KXSU’s Best-Of: Record Store Day 2017

Saturday, April 22, 2017.

A day when record junkies alike come together and spend their life savings on limited-edition vinyl releases, old and new. Some of us come for the limited releases, some of us for the deals, and a few of us venture out to get our favorite records in a limited-edition uniquely-shaped vinyl. We’ve got you covered on our must buys for all music tastes, from All Time Low to Santana to Miley Cyrus. Did KXSU’s music taste just drastically shift, or is Record Store Day 2017 slightly…different? You tell us. Here are some of our top picks. 


ALL TIME LOW – MTV UNPLUGGED

I’m screaming, y’all. (*SCREAM*) My younger self (not that young) has been waiting for this moment for a long, long time (not that long). All Time Low is on an all-time high and is releasing their MTV Unplugged album on a special black-and-white vinyl. There are only 1,300 of these…or, 300 if you count how many I’m buying. -April Jingco

BRANDY CLARK – LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES

If you haven’t taken the time to listen to this six-time GRAMMY Award nominee’s various stories, you have to. Between her debut album, 12 Stories, and her recent follow-up, Big Day in a Small Town, you all will fall in love with her way with words, characters, and her ability to integrate such imaginative narratives into some of the most beautiful and organic recorded music of the last ten years. This exclusive release, highlighting her entirely-acoustic show at Los Angeles’ Hotel Café, is sure to induce the most chilling of goosebumps, and provide medicinal sounds to any heart that’s ever been hurt. There’ll be 2,500 of these. Don’t mess this up, folks. -Craig Jaffe

THE CURE – GREATEST HITS

There’s nothing I love more than driving down the highway in Hawaii with my dad blasting his favorite songs by The Cure. One of the first concerts I ever went to was with my parents to see The Cure live, playing for almost 3 hours straight. So, as you can imagine, they hold a lot of sentimental feelings for me. This set of 2 pictured vinyl will feature some of their best hits, including “Love Song,” “Friday I’m In Love,” and “Never Enough.” Get your hands on one of the 3,250 of these bad boys. -April Jingco

THE FLAMING LIPS – THE FLAMING LIPS ONBOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CONCERT FOR PEACE

This special edition, orange vinyl will feature seven tracks from their recently released album, Ozcly Mlody, but with a slight twist. According to Record Store Day, this will be a “a fictional/ fantastical live Flaming Lips performance on the International Space Station.” There are only said to be 2,700 copies of these babies, so get your hands on ‘em quick! -April Jingco

KEVIN MORBY – BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS

Alright, so I LOVE when artists and musicians support a cause along side their creative endeavors, and Kevin Morby is doing just that with Beautiful Strangers.

“This release is dedicated to and written for all the people I have never met but have only read about. The innocent people who were out living their lives and one day, without warning, had them taken away from them. People who liked to laugh, dance, and love in the way that we all do, but can’t anymore. All those names and faces, all those beautiful strangers… So here are two songs, “Beautiful Strangers” as well as my cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “No Place to Fall” that I have been closing my live show with over the past year. Any purchase of these two songs will go to support the work of Everytown For Gun Safety – an organization I have followed for quite some time. I believe in and support them in their efforts to make the world a safer place. Do it for the kids. Love and peace, Kevin Morby.”

There are only 1,100 copies of this 7” vinyl, so hop to it, you beautiful strangers, and support a cause! -Emma Pierce

MILEY CYRUS – BANGERZ

I’m a lil’ disappointed by this year’s Record Store Day lineup, I’m not gonna lie, and I think that’s somewhat obvious if my recommendation to you is Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz. But, this album is amazing and I’m unapologetic about still loving it in 2017. I also think Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz is astoundingly underrated as well. I’m slowly finding out that I secretly love Miley more than I thought as I continue to write this, but I digress. And it’s a double-LP hot pink vinyl? I legitimately might buy this, and I won’t feel bad about it being on display in my apartment. Actually, I can’t wait to be one of the 1,300 owners of this bad boy. -Anna Kaplan

SANTANA – LIVE AT THE WOODSTOCK MUSIC & ART FAIR, AUGUST 16, 1969

The first time I ever heard of Santana was when my Spanish teacher in high school showed us a video of them performing at Woodstock in 1969. This may have been my first time experiencing this utter magic, but for many, 1969 was a year to remember for a long time. Now, their iconic performance will be pressed onto vinyl for the first time ever. There will be 3,000 of these available. -April Jingco

THE SMITHS – THE BOY WITH THE THORN IN HIS SIDE 

The angsty teen in me absolutely thrives whenever The Smiths come on. This 7” single features previously unreleased versions of “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” and “Rubber Ring,” and includes new artwork featuring actor Albert Finney (Big Fish, The Bourne Ultimatum, Skyfall). If only “Asleep” was also sneaked in there like the release of the original single in 1985… then I’d really be a mess! There are 5,000 copies available. -Emma Pierce

THELONIOUS MONK – LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES 1960

I was a band nerd in high school (concert, marching, jazz; you name it), so whenever I see new music being released from the likes of legends such as Thelonious Monk, I go nuts. Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 is the only soundtrack recorded by Thelonious Monk in 1959, and it includes tunes from Roger Vadim’s 1960 French film, Les Liaisons Dangereuses. This RSD release is a 2LP box set (black vinyl) that comes with a 50-page booklet of never-before-seen photographs and memorabilia from the recording session, as well as original artwork. There are only 2,000 sets available. -Emma Pierce


This year’s Record Store Day will take place on Saturday, April 22. For a list of participating stores in Seattle, click here.


KXSU EDITORIAL TEAM | Girl, put your limited edition records on!

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