RSD Essentials
General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners
General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Silver Streak LP]
Vinyl: $33.99 PREORDER
Various Artists
Barbie The Album [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Clear w/Pink & Blue Splatter LP - Ken Cover]
Vinyl: $32.99 PREORDER
"Indie Exclusive * “Lovage” is defined as “an herb that is said to be a benefit for relieving abdominal pains due to gastrointestinal gas…also touted to reduce flatulence when consumed as a tea.” But when placed in the able hands of sonic mastermind Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, recording under the guise of musical lothario Nathaniel Merriweather, the result is a concept album of “music to make love to your old lady by.” With the help of collaborators such as Mike Patton (vocals), Jennifer Charles (vocals) and Kid Koala (turntables), Merriweather serves as your personal guide to the sensual side of life, painting a satirical, darkly funny portrait of love and sex with left-field hip-hop and instrumentals as only he can do."
Eramus Hall
Your Love Is My Desire [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Red LP]
Junior Wells
In My Younger Days [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Natural Opaque LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 PREORDER
Elaine Brown
Seize The Time - Black Panther Party [RSD Essential Indie Colorway White Marble LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 PREORDER
Sean Price & M-Phazes
Land of the Crooks [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Neon Green Color-in-Color w/Smoke LP]
Vinyl: $28.99 PREORDER
Vince Guaraldi
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Jellybean Green LP]
Vinyl: $32.99 PREORDER
Fatboy Slim
You've Come A Long Way Baby [RSD Essential Half-Speed Mastered 2LP]
Vinyl: $52.99 PREORDER
RSD Essential 048 * 40th Anniversary Pressing * In 1983, Cyndi Lauper’s debut album, She’s So Unusual quickly became a worldwide sensation. Its legacy has lived on 40 years later as one of the most iconic albums of its time. Including smash hits, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “She Bop” and more, this exclusive 40th anniversary edition comes on opaque blue vinyl, available only through RSD Essentials.
Ol' Burger Beats
Out of Sight, Out of Mind [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Black Ice LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 PREORDER
Ol’ Burger Beats is the alias of Ole-Birger Neergård, a Norwegian hip-hop producer, dee jay and record collector that hails from Vatne, Norway. Earning accolades over the years from the likes of Pitchfork, Mass Appeal, Okayplayer and more, the talented beatsmith has been compared by critics to the likes of Pete Rock and J.Dilla. Out of Sight, Out Of Mind marks Burger’s third full length effort, comprised predominantly of instrumental tracks and remixes that are sprinkled with verses from the likes of Illa J, Oliver The 2nd, Chester Watson, Kent Loon, Ivan Ave and Quelle Chris. Originally released in August of 2018 via HHV and limited to just 250 copies, the album was met with much acclaim and helped further establish Ol’ Burger Beats as one of the more elite producers in today’s hip-hop/jazz landscape.
Coheed and Cambria
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 [RSD Essential Lavender 2LP]
Vinyl: $45.99 PREORDER
RSD Essential 045 * First time on colored vinyl & includes 4 BONUS TRACKS * 311’s debut studio album ‘Music’ celebrates 30 years. Newly remastered and expanded on translucent orange vinyl and a specialized Pearl embossed cover. Includes 4 demos on vinyl for the first time.
RSD Essential 043 * Includes 4 Bonus Tracks* Celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Neighbourhood's debut album "I Love You." with the new 180g 2-LP exclusively at Independent Record Stores as an RSD Essentials title. The new edition includes bonus tracks from the EPs "Thank You" and "I'm Sorry..." as well as the band’s hit songs "Sweater Weather" and “Afraid.”
Celebrate the 5th anniversary of Leon Bridges Grammy-winning album Good Thing. The limited-edition title features a custard color variant, the original track list, and a bonus track “Naomi” originally released on the 2018 Japan Edition. Good Thing was nominated for Best R&B Album, and the track “Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand” won Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
Story Of The Year
Page Avenue [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Insomnia Beer + Black Smoke w/White Splatter LP]
Vinyl: $29.99 Buy
Indie Exclusive * Few records helped build the post-hardcore scene as swiftly as the Story Of The Year’s debut, Page Avenue. Featuring hits like “Until The Day I Die,” “Anthem Of Our Dying Day,” and “Sidewalks,” Page Avenue was one of the first albums of its kind to sell a million copies and cemented Story Of The Year’s place in the genre. The album peaked at number 1 and number 51 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart Billboard 200 respectively and has since been certified Platinum in the United States. Singles “Until The Day I Die" charted at number 12 on the Alternative Songs chart and “Anthem of Our Dying Day” at number 10 on Modern Rock Tracks.
Charlie Rich
I Hear Those Blues: Rich In Stereo [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Ultra Clear w/Sea Blue Splatter LP]
Vinyl: $34.99 Buy
Gil Scott-Heron
Legend In His Own Mind [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Green 2LP]
Vinyl: $39.99 Buy
Walt Disney Studio's Presents
Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Smoke LP]
Vinyl: $31.99 Buy
Indie Exclusive * The 1979 updated collection of spooky sound effects. Available on vinyl for the first time in decades on translucent smoke color vinyl
Indie Exclusive * BRAD, which featured Stone Gossard (of Pearl Jam) and Shawn Smith (of Satchel and Pigeonhed), reissue is a classic from 1993. This 30th Anniversary album has been remastered. Recorded in October 1992 in 17 days at Avast Recording in Seattle Washington. featuring soft, nocturnal rock, giddy rhythms and glossy funk jams. Smith is an unusual vocalist even without the grunge influences of Brad’s circle of friends, like Gossard and Jeff Ament’s Green River or Regan and Andrew Wood’s Malfunkshun, Smith’s honeyed falsetto starts to sound like the song of another species altogether.
Alejandro Jodorowsky
The Holy Mountain (Original Soundtrack) [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Cloud & Blue Sky 2LP]
Indie Exclusive * 50th Anniversary Edition * When Jodorowsky wanted, in his words, “another kind of music—something that wasn’t entertainment, something that wasn’t a show, something that went to the soul, something profound,” for the soundtrack to The Holy Mountain, jazz legend Don Cherry and crack studio musician (and one-time member of the Archies) Ron Frangipane came forward to share composing and, along with Jodorowsky, conducting duties. The result was a score that is every bit as hallucinatory as the fantastic visual imagery in the film itself. A cornucopia of musical styles that range from deep, primordial chants, to sitar folk melodies, to blaring orchestral riffs and romantic string arrangements provide the perfect aural accompaniment to a film that follows the philosophical and spiritual journey of its protagonist.
Indie Exclusive * First time on vinyl * The Game's follow-up to the Dr. Dre produced, The Documentary was 2006’s G.A.M.E. He preaches the hardcore gospel with as much fervor as its predecessor, serving up narratives of street hustling hardships as gritty and lean as any of his contemporaries. The sound is still steeped in Dre's trademark languid, hazy G-funk grooves, as the opener "Anything You Ask For" proves. A successor to Compton's rap heritage, yet fresh and contemporary enough to make his own mark, the Game is the voice of the next generation of West Coast hardcore. Originally released on Get Low Recordz and has guest features with JT the Bigga Figga, Bootleg & Shoestring.
Indie Exclusive * Visionary artist Augustus Pablo is among the most important figures in reggae history. Widely credited with popularizing the use of the melodica in reggae, Pablo was a talented musician and an innovative producer who became an early dub pioneer. Now regarded as classics, his memorable 1970s recordings were part of the remarkable creative surge that vaulted the Jamaican music scene to international prominence. Much of this material was released by Rockers, an independent record label founded by Pablo and named after his popular Kingston sound system. Now, Nature Sounds is proud to present Roots, Rockers, & Dub, a new Augustus Pablo vinyl collection celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rockers. Featuring classic dubs along with rare and out-of-print tracks, the album captures Pablo’s immense contribution to roots reggae by highlighting a wealth of material spanning his entire career, all released on Rockers. Fully remastered and released in partnership with the Pablo family, Roots, Rockers, & Dub is a fitting tribute to an artist whose music still reverberates heavily more than two decades after his passing.
50th Anniversary Edition. Fresh expands and brightens the slow grooves of There's a Riot Goin' On, turning them, for the most part, into friendly, welcoming rhythms. Fresh winds up more varied, musically and lyrically, which may not make it as unified, but it does result in more traditional funk that certainly is appealing in its own right. It finds Sly precisely balancing funk and pop, creating an album that wound up being his last masterwork and one of the great funk albums of its era. A documentary on Sly & The Family Stone, directed by Questlove, is tentatively scheduled for 2023.
RSD Essential 039 * The Avett Brothers' 2007 release "Emotionalism" is the album that caught the attention of legendary producer Rick Rubin and got him to sign the band to their first major studio. "Emotionalism" also was their first album to crack the charts. Full of new Folk, Blues and Bluegrass riffs for a modern world, it is a lively take on everything from romance to paranoia. Of course, they still kick in some solid Rock 'N' Roll for good measure.
Indie Exclusive * First time on colored vinyl * TRST, the debut self-titled record from Robert Alfons and Maya Postepski, features tales of lust, wax, and erotomania carried along on a dense black vapor of speed, space and tears. TRST's "malevolent, sexy synth-pop" (Pitchfork) erupted out of Toronto's fertile underground music scene alongside darkwave contemporaries Crystal Castles and Austra. Lead by Alfons' otherworldly, gender-bending vocals and Postepski's genre-defying production, the album deftly moves across electronic pop, industrial, trance, and more. After two singles on Sacred Bones Records, TRST signed to Arts & Crafts for the album's release with accolades pouring in from outlets like NME, Pitchfork, and Under The Radar. To date, the album has sold 30,000 units in the US.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
The Transcription Recordings [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Mint Green LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 Buy
Corrosion Of Conformity
Live Volume [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Transparent Red 2LP]
Vinyl: $39.99 Buy
Corrosion Of Conformity
In the Arms of God [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Natural 2LP]
Vinyl: $39.99 Buy
RSD Essential 041 - ‘There Goes Rhymin' Simon’ is Paul’s Simon’s third solo studio album and one of his most critically acclaimed and beloved releases. Partly recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Studio, it shows Paul exploring a variety of musical textures in classic songs like “Kodachrome”, “Take Me To The Mardi Gras”, “Loves Me Like A Rock” and “American Tune.” The album was nominated for Grammy Album Of The Year and this 50th Anniversary RSD Essentials version is pressed on opaque orange vinyl.
RSD Essential 037 * Includes a bonus 7" - Live in Bonnaroo 2013 - exclusive to this pressing * From the band - We self produced/recorded this album in a room with no heat in the middle of winter. We never expected you, the person who is reading this, would ever hear it. I think that’s really part of the magic of it.
Recorded at Ardent Studios and released in 1972, the album has gone on to become one of the most influential and iconic debut albums of all time. This 50th-anniversary edition is pressed on 180-gram metallic gold with purple smoke vinyl and features all-analog mastering by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl. The album has been included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, with the song “Thirteen” featured in its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The Dillinger Escape Plan
One Of Us Is The Killer [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Silver w/Ultra Clear Galaxy 2LP]
Vinyl: $38.99 Buy
Corrosion Of Conformity
America's Volume Dealer [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Clear w/White Swirl LP]
Indie Exclusive * Bonus Tracks! * Sally Cinnamon is acknowledged as the first release in the style which would come to be recognized as the Stone Roses' trademark sound. This EP includes 12" single mix, all the B Sides and additional live tracks. This is the first time this new configuration has ever been released. Exclusive Red heavy weight 180 gsm Vinyl. Half-speed mastered to the highest possible quality and DMM – Direct Metal Mastered with protective polypropylene inner bag. There will be other colored variants in the marketplace 90 days after this is released.
The New Dawn
There's A New Dawn [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Orange Metallic Swirl LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 Buy
"Indie Exclusive * After being highly sought after by collectors, Jackpot Records is proud to release this definitive reissue. The New Dawn’s “There’s A New Dawn” is hailed as one of the rarest and best psych/garage private press albums to come out of the late 60s/ early 70s. Fuzz guitar, minor-chord organ dirges, monumental bass are the calling cards of this private press gem. Includes full download with 4 bonus tracks. "
"Indie Exclusive * First time on vinyl * Although it is not actually a group album, RZA is the executive producer for the album, and it features several members of the Wu-Tang Clan collaborating with New York hip hop veterans; AZ, Kool G Rap, M.O.P., Sadat X, Sean Price, Cormega, Masta Ace, and Havoc of Mobb Deep. The album also includes several philosophical spoken word tracks from the RZA. The album's production features live instrumentation by Brooklyn soul band, The Revelations. Chamber Music has a sound inspired by classic soul and kung fu imagery that resembles the signature Wu-Tang Clan sound. RZA “This album has a very live element of today’s musicians playing the vibe of Wu-Tang. The vibe we would normally sample, the vibe of things that we would accumulate through old soul songs, jazz songs, kung fu movies, whatever, now you’ve got musicians that can play this vibe with Wu-Tang MCs rapping over it. The goal of this album is definitely paying homage to our early sound.” "
Indie Exclusive * First repress since the original in 2001. Copies on Discogs sell for well over $100. Weird Revolution is the eighth studio album by the band, released on Surfdog Records and Hollywood Records. It is in large part a rerecorded version of an earlier album, tentatively entitled After the Astronaut, that was abandoned in 1998. The Surfers teeter on the brink of conventional rock values. However, throughout the album, singer Gibby Haynes drives the proverbial truck into the ditch with rambling psychotic speeches.
Indie Exclusive * Third album from former Temptations member David Ruffin, the LP made it into the US R&B Top Five in 1973. David Ruffin was ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 for his work with The Temptations. Marvin Gaye once said admiringly of Ruffin: “I heard in [his voice] a strength my own voice lacked.”
Newly Remastered - 50TH Anniversary Edition. Bill Withers' Live At Carnegie Hall was recorded 50 years ago on a rainy Friday evening, but it is still regarded as one of the best live performances in the history of Soul music. With beautiful renditions of his classics "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Grandma's Hands" and of course his biggest hit "Lean On Me", this shouldn't come as a surprise. Withers' brand of melancholy Soul plucks at your heartstrings and creates a wistful yearning, but it is still one of the most uplifting pieces of music you will ever find.
Various Artists
Late Night Count Basie [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Turquoise LP]
Vinyl: $29.99 Buy
After making tsunami level waves in the industry after his 6 track appearance on Dr. Dre’s latest album, Compton–Los Angeles’s Anderson .Paak returns with his brand new LP, Malibu. After a whirlwind of press, accolades, performances and studio sessions with greats, Anderson .Paak took all those experiences and stirred them into his pot to formulate the silky-smooth Malibu album. The follow-up to 2014’s Venice features appearances from The Game, ScHoolboy Q, Talib Kweli, Rapsody, and BJ The Chicago Kid. The sonic backdrop to the album was provided by some of today’s hottest producers from 9th Wonder, Kaytranada, Madlib, Hi-Tek, RobertGlasper, DJ Khalil and more. With the good Dr.’s co-sign, Anderson’s talent, and his captivating live show, Malibu is sure to make Anderson .Paak a household name very soon.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ESSENTIAL Iggy & The Stooges- Raw Power we’re proud to offer the pressing on gold vinyl. Includes both the original 1973 David Bowie mix and the 1997 remix of the album.
RSD Essential 036 * Think Indie Exclusive * The Offspring preserve the essential ingredients of their chosen genre--guitars grinding out three chords, shouted vocals, and plenty of vitriol--and layer them over a melodic base that packs considerable popular appeal. The singles from Smash, the Offspring's breakthrough album, still receive considerable radio airplay: "Gotta Get Away," "Come Out and Play," and "Self Esteem." With these and Smash's 11 other tracks, the band chronicles the adolescent experience with clarity and surprisingly incisive wit. That pretty much describes all of their albums, but this is the one to get. It's got more shape than their earlier material and isn't as disturbingly poppy as their more recent recordings; it's the perfect blend of riffs and rage. Smash is the best-selling independent album of all time with over 20 million sold worldwide. Alongside Rancid’s And Out Come the Wolves and Green Day’s Dookie, Smash signaled the arrival of punk rock as a commercial force upon it’s initial release in 1994.
Mystic
Cuts For Luck And Scars For Freedom [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Black Ice 2LP + Ruby Red 7in]
Vinyl: $59.99 Buy
First Time on Colored vinyl. Following a decade of stagnation and waning interest, legendary singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, who masked his soft side with his sarcastic, lyrical prose, entered the new millennium with his acclaimed 10th studio album Life'll Kill Ya. Though the album predated Zevon's fatal cancer diagnosis by two years, its title track, as well as standout cuts like "My Shit's Fucked Up" and "Don't Let Us Get Sick," brought the album critical praise as a "mournful lament on the aging process and the inevitable decay that accompanies it." Available now for the first time on colored vinyl. Ship To Shore PhonoCo's reissue of Life'll Kill Ya features expanded liner notes and rare photos from Jorge Calderón, Zevon's son, Jordan, and Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith. Other highlights include "Porcelain Monkey," which puts Elvis Presley in Zevon's sardonic crosshairs, a cover of Steve Winwood's "Back In The High Life Again" sounds as if it were written for Zevon, and "Fistful of Rain" is a melodious examination of the fickle nature of fame. Engineered as a comeback vehicle, co-produced by Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade (the producing duo responsible for Radiohead's Pablo Honey), Zevon's songwriting collaborator Jorge Calderón added a lighthearted accent to Zevon's musical portraits of doom and gloom. Despite helping with a successful comeback, Life'll Kill Ya's content was revealed all too true when, in 2003, Zevon passed away of pleural mesothelioma. "I mean, the fact that life will kill you is just that," Zevon told Rolling Stone upon the album's release. "I think you have to spend a fair amount of time realizing that you will be, so that you'll remember to enjoy everything you possibly can every minute you're not. You always want to try and tell younger people that, which is very difficult because they don't really hear it because they feel a life has been imposed on them. And of course, they're absolutely correct."
Subhumans
From The Cradle To The Grave [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Deep Purple LP]
Vinyl: $24.99 Buy
"Indie Exclusive * Rare Electronic Boogie-Funk-Soul Album * Originally Released & Privately Pressed in 1984 * The album we are proudly presenting you today (Out Break.) is Cecil Lyde’s sophomore’s album under the ‘Home Boy’ name and was released in 1984 on his own label Alwest Records. The whole album is backed by a fantastic cast of all-star players that includes John Stephens (Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder), Gary Bell (Lionel Hampton) and Terry Carter (Swamp Dogg). These recordings (eight songs in total) are particularly interesting to boogie-enthusiasts because of their high doses of funky electro twerks, solid grooves, crazy synth work, excellent drumbeats and Cecil’s soulful (yet sexy) Doo-wap influenced vocals. This album just oozes 1980’s Soul, Funk and Electronic Boogie…you’ll quickly find yourself shaking hips the moment the needle hits the first track! This LP is an essential purchase that just begs for a place in your record collection. Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents a much-needed reissue of “Out Break.” originally released and privately pressed on Alwest Records in 1984. This rare record (original copies tend to go for LARGE amounts on the secondary market) now comes as a deluxe 180g SILVER vinyl edition with obi strip and features the original artwork. Released exclusively as an ‘indie only/RSD essential release worldwide."
Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
Kenny Rogers & The First Edition [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Violet 2LP]
Vinyl: $35.99 Buy
Mood
Doom [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Light Blue w/ Black & Orchid Splatter 2LP]
Vinyl: $39.99 Buy
25-year anniversary deluxe reissue of Mood’s seminal debut record, Doom, originally released on September 23 of ’97. Included here on this anniversary reissue is the J Dilla Remix of “Secrets of the Sand” along with some nice album packaging; matte finish, alternate cover and black flooded jacket pockets/black dust sleeves, 180 gram vinyl.
The Pharcyde
Bizzare Ride II The Pharcyde [RSD Essential Clear w/ Purple & Yellow Splatter 2LP]
ON SALE $44.99 Vinyl: $39.99 Buy
We’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of the debut album from legendary hip-hop collective The Pharcyde with this exclusive RSD Essential 2-LP set of Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, pressed on clear with yellow + purple splatter vinyl.
Originally released in 1992 through the iconic Delicious Vinyl, this RIAA Gold-certified album was featured as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
This album features the singles “Passin’ Me By” “Ya Mama” and “Pack the Pipe”, and is a must-have for any West Coast hip-hop fan.
Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band
Different Strokes For Different Folks [RSD Essential Red LP]
Vinyl: $29.99 Buy
"Indie Exclusive * Released in 1973, this record was the first Al Wilson LP for the Rocky Road label. The hit title track ‘Show and Tell’ shot to the top of the US pop charts, and also reached top ten in the R&B charts. Due to some poor business decisions by his label, Wilson never truly got the credit he deserved as a contending hitmaker, but Hidle Brown Barnum’s arrangements here come packed with gritty horns, lustrous strings and sultry soul vocals. These 11 sides are certainly worth collecting for any true fan of mid-70s soul music. Pressed for the first time in five decades and reissued on heavyweight white virgin vinyl."
A remastered classic from the quintessential American girl group of the 1960s. Features the original European cover artwork.
Jerry Lee Lewis
Live At The Star Club Hamburg [RSD Essential Indie Colorway White LP]
Vinyl: $37.99 Buy
Praised as one of the greatest records of all time, this newly remastered, 180-gram edition includes bonus material and a gatefold jacket.
Nathaniel Merriweather Presents...Lovage
Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Turquoise 2LP] [Repress]
Vinyl: $31.99 Buy
“Lovage” is defined as “an herb that is said to be a benefit for relieving abdominal pains due to gastrointestinal gas…also touted to reduce flatulence when consumed as a tea.” But when placed in the able hands of sonic mastermind Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, recording under the guise of musical lothario Nathaniel Merriweather, the result is a concept album of “music to make love to your old lady by.” With the help of collaborators such as Mike Patton (vocals), Jennifer Charles (vocals) and Kid Koala (turntables), Merriweather serves as your personal guide to the sensual side of life, painting a satirical, darkly funny portrait of love and sex with left-field hip-hop and instrumentals as only he can do.
Masters Of Reality
Masters Of Reality [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Blue LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 Buy
One can't speak of California's famed desert rock movement without mentioning the visionary producer/musician Chris Goss. The so-called Godfather of the Joshua Tree-centered scene, Goss has produced famed and acclaimed albums by groups like Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Kyuss, Screaming Trees, and numerous others. Before he was known as a renowned producer though, he was the singer/guitarist and only consistent member of one of the most influential-yet-forgotten hard rock groups of all time: Masters of Reality. Masters Of Reality (Whose name was appropriately taken from a Black Sabbath song) had the distinction of being the only group signed to two different hip-hop labels of historical note: Def Jam and Delicious Vinyl. Originally label mates with Public Enemy and Slayer, Masters Of Reality's self-titled debut album was released by Def American in 1988. Two years later, Delicious Vinyl founders Matt Dike and Mike Ross, huge Masters fans, bought the band's contract from Rick Rubin and re-released the album with new cover artwork to renewed acclaim and commercial success. So many years later, Masters Of Reality's debut still feels like a hard-hitting breath of fresh air in a modern landscape of over-produced rock music
Indie Exclusive * 25th Anniversary * Previously long out-of-print, this classic sophomore album by one of the greatest ska bands ever was given a proper treatment for its 20th anniversary. This is a must-have for any Slackers fan, regardless of whether you own the original or not. Remastered for vinyl, “Redlight” never sounded as good; and with a two-color foil stamped cover, exclusive art-print insert, and lyric sleeve, it’s never looked so good either! Originally released by Hellcat Records in 1997, this album truly solidified the Slackers’ iconic sound, blending ska, reggae, soul, jazz and dub, seamlessly, with the passion and integrity that the band has embodied. Whether you’re a new fan, or an old diehard, and whether you pick it up at the band’s merch table, your local record store, or your favorite online retailer, this brilliant re-issue is not one to pass up.
The Used
The Used [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Milky Clear w/ Ox Blood Splatter LP]
Vinyl: $41.99 Buy
- First Time on Colored Vinyl
- LP has been out of print since the initial pressing in 2004, which appears to have been released in the US only.
- Duran Duran's first studio album since Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) to be recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of the band. Nile Rodgers did preliminary production work on several tracks. Debuted at #3 on the UK Albums Chart and at #17 on the US Billboard 200, with similar top-20 debuts elsewhere in the world. The first single, "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise", debuted at #5 on the UK Singles Chart, later topping the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The second single, "What Happens Tomorrow", entered the UK chart at #11 (where it peaked).
Duran Duran
Red Carpet Massacre [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Translucent Ruby 2LP]
Vinyl: $41.99 Buy
- Out of print since the only pressing in 2009, which appears to have been in the US only (only 2k copies).
- Debuted at #44 on the UK Albums Chart, and #36 on the US Billboard 200. Album features production from Timbaland on 3 tracks (“Nite-Runner” ft. Justin Timberlake, “Skin Divers,” and “Zoom In”).
- First Time on Colored Vinyl
- Produced by Mark Ronson, the album peaked at #11 in the UK, becoming the band's 13th Top 20 album. It debuted at #119 on the US Billboard 200 chart on its initial December 2010 digital release, selling 15,000 copies in its first week. It reached #29 upon its physical release in March 2011.
Madlib
High Jazz - Medicine Show #7 [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Seaglass Blue 2LP]
Vinyl: $31.99 Buy
The seventh installment in his Madlib Medicine Show, a jazz album with his Yesterdays New Quintet called High Jazz. Madlib’s been busy this year. And while his recorded output always spans the gamut, he often returns to recurrent themes, spread across the genres that serve as home base – or bases, as it were. Jazz is one such base. With High Jazz, Madlib begins anew – offering familiar jazz sounds from a series of “new” groups from his ever-augmenting cosmos. Call it “Yesterdays Galaxy.” High Jazz, the name itself a tribute to the landmark jazz-fusion album released by Stanton Davis’s Ghetto Mysticism in 1976, shows a marked development in Madlib’s craft. Every element of jazz is there. Is that tune modal-funk? Was that song psych-fusion? Was that a bossa-tinged run or another kind of latin-affair? Where did that sitar come from? Madlib’s Yesterdays-excursions are never easy to categorize and that’s the point – while experiencing chops like these, the desire to rigidly define takes a back seat to aural pleasure.
Classic blues record re-mastered from the original tapes and on 180 gram virgin vinyl. Etta James' greatest ever album, and one of the greatest Soul LPs of all time. Original stereo version, re-mastered from the original tapes. Contains the hits "Tell Mama" and "Security." Also contains the original version of the blues classic "I'd Rather Go Blind." Recorded with the Muscle Shoals session guys at Fame studio.
40th Anniversary celebration of the album responsible for naming a genre! Originally released in 1982, Black Metal was the second full-length album from Venom and remains a major influence on Thrash Metal, Death Metal, and Black Metal. Includes the classic trio of Cronos, Mantas & Abaddon.
- First Time Ever on Vinyl with exclusive bonus tracks
- Van Hunt’ self-titled debut album from 2004 featuring his breakthrough single “Dust” which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
The fourth studio album by rock legend Chris Isaak was originally released in 1993 and subsequently certified gold in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. Dedicated to the memory of sound consultant Louie Beeson, the album includes the titular track “San Francisco Days” in Isaak’s modern blues style, “Two Hearts”, “Can’t Do a Thing” and a cover of Neil Diamond’s “Solitary Man”. The lush, guitar-heavy record features James Calvin Wilsey, Rowland Salley, Danny Gatton, Jeff Watson and Tom Brumley.
John Carpenter & Alan Howarth
They Live OST [RSD Essential Black & White Galaxy LP]
Vinyl: $41.99 Buy
40th Anniversary celebration of the album responsible for naming a genre! Originally released in 1982, Black Metal was the second full-length album from Venom and remains a major influence on Thrash Metal, Death Metal, and Black Metal. Includes the classic trio of Cronos, Mantas & Abaddon.
Celebrating Sun Records 70th anniversary, these Johnny Adams tracks have been remixed from the original multitrack tapes for optimal sound quality. The new album tracklist has never been printed on vinyl, inspired by his 1986 South Side of Soul Street. The offering includes his hits “Release Me” and “Reconsider Me” as well as previously unreleased or digitally-unavailable tracks: “Tender Side of Me - Alternate”, “Too Much Pride - Alternate”, and a brand new version of “Give Me A Chance”.
This is where DEATH METAL begins!!! Possessed's legendary 1985 genre-defining album, Seven Churches. Features "The Exorcist", "Pentagram" and "Death Metal"
Frank Ballard brings the party to Sun Records’ 70th Anniversary celebration with the newly remastered Rhythm Blues Party. Nicknamed “The Golden Voice,” he brings each track to life with his powerful vocals, backed by the Memphis-based Phillip Reynolds Band. Originally released in 1962 and last pressed on vinyl in 1981, Rhythm Blues Party features tracks written by Ballard, like the bluesy “I Just Can’t Help It,” the sultry “After Hours,” and the upbeat “You Gotta Learn to Rock & Roll.”
The Heartbreakers
L.A.M.F. - The Found '77 Masters [RSD Essential Neon Pink & White LP]
Vinyl: $37.99 Buy
A recently-found copy master of the original 1977 Track Records tape, without mud! This classic punk album, recorded in London by the NYC band featuring two New York Dolls, was always controversial - and not just for the acronym. On release in 1977 on Track Records, it was widely condemned in the press for having a "muddy mix" - later discovered to be a mastering fault. When Track went bust the following year, manager Leee Black Childers burgled the office and liberated the tapes - he found everything except the master tape.
Subsequent releases were remixes or compiled from outtake mixes - the latter "lost '77 mixes" in 1994 being the version commonly known since. Meanwhile, fans found the 1977 cassette version didn't have the infamous "mud", neither did certain European vinyl matrixes.
In 2020 a chance meeting led to Danny Secunda's archives. Danny was an old-school music biz pioneer who understood punk. He became a Track Records director and the Heartbreakers L.A.M.F. co-producer. In amongst his tape box archive were two with no artist name, marked "Copy Master 12.7.77". They turned out to be a crystal-clear "L.A.M.F.", just as the band and producers intended it.
Sadly, none of the Heartbreakers lived to hear of the discovery. In 2020 the Heartbreakers co-lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Walter passed away, the last of the Heartbreakers "L.A.M.F." line-up. First released as a much-in-demand RSD release in 2021, it now returns for its 45th Anniversary as a 'Record Store Day Essentials' release. A limited-edition in neon pink and white vinyl. With inner bag and notes by Simon Wright, and a new RSDE obi-strip.
First time on colored vinyl. Déjà Vu is the first album by the rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the second by the trio configuration of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Released in March of 1970 by Atlantic Records, it topped the pop album chart for one week and generated three Top 40 singles: "Teach Your Children," "Our House," and "Woodstock." Without a doubt - Essential.
Inspired by Otis Redding and James Brown, Mickey Murray created his own groovy brand of Southern soul. His first hit, the horn-heavy “Shout Bamalama” brought him out of shoe shining obscurity and into soul stardom. Shout Bamalama and Other Super Soul Songs was originally released in 1967 and has been newly remastered to celebrate Sun Records’ 70th Anniversary. Mickey covers the full range of soul: get down with “Hit Record,” slow down with “Treat Him Right,” and rock to “East of Nowhere.”
This first live album by the band was recorded during seven performances in 1977. The first four shows were held at the Rainbow Theatre in London on August 1–4, 1977. The final three shows were recorded the following week at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on August 8–10. The band was backed by the Tower of Power horn section.
Run The Jewels
Run The Jewels 2 [RSD Essential Clear w/ Red & Teal Splatter 2LP]
Run the Jewels, the super dynamic duo of EI-P and Killer Mike, two of the most distinctive and celebrated names in rap brought you Run the Jewels 2 on mass Appeal records in 2014. The immensely anticipated album includes guests ranging from Zack de la Rocha to Travis Barker amongst others, but the duo maintains that the album is first and foremost about the creative partnership between the MC's themselves.
Bluewerks Vol. 1 & 2
Up Down Left Right / In Full Bloom [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Green LP]
Vinyl: $25.98 Buy
Introducing BLUEWERKS: The first-ever collaboration series between the two iconic record labels Blue Note & Astralwerks. Bringing together a collection of lo-fi tracks pairing the best of downtempo electronica together with jazz-infused sounds while bringing influences from all corners of the world.
The debut studio album by US country artist Waylon Jennings. 12 eclectic sides featuring country, rock, folk and blues styles. Original pressings were sold exclusively at JD's nightclub in Phoenix, Arizona, where Waylon Jennings regularly performed with his backing band The Waylors during the early 60's. This title sees its first official vinyl reissue in over five decades. Pressed on limited edition 180g dark grey vinyl with original artwork.
Nathaniel Merriweather Presents...Lovage
Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By [RSD Essential 2CD] [Repress]
CD: $14.99 Buy
“Lovage” is defined as “an herb that is said to be a benefit for relieving abdominal pains due to gastrointestinal gas…also touted to reduce flatulence when consumed as a tea.” But when placed in the able hands of sonic mastermind Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, recording under the guise of musical lothario Nathaniel Merriweather, the result is a concept album of “music to make love to your old lady by.” With the help of collaborators such as Mike Patton (vocals), Jennifer Charles (vocals) and Kid Koala (turntables), Merriweather serves as your personal guide to the sensual side of life, painting a satirical, darkly funny portrait of love and sex with left-field hip-hop and instrumentals as only he can do.
First time on colored vinyl. Remastered for the first time since its original release in 2000, Mirror Conspiracy is the second studio album from ambient duo Thievery Corporation, the brainchild of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza. The lasting influence of this effervescent album on modern lo-fi music cannot be understated. The record includes the popular hits “Lebanese Blonde” which features vocals by Pam Bricker, and “Le Monde” with vocals by French singer Lou Lou Gehlickhani.
Built To Spill
There's Nothing Wrong With Love [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Silver Marble LP]
Vinyl: $34.99 Buy
There's Nothing Wrong with Love is the second full-length album released by legendary indie rock band Built to Spill. It was originally released September 13, 1994, on the Up Records label. The line-up for the album was Doug Martsch, bassist Brett Nelson, and drummer Andy Capps, with Phil Ek producing. There’s Nothing Wrong with Love was wonderfully received by critics upon its release. It went on to earn “Best Albums of 90’s” notices from the likes of Pitchfork, PASTE & SPIN.
The unforgettable debut studio album by R&B/Soul singer Minnie Riperton. Contains the explosive hit single "Les Fleurs" beautifully orchestrated by the prestigious Charles Stepney. Reissued in original gatefold format for the first time in over five decades. Pressed on limited edition 180g lilac coloured vinyl.
Thievery Corporation
Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Orange 2LP]
First time on colored vinyl. The debut album from Thievery Corporation was released in 1997 as a first-of-its-kind electronica record. The phrase “trip-hop” was coined in 1994 during the influx of alt-rock techno music and perfectly describes the acid-jazz tracks that make up the album. With a blend of lounge, electronic, and folk influences, this is a listening experience that caters to everyone. The remastered album features the signature track “Shaolin Satellite” and bonus tracks “Sun, Moon, and Stars” and “Sleeper Car.”
“Lovage” is defined as “an herb that is said to be a benefit for relieving abdominal pains due to gastrointestinal gas…also touted to reduce flatulence when consumed as a tea.” But when placed in the able hands of sonic mastermind Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, recording under the guise of musical lothario Nathaniel Merriweather, the result is a concept album of “music to make love to your old lady by.”
Roy Orbison
King Of Hearts: 30th Anniversary [RSD Essential Indie Colorway Transparent Red LP]
Vinyl: $27.99 Buy
Indie Exclusive * Newly remastered vinyl by Richard Dodd. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of King Of Hearts original release. Featuring the Grammy-winning duet “Crying” with k.d. lang. Producers on the record include T-Bone Burnett, Jeff Lynne, Robbie Robertson, and Don Was
BDP's first album--and the only one to include the late DJ Scott La Rock--sounded harder than hell when it came out in 1987. Though the simple beat-box patterns on a few tracks sound dated, most of La Rock's tracks are bluntly effective, especially the AC/DC riff he appropriates on "Dope Beat." And KRS-One still performs most of his Criminal Minded rhymes, because his audience knows them word for word: the ultraviolent dancehall of "9mm Goes Bang," the battle cry of "South Bronx" (and its counterpart, the anti-Juice Crew screed of "The Bridge Is Over," with its little Billy Joel homage), the catalog of La Rock's condom collection on "Super-Hoe." KRS bloomed later; here, he just rocked.
De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest may have been more commercially successful, but the afrocentric, jazz political rap movement and unfadeable Native Tounge Massive started with the Jungle Brothers. Their debut full-length Straight Out the Jungle opened up many doors that are walked through by artists like Mos Def, Common and even Kanye West. Their taste for jazzy horn samples helped kick-start the entire jazz-rap movement, and their James Brown fixation was one of the first. Plus, the group's groundbreaking collaboration with legendary house producer Todd Terry, "I'll House You," paved the way for numerous hip-house hybrids that shot up the dance and pop charts over the next few years and appeared to be a staple on every East Coast Rap Album from '88 until '92.
Death Grips are angry. It's unclear why. But on their major-label debut, the Sacramento noise group's monomaniacal desire to rain down fiery destruction on the powers-that-be is crystal-clear, even if nothing else is on The Money Store, even if nothing else-- where the hell this album came from; who plays which instrument; what the lead singer is yelling about; and what on earth this band of insurgents is doing signing an Epic Records contract with L.A. Reid-- makes much sense at all. - Pitchfork 8.7
Fenton Robinson
Somebody Loan Me A Dime [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Coke Bottle Green LP]
Vinyl: $29.99 Buy
- First time on colored vinyl, Robinson's 1974 debut studio album for Alligator Records. AllMusic calls this, "one of the most subtly satisfying electric blues albums of the '70s."
- The Mellow Giant of the blues, one of the genre's finest composers, most melodic singers, and sensitive and subtle guitarists.
- "Absolutely haunting power"--LIVING BLUES
The debut album by The Jackson 5 became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 within weeks of its release and eventually sold millions of copies worldwide. It also contains many other classics such as "Who's Loving You" penned by Smokey Robinson, and a wonderful cover version of The Delfonics' "Can you Remember". This masterpiece spent nine weeks at #1 on the R&B/Black Albums chart between 1969 and 1970. it constituted the first long play appearance by the future "King of Pop," The Jackson 5's lead singer, Michael Jackson.
It was do or die for Toto on the group's fourth album, and they rose to the challenge. Largely dispensing with the anonymous studio rock that had characterized their first three releases, the band worked harder on its melodies, made sure its simple lyrics treated romantic subjects, augmented Bobby Kimball's vocals by having other group members sing, brought in ringers like Timothy B. Schmit, and slowed down the tempo to what came to be known as "power ballad" pace. Most of all, they wrote some hit songs: "Rosanna," the old story of a lovelorn lyric matched to a bouncy beat, was the gold, Top Ten comeback single accompanying the album release; "Make Believe" made the Top 30; and then, surprisingly, "Africa" hit number one ten months after the album's release.
With such iconic tracks as “Christmas Time is Here” and the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy”, the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas remains the second–best-selling jazz title in history, and was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA in late 2016.
One of the most popular protest albums ever recorded, it inspired cover versions of its songs by such artists as Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Bruce Springsteen, and The Jam, and was sampled by the Beastie Boys, among others.
Includes Edwin Starr's signature song, the smash hit "War" (penned by Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong), which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100chart in 1970. The song earned Starr a GRAMMY nomination in 1971 for Best R&B Male Vocal and was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 1999. It also includes the Northern Soul classic "Time," the one-step dancer "Running Back and Forth" and a great cover of The 5th Dimension's "California Soul".
- First Time on Colored Vinyl
- Death Grips’ landmark double 2015 album, available again on opaque red vinyl as an RSD Essential pressing!
Two Sevens Clash is the debut album by roots reggae band Culture, recorded with producer Joe Gibbs at his own Joe Gibbs Recording Studio in Kingston in 1976, and released on Gibbs' eponymous label in 1977. The album's title is a reference to the date of 7 July 1977. Singer Joseph Hill said Two Sevens Clash was based on a prediction by Marcus Garvey, who said there would be chaos on 7 July 1977, when the "sevens" met. With its apocalyptic message, the song created a stir in his Caribbean homeland and many Jamaican businesses and schools closed for the day.