You can’t do right for doing wrong sometimes – the supporters of Record Store Day widely hail the good it does for both fans of music and independent record stores; the naysayers complain that major labels have hijacked the event, thereby clogging up record pressing plants which in turn prevent small labels getting their standard releases made, while dedicated collectors moan that scalpers buy up releases purely to sell at inflated prices online.
We’re firmly in the former camp, anything that helps indie record stores and gets more music out there is good by us. The releases for Black Friday’s Record Store Day (the wayward cousin of the main event) throws up the traditional surprises and opportunities to buy some sumptuous repackaging.
We’re particularly pleased to see releases of Twisted Sister’s “Twisted Christmas”; out-there violinist Papa John Creech; a three-slab package of Sun Ra, and a Baby Groot shaped picture disc.
See the full list below and start queuing outside your favourite store now: