Record Store Day Aftermath: Reviewing Our Haul

Posted by RiffYou On April 20, 2015 0 Comment

On Saturday, Riffyou.com ventured into Toronto, Ontario’s Play De Record to stock up on the glorious goodies made available for the 2015 edition of Record Store Day. Thanks to a lot of kindness and a little luck, we managed to leave the store with a manageable hit to the credit card and a bag full of awesomeness.

The highlight of our haul was by far The White Stripes double Get Behind Me Satan 12” LP set. Priced at $42, the album features the band’s adored 2005 album spread out across one red and one white piece of 180-gram vinyl. Album artwork consists of Jack White striking an Elvis-like pose on the back, while the cover image changes as you look at it from different directions. This was the first time Get Behind Me Satan was commercially available on vinyl.

A close second for us was obtaining the Foo Fighters Songs from the Laundry Room 10”. The early, demo renditions of “Alone + Easy Target” and “Big Me” sound exactly like early demos: you hear the skeleton, you don’t get the gloss and you become fascinated by the metamorphosis that took place to get these songs album-ready. While the demo version of “Big Me” isn’t far off from the Foo Fighters’ album version, “Alone + Easy Target” is slower, rougher than the final copy we’ve known for years, as Dave Grohl’s vocals were not yet what would be experienced on 1995’s Self-Titled album. As for the cover of “Kids in America” and the previously unreleased original track “Empty Handed,” listeners are smacked with a burst of youthful energy that Grohl has managed to keep instilled in his band all these years later.

After ensuring that those two albums were had, Riffyou.com stumbled across a Death From Above 1979 10” picture disc featuring “Trainwreck 1979” and “Government Trash,” a pair of songs from the band’s 2014 album The Physical World. While pricy for what it is, one store employee informed shoppers that just 200 copies of this vinyl was made available. Considering that we didn’t even know this album would be available on Record Store Day, this purchase was an ultimate win. (Even though it only came in a clear plastic bag.)

We then managed to snare the store’s last copy of the heart-shaped vinyl from Father John Misty. It features an acoustic version of “I Love You, Honeybear” called “I Loved You, Honeybee,” plus the searing new song, “I’ve Never Been a Woman.” Pour a stiff drink, turn the lights down low and take it all in. Then, you’ll understand how we feel about this.

Next up we pulled in the Side by Side 7” of “The Message,” the hip-hop classic originally performed by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. That performance is etched on the A-side, while the B-side has a 1997 take on the track by punk outfit Stiff Little Fingers. This reinterpretation of “The Message” is ferocious and lined with piss and vinegar, while its overall veracity cannot be messed with.

Novelty wise, Riffyou.com also picked up the remastered edition of Metallica’s original demo tape (likely for bragging and display purposes until we acquire a cassette player), plus the RPM Turntable Baseball 7” that allows two individuals to play a game of baseball using the vinyl. Simply drop the need on one of the A-side’s grooves and you’ll be told how your move went. A scorecard and instructions are included…thankfully.

Lastly, we rolled the dice for the mystery Side by Side 7” of the day. After getting home following hours of speculation and anticipation, we opened up the package to find a trippy-coloured vinyl featuring Ramones performing a live version of their classic, “Sheena is a Punk Rocker.” On the other side, Husker Du blast through its live reimagining of the song. Our happy dance for this excellent surprise quickly turned into a one-person pit.