Record Store Day 2016: David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Metallica Lead Releases
The organizers of Record Store Day have once again lined up an array of exclusive releases for the retail event, set for April 16th. Independent music stores this year will be offering unique and interesting offerings from David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Johnny Cash, Madonna and others.
A trio of vinyl Bowie releases include a picture disc of the late singer’s 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World, featuring rare artwork from the German release, a picture-disc seven-inch of “TVC15,” with the single edit on the A side backed with Harry Maslen’s mix of “Wild Is the Wind” and the 12-inch EP I Dig Everything, containing six songs Bowie recorded in 1966.
Dylan’s exclusive is a 7-inch EP titled Melancholy Mood that was previously available only in Japan. The tracks — “Melancholy Mood,” “All or Nothing at All,” “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “That Old Black Magic” — will appear on Dylan’s upcoming album of standards, Fallen Angels.
This year’s Record Store Day Ambassadors Metallica are issuing Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica!, a CD of their 2003 Bataclan performance to raise money for charity. And Johnny Cash fans will see the release of two full-lengths: the self-explanatory Best of the Johnny Cash Show and Sun Records reissue All Aboard the Blue Train.
Other notable releases include Madonna’s reissued Like a Virgin and Other Hits, which originally came out in Japan in 1984, Patti Smith’s Horses Live at Electric Lady Studios, recorded last year, and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention’s “My Guitar” 7-inch, which contains an alternate version of the Weasels Ripped My Flesh tune. Also, the Doors’ first-ever performance, a two-night stand at Hollywood’s Aquarius Theater, will come out as a three-LP set with the title Live at the Aquarius: The First Performance.
A number of artists are putting out special live releases for the event. Muse will issue a seven-inch containing a previously unreleased live version of “Reapers,” Death Cab for Cutie has a seven-inch that includes a live cover of Guided by Voices’ “Tractor Rape Chain,” Alt-J are offering Live at Red Rocks and Halestorm are putting out Into the Wild Live: Chicago, which also includes studio tracks. The Grateful Dead have prepared a four-LP set with the descriptive title Capitol Theatre, Passaic NJ 4/25/77. And a tribute to Iggy Pop featuring Mike McCready, Duff McKagan, Mark Arm and Barrett Martin will get a 12-inch release.
Other musicians have wholly new records planned for the day. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante will put out a new EP, Foregrow, which contains music inspired by John Carpenter scores and Chicago footwork. Run the Jewels have VRTJ, a virtual cardboard viewer. Rob Zombie has a sampling of songs from his upcoming Electric Warlock Acid Witch album titled Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O.
Elsewhere, Florence and the Machine have a special demo of their song “Delilah,” backed with a cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” on a seven-inch. Flaming Lips have an alternate mix of Clouds Taste Metallic titled Lightning Strikes the Postman. Death-metal jokers Brujeria have Viva Presidente Trump!, a collection of four, colored-vinyl seven-inches, which, when put together, replicate the Mexican flag. And Ramones are putting out a never-before-released 1975 demo of “Judy Is a Punk” on a seven-inch.
Notable reissues include the Rockin’ Vickers “Dandy” 7-inch, which captures an early recording of future Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister playing guitar, the Kinks’ Mister Pleasant, Elvis Presley’s I’m Leaving and Justin Bieber’s Purpose, which will be a 12-inch picture-disc.
A couple of recently released box sets will see special vinyl releases made from their bonus discs for Record Store Day. Fleetwood Mac’s alternate version of Tusk will now be available as a stand-alone release, and Alanis Morissette’s Nineties demos, from her deluxe edition of Jagged Little Pill, are getting a release.
Finally, Record Store Day has commissioned a number of releases honoring Disquaire Day, the French version of the event, as a means to highlight the musical connection between the U.S.A. and France. In Alongside Metallica’s Bataclan CD, Anthrax will release “Antisocial,” a cover of French heavy metallers Trust, who will now back their own “In the End.” Twenty One Pilots have a special release titled Double-Sided as part of the series and the Doors will put out a live version of “Roadhouse Blues” backed with “A Fest of Friends.”