RSD 2018 : Early Bird Gets The Weird-Shaped Vinyl

Posted on by J. Hubner

Every year when Record Store Day comes around I find myself in bed around 6:30 am on a Saturday morning wondering if I really want to get up out of bed and venture to a record shop and wait in the cold. With each passing birthday and newly sore muscle and joint I really ponder whether I’m gonna jump in the van and celebrate this thing called Record Store Day. This year was no different and like every year before it I grumble and moan out of bed, throw on some clothes and put on a hat to cover my balding head and make my way to that chilly line in front of the record shop and wait till 8am. The doors open and everyone makes their way into the warm record shop and like sharks we attack those milk crates full of exclusive records. The moaning subsides as I leaf through and find things I wanted and things I didn’t realize I wanted until they meet my eyes. I mingle with others, talk to the record store owners, and have a sense of ease and calm come over me. I’m then happy I rolled out of my warm bed where my lovely wife and little dog keep on quietly sleeping and dreaming.

This year was no different.

No grand gestures here, no contemplative thesis on the meaning of vinyl and what it means to me. I leave the warm embrace of a Saturday morning in bed so I can share a few moments with strangers and grab records I can then return to home with and spin them as I sip on a cup of coffee and talk to my wife who sits on the couch listening with me.

I think that says it all, folks.

What did you pick up?

20 thoughts on “RSD 2018 : Early Bird Gets The Weird-Shaped Vinyl”

      1. Felt pretty happy about it since I didn’t get up early or stand in line. I just hoped for the best and got what I got.

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      1. It’s a funny kind of camaraderie, where you chat very pleasantly to someone knowing full well that if it came to it you’d both kill the other with scissors for that limited edition box set. Without any qualms at all.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. It’s a funny dynamic on RSD ‘I like you, but I’ll stab you to death with scissors if it’s me, or you, for the Def Leppard picture disc’.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Great job at summing up what RSD and getting out of bed feels like. This year I was more motivated than in the past.

    Arcade Fire – EP
    Bobbie Gentry – Live at the BBC
    The National – Boxer Live in Brussels
    Mac Demarco – Old Dog Demos
    Johnny Cash – Early Singles
    The Flaming Lips – YumYum/Bear in your ear
    Sufjan Stevens – Tonya Harding
    Neil Young – Tonight’s the Night at Roxy

    I bought a little more than usual this year. The last few RSD’s didn’t appeal to me much, but this year was the first time i felt excited about it in a while and I got all that was on my list.

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    1. Wow what a great haul! Nice job! Was this all from the same spot or did you hit a couple places? I haven’t pulled an RSD haul like that in a long time.

      Thanks for sharing!

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      1. Yeah this was my first time I’ve stocked up like this in a while. I got the Arcade Fire, Bobbie Gentry and National albums on my first stop. I went on a mission after that to find the Demarco album and I did. Along with a few others.

        What surprised me was that Neil Young in my first 2 stops was the popular item. Sold out immediately. I hit a smaller shop on the way home and he had 5 copies of it left and he was shocked that he didn’t sell any. My gain, but he wonders if Neil’s recent albums have started to have an effect on his new release sales.

        I’ve listened to them all except for Neil Young (that’s the afternoon plan). The Lips should’ve made a full album out of what they did here. I prefer pop Lips tunes. Boxer is given some energy and brought to life with the crowd and live improvisations. I wrestled with whether this would sound just like the studio album and I was pleasantly surprise. The clear smoky vinyl wax doesn’t hurt it either. Arcade Fire is one of the nicest blue albums i own. Demarco came on orange and is a perfect chill album. The instrumentals will be great music while working. And Bobbie Gentry feels like my steal. Such a great recording and collection, I just wish it came with a download.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sounds like you hit the jackpot. The Lips seem to always have something interesting each year. I know they also teamed up with Dogfish Head and made a beer. Might’ve been a beer-filled record, too.

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Published by J. Hubner

Complex Distractions is a little corner of the universe where music and conversation reign supreme. Intellectual discussions and essays written about heady records, both big and small, that despite what you might think can truly change your life. Spinning the records for the good of mankind.