile, Louise Jackson from Bury record store Wax and Beans commented: “We can’t wait to be taking part in Record Store Day again this year, and to have a Manchester band like The 1975 putting our local musical heritage on the map and celebrating the culture of record shops in this way is fantastic.”
With over 400 releases available for Record Store Day, it can be daunting to decipher which vinyls to buy, but Far Out‘s handy list below will help save some time.
20 essential Record Store Day 2023 releases:
Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (Vinyl Reissue)
Folk and punk are two genres that have rarely crossed paths over the past five decades. It would appear the very disparate styles are difficult to blend to a pleasing end. However, in the hands of Violent Femmes, anything’s possible.
The Milwaukee-born band formed in 1979 and released their eponymous debut album in 1983 to a wave of critical praise. The album is home to Violent Femme’s most famous song, ‘Blister in the Sun’, but thanks to the bolstering of ‘Kiss Off’, ‘Add It Up’ and ‘Gone Daddy Gone’, it’s immortalised as one of the greatest releases of the decade and the band’s undisputed masterpiece.
Sigur Rós – Kveikur (Vinyl Reissue)
Kveikur arrived in 2013 as the seventh studio album for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. The album, released on XL Records, was a brazen departure from the band’s prior sound, and once again, it garnered widespread critical acclaim. Following 2012’s Valtari, Kveikur enters darker, more eclectic territory.
While the album’s singles, ‘Brennisteinn’, ‘Ísjaki’, ‘Stormur’ and ‘Rafstraumur’, hold the album’s most memorable moments, it’s a delight on the decks as no two songs sound alike, giving the listener an immersive and satisfying experience.
DIIV – Live At the Murmrr Theatre (Vinyl Release)
After a few years of playing guitar for Soft Black and drums for Beach Fossils, Zachary Cole Smith formed DIIV in 2011 as he looked to blaze a trail for his own creative impetus. The band, pronounced as “Dive”, now consists of Cole Smith on vocals and guitar, Andrew Bailey on guitar, Colin Caulfield on bass and keyboards and Ben Newman behind the drums.
The group first gained widespread acclaim in 2012 with the release of Oshin, their debut album, which shone bright with their dream pop/shoegaze sound. They have since followed this up with Is the Is Are and Deceiver. Both achieved critical praise. Live At the Murmrr Theatre was recorded during an unplugged performance in 2017 and includes tracks from the first two albums alongside covers of Alex G’s ‘Hollow’ and My Bloody Valentine’s ‘When You Sleep’.
Brian Eno – FOREVER VOICELESS
Back in February, Brian Eno announced this special release for Record Store Day 2023. FOREVER VOICELESS is an instrumental version of the master producer’s 2022 album FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE and will arrive on April 22nd on crystal clear vinyl exclusively for RSD.
In a review of the original album, Far Out said: “Eno has once again shown the full breadth of his musical ambition, which stretches beyond music in a cinematic sense. As a concept album, it conveys a vital warning, underscored by Eno’s sense of wonder and a musical portrayal of Earth’s beauty. Therefore, as one would watch a film, it must be heard from start to finish. The project is difficult to fault, and the return of Eno’s voice is more than welcome.”
Stevie Nicks – Bella Donna Live 1981
Following her early rise to success with Fleetwood Mac, with whom she released 1975’s Fleetwood Mac, 1977’s Rumours and 1979’s Tusk, Stevie Nicks decided to branch out into a solo career. The first discographic entry of her side project was 1981’s critically and commercially impactful debut album, Bella Donna.
The album housed four blockbusting singles: the Tom Petty-written duet ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around’, the Don Henley duet ‘Leather and Lace’, Nicks’ signature solo hit ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘After the Glitter Fades’. A live version of the classic album, recorded at Nicks’ concert at the Fox Wilshire Theatre in Los Angeles in December 1981, is to be issued on vinyl for RSD via Rhino.
Beach House – Become EP
In February, Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House announced that they had five brand new tracks locked and loaded for release as an EP exclusively for Record Store Day. The tracks are previously unreleased songs from the Once Twice Melody, their celebrated double album of 2021-22.
“The Become EP is a collection of five songs from the Once Twice Melody sessions,” the band explained in a press release. “We didn’t think they fit in the world of OTM, but later realised they all fit in a little world of their own. To us, they are all kind of scuzzy and spacious and live in the spirit realm. It’s not really where we are currently going, but it’s definitely somewhere we have been. We hope you enjoy these tunes.”
David Byrne – The Complete Score from The Catherine Wheel
Following Talking Heads’ meteoric rise to stardom in the late 1970s, the restless creative David Byrne took on several side projects, including My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, an album recorded with Brian Eno, and The Catherine Wheel, his first solo work and the soundtrack score for choreographer Twyla Tharp’s dance project of the same name.
The Catherine Wheel premiered September 22nd, 1981, at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. The tracks ‘Big Business’, and ‘What a Day That Was’ appeared in the setlist for Talking Heads’ seminal live concert film, Stop Making Sense, in 1984. The brilliant original score album is set to be reissued for RSD.
The Cure – Show (2023 Remaster)
In celebration of Record Store Day, The Cure frontman Robert Smith has joined mastering engineer Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios to remaster the band’s lauded live album of September 1993, Show. The live double album was recorded during a performance at The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The 18-track roster includes a host of fan favourites, including the singles ‘Pictures of You’, ‘Lullaby’, ‘Just Like Heaven’, ‘The Walk’, ‘Let’s Go To Bed’, ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Inbetween Days’. The album will be available for the first time as a picture disc on RSD.
Blur – Blur Presents The Special Collectors Edition
For Record Store Day 2023, Britpop-era sensation Blur have announced the first-ever vinyl edition of The Special Collector’s Edition. The popular compilation album was originally released in 1994 as a rare Japan-only CD but will soon be available to the masses.
The double album release has been pressed on coloured vinyl and features a collection of B-sides taken from singles appearing in Blur’s first three studio albums Leisure, Modern Life Is Rubbish and Parklife. The LP consists of 18 rarities with a runtime of just shy of an hour.
Ramones – Pleasant Dreams (The New York Mixes)
New York’s punk rock pioneers Ramones released their sixth studio album, Pleasant Dreams, in July 1981. Although the album marked a fractious moment for the group, as Johnny began a relationship with Joey’s ex-girlfriend, it was praised for its creative progression.
Pleasant Dreams was Ramones’ first album to consist entirely of original compositions and brought new depth, especially in ‘We Want the Airwaves’, ‘She’s a Sensation’ and ‘Come On Now’, which departed from their associated punk sound. Original mixes by producer Graham Gouldman are to be released on RSD alongside three previously unreleased songs from the sessions.
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club (Extended Edition)
After growing creatively frustrated in the Talking Heads, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth forged the Tom Tom Club in 1981. For Record Store Day, their eponymous debut is being reissued, which was an album that proved Frantz and Weymouth could exist as a creative force without David Byrne.
The album spawned the hit single, ‘Wordy Rappinghood’, which peaked at seven in the UK Singles Chart upon release. Additionally, the record boasts ‘Genius of Love’ and ‘On, On, On, On..’. which were critical in putting Tom Tom Club on the map.
Björk – The Fossora Remixes
Following her devastatingly brilliant set at Coachella Festival, Björk has reminded everyone of her ethereal talent. Last year, she released her tenth studio album, Fossora, and now, the Icelandic singer has enlisted the help of some friends for The Fossora Remixes. The entire run is limited to 2,300 copies for Record Store Day.
The A-side to the forthcoming release is a Sega Bodega remix of ‘Ovule’ featuring a new contribution from Shygirl. The EP also features a remix by the mysterious Icelandic trio Sideproject, who has reworked ‘Atopos’.
The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
Certain records are requirements in every person’s record collection, and The Rolling Stones’ opus Beggars Banquet falls under this remit. The album, produced by Jimmy Miller, was an evolution of their sound, which entered new country-tinged territory across the LP.
To celebrate the album turning 55, The Rolling Stones are once again reissuing the legendary album, this time for Record Store Day. The upcoming release contains the original graffiti cover art and also comes with a replica of an original window display poster.
Suede – Suede (Demos)
2023 has been a year to remember for Suede so far as they celebrate their eponymous debut album turning 30. In addition to playing their debut in full during a recent headline show at Manchester’s Albert Hall and plans to perform it at London’s Brixton O2 Academy, Suede also have a special Record Store Day release up their sleeve.
For the special day, they are releasing the demos for the Mercury Prize-winning album on vinyl for the first time in specially-commissioned sleeve artwork, which singer Brett Anderson has conceived.
Paul McCartney and Wings – Red Rose Speedway
Paul McCartney has had more hit records than most people could dream of having throughout his ridiculously pioneering career. While Red Rose Speedway isn’t the most cherished album he’s produced, it was his first post-Beatles album to go to number one in the United States, and also spawned Wings’ first number one US single, ‘My Love’.To celebrate the record turning 50, McCartney and Wings are reissuing the album.
McCartney said in 2018: “I’m very proud of ‘My Love’. This was early days for me and Linda, so it’s a love song to her really. One of the things I was proud of, funnily enough, was that it charted. It sort of did very well.”
Kae Tempest – Nice Idea EP
Over the last decade, Kae Tempest has proved themselves to be a true original who is a beacon of light in the British music scene. On their latest release, Tempest has joined forces with Fontaines D.C. and Slowthai producer Dan Carey, who has assisted them in making the four-track EP available exclusively for Record Store Day. The project was written and recorded in only a five-day period.
Of the title track, they say: “This is a song about wanting to stay in bed all day with the person you’re in love with. Imagine you could just shut the whole world out and enjoy each other. Nice idea.”
Foals – Life Is Dub EP
Following the success of last year’s album, Life Is Yours, Foals have allowed Dan Carey to work his magic on their LP and place it through a heavyweight dub prism for Record Store Day. Prepare to hear tracks like ‘2am’, ‘Wake Me Up’, and ‘Crest of the Wave’ like never before.
Frontman Yannis Philippakis says of the new release, “To me, Dan’s dubs are like nocturnal photo negatives of the original; the colours and sounds have been inverted, subverted and sent sideways. Their new groove and swagger has been pushed through analogue circuitry into a night-time companion to Life Is Yours.”
Loyle Carner – Yesterday’s Gone (Deluxe Reissue)
Six years since Loyle Carner released his debut album, Yesterday’s Gone, the musician is prepping a re-release of the project for Record Store Day. The album is a modern British classic which put the extraordinarily unique Carner on the map and included tracks such as ‘The Isle Of Arran’, ‘Sun Of Jean’, and ‘No CD’.
For Record Store Day, the album will be released on a limited edition picture disk for the first time. Since its release, songs from the record have been streamed over 250million times, and its popularity continues to grow with each passing year.
David Bowie – Laughing With Liza – The Vocation and Deram Singles 1964 – 67
Remarkably, there was once a time when David Bowie was just another young artist in London who had a dream of superstardom. Now, his pre-fame work from 1964 until 1967 will be able to listen to on crisp vinyl as part of the Laughing With Liza compilation.
The Record Store Day special included a previously unreleased version of ‘Space Oddity’, a track which later introduced Bowie to a mass audience. This box set is a collector’s item intended for Bowie super-fans and those who want to understand more about the man who later became one of the world’s favourite artists.
Jonathan Richman – Jonathan Goes Country
Jonathan Richman is a cult hero who has enjoyed a wildly eclectic career, including a short stint as a country artist. His 1990 release, Jonathan Goes Country, is a vastly overlooked album in his canon which has largely been forgotten by most, but for Record Store Day, it’s been reissued.
It’s the first time the album has been reissued, and it features all-analogue mastering from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. The record includes a cover of ’A Satisfied Mind’, a country classic popularised by Porter Wagoner in 1955.
