As was the case last year mid-pandemic, indie music lovers' favorite national holiday, Record Store Day, has been split into multiple installments this year starting Saturday (followed by a July 17 segment). Also a repeat from prior years: Minnesota music legends Prince and the Replacements have some of the most noteworthy limited-edition LPs arriving for the occasion — both part of Saturday's "drops" roster.
In Prince's case, Sony Legacy is issuing 13,000 vinyl copies of his mostly acoustic album "The Truth," originally part of 1998's "Crystal Ball" CD box set and long a favorite of collectors.
Meanwhile, Rhino/Warner Bros. Records is pushing out 6,000 copies of "The Pleasure's All Yours: Pleased to Meet Me Outtakes & Alternates," a condensed 12-song alternative to last year's expansive "Pleased to Meet Me" box set from the Replacements.
Mill City Sound in Hopkins is one of the many Twin Cities shops that will open early (9 a.m.) on Saturday after ordering both those sets and hundreds more. But the store operators warned, "We will know just how many we will actually receive when our final shipments come in on Friday."
Here's a rundown of 10 highlights on the list of RSD drops that you can try to get your hands on Saturday. The July 17 list includes more from John Prine, Björk, the Allman Brothers, Charlie Parker and another Minnesota music vet, Joey Molland of Badfinger fame.
- Prince, "The Truth." Though not entirely acoustic, it's an unusually intimate collection Prince made all by his lonesome featuring such songs as "3rd Eye" and "The Other Side of the Pillow."
- The Replacements, "The Pleasure's All Yours: Pleased to Meet Me Outtakes & Alternates." Just as Rhino did with the "Inconcerated" spin-off from the "Dead Man's Pop" box set last year, here's a cheaper alternative for fans who want cult-loved outtakes like "Birthday Gal" and "Beer for Breakfast" on vinyl without paying for yet another version of the original "Pleased to Meet Me" album.
- Bob Dylan, "Jokerman / I and I Remixes." A 12-inch vinyl single featuring two versions of each track made extra-groovy by reggae/dub mix master Doctor Dread. Could be a fun — albeit maybe a tad goofy — collectible.
- St. Vincent, "Piggy / Sad But True." A 7-inch single featuring the ever-adventurous Annie Clark covering Nine Inch Nails and Metallica.
- Haim, "Gasoline." Taylor Swift guests on this remixed album cut by the L.A. sister band, featured on blue 7-inch vinyl.
- Beastie Boys, "Aglio e Olio." The hip-hop trio's limited-release return-to-punk EP from 1995 is being issued on 180-gram vinyl with bonus tracks.
- Candi Staton, "Trouble, Heartaches And Sadness (The Lost Fame Sessions Masters)." Among the unreleased tracks from the forever-underrated Alabama soul/R&B singer's 1968-1974 sessions are versions of "Do Right Woman" and "Jolene."
- Black Sabbath, "Heaven & Hell" and "Mob Rules." The mighty Ronnie James Dio-era albums are getting the picture-disc treatment at 4,000 copies apiece.
- L7, "The Beauty Process — Triple Platinum." The platinum-colored 25th anniversary vinyl edition of this LP should prove the grunge rockers had been unfairly written off as one-hitters by the time it arrived in 1996.
- "Donny Hathaway Live." One of the most-revered live albums of all time is being newly pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
See the full list of RSD special releases at recordstoreday.com. The website also offers a list of all the participating record stores around Minnesota. Note: Roadrunner Records and Rock Paper Scissors both relocated to new Minneapolis locations during the pandemic (4534 Nicollet Av. S. and 2403 Lyndale Av. S., respectively), and SolSta Records moved out to St. Louis Park (6006 Excelsior Blvd.).
Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658
@ChrisRstrib
