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## CULTURE:Record Store Day is almost here!

With all the craziness of Coachella happening last weekend we almost forgot about the upcoming vinyl holiday "Record Store Day"! If you aren't familiar with this day, let me give you a breakdown of what it is all about. About 7-8 years ago a bunch of independent record store owners (the type that sit around all day listening to and talking about the "good old days" of music) got together and came up with a promotion to drive awareness of records and ultimately bring in a bunch of new customers.

Officially the promotion kicked off on April 19th 2008 at Rasputin Music in San Francisco. On hand was Metallica and a collection of limited print records, and thus the tradition began. Now in it's 7th year, the third saturday of April has become a beacon for like minded music enthusiasts, and those hardcore collectors that are angling for that very limited print picture disc.

Getting bigger and better every year, Record Store Day is issuing hundreds of limited releases. However with the increase in popularity, comes an influx of mediocrity. For not all of the "RSD Exclusives" are worth the time and energy it might take to track them down. Here however, is a short list of some great releases that are definitely worth searching out. These are just a quick snippet of the greatness that awaits you at your local record store however, so check out the full release list here, and make sure to get up early, because there are sure to be a few more people lined up in front of your favorite spot this coming Sat!

The Space Project (Various Artists)

The Space Project is exactly what happens when you take original recordings from the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts from 1977 and give those sounds of the universe to a group of contemporary artists to play with and create with, and if this Youth Lagoon track is any indication of the rest of the album, we should all be advised to seek this record out!

The Air Is On Fire (David Lynch)

Originally created by Lynch and his sound engineer Dean Hurley for the identically named 2007 Parisian exhibition of Lynch’s work in photography, drawing, sound and other wonders of his wholly unique imagination. This first time on vinyl reissue of The Air Is On Fire only further cements Lynch's legacy as an artist of all imagery, both visual and auditory.

Rock’n'Roll Suicide + 1984 (David Bowie)

Depending on if you are in the US or the UK, the master of the stage swagger is releasing 2 incredible 7" picture discs. ‘Rock‘n’Roll Suicide’ comes backed with the Farewell Speech from the very last Ziggy Stardust concert at the Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July, 1973, while ’1984′ is backed with a live in-studio version from The Dick Cavett Show in 1974.

Live At The Greek (Jimmy Page + The Black Crowes)

Definitely one of the better re-issues on Record Store Day is the fantastic double album from Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes that was recorded Live at The Greek in Los Angeles in 1999. Jimmy and The Crowes performed for 2 nights, and ran through a great collection of Zeppelin tracks as well as a handful of Blues favorites.

The Worlds Fastest Record (Jack White)

Easily one of the rarest records to be acquired this Record Store Day, would be Jack White's experiment in record producing. Literally limited to the amount of people standing in line at the Blue Room inside the Third Man Records studio. Jack White plans to play and record the title track from his forthcoming album 'Lazaratto" directly to acetate. The masters will then be rushed to United Record Pressing, who will begin pressing 45s, which will be stuffed into sleeves printed from pictures of the show. The 45s will be brought back to Third Man to sell to fans, and “as long as there are fans in line waiting to buy the single, United will continue to press and deliver them to Third Man to sell. Even if it takes all day.” Unfortunately this record is exclusive to those who can get down to Nashville TN, but at least we can take comfort knowing that White's new album will be out for everyone to enjoy June 9th