SDEtv

Record Store Day 2023 / SDEtv Video Preview No 1

Record Store Day in 2023 is this coming Saturday, 22 April. As usual there’s a wide array of product available and so let SDEtv be your guide as in the first of three video previews we look at some of the albums/artists from the 1970s era.

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53 thoughts on “Record Store Day 2023 / SDEtv Video Preview No 1”

  1. Was really looking forward to picking up a copy of Flash and the Dynamics after seeing it in your preview video but unfortunately none of the four shops in the Soho area I visited had a copy of had even ordered it in! Shame. I did pick up a few other things but heck! the prices. The price difference from each shop was £10+ in some cases… I really feel like we were being taken advantage of this year.

      1. I wanted to thank you for the recommendation of Flash’, Paul. I wouldn’t have given it a second look if you hadn’t mentioned it in your preview. What a fantastic record.

        @Rovert I imported my copy from iMusic in Denmark. No more expensive than buying it in the UK. They still have stock.

  2. RSD 2023. Arrived at 15:00 in Newcastle (UK) stores still busy, lots of RSD stock still available.
    Had a list of MUST haves with 2 nice to haves.
    Must haves:
    Delines
    Taylor Swift
    Tricky
    Self Esteem
    Nice to haves
    Durutti
    Frou Frou

    Taylor Swift even at a whopping £58.00, looked on ebay and the prices were xxx, worst case scenario download from Disney+ and a cut and paste job. First and second store no copies. Third store a copy on the wall with the other Taylor recent leases, got to the desk and they had 20 plus on the desk at 16:00. Quality of discs are brilliant, packaging is OK. Confusion on how rare, RSD UK saying 14,000 copies, entry on discogs 115,000 worldwide. Either way £58.00 for a double vinyl!!!!

    Note number of copies is from one of the stores lists of RSD records they would be stocking.
    Tricky, copies available in every store, original vinyl copied are expensive and hard to find in a decent state. Picked up a copy and it has not been off the deck since. Price reasonable and quality is excellent. Forgot how good this album is. 1,100 copies

    Self Esteem, Compliments please, another one going for super silly money on ebay. Reasonably collectable as was ignored until the second album release. Decent copy and consistent in theme with second album as Gold vinyl. Only available in two stores although the third store had lots of copies left, the second store had one copy. 2,000 copies

    Durutti, rather pricey in my opinion and lots of copies available in all stores. Was going to leave in-store but………. couldn’t resist. Was on the nice to have list. 1,000 copies.
    Although after paying £58 for Taylor, complaining about £32 for Durutti is a bit daft!

    The Delines was a must have but no copies available. Talked to the staff in each shop and all said they had a couple of copies but sold out. To me this is my per hate of RSD, the limited number of 1,250 makes it “collectable” but does it go to real fans of the bnad or casual shoppers? Ordered a copy online from Sweden, with taxes and postage it is now £80 GDP. Have the original CD from the book but the tracks without the reading of the book would be nicer. 1,000 copies

    Frou Frou, this was on the nice to buy list. Never saw a copy and the stores hadn’t had a copy. Now going for silly prices. 500 copies

    Many of the “big” releases were still widely available, Blur, Bowie, Simple Minds, Stones, Elton, Ramones, Tears FF. Taylor Swift,Sam Fender but that might be a Newcastle thing.

    Another RSD in the main I got what I wanted other than the Delines. the thought of standing in a queue from 01:00 am for something that if I am not number 2 in the queue I probably wouldn’t get, doesn’t work for me.
    The copy from Sweden is the same price as the UK was selling for, other than the postage and VAT.

    My main lesson learnt don’t panic for RSD as in the main you can get what you want. For the scalpers it looks like Taylor will be a washout. Ha Ha

    Major gripe two of the stores were working off a list and you asked for the stock and didn’t browse. That to me sucks, it’s a record store you BROWSE the racks.

  4. Some nice ‘stuff’ there! Tempted by Macca, Elton, Lennon, Thin Lizzy, but kind of put off by the lack of download codes in most vinyl releases these days. I love to play the vinyl on my turntable at home, but I’d also love to play the same music when I’m out in the car. I wish the release info for all vinyl releases made it clear if there’s a d/l code or not, but that’s quite rare, so unless it explicitly says so, I tend to avoid these days, which is a shame.

  5. I’ve been buying RSD titles for probably the last ten years. What’s striking to me this year is the price increase, an average of 32£ for a single LP. Interested in the double picture disc from The Cure but that’s 55£ !!! Also it tends to be the same every year now, reissues, lots of live albums, nothing truly spectacular or new. I used to buy 50+ titles but this year my list includes just 10 titles. I’ll be waiting for online sales, no appetite to queue outside record shops.

  6. Thank you for sharing Paul. Would be great to see The Ramones continue the CD/LP box sets. End of the Century (1979) would be the next one and then Pleasant Dreams (1981). Hoping The Replacements and Lou Reed CD/LP box sets continue as well.

    1. I think the appetite for these sets was waning, according to a retailer friend a while ago. The issue numbers were decreasing, and It’s Alive! suffered from putting about 4 versions of the same set list in a set costing £75. They issued a double coloured vinyl not long after but I suspect Rhino may have seen the writing on the wall. That said, a reboot after a reasonable gap might inject some new life into the series

  7. Can’t say I’ve seen anything I’m interested in this year which is good because I queued for an hour last year, it was quite cold and I was about 20 back from the front. I wanted the Phil Lynott album and it turned out the shop only had one copy and someone beat me to it. Went home empty handed and paid a tenner more on eBay for a copy. It was claimed on the RSD website to be remastered by Abbey Road but when I contacted Miles Showell to ask if he had worked on it, he quite strangely replied it was nothing to do with him which sent my BS meter off. LP sounded dreadful when it arrived. I wouldn’t be surprised if abbey road merely approved the use of their hype sticker.
    I’ve come to the conclusion RSD is a bit of smoke and mirrors, don’t get caught up in the fever because it’s pot luck if you get value for money. I buy records to listen too primarily, if they look nice it’s simply a bonus.

    1. I have to agree…the usual process for me is, on initial reading of tbe list…ah bit ‘meh’, with a few that I might look at, a third read and then I seem to see more & have a solid list, which I mostly get. Not this time, the list remains meh, the I interested in list on examination has many things I already own…and then the prices of most have cooled my interest. Sorry but I am sitting this one out.

  8. Nice Video.
    Coloured Vinyl is nice to look at,but always the Quality is so poor compared to standard Black.
    I usually spend £600+ each yr,but prices are through the roof,I got the Lennon boxset so leaves me £250 probably get 6-8 pieces wiv that.
    Swedish house mafia, Groove Armada, Mansun,Midlake are my others .
    Supposed to Rain as well,typical .
    Hope Everyone gets what they want.

    1. There’s no actual precedent that coloured vinyl is any worse than black. It’s all about the actual pressing… and you do know that black is coloured vinyl too, don’t you?

  9. …I am the only one who thinks that the Lennon Box mimics his birthday? There’s ten-inches and nine of them, with a price of fourhundred Euros… you see? 10-9-40(0). Ok, one zero added to the price ;-)

  11. I see The Sisters Of Mercy have outdone themselves again this year with a £40 12″ of The Reptile House. So glad I have an original and on CD etc.

    2. Will it have the orignal versions on it or will the ‘wrong’ tapes be used again ala the Mofi version of Floodland and the Cadiz version of Gift?….

  12. I’ve just had a look at the video and it was interesting to see some of the items that are going to be available on RSD. However, it must be noted that some of the numbers for each item are very limited. I know there has been various figures bandied about as to quantities for each item but from what I’ve been able to establish they appear to be worldwide numbers. What I have been able to find out about the items in (part 1) of Paul’s video is listed below. It must be stressed that these are UK amounts only.

    Bob Marley 7″ 1,250
    Paul McCartney 1,600
    Thin Lizzy 1,700
    Elton John 1,500
    Ramones 1,500
    T.Rex 1,500
    John Lennon 300 – it does appear to be retailing around the £380 mark (!)
    Flash & The Dynamics 120 – I know Paul mentioned in the video a figure over 3,000 (worldwide) but this was
    all I could track down for the UK. It maybe an error and should be 1,200 which
    I some how doubt – it’s a very US release. However, I couldn’t find anymore info.

    Hope this is of some help. Enjoy the day and I hope you get the items you desire – I chose the word carefully!

    2. Flash & The Dynamics… apparently 3,350 copies were made in 2022 and came out in the US for RSD 2022 (!). I guess they shipped a small quantity to Europe for RSD 2023. Paul’s video tempted me and I bought a copy in Rotterdam today. The catalogue number and information on the sleeve seem to refer to 2022’s US release indeed. Only the sticker on the plastic wrapping indicates a 2023 RSD release. The vinyl looks stunning!

  15. Always enjoy these preview videos. They’re much appreciated although they always throw up new temptations that I hadn’t even considered!! Looking forward to the next 2. Thanks Paul!

  16. It’s that time of the year for overpriced vinyl. Assai records offer free shipping on all orders over £50, except RSD releases which has to above £80. Says it all really.

    I remember back in the day when it first started the idea was to get bums back in record shops. To get customers into the shops and browse. The reality is that involves standing in a queue for hours in freezing temperatures and where a lot of stores have a stock list which you have to fill in whilst in the queue. And when you get inside you get handed your picks at the counter which have been held back out of public display. You can’t even browse the RSD stock. Kind of defeats the original purpose I’d say.

    Not much interest for me this year. Only the picture disc of the last (rather good) Sea Power album and possibly the Suggs/Paul Weller picture disc single (I thought Mr Weller was so peeved off with RSD he refused to issue any more releases on RSD?) I’ll try and pick these up when they go online later. Am I right in thinking the UK is the only country where retailers are forbidden from offering RSD stock online until a few days later (used to be a week)? It’s utter nonsense.

    1. I’m of similar mind to be honest. 2010 was my first RSD and it was genuinely exciting to find myself buying a vinyl 7” for the first time in about 10 years if I recall.

      Each year my enthusiasm dropped to the point where I haven’t even looked at the list this year.

      Admittedly my priorities have changed in the past 12 months but last time I queued was 2019 for a Peter Gabriel picture disc that was available 2 weeks later from his own site. Last year same artist released a triple live album. I bought it online a week or so later for less than I would have paid for it had I gone local and queued. (My local always seems expensive compared to other retailers BTW).

      Year before that I turned up to queue 3 hours before shop opened to find that someone else had got there before me and was buying the only copy of the items I wanted that the shop had got. I went home found one of the two items available elsewhere for less than my shop was selling it for and was showering while the guy in the queue still had 2.5 hours of queuing to get through.

    2. Yeah it was great during the covid years, where stuff went online at 6pm the same day. Now you have to wait a whole week. I thought that was the same everywhere, but from what you’re saying that is not the case.

      1. Not quite a week anymore in the UK (you’re right, pre-Covid, it was not until the evening of the Friday after). This year it’s 8pm Monday 24th, it seems.

  17. Thank goodness I’m not interested in RSD. Mental prices. Anything I see I’ve got far cheaper after the event. I might have to wait a while, but always got cheaper.

  18. Rough Trade’s site is often handy for seeing the pressing quantities of RSD items – you just need to go into the actual item page itself. The Howard Jones set is a scary 500 copies in the wild!

  19. If you look on the American website you get info on the amount being pressed, whether it’s a RSD exclusive or a RSD first. The Uk version of the website has almost no information like that on it. The info must be available for the American site to do it, so it would be safe to say that the people involved in RSD UK are just lazy.

  21. Interesting run through RSD Paul. It’s going to be a cheap one for me this year which is no bad thing.

    The Lennon box is limited to 1500 copies and I’ve already watched 3 reviewers showing their copy sent by the Lennon estate. I wonder how many of these will actually be in the wild?

    1. one UK ‘reviewer’ on youtube got sent the rolling stones in mono box set to ‘review’ and he just did an unboxing because he doesn’t have anything to play vinyl on.

    2. I’ve always assumed that a limited release like that means slightly more copies pressed to allow for any lost or damaged in transit, review copies etc. Presumably Sean Ono Lennon won’t have to queue up and pay for a copy of his dad’s album either.

  24. As David said, Elton looks fabulous. As for John Lennon, I can’t really see the point of this release especially at the prices stated below. I thought the artwork on the original box set was stunning. Maybe this RSD release looks better in the flesh because it doesn’t impress on video.
    Thanks for the video Paul

  25. Other than the Opus One (Tubular Bells Demo) Vinyl release the one I am looking forward to is “Mr. Benn – The Music” it’ll sit nicely with my Bagpuss & Clangers LPs. These and Matt Berry’s Television Tunes are curiously much loved here. Ah, you old romantic.

  27. Thanks for that Paul-always enjoy these RSD Preview videos. By the way my local record store has the Lennon box set priced at £380.99…..ouch

    2. Yeah, regarding the Lennon set a phrase involving a fool and his money come to mind. I doubt it will sell very quickly at that price especially as solo Lennon isn’t particularly “sexy” these days

      1. I was thinking exactly the opposite. It will sell, either to those who simply MUST have it, but probably more for those hoping to sell it on. But at about £40 per 10″ that seems eye-wateringly poor value for money.

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