New Wax Wednesday

If it’s early October, then it must be time to announce what’s going to be released on Codename: RSD BF — a.k.a., Record Store Day Black Friday, which is officially slated for November 28, 2025. Over 170 vinyl releases have been slated for that most hallowed of days, so buckle up your budgets now.

I’ll list as many highlights as I can below, but if you want to see the full list immediately, go here, and scroll down to the “Web” and “PDF” options to see what’s what. Keep in mind that RSD releases are designated as follows: a) Exclusives: These titles are physically released only at indie record stores; b) RSD First: These titles are initially found at indie record stores, but they might be released to other retailers or webstores at some point in the future (though not always); and c) Small Run/Regional Titles: These releases are either regionally based and sold at specific stores, or have press runs under 1,000 copies, which means they may be harder to find at record stores around the country. (If a title is regionally based and not available throughout the country, it will say so in the description on the official RSD list.)

As many of you already know, the SRPs are never shared ahead of RSD, but they are usually fairly consistent across the board, and typically dependent on the size of the run and relative availability. If you miss getting what you want on RSD proper, prices tend to ratchet upward on eBay, Discogs, and elsewhere on the interwebs — and I freely admit to paying the piper, so to speak, for certain titles I wanted to obtain in the exact, requisite RSD moment.

The RSD PR team highlighted a few of the titles-to-come they deemed important and/or of note, so I will summarize some of them here before getting into other highlights of my own. For the Dylanologists of the world, RSD is celebrating the Bard’s May 1963 LP The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, 62 years after its initial release by “re”-presenting the album as Dylan intended — that is, and I quote, “before the suits at Columbia Records censored some of the tracks. Today, we are less paranoid about offending members of the John Birch Society.”

At any rate, The Original Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan LP comes via Legacy (RSD Exclusive; 13,000 copies), and it includes “Rocks and Gravel,” “Let Me Die in My Footsteps,” “Rambling, Gambling Willie,” and “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues.” (The latter song is the one that prompted Dylan to walk off the Ed Sullivan Show when Ed wouldn’t let him play it.) BTW, some Freewheelin’ tracks also appear on Bob’s upcoming The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963 4LP box set, which I covered here in New Wax Wednesday just a few weeks ago on September 24, 2025.

As if that weren’t enough, RSD Black Friday also sees the release of a very special Bob Dylan “Masters of War” 7in single, recorded in Alan Lomax’s apartment in 1962. The B-side of this 7-incher will be a conversation Alan and Bob had after the recording — though I’m not yet seeing this one on the official RSD list yet, as of this posting. This isn’t a major surprise, though, as additional/other RSD releases/announcements get added in right up until “gametime,” so I suggest checking back for that one if it’s a must-have for you.

After decades of, er, hard work, Spinal Tap release the “RSD Scalpers Edition” of their The End Continues soundtrack album via Interscope (RSD Exclusive; 2,000 copies). In their official parlance, this RSD Black Friday release is, quote, “sure to please the flippers and hardcore fans who must own everything that Spinal Tap releases.” (Hmm, how did they know I include myself amongst that lot of unrepentant Tapheads?) The Scalpers Edition includes three additional previously unheard tracks, a “unique” album cover, and a poster. Plus, and this is key, the vinyl itself is pressed on — of course! — 181g vinyl!

For the more modern-music-seeking RSD’ers out there, RSD Black Friday’s Billie Eilish Live EP on Interscope is a special 10in edition featuring live recordings of “Skinny,” “Wildflower,” “Birds of a Feather,” and “L’Amour de Ma Vie,” all culled from Billie’s recent London Palladium show (RSD First; 20,000). Chappell Roan places her latest two songs back-to-back for the first time on her own RSD Black Friday 7in single via Island, “The Island” b/w “The Giver” (RSD Exclusive; 30,000 copies).

Meanwhile, 2025 Record Store Day Ambassador Post Malone continues to show his love for indie record stores by offering fans an LP titled Long Bed on Mercury/Republic, featuring nine tracks that were previously only available digitally (RSD Exclusive; 5,000 copies). Finally, Bruno Mars’ debut EP, It’s Better If You Don’t Understand, is pressed for the first time ever on vinyl via Atlantic, and it contains the multi-platinum single “Talking to the Moon” (RSD Exclusive; 13,000 copies).

Back to the classics, if you will. Sir Elton John — an inveterate record collector in his own right — and 2020 Record Store Day Ambassador Brandi Carlile performed songs from their collaborative 2025 release Who Believes in Angels? (as well as songs from their own respective catalogs) for a televised live special, and some of those performances comprise the Who Believes in Angels? Live at the London Palladium 2LP set on Interscope (RSD Exclusive; 4,000 copies). And, yes, we reviewed the initial, semi-surprisingly great-sounding Angels LP here, back on April 25, 2025.

Also on the master RSD Black Friday list are (again, in their words) “sure-to-be-coveted” vinyl from the likes of The Doors, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joni Mitchell, Brendan Benson, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, the Grateful Dead, Prince & The Revolution, Miles Davis, George Harrison, The Flaming Lips, The Notorious B.I.G., and Led Zeppelin, among many others. (I’ll discuss some of them in further detail below.) All of this vinyl goodness is accompanied by, as the RSD cognoscenti oh-so-aptly put it, “something special that music fans can get only at a record store.”

Those RSD diggers going for deeper dives can seek out the Black Friday offerings from the likes of Jeff Tweedy/Wilco/Daniel Johnston, Bobby Womack, Deltron 3030, Nico, Tangerine Dream, Ramones, David Johansen and The Harry Smiths, 2 Chainz, La Luz, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Sugar, and Warren Zevon, along with holiday releases from Kesha and Devo.

A few more MM RSD BF bulletpoints now, zeroing in on some of our fave RSD Releasers, both new and old. First off, we can always count on Rhino to cover a myriad of requisite RSD bases, and this year they’re serving up 35 exclusive albums from their diverse artists roster. Highlights include LPs from Phil Collins, The Doors, Matchbox Twenty, Joni Mitchell, Son Volt, and another archival live set for Van Halen (this time from 1995), in addition to a Rhino Reserve title from Curtis Mayfield (Curtis; RSD Exclusive; 2,700 copies), a Devo picture disc, and 12in releases from a-ha, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and The Flaming Lips, along with box sets from Dwight Yoakam and Love. Collect/obtain ’em all, if you dare. . .

This year’s RSD BF selection from archival giants Craft Recordings features first-ever vinyl editions, rare live recordings, vibrant color pressings, and imaginative new packages that span funk, rock, punk, psych, salsa, soundtracks, holiday jazz, and more.

Among them are Creed’s high-octane Live in San Antonio, captured during the band’s Human Clay ’90s-era zenith and making its vinyl debut; Vince Guaraldi Trio’s evergreen classic A Charlie Brown Christmas, reimagined as a special pop-up gatefold edition in celebration of the album’s 60th anniversary (RSD Exclusive; 4,000 copies; and it’s one of my all-time fave LPs for any season!); and Jazz Dispensary’s latest cinematic caper, Green Bullets, a fuel-injected compilation that imagines a lost ’70s heist flick.

Other Craft RSD Black Friday exclusives include Jonathan Richman’s tender You Must Ask the Heart finally making it onto vinyl; Flowers in the Afternoon: Late-1960s Sunshine, the third entry in Craft’s psych/garage RSD series; the first-time-on-vinyl Punk Goes Acoustic, an all-analog cut of Ray Barretto’s salsa landmark Together; and two score-lover must-gets: Alan Silvestri’s The Back to the Future Trilogy (gigawatts on wax!!) and John Debney’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.

A pair of Warner Records limited-edition first-time pressings of albums by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Benson Boone deserve extra attention. Boone’s 2023 Pulse EP emerges on electric yellow and bright blue splatter vinyl, and it also includes a 12x24in poster (RSD Exclusive; 6,000 copies).

Meanwhile, TP&THBs’ The Live Anthology – From The Vaults Vol. 1 2LP set boasts a foil-stamped number cover, and it appears on turquoise blue vinyl. As you may recall, in November 2009, Petty and Co. released The Live Anthology, a massive 7LP box set of live material that encompassed the band’s career up to that point, with a tracklist curated by Petty himself. A separate, very limited-edition version of The Live Anthology was also released that included a bonus CD with 14 tracks of additional Petty classics, rarities, and covers. These 14 tracks are now being released on vinyl for the first time—and I’m all-in for this one, beyond a shadow of a doubt (RSD First – 7,500 copies for the U.S. market; 11,000 copies total worldwide).

This year’s RSD Black Friday offerings from Legacy include live performances, soundtracks, and unreleased rarities. Besides the earlier-noted Dylan title and LPs from Cage the Elephant, Danny Elfman, Wilco/Jeff Tweedy/Daniel Johnston, and the intriguingly self-explanatory Lou Reed/Various collaborative offering Metal Machine Music: Power to Consume, Vol. 1, we also get Billy Joel’s Live From Long Island 3LP set, which highlights his Nylon Curtain tour homecoming concert at Nassau Coliseum on December 29, 1982, as newly mixed from the original master tapes and produced by Joel’s longtime live sound engineer Brian Ruggles (RSD Exclusive; 1,500 copies).

Beside those releases, Prince & The Revolution’s Around the World in a Day: The Singles is on RSD tap, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the titular album that was originally released in April 1985. The audio is newly remastered by original mastering engineer Bernie Grundman, with additional mastering by Chris James, and this vibrant 7-incher box set features all four singles from the album (“Raspberry Beret,” “Paisley Park,” “Pop Life,” and “America”), plus a brand new exclusive 7in single of the 1985 track “4 the Tears in Your Eyes,” which Prince originally contributed to that year’s We Are The World charity album. Each 45 is presented in a unique vinyl color (you can see them a few grafs above) and are presented in their original 7in sleeves in a clamshell box, all featuring elements of the titular LP sleeve that was originally designed by Doug Henders (RSD Exclusive; in a quite-apropos run of 1,985 copies).

Additionally, Legacy serves up Miles Davis’ Live at The Plugged Nickel: December 23, 1965 – Set Two, which is culled from what has long been considered to be one of the most legendary engagements in jazz history. That night saw trumpeter Miles, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams deliver a masterclass in what’s been described as “controlled volatility, dismantling tradition and reshaping their language night after night.” I’ve also been told that Legacy will reissue the box set containing all seven performed sets of The Complete Plugged Nickel Sessions in January 2026 as their first salvo in a year-long Miles Davis Centennial celebration — but first we get this 2LP Black Friday/black vinyl primer that contains over an hour of familiar songs turned inside out, including standards such as “All of You” and “My Funny Valentine” and Miles originals like “So What” and “Agitation” (RSD Exclusive; 5,900 copies). And yep, we’ll be reviewing the big box and other 2026-earmarked Miles goodies here on AP when the time comes.

Award-winning producer Zev Feldman, the “Jazz Detective” himself, is back for Record Store Day Black Friday with four historic, never-before-released albums spanning punk, jazz, and blues from Bad Brains, Bill Evans, Yusef Lateef, and B.B. King. Each title has been restored and mastered from archival recordings, and they are said to offer fresh insight into landmark moments across music history — from Bad Brains’ earliest live shows to unheard Bill Evans trio sessions (RSD Exclusive; 4,000 copies), Yusef Lateef’s spiritual experiments, and B.B. King’s powerful 1968 and 1973 European concerts. These RSD releases underscore Feldman’s curatorial mission to bring lost performances to light and celebrate genre-defining legacies — and, spoiler alert, we’ll have additional coverage about them all coming soon.

Finally, Mack Avenue comes to the RSD Black Friday party with a legendary album from the Strata-East catalog — The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe’s A Spirit Speaks — on 180g vinyl with audio cut directly from the original master tapes. (Three other classic Strata-East titles from Charles Tolliver & Stanley Cowell, The Heath Brothers, and Cecil McBee will follow on December 12, 2025.)

One of many projects on Strata-East spearheaded by bassist, composer, and arranger Bill Lee (father of legendary director Spike Lee), The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe’s only album, 1974’s A Spirit Speaks, enlisted Bill Lee’s brother and sisters — Clif Lee, A. Grace Lee Mims, and Consuela Lee Moorehead — to form a group named in tribute to their enslaved ancestors. Combining elements of jazz, gospel, soul, and blues, among other influences, A Spirit Speaks has become one of the most sought-after albums from the Strata-East catalog — and rightly so (RSD First; 1,500 copies).

And, with that — happy RSD list compiling, and happy hunting come November 28!