Do people even go out for Black Friday anymore?
It seems that over the past several years, between consumer exhaustion, the pandemic and backlash at turning a holiday that’s supposed to be about gathering with the family into a celebration of profit, the masses have, at the very least, turned to online shopping instead.
Of course, there are still reasons to venture out on the day after Thanksgiving, especially if you’re supporting independent businesses like mom-and-pop record stores.
The organizers behind Record Store Day, the music lovers’ holiday that takes place annually in April, have doubled down with Black Friday, featuring fresh pressings from dozens of artists, nearly all of them limited or on colored vinyl.
And while it isn’t nearly on par with the juggernaut of the spring, the wax-centric fête has grown in scope, so much so that Rock Music Menu will be looking at this year’s highlights both this week and next.
Here are some of the best titles to keep an eye out for beginning next Friday at your local record shop.
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: “Mindsets”
Joan Jett and the Blackheart’s latest effort — originally a digital EP released in June — features six brand new originals plus live versions of those tracks. The album, limited to 2,900 copies, serves as a reminder of what the band is all about: the perfect blend of punk and rock ‘n’ roll that feels timeless and immediate at once. Single “If You’re Blue” kicks off the EP with Jett’s signature crunchy, distortion-forward guitar, hooky chorus, and her powerful, snarling vocals. It’s a voice the remains a force to be reckoned with, full of attitude and emotion.
• Maximum Swing: “The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings”
Resonance Records celebrates legendary jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery’s centennial with the first legitimate release of his hard-hitting 1965 dates at New York’s Half Note, site of a storied meeting between he and pianist Wynton Kelly and his trio. This three-LP archival treasure comes in a gatefold jacket with an elaborate booklet containing rare photos, essays and interviews with Bill Frisell and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and limited to 3,000 copies.
• “Blood Simple: “Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”
One of the most iconic director/composer partnerships in film history, Joel and Ethan Coen’s collaboration with award-winning composer Carter Burwell began with the duo’s 1984 directorial debut “Blood Simple.” Forty years after its recording, Burwell has personally curated and produced an all-new mix of the ahead-of-its-time soundtrack. While the original Varèse Sarabande label release only included seven tracks from the score — totaling just 20 minutes — this deluxe edition features 13 tracks and 35 minutes from the
original multitrack session tapes, including three extended cues. Limited to 3,000 copies worldwide and pressed on “bloodshot” vinyl.
• INXS: “Shabooh Shoobah Rarities”
This new collection consists of 11 rare B-sides, remixes and live performances from the 1982 breakthrough album by INXS “Shabooh Shoobah.” Limited to 4,000 copies, it includes extended versions of “The One Thing” and “Black & White,” selections from the band’s performance at the 1982 US Festival along with other rare tracks that have been out-of-print on vinyl since the early 1980s.
• NAS: “I Am …The Autobiography”
Originally, the 1999 third album from Nas was to be a two-LP set titled “I Am …The Autobiography.” Tracks from it kept leaking though, so the iconic Brooklyn rapper shortened it to a single LP and dropped “The Autobiography.” Now the heavily bootlegged version is being released commercially for the first time, featuring two unreleased tracks, as well as many other rarities that have been on limited vinyl and 12 inch previously. The two-LP set is limited to 4,100 copies.
• The Flaming Lips: “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots: Live at the Paradise Lounge, Boston, Oct. 27, 2002”
Three months after the release of their classic album “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” the Flaming Lips played a small club show at The Paradise Lounge in Boston for local alternative radio station WBOS. The small crowd of contest winners and invited fans were treated to a 40-minute set that included “Do You Realize??” and “Fight Test,” plus covers of Pink Floyd’s “Lucifer Sam” and Beck’s “The Golden Age.” This is the first release on vinyl and is limited to 4,500 copies on 140-gram pink vinyl.
• Cal Tjader: “Catch the Groove: Live At the Penthouse 1963–1967”
This set marks the first official release of previously unissued live Cal Tjader music in nearly 20 years and is a collection of previously unreleased live recordings from the vibraphonist Cal Tjader recorded at the Penthouse, a jazz club in Seattle. Limited to 2,000 copies, it pulls from six different performances, recorded by Seattle radio DJ Jim Wilke and broadcast live. The deluxe three-LP set comes on 180-gram vinyl and includes an extensive booklet with rare photos, essays and interviews.
• Various Artists: “Written in Their Soul- the Hits: The Stax Songwriter Demos”
As the home to soul superstars like Otis Redding and The Staple Singers, Stax Records boasted an incredible roster of top-notch songwriters in its heyday, generating a steady stream of unforgettable songs. Earlier this year, Craft Recordings celebrated the work of those often-unsung heroes with the release of “Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos,” a seven-disc box set featuring 146 demos — 140 previously unreleased — from Stax’s A-list songwriting team. Now comes a selection of highlights from that box set, allowing fans to experience the pure unbridled magic captured in the demos to 13 original demos of hit singles such as “6345789 (Soulsville, USA),” “If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me),” “Woman to Woman,” and “Respect Yourself.” Limited to 5,000 units worldwide, the compilation has been pressed on “orange crush” vinyl.
• Jeff Beck: “Tribute”
ATCO/Rhino honors the late two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s immeasurable legacy with an EP of three songs making their debut on vinyl. Side one of “Tribute” includes “Midnight Walker Lament,” which combines the instrumental “Midnight Walker” from “18” — Beck’s 2022 album with Johnny Depp — with a spoken word poem by Imelda May and a live version of “Elegy for Dunkirk,” featuring Beck and singer Olivia Safe. The second side sees a blistering live version of “Going Down,” recorded in Paris with the
axe-slinger backed by bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Jonathan Joseph, vocalist Jimmy Hall and additional guitarist Carmen Vandenberg.
• Souls of Mischief: “93 ‘Til Infinity [The Remixes]”
A timeless hip-hop classic, Souls of Mischief’s hit song “93 ‘Til Infinity” was released in February 1993, serving as the second single from their debut album of the same name. A remarkable feat of lyricism, the track stands out from much of the harder hip-hop that was prevalent in the era. Subtly jazzy and melodic, the song drags listeners in with its winding rhymes seeing four MCs combine forces to illustrate the power of hip-hop boasting. To celebrate 30 years of “93 ‘Til Infinity,” this two-LP set of classic remixes and more
are available on vinyl for the first time ever and limited to 1,800 copies.
Vinyl of the Week will return in December.
To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to [email protected]. Also, check out his website at thechroniclesofmc.com.
