Record Store Day Black Friday 2016 Offerings

Here are some of the RSD Black Friday 2016 Limited Edition offerings:

From Rhino:

Ramones – Live at the Roxy, Hollywood, CA (8/12/76)
Limited edition of 9,500 copies on 180-gram vinyl, $21.98

The Afghan Whigs – Black Love (Expanded Edition)
3-LP Limited edition of 5,000 copies on 180-gram vinyl, $44.98

From Sony/Legacy:

Alice In Chains - Live Facelift (Columbia/Legacy)
Unavailable on vinyl until now, Alice In Chains' Live Facelift captures the American grunge-rock powerhouse--Layne Staley (lead vocals), Jerry Cantrell (guitar, backing vocals), Mike Starr (bass), Sean Kinney (drums, percussion, backing vocals)--at the peak of the band's powers at a mythic show recorded live at The Moore Theatre in Seattle on December 22, 1990.

Bob Dylan - The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert - 2LP 12" Vinyl (Columbia Legacy)
Bob Dylan's performance at the Royal Albert Hall from May 26, 1966 (two days after the artist's 25 birthday) is being released as a 2LP album entitled The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert. For decades, Dylan's performance in Manchester was incorrectly labeled "The Royal Albert Hall Concert." Now, for the first time, the REAL Royal Albert Hall concert--originally recorded for a live album by CBS Records--is finally being released, mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Chris Shaw. (This show is also included in the monumental Columbia/Legacy Bob Dylan - 1966 Live Recordings box set.)

From Ume

Frank Zappa: "How Could I Be Such A Fool?" 7" single, 50th anniversary reissue on pink vinyl, includes "Help, I'm a Rock 3rd Movement: It Can't Happen Here".

COMMENTS
AnalogJ's picture

That earlier 2LP set titled Royal Albert Hall concert was the one when Dylan went electric and someone in the crowd yelled "Judas", and Dylan responded "I don't believe you." Isn't that correct?

SimonH's picture

Yes - You can check out the notes that accompany the 36 CD set or Clinton Heylin's book Judas for more details. The earlier official 2 CD/2 LP (Classic Records) set had inverted comma's around Royal Albert Hall and noted it was actually Manachester but then there were bootlegs preceding that. However the bootlegs I have identified the concert locations correctly. The live electric Dylan really started at Newport '65, if my memory is correct.

Roy Martin's picture

Interestingly he was backed by the Butterfield Blues Band at Newport who have a 2-LP live album coming out for Black Friday RSD.

MrRom92's picture

Hey Mike, I would love if every year before RSD/Black Friday, you could give us a heads up if you got wind of any potential AAA LPs being done for the event. The list is so big every year, so many interesting things. It really helps me narrow things down quite a bit when it turns out the mastering doesn't hold up to a vintage copy

theboogeydown's picture

I guess one gets to a point where a person just knows too much. In this case. when you spend nearly $40, you expect quality in some circles. You know, the ability to listen to a new LP, at this price point and NOT have it sound like crap. The packaging and art work are always first rate at this cost, but the LP's ALWAYS suffer. The concept is so great and healthy for local shops, but I for one, am out.

Pretzel Logic's picture

75% of what I've bought of new vinyl (and i'm not exaggerating...i did an actual count) over the last 12 months has suffered from non-fill, unacceptable amount of surface noise, or actual scratches (from poor handling while packaging? Who knows?) At this point i've decided that if it's not pressed at Quality, i won't even consider it.

theboogeydown's picture

In fact, I'm even done with MoFi. I find that for what they charge, it can't be hit or miss. It has to meet or exceed any hard to get original pressing. The actual physical product is fine but the sound is often a real miss for me. What's great about what Chad is doing with Acoustic Sounds et al is that he is creating a place where you can go (in fact, you can sort by QRP on his site, which is so cool) and truly count on what you are getting. Sure you pay for it, but for me, so far, his QRP stuff has been all hit and no miss.

Rudy's picture

I've had pretty good luck with vinyl this year, except for QRP finding it impossible to press a record on-center. (Of all the labels I've bought, I have had to return about a third of QRP's pressings due to being badly off-center. Shameful, Chad, just shameful.) I've only had one noisy MoFi, purchased at AXPONA, and Music Direct gladly exchanged it for me. Even the major labels pretty much behaved themselves.

But for RSD itself, there is rarely anything of interest for me anymore. It's more about the hype now, a reason to get you into a store to buy vinyl you don't really need or want, that is marked up over the going retail price.

I only participated in RSD for 2015 and was very disappointed. One of the new records was defective, and ended up having to buy another one online since the store (Dearborn Music...yes, I'm publicly calling them out) would not take returns for anything sold on RSD. The copy I bought online was almost $8 cheaper. The others were a few dollars less as well, and none of them sold out. I don't get into that whole feeding frenzy mentality in the store either.

Most of the releases from the few artists I cared about were leftover scraps from the vaults--there's a reason a lot of this stuff was never issued in the past. Or it's all about the novelty pressings--get the same music you already own, but on colored vinyl, or a 10" LP, or a $9 45RPM single pressed in the shape of Aunt Hortense's kidney stone...you get the idea.

RSD needs to get back to its roots and just make it a day about enjoying vinyl, and enjoying the hunt for vinyl. They can lose all of this exclusive crap and its surrounding hype as far as I'm concerned. The only upside is that it is helping the vinyl industry at large. And if it is helping these stores increase foot traffic and turn a profit, that is for the greater good. I just won't be participating ever again. The rare title I want can usually be found much cheaper several months later from multiple sellers.

theboogeydown's picture

Well, I know we are all a particular bunch, but for me, I'll take off-center labels with dead quiet wax and dynamics everyday. Missing the bullseye is a bit ridiculous, I'll agree.

audiof001's picture

I've picked up some less than stellar disks for RSD... my bad for being over zealous. A couple of years ago I found Curtis Fullers 'BLUES-ette' released on RSD and was floored... bought 3 more copies for gifting thru that year while people are passing this gem by. It's a great sounding record and wasn't at all over-priced.

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