Ever year on a random Saturday in April, thousands of record nerds wake up at the crack of dawn and head to their local independent record shop. Some don’t even sleep at all and camp out with lawn chairs and coolers full of beer in the middle of the night. They eagerly wait for the store’s doors to open, and it’s more chaotic than a bunch of dads in Best Buy on Black Friday.
An event that celebrates independent record stores, special releases are made exclusively each year. Last week, the site announced their list of 2018 releases–a whopping 500 of them. Compiled below is a list of the absolute must-haves—from rereleases to live albums to records released for the very first time.
1. Ben Kweller – Sha Sha
Indie artist Ben Kweller released his debut album Sha Sha in 2000. The cover of Kweller brushing his teeth is an image I hold very dear to my heart. I listened to it almost every day on my iPod during my sophomore year of high school, especially the song “Falling,” in which the piano intro made health class all the more bearable. Eighteen years later, the hilarious single “Wasted and Ready” holds up—lyrics like “sex reminds her of eating spaghetti” is surprisingly still charming and witty. Sha Sha hasn’t been pressed on vinyl since 2002, and it’s listed on Discogs for nearly $200 a pop. Pressed on white vinyl, this Record Store Day release will finally make it available to fans everywhere.
2. David Bowie – Various
Since the Thin White Duke’s death in 2016, a ton of his albums have been rereleased. This Record Store Day brings more. A 3xLP set of Welcome to the Blackout (Live London ’78) will be released. There’s also a fantastic 12” single of “Let’s Dance,” with the full-length demo lasting 7 minutes and 34 seconds. A 1977 promo compilation Bowie Now will see its first commercial release on white vinyl. Lastly, Bowie’s self-titled debut album will be pressed in red and blue in a 2XLP set.
3. Led Zeppelin – “Friends”/”Rock and Roll”
It’s time to let the Led out. Produced by guitarist Jimmy Page, a yellow 7” single will be released, featuring unreleased versions of “Rock and Roll” and “Friends.”
At the center of the vinyl is a shaped adapter to play the single. Robert Plant will do just about anything before reuniting Led Zeppelin, so it’s unsurprising that he’s chosen to release a Honeydrippers single, a band he formed in 1981 post-Zep. The two songs are “Impeach the President’ and “They Monkey That Became President.” Though they were released during the Nixon era, it seems awfully reminiscent of our current president.
4. Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead – Dylan & the Dead
It seems unreal now that in 1987 Bob Dylan went on tour with the Grateful Dead. The album Dylan & the Dead was released in 1989, featuring seven Dylan songs accompanied by the Dead, such as “Slow Train” and “Queen Jane Approximately” (his first ever-live performance of the latter).
Though the album received extremely poor reviews at the time, fans of both legendary acts have begun to favor it in recent years. In typical Dead fashion, the album is being released on red and blue tie-dye vinyl. As if this wasn’t enough for Deadheads, RSD will also be releasing Fillmore West 1969 for the first time on vinyl.
5. Neil Young – Tonight’s The Night Live At The Roxy 
Last but not least, Neil Young will be releasing Tonight’s The Night Live At The Roxy—his first live performance of his 1975 album Tonight’s The Night. Taking place at the Roxy Theater in 1973, this album has been long-awaited by Young fans for years, who will finally be able to hear the drunken raps Young performed that were cut on the studio album. Read more about it here.
