Record Store Day: 20 exclusive releases to look out for

Classic vinyl reissues, limited collectors’ editions and unreleased recordings from Fela Kuti, Prince and David Bowie join rare pressings by the Prodigy and the Notorious BIG this Saturday

Cissy Houston – Cissy Houston
The Grammy winner’s second album, which features a heartfelt cover of Be My Baby, is being reissued on vinyl for the first time in four decades.

Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch – Twin Peaks: Season 2 music and more
David Lynch is overseeing this vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to Twin Peaks’ second season, which will include a 24-page collectors picture book featuring stills from the cult classic show.

Robyn – Body Talk
The Swedish star’s euphoric dance floor fillers, including the original and the undeniably supreme version of Dancing on My Own, will be available on limited edition white vinyl.

Robyn performing in Berlin.
Robyn performing in Berlin. Photograph: Frank Hoensch/Redferns

Elton John – Live from Moscow
In May 1979, Elton John became the first western rock star to tour Russia. This LP makes a recording of his Moscow concert officially available for the first time.

Fela Kuti and Roy Ayers – Music of Many Colours
The joint album recorded after the duo completed a three-week tour in Nigeria in 1979, during which Ayers performed as the opening act for Kuti’s band.

Prince – The Versace Experience
Prince issued this collection – the first album released under his infamous symbol – as a gift to attendees of the designer’s collection at Paris fashion week in the summer of 1995.

Grandmaster Flash circa 1980.
On the wheels of steel … Grandmaster Flash circa 1980. Photograph: David Corio/Getty Images

Shirley Finney – Pray Again
Gospel, soul and disco blend beautifully on Shirley Finney’s debut LP, a new re-pressing (with Finney’s involvement). Cheaper than forking out for a £200+ original copy.

Janis Joplin – Live at Woodstock Sunday August 17, 1969
Just weeks before the release of her debut solo album, Joplin’s iconic performance at Woodstock signalled a turning point in her career.

Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 – The Message
One of the greatest golden-age hip-hop songs effortlessly blends funk and electro to buoy Grandmaster Flash’s pioneering social commentary.

Craig Mac / the Notorious BIG – Big Mack
Originally packaged like a McDonald’s Big Mac when it was released in 1994, Big Mack was a promotional item designed to push Bad Boy Entertainment’s latest signees.

James Brown – Sho is Funky Down Here
Brown’s 1971 album was a musical departure for the funk legend, sidelining soul for psychedelia.

Juice People Unlimited – Disco Godfather (Original 1979 Motion Picture Soundtrack)
“Put your weight on it!” And enter the world of an ex-cop-martial-artist-turned-disco-god hellbent on avenging the spread of angel dust through disco.

Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like a Heart
One of 2018’s finest singles gets a 12-in pressing featuring remixes from Dimitri From Paris and Boston Bun.

Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer, Benjamin Wallfisch – Hidden Figures OST
Four-time Grammy winning composer Hans Zimmer, known for The Dark Knight and Interstellar, partnered with Pharrell Williams to score the groundbreaking film about three female African American mathematicians working for Nasa.

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac Alternate
The legendary band’s 10th album – the first to feature Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – will be reissued on vinyl with unreleased and alternate recordings.

Keith Flint of the Prodigy performing at T in the Park festival, 2015.
Keith Flint of the Prodigy performing at T in the Park festival, 2015. Photograph: Amy Muir/Rex/Shutterstock

The Prodigy – Fight Fire With Fire / Champions of London
After the passing of Keith Flint earlier this year, the electronic veterans are releasing two jarring, electro-rock headbangers as a double gatefold vinyl single.

Madonna – True Blue (Super Club Mix) & La Isla Bonita (Super Mix)
Tiding you over until Madonna’s new album arrives this summer, the RSD-exclusive editions of these 80s classics feature extended club mixes (both “super mixes” were previously exclusive to Japan) and b-sides on coloured vinyl.

David Bowie – The World of David Bowie
The latest in the seemingly never-ending string of posthumous Bowie releases: The World of David Bowie was first released by Decca in 1970, with a beautiful sleeve shot by Ian Dickson, and mingled music from Bowie’s self-titled debut album with then-previously unheard songs.

John Lennon – Imagine (Raw Studio Mixes)
The studio mixes featured on this LP capture the moment Lennon recorded each of the iconic album’s songs live in the studio, devoid of reverb or tape cuts.

Lou Reed – Ecstasy
The rock star’s final non-collaborative album explores his experiences with love and relationships. Its sleeve depicts Reed experiencing a form of what one might describe as self-induced ecstasy.

Contributor

Gregory Robinson

The GuardianTramp

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