ListenUp: Record Store Day
Our look at the special releases and limited editions stemming from the vinyl-focused biannual holiday
The Replacements: All Shook Down
Forming in the final year of the ’70s in Minneapolis, Minnesota, The Replacements ushered in the ’80s with their critically-acclaimed (if commercially unsuccessful) American indie rock sound. In 1990, a year before disbanding, they released the stripped-down album All Shook Down, which, likely due to the band’s cassette-tape obsessed fan base at the time, was never pressed on vinyl. For Record Store Day’s Back to Black Friday celebration, the cult-loved LP has been remastered from the original analog tapes and will be available for the first time on vinyl in a limited edition of 3,000.
Grateful Dead: Family Dog at the Great Highway
On April 18, 1970, the Grateful Dead took a break from incessant touring and returned to their stomping ground of San Francisco to play an all-acoustic show at local promoter Chet Williams’ small venue, known as Family Dog at the Great Highway (FDGH). The show was thought to go unrecorded, until this May, when Carolyn Garcia—a Merry Prankster better known as Mountain Girl—discovered she had the reels. Billing themselves as Mickey Hart and His Heartbeats and Bobby Ace and His Cards From the Bottom Of The Deck, the Dead performed an 80-minute, 17-song set called Family Dog at the Great Highway which will now be released by Rhino in a limited pressing of 7,500 vinyl copies.
Nas: Halftime
Before Nas became the legendary MC that he is today, the inimitable rapper went by the slightly harsher (if not more lyrically correct) moniker, Nasty Nas. In ’92 the young up-and-comer was tapped to contribute his song “Halftime” to the soundtrack of the Oliver Stone-directed film, “Zebrahead,” and his first single was born. As the story goes, his successful debut led to a record deal with Columbia and subsequently, his highly influential landmark album, Illmatic. For RSD, the original “Halftime” track will be reproduced on 12″ vinyl, along with an instrumental version and a B-side remix by veteran producer Joe The Butcher.
Harry Nilsson: Rarities Collection
While wildly known for his Kermit-approved tune, “Coconut,” Harry Nilsson’s true brilliance is oddly not that widely celebrated outside of music nerd circles (also despite his Beatles backing). But for those who love the Bushwick-born artist, RSD’s special Rarities Collection release will stand as a sought-after vinyl edition for years to come. Containing a collection of songs culled from his magnificent 17-CD box set and previously unreleased demos and radio spots, this collection of obscure songs, pressed on 180g vinyl and individually numbered, is Nilsson in both it music and style.
Zabriskie Point Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
A cult-classic counterculture film by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni (of “Blowup” fame), “Zabriskie Point” is heralded for both its cinematography and stellar soundtrack, which ultimately inspired the Pink Floyd song, “Us and Them.” The RSD release is an expanded double LP version containing four songs not featured on the already-incredible original release, which includes a variety of prominent ’70s musicians like Jerry Garcia, The Youngbloods, influential fingerstyle guitarist John Fahey and more. This edition of the Zabriskie Point Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is printed in a release of just 4,000 from Water Tower Music.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that takes a deeper look at the music we tweeted about that week. Often we’ll include a musician or notable fan’s surprising personal interests—#PrivateJam exposes their musical guilty pleasure.
