What were the hottest albums at Twin Cities record stores in 2017?
January 08, 2018
You've told us your favorite tracks of 2017 for The Current's Top 89, but which albums did you pick up at your local record stores last year? Electric Fetus, Mill City Sound, Down in the Valley, and Flashlight Vinyl told us what albums were their best-sellers of 2017 — both in vinyl and CD.
Electric Fetus
It's no surprise that Prince was popular at the Electric Fetus, the icon's own favorite record store, in 2017. Earlier in the year, fans flocked to the Fetus to grab copies of the Purple Rain reissue, which came in deluxe and expanded packages. Other local artists popular at Electric Fetus include the Replacements, Hippo Campus, Lizzo, and Chastity Brown.
Vinyl
Landmark - Hippo Campus
For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986 - The Replacements
Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution
Little Red Corvette - Prince
Purple Rain: Remastered - Prince and the Revolution
Sign O' The Times - Prince
22 A Million - Bon Iver
Furnace - Dead Man Winter
Purple Rain (Limited Edition Picture Disk) - Prince and the Revolution
For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
CD
Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution
DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar
For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986 - The Replacements
Coconut Oil - Lizzo
4Ever - Prince
Silhouette of Sirens - Chastity Brown
Furnace - Dead Man Winter
Landmark - Hippo Campus
Back In Time - Judith Hill
Deeper Understanding - The War on Drugs
Mill City Sound
At Mill City Sound, the Replacements took the top spots in both vinyl and CD with the album, For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986. The LP, released in October, is the band's first release in over 30 years, and quickly topped the vinyl Billboard chart. Father John Misty, who will be headlining Rock the Garden 2018, came in at #8 in CD sales with the album Pure Comedy.
Vinyl
For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986 - The Replacements
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th Anniversary Edition) - The Beatles
Landmark - Hippo Campus
DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar
Hitchhiker - Neil Young
Greatest Hits - Tom Petty
The Nashville Sound - Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Furnace - Dead Man Winter
CD
For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986 - The Replacements
Blue & Lonesome - The Rolling Stones
A Deeper Understanding - The War on Drugs
The Nashville Sound - Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th Anniversary Edition) - The Beatles
DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar
50 Years of Blonde on Blonde - Old Crow Medicine Show
Pure Comedy - Father John Misty
Hot Thoughts - Spoon
Notes of Blue - Son Volt
Down in the Valley
Kendrick Lamar scored the top spot in CD sales at Down in the Valley with DAMN. Another favorite at the Golden Valley record store was Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago, which will receive a vinyl reissue and concert in 2018 to mark its tenth anniversary.
Vinyl
For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986 - The Replacements
Science Fiction - Brand New
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
Purple Rain: Remastered - Prince and the Revolution
OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017 - Radiohead
Elephant - The White Stripes
Landmark - Hippo Campus
For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
Greatest Hits - Tom Petty
CD
DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar
For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986 - The Replacements
Purple Rain (Deluxe & Expanded Version) - Prince and the Revolution
Villains - Queens of the Stone Age
Landmark - Hippo Campus
Emperor of Sand - Mastodon
Concrete and Gold - Foo Fighters
Chill, Dummy - P.O.S.
A Deeper Understanding - The War on Drugs
Prisoner - Ryan Adams
Flashlight Vinyl
Local punks Hüsker Dü came in at #1 at Flashlight Vinyl with the three-disc boxset Savage Young Dü. Other popular picks at Flashlight included Jamila Woods's Afrofuturistic debut album HEAVN; and Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile's collaborative album Lotta Sea Lice.
Vinyl
Savage Young Dü (box set) - Hüsker Dü
Hitchhiker - Neil Young
DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar
HEAVN - Jamila Woods
A Deeper Understanding - The War on Drugs
Reworked by Detroiters - Funkadelic
Drunk - Thundercat
Lotta Sea Lice - Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile
Awaken, My Love - Childish Gambino
Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors
Colleen Cowie is a student at Macalester College. She hosts the show Locally Sourced on WMCN.