A staple of the modern music industry, Record Store Day returns to the Bay this year with a raft of options for any self-respecting music lover. There’s rarities from Miles Davis and Richard Hell, a 1,000-copy yellow pressing the Lemonheads’ debut Hate Your Friends, and a complete reprinting of the early works of electronic musician Oneohtrix Point Never. A repress of Toots and the Maytals’ Funky Kingston is a must for any ska/reggae fan, but the real winner this year is standout single “Hi” by Texas ft. the Wu-Tang Clan, a moody gallop with Ghostface and RZA rapping double-time like it’s 1993.

Record Store Day
Sat, All Day

For more than 10 years now, Record Store Day, the annual celebration of locally owned brick-and-mortar music shops, has stoked the passions of music lovers all over the country. Every year, artists release new and previously unheard music, along with bootlegs and reissues—often in collectable formats, including vinyl and cassette. The regional chains, including Streetlight and Rasputin will certainly have some choice collectors items produced specifically for RSD, but true vinyl heads should be sure to support the smaller stores in the area, like Needle to the Groove, On the Corner Music, The Analog Room and The Record Man.

Record Store Day
Sat, All Day
Everywhere

For more than 10 years now, Record Store Day, the annual celebration of locally owned, brick-and-mortar music shops, has stoked the passions of music lovers all over the country. Every year, artists release new and previously unheard music, along with bootlegs and reissues—often in collectable formats, including vinyl and cassette.

Below are some of the choice titles that you might be able to get your hands on if you visit Streetlight or Rasputin. But don’t forget to visit other local shops. Look to On the Corner Music in Campbell for great bargains on used records. Be sure to factor in some serious browsing time in order to comb through the massive selection at The Record Man in Redwood City. And be prepared to tap into your savings account after listening to the high-fi audio equipment at The Analog Room in San Jose.

Neil Young
Tonight’s the Night Live
Revered and reviled in equal measure, Tonight’s The Night is an almost mythical release for Neil Young fans. Though it has some of his best songs and was named one of the 500 best rock albums of all time by Rolling Stone, it is also difficult, obstinate and drunk with grief. This live album (from a two-night stint at the Roxy) was the first performance of the songs that would haunt a generation.

Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire EP
The first release by Win Butler and crew, this self-titled seven-song EP is available on vinyl for the first time ever. Originally appearing in 2003, the album features one song that was later re-recorded for Neon Bible (“No Cars Go”), as well as a few that have been staples of live sets over the years. Perfect for completists, or anyone interested in following the band’s development over the years.

The Dap Kings
A Closer Look At The Dap-Kings
Destined to become a DJ staple, this collection of instrumental tracks by one of the greatest live bands this side of Y2K is sure to go quick. The Dap Kings were the backing band for almost the entire neo-soul movement of the early 21st century, laying down the tracks for Amy Winehouse, Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones—all of whom are sadly gone. Now this release allows listeners to hear the detail in all its glory.

Chicano Batman
Chicano Batman
The long-out-of-print self-titled full length by L.A.’s Chicano Batman gets a limited reissue treatment for Record Store Day, this time with new artwork. Celebrated for their soulful mix of psychy ’60s rock and good ol’ party vibes, they’ve been a singular (and funky) voice in Latin rock since this album dropped in 2009. A testament to their timelessness, it still sounds as fresh today as it did then. Limited to 3,000 copies.

Courtney Barnett
The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas
On the strength of these two EPs, Courtney Barnett went from playing Melbourne bars to Saturday Night Live. Now reprinted on picture disc for Record Store Day, this edition comes with goodies like a Mom+Pop Records 10-year poster, and a Barnett temporary tattoo. Originally released in 2014 (before she collaborated with Kurt Vile), the record includes the hit “Avant Gardener,” which established Barnett as something of this generation’s Lou Reed and launched her career in the process.

Waxahatchee & Kevin Morby
Dark Don’t Hide It / Farewell Transmission
Jason Molina’s untimely death in 2013 haunted many in the music community. In life, the singer of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. seemed dogged by an incredible pain, following him around like a shadow. This split from Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee) and Kevin Morby (Woods, The Babies) comprises two covers of beloved Molina songs as a fundraiser for Musicares, a nonprofit that offers mental health services to musicians. Beautiful music for an important, oft-overlooked cause.

Notorious B.I.G.
Juicy 12-inch
Yes, this is only one track and, yes, it was originally released way back in 1994 (and can still be heard regularly today), but “Juicy” is without a doubt one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. From the beat, to the impossibly catchy chorus, to the pitch perfect rags-to-riches lyrics, this is the song every emcee in the game wishes they wrote. A must for every party, DJ set and collector alike. Biggie lives on.

Wu Tang Clan
Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers) on Cassette
Why give Enter the Wu Tang a cassette tape release in 2018? Because if you want to hear Wu Tang the way Wu Tang first heard Wu Tang, this is it. When it was released in ’93, the tape was the dominant format for demos and studio bounces. Plus it has a different sound than vinyl—it’s grimier and more boomy, which makes it perfect for this famously gritty record, and one of the best albums in hip-hop.

The Ramones
Sundragon Sessions
One of the rarest items on this list is the Sundragon Sessions by the Ramones. Recorded in ’76, these were demos for the band’s second album, Leave Home, and were only released recently as part of that record’s 40th anniversary box set. If you didn’t get the box set then, or simply want these gems on vinyl, this is the one and only way to do so. Limited to a worldwide run of 10,000.

Czarface & MF Doom
Man’s Worst Enemy 7”
Inspectah Deck often gets forgotten in the rouges gallery that is the Wu Tang Clan, but he’s had a renewed sense of purpose in the hip-hop supergroup Czarface. This new 7” is meant to be played along with the accompanying comic book that serves as the record’s insert. It’s a (graphic) novel usage of media, and one makes the case for the physical record over streaming in a whole new way.

Jeff Evans, owner of On the Corner Music, estimates that he has somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 records boxed up and ready to be tossed out on the pavement outside his Campbell storefront, weather permitting.

The vinyl merchant isn’t giving up on his enterprise. On the contrary, he’s planning to cash in—50 cents at a time. This Saturday is Record Store Day, and while Evans won’t be selling any new albums, he will have plenty of used wax. And, so long as it isn’t raining, he plans to have the bulk of it outside and priced at half a buck each.

Beginning as a small Bay Area-centric event, Record Store Day has become a national phenomenon—growing in popularity year over year, in tandem with the resurgent interest in vinyl records.

The ninth annual celebration of records and record stores is slated to unfold April 16 at independent shops all over the world, including several in Silicon Valley. Some locations will feature in-store performances and appearances from artists. Many more will be selling highly collectable items produced specifically for the vinyl holiday. And others, like On the Corner, will just stick to selling from their stock.

Evans says he has never dealt in new music, but rather in a curated collection of vintage titles. For the 2016 edition of RSD, Evans will have some highly prized gems on sale, like an original, sealed copy of Let it Be by The Beatles; a David Bowie box set; and an original copy of Pink Floyd’s seminal Dark Side of the Moon, complete with the posters and stickers. Also, he won’t be charging sales tax and, of course, there are those 40 to 50 boxes of vinyl which are certain to bear rewarding fruit to audiophiles willing to dig.

On the Corner isn’t the only local shop with deals this Record Store Day. In addition to hosting live in-store DJ sets, San Jose’s Streetlight Records will be opening an hour early—at 10am—and will have coffee and snacks for the diehards waiting in line.

The Bascom Avenue location will have a plethora of new titles, including RSD exclusives. A representative from Streetlight says she can’t guarantee anything, but noted a recent packing list showed the following names: Sublime, David Bowie, Chvrches, The Kinks, Weeknd, Fela Kuti, The Sex Pistols, Notorious B.I.G., mewithoutYou.

The official Record Store Day website names releases from many of the same artists: Sublime, Jah Won’t Pay the Bills (LP and cassette); Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy and Mase, “Mo Money Mo Problems” (colored vinyl 12”); Deftones, B-Sides & Rarities; David Bowie, “The Man Who Sold the World” (picture disc); and Circa Survive and mewithoutYou (7” split).

Rasputin Music, which has stores all over the Bay Area—including in Mountain View and Campbell—will host a performance by Metallica at its Berkeley store. The San Francisco thrash legends helped launch Record Store Day back in 2008, spending a few hours at Rasputin’s Haight Street shop, mingling with fans and signing albums.

Representatives from Rasputin’s South Bay stores couldn’t say exactly what they’d have on sale for the special day, but they did anticipate a high turnout.

Evans, who founded On the Corner Music about 10 years ago, says he is always excited for Record Store Day and is stoked to see more music fans listening to their favorite artists on vinyl.

The vinyl seller recalls his reaction when he first heard about Record Store Day back in 2008. “It was kind of like, ‘Huh? Record Store Day?’” Though he wasn’t sure what to expect back then, he is pleased to see that it has grown.

Over the course of RSD’s nine years, he has had customers come into his shop and tell him that they had gotten rid of a lot of their records and are now hunting them down and buying them all over again—often sharing the experience with their children.

Other local vinyl merchants open for Record Store Day include Needle to the Groove in San Jose and Fremont, The Record Man in Redwood City and The Analog Room in San Jose.

Record Store Day
Apr 16
Valleywide

On April 18, the music industry rises once again to show support for the greatest of all recording formats: vinyl. Many Silicon Valley small businesses—your local record stores—will be participating:

•   Streetlight Records—San Jose, 980 S. Bascom Ave.
•   Rasputin Music—Campbell, 1820 S. Bascom Ave.; Mountain View, 1939 W El Camino Real
•   Needle to the Groove—San Jose, 410 E. Santa Clara St; Fremont, 131 I St
•   The Record Man—Redwood City, 1322 El Camino Real
•   The Analog Room—San Jose—1416 Fruitdale Ave.
•   On the Corner Music—Campbell, 530 E Campbell Ave.

There’s too many special releases to list. Here are three of the most anticipated among the many reissues, picture discs and bootlegs hitting stores this Saturday.

Run The Jewels: S/T 12”
The sleeper hit rap duo of 2014 are contributing a special, limited run 12” EP that comes out on Record Store Day. Atlanta’s Killer Mike and New York’s El-P have contributed some of the most critically acclaimed rap of the past two years, so this record is sure to be in high demand.

Metallica: No Life ’til Leather cassette
The Bay Area heavy metal giants’ demo tape is shrouded in legend at this point, but Metallica are reissuing it as a limited edition cassette available only on Record Store Day. It features early versions of some of the best songs on the classic album Kill ‘Em All, as well as some songs that can’t be found anywhere else. Except, you know, on YoutTube:

Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear 7”
Father John Misty exploded this year, rocketing from well-kept secret to bona fide indie rock star. His album I Love You, Honeybear, is an early favorite for Album of the Year. The singer-songwriter is releasing an exclusive acoustic version of the album’s title track in a special heart-shaped 7” record.

For more info on special releases check out the Record Store Day website.

Who knew Record Store Day would make it to is fifth anniversary? When it made its debut in 2007, it was a fairly revolutionary concept: ask famous musicians to support honest-to-god, brick-and-mortar independent record stores by giving them exclusive releases to sell.

But it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that it caught on, since indie record stores made the careers of many of the biggest artists who are now known for championing Record Store Day—like Wilco, who this year will be releasing an exclusive deluxe vinyl box set edition of their last album The Whole Love.

Other top Record Store Day releases this year include the first 7” single from the upcoming album of unreleased Joey Ramone tracks. Featuring an intense, anthemic delivery from the late Ramones lead singer, “Rock ‘n’ Roll is the Answer” almost sounds like a sequel to “We Want the Airwaves.” Iggy Pop, Taking Back Sunday, Fun and Richard Buckner are among the other artists contributing releases.