Thursday 15 April 2010: Worldwide interest
provoked by Record Store Day's exclusive Blur release, the band's
first new recording in seven years, has raised high hopes for this
Saturday's (April 17) Record Store Day, designed to raise the
profile of the UK's 300-or-so last remaining independent record
stores.
Blur's record company Parlophone yesterday confirmed that the
band will release just 1,000 copies of Fool's Day on a one-sided 7"
vinyl single, which will be available exclusively through
independent stores on Record Store Day.
The track is one of over 100 exclusive items which will only be
available through participating Record Store Day stores on
Saturday.
RSD organiser Spencer Hickman of London's Rough Trade East store
said, "We have had people contact us from all over the world. Some
people are even threatening to fly in for the day just in the hope
of picking up a copy of the Blur single."
Copies are so limited that some stores will have just two
copies, said Hickman. Stores have come up with a number of novel
ways of ensuring they are distributed fairly. Pure Groove Records
in London's Smithfield is holding a Blur Quiz while Blackcat
Records in Taunton is raffling the single.
Hickman stressed that the Blur single is just one of over 100
exclusives available at indie stores on Record Store Day,
including:
- The Rolling Stones Plundered My Soul - 1000
copies on 7" vinyl of a previously unreleased track from the
legendary Exile on Main Street sessions;
- Tinie Tempah Pass Out - an exclusive 500 copy
7" edition of the Number One hit single;
- Gorillaz feat Bashy,Kano & National Orchestra For
Arabic Music White Flag - just 100 copies of a 10" vinyl
edition;
- The Cribs The Cribs - vinyl album with bonus
early demos CD;
- Goldfrapp Head First- just 500 copies of their
new album on cassette.
Alongside the exclusive product, shops will be organising a
variety of special events for Record Store Day, including PAs and
performances from the likes of The Paddingtons (Crash Records,
Leeds), Ash and Laurie Anderson (Rough Trade East), and Magic
Numbers (Rough Trade West)all designed to celebrate the
contribution made by indie stores to the music community.
Elsewhere music fans can look forward to Rock 'n Roll
Face-Painting, Indie cake stalls and RSD after-parties.
For a full list of participating stores go to http://www.recordstoreday.com/Page/560
UK Record Store Day coordinator Spencer Hickman said, "We are
really expecting a carnival atmosphere. Record Store Day seems to
have captured people's imagination."
Kim Bayley, Director General of the Entertainment Retailers
Association, said, "Independent record stores are the musical
heartland of entertainment retailing. Record Store Day is a
fantastic way of raising their profile. The serious point behind
all this is that if you don't use your local record store, you
might lose it. That would be a great loss to British music."
Among Record Store Day's supporters are:
Paul McCartney - "There's nothing as
glamorous to me as a record store. This is why I'm more than happy
to support Record Store Day and I hope that these kinds of stores
will be there for us all for many years to come."
Bruce Springsteen - "I hate to see record stores
disappear, and I'm old-school in that I think you should pay for
your music. But what my kids do is download a lot of things, pay
for them, and then if they love something, they'll get the CD. That
may be the future."
Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips) - "The 'cool'
record store. It is where you can talk to people who are like you.
They look like you, think like you and, most tellingly like the
same music as you - the only comparable experience these days would
probably be an art museum - an actual place where you can stand and
simply be surrounded by your heroes."
Nick Hornby - " Record stores can't save your
life. But they can give you a better one."