13 Record Store Day Releases Actually Worth Getting on Black Friday

Record Store Day Black Friday—an extension of the annual celebration of independent music shops that has since turned into a bloated, navel-gazing mess that often hurts the exact stores it claims to support—is once again returning on November 27. RSD was founded in 2008 as a way to help drive customers to then-struggling indie retailers (and entice vinyl-loving cranks like myself), but in recent years has become a clearinghouse for increasingly ridiculous rarities; some notable stores have even refused to participate over profitability and distribution concerns. While the 2027 edition likely won’t solve the well-documented issues the event continues to face, there are still gems worth braving a horde of Sombr fans to purchase. Below, the Pitchfork staff has compiled a list of the best ones amid the nuclear-grade cringe:

• David Axelrod: David Axelrod
• Frank Black: Teenager Of The Year
• Pi'erre Bourne: The Life of Pi'erre 4
• Fischerspooner: #1
• Funkadelic: Live at Meadowbrook 1971
• Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Advent Calendar Edition)
• Carly Rae Jepsen: Day and Night (Continued)
• Lil Wayne: No Ceilings
• Joni Mitchell: Live at Carnegie Hall - 1972
• Stevie Nicks: Bella Donna
• Masayoshi Takanaka: Super Selection
• Tom Verlaine: Live in NYC 1996 - 2006
• Bill Withers: Bill Withers in Concert - Live at the BBC, 1974

Alex Suskind has overseen music coverage for New York magazine’s Vulture and, before that, Entertainment Weekly. He has written about TV, film, technology, politics, and tons of other stuff for The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and The Fader. ... Read More