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Record Store Day

15 vinyl exclusives to grab on Record Store Day Black Friday 2024

Twin Cities record stores celebrate Black Friday Record Store Day on Friday, Nov. 29.
Twin Cities record stores celebrate Black Friday Record Store Day on Friday, Nov. 29.Bump Opera for MPR

by Erik Thompson

November 25, 2024

Need holiday gift ideas for your favorite music fans? Exclusive vinyl coming out on Record Store Day Black Friday has something special for every type of music fan. Intriguing releases from rock ‘n’ roll royalty include vinyl offerings from current pop queens, country stars, and folk luminaries. Here’s a roundup of 15 of the best Record Store Day Black Friday releases to keep your eye out for when you’re flipping through the racks at your favorite independent record store. Happy crate digging!   

 

The Beatles - “I Want To Hold Your Hand" b/w "I Saw Her Standing There”

This reproduction of the Beatles’ first Capitol Records single – originally released in January of 1964 – is cut from the original U.S. version of the master tapes. Not long after its release and the Beatles’ legendary performance on The Ed Sullivan Show that February, Beatlemania swept over America and pop music was forever changed. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” ended up selling more than 12 million copies worldwide and became the Fab Four’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

Better Than Ezra - Deluxe

Better Than Ezra’s platinum-selling major label debut has only been pressed on vinyl once and has long been out of print. Real Gone Music is putting out a limited run of 2,000 copies of this hits-filled record – which includes the No. 1 Modern Rock radio smash “Good” – on a two-LP gatefold set on grape-colored vinyl.

The Doors - Live in Detroit

This is the first time this complete 1970 live set from the Doors has ever been released on vinyl. This four-LP collection captures the legendary LA psych-rock band playing one of the longest shows in their live history at Detroit’s Cobo Arena on their Roadhouse Blues Tour. The Doors played an hour past curfew and subsequently were banned from the arena. This live set features sprawling, 17-plus minute versions of their classic hits "The End," "When The Music's Over," and "Light My Fire," as well as a series of blues covers.

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft (Isolated Vocals)

For the Billie Eilish completist, this new version of her third album – up for Album of the Year at the Grammys -- features her powerful vocal work at the forefront. Check out “WILDFLOWER (Isolated Vocals).” In addition to the new sound mix, this RSD variation features a stylish inverted album cover.

Noah Kahan - Town Hall (Stick Season Collaborations)

Over the past few Record Store Days, Noah Kahan has released some of the most in-demand titles, including a 7-inch collaboration with Olivia Rodrigo back in April. This time around, Kahan’s Town Hall (Stick Season Collaborations) has the Vermont folk sensation partnered with his talented friends for duets that initially appeared as bonus tracks on the Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever) edition. This set, pressed on tiger-eye brown vinyl, features collaborations with Brandi Carlile, Hozier, Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Gracie Abrams, Gregory Alan Isakov, Sam Fender, and Lizzy McAlpine.    

MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday 25th Anniversary

Metal Face Records is going all out celebrating the 25th anniversary of MF DOOM’s groundbreaking debut studio album, Operation: Doomsday. There are two gatefold double-LP set options – one featuring the original cover art and metallic silver vinyl, and the other with variant cover art by Jason Jagel pressed on gold nugget and red splatter vinyl. Need more? There are two cassette editions with the original and variant artwork, as well as CD reissues featuring both covers packaged in a collectable full color long box – remember those? 

Joni Mitchell - Hejira Demos

Recorded in March of 1976, these stunning demos from the Hejira sessions capture the hushed brilliance of Joni Mitchell creating a gold-certified masterpiece. These solo demos were initially included in the recent Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4 box set. Mitchell is joined by the legendary Chaka Khan on the stirring “Black Crow” demo.

Modest Mouse - Baron Von Bulls**t Rides Again

Modest Mouse’s 2004 live album has never been released on vinyl. The fiery 10-track live set was recorded over the course of three Modest Mouse shows at The Social in Orlando, and captures the band’s untamed, underdog spirit before they hit it big with “Float On.” Previously a CD-only set, it was only available at an Orlando record store and with pre-orders for Good News For People Who Love Bad News.

Morphine - B-Sides and Otherwise

Following the 2023 vinyl reissues of Morphine’s final two records, Like Swimming and The Night, this is the beloved Massachusetts jazz-rock band’s first vinyl release of the compilation, B-Sides and Otherwise. This collection of deep-cut gems features live radio sessions from 1994, various soundtrack contributions (from Get Shorty and Things to Do In Denver When You’re Dead), and an assortment of B-sides from the band’s early singles on Rykodisc.

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Into The Well

Up for Best Country Album at the Grammys, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well has already struck a chord. With Deeper Into The Well, the singer-songwriter expands on her acclaimed album with seven previously unreleased songs and what Musgraves calls “a 20 minute woodland sound experience.” This is the first vinyl release of Deeper Into the Well, which is pressed on green eco-vinyl with clear slip-sleeve packaging. 

Stevie Nicks - "The Lighthouse"

After 41 years away, Stevie Nicks made a triumphant return to Saturday Night Live back in October. To mark the big occasion, Nicks performed an impassioned version of her new women’s rights anthem, “The Lighthouse.” For RSD Black Friday, Nicks’ rousing new song – which she produced alongside Sheryl Crow and Dave Cobb – is getting pressed on a white vinyl 7-inch single that shows the 76-year-old former Fleetwood Mac singer still has something vital to say.

Pearl Jam - RSD Song of the Year

Pearl Jam were Record Store Day ambassadors back in 2019, and are long-time advocates of the sonic brilliance of vinyl. After releasing a RSD exclusive of their new album, Dark Matter, back in April, a live version of one of the songs from that record – “Waiting For Stevie” – has been chosen as the RSD Song of the Year. This 12-inch 45 rpm pressing features “Waiting For Stevie” recorded live at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on the recent Dark Matter U.S. tour, while the flipside includes a live rendition of “Wreckage” from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Included in this special RSD release is a double-sided full-color poster of the band performing live in 2024.

The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!

Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! is the best live album of this year’s Record Store Day Black Friday. Recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 27 and 28, 1969, the collection captures the Rolling Stones’ with the recent addition of guitarist Mick Taylor. It became the first live album to ever reach No. 1 on the U.K. charts. This special RSD pressing is on candy cane swirl colored vinyl, matching Charlie Watts’ hat on the iconic cover art, and includes a lithograph featuring the band and a classic OBI strip.

Ramones - Greatest Hits

This is the first time that the New York City punk legends’ Greatest Hits compilation has ever been released on vinyl. Most Ramones fans already have most of these tunes – all recorded between 1976–1989 – in their record collection already, but it’s a treat to hear these urgent, hard-hitting songs across a single LP. Plus, there are some hits buried on the Ramones hit-or-miss ’80s records, including “Outsider,” “Pet Sematary, and “Wart Hog.”

U2 - How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their multiple-Grammy-winning album, How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2 are releasing a variety of box sets and reissues featuring outtakes, live shows, and unreleased material from that era. This RSD release of How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb is a stand-alone version of a “shadow album” of the original studio record, featuring 10 new, previously unreleased songs from the original recording sessions. It’s pressed on limited-edition black-and-red vinyl.