Hi Everyone,
Hope all is well…
Well just a few days to go now to Record Store Day (Saturday April 22nd) and we will be open at 8AM… The shopping centre will be open, including the car park, from 6.30 am… But access is from the Marks / TKmaxx end only at 6.30… If you want to arrive earlier you will have to stand outside again at the Marks end of the centre…
Just to let ye all know… Records for RSD are landing…. We will have about 300 titles… And we got a really good fill on a lot of things… Really good…. But, there were cuts like every year… In about 30/40 titles there were cuts but some of them were only cut by 10-25%, not making a really bad impact really to be honest, but on a small few there were fairly serious cuts as in 75-80% of what I ordered…. There the couple of problems…. And a few of the really smaller distributors may well have let us down a bit but they would have been ones or twos of things…. We worked hard and done our best folks, but this is the nature of the beast i’m afraid….. So a handful of people may be disappointed… I hope you will understand if you are one of them…
To give you an idea off the kind of stuff we deal with from time to time…. Which makes it really difficult to compete with the massive online companies…. When a label will rather sell it there, than to specialist indie shops..
Here’s an email from my rep about the Fionn Regan LP a few days OK…
‘Hi All,
The label pressed 1,000 LP and once all the UK & International orders were keyed there was none for left for Ireland. Sincere apologies about this! We’re currently waiting to hear when there will be a repress and will update you asap. In the meantime you should shortly be receiving your CD orders for Friday.’
This is an example of what us minnows deal with from time to time, not to mention RSD…. and Fionn is Irish for christs sake… Imagine the lucky Fionn Regan fans in Norway getting their LPs…
Anyway… As I said the fill is good especially on the ‘biggest’ titles… So I hope most of ye will be happy and if not will be cool, which is nearly as good as being happy… Isn’t it?… Isn’t It?!
There will be no newsletter next week folks as we will be knee deep in records…. It’s the busiest day of the year for us… It is like 9 or 10 normal saturdays rolled into one… Records, music, craic and a beer if you want… What more could ya want like… So I hope to cover releases for the 21st and 28th of April tonight… Could well bore the liathroidi off ye…
But let’s start with what is being released this week in the shop… These are TOOL, NOTORIOUS BIG, CHRISTY MOORE, ELTON JOHN, PERCOLATER, LAMBCHOP, PETE TOWNSHEND. No video this week, once again it’s all RSD focus in the shop.
Not a huge amount happening on Friday the 21st…. It’s not as terrifying obviously but the shop is caught in a bit of a tsunami RSD week…. The calm… The waters receding… Eerily quiet … Then… Ooh in case I forget, which I could easily have but obviously now haven’t…. We are closed at 7pm on next Friday night as we try and make ourselves pretty and presentable for the morning, like…!
WARNER
Warner for the 21st have new albums by TEXAS, SHERYL CROW and SEAN ROWAN.. .His one on red vinyl.
UNIVERSAL
Universal have the mighty 2PAC and a vinyl reissue of his debut 2PACALYPSE NOW on DLP with codes… 25th anniversary of that classic.
Uni also have some GLEN CAMBELL LP reissues including ‘Gentle On My Mind’ and Wichita Lineman’, as well as some more reissues by THE JAM including ‘All Mod Cons, ‘Setting Sons’ and ‘Sound Effects’.
Uni have the new album by INCUBUS, entitled ‘8’ next Friday the 21st also… June for the LP i’m afraid though, and lastly Uni have a new album by STEPS and WILKINSON which is called ‘Hypotonic’ and there is as a 4LP set limited to 1000 copies only.. And also a MAX RICHTER reissue of ‘Infra’… Listening to this guy lately.. Lovely stuff.
SONY
Sony for Friday the 21st of April have the BOWIE ‘No Plan’ EP on clear vinyl….The blue pill… I mean vinyl sorry, is the day after as a limited RSD release… A bit harsh on the Bowie fans really… Loads of releases for RSD and all his fans must be planning retirement homes and funeral costs so it’s a bit harsh on them..
Sony also have the new album by RAY DAVIES (THE KINKS) out on the 21st called ‘Americana’… First solo album since 2008.
Lastly Sony have a new album by BRAD PAISLEY.
RED ESSENTIAL have new albums by RON SEXSMITH and MAXIMO PARK for the 21st of April if they’re not sold out in Uzbekistan first…
PROPER
PROPER have KATATONIA ‘Live In Bulgaria’ for April 21…
Right so that’s the releases for April 21st…. Just about 300 releases then on April 22nd, like… A bit then about our local heroes, and those from slightly further afield, who come in and showcase their talents for all our entertainment needs on the day, for the price of a record and a cup of tea or a bottle of beer…. Legends one and all….Thanks lads.
First up at 11AM are RAISING JUPITER, a rock band from Leeside…. The lads are regulars with us and never fail to deliver… Quality musicians with some rocking riffs…. Two piece. Beau Hill heard a tune and looked up the guys and has now produced their latest EP.
2.45PM we are delighted to welcome CROW BLACK CHICKEN, with their brilliant brand of dirty blues…. Christy the singer/guitarist does be in and out of the shop a bit….. Gas man i’d say…. I said it to him only a week or two back…. Back to me in a few days… ‘Yeah we’ll do it’… Sound job lads… Nice one…. I’d say their little performance will be a cracker… Cant wait!
3.30PM we are delighted to announce MILKY TEETH… Maybe Robbie Barron’s maiden solo voyage as MILKY TEETH… Robbie has some serious pedigree… Currently guitar player with JOHN BLEK AND THE RATS and THE SHAKER HYMN… He has also worked with the likes of JOAN SHELLEY among others…. MILKY TEETH is releasing a limited three track EP for RECORD STORE DAY…. Ye guys will be the first to hear it…. Well young Bobby here has heard a track and he is bloody raving about it since…. So another cracker in store.
Lastly at 5PM… As the sun sets on RSD… We will be really honoured to welcome WE CUT CORNERS to our stage… Quality finish to our day…. These guys are class…. The new record ‘The Cadences Of Others’ is brilliant… It is… It is brilliant…. So we are really thrilled to have the lads in… Try pencil it in.
So that’s the line up folks…. We would like to say a huge thanks to everyone in advance and hopefully you guys reading this will catch a flavour of the day by coming in to us.
Right moving quickly through releases for the 28th of April… Short and sweet folks… The one finger tapping machine is running out of battery….. The biggie biggie via Warner is the new GORILLAZ record ‘Humanz’…. CD, DELUXE CD or LP.. LP pre-order for 24 euro special price still on offer…. Looking forward to it…
Warner also have a CRANBERRIES ‘Unplugged’ CD for the 28th of April…
PIAS
PIAS have the new MARK LANEGAN album, Indie supergroup BNQT’s record on indies only orange vinyl, a DIMMU BORGIR new one, and new ones from GEOFF BARROW / BEN SALISBURY, VIOLENTS AND MONICA MARTIN… Worth a listen.
Universal have new albums by THURSTON MOORE, FEIST (BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 OST and LP reissues by REM ‘Green’, CHEMICAL BROS ‘We Are The Night’, NAT KING COLE ‘Unforgettable’ and a nice JOHN MARTYN acoustic CD.
SONY have VAN MORRISON ‘The Authorised Bang Collection’, WILLIE NELSON’s new album, and a DEPECHE MODE double 12” single.
PROPER have a reissue of PATRICK CASSIDY ‘Cruit’..
MUSIC ON VINYL
MUSIC ON VINYL have a few beauts from their collection series…. First pressings of these records should be the limited numbered coloured ones…. 3LP sets… ‘Best Ofs’ by THIN LIZZY, MARVIN GAYE, UB40 and JOE COCKER… As well as TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS ‘Unplugged’…
On the local scene, we also have the new release from Percolator on vinyl through Penske Records, for a great price of 15EUR. This is getting spun on McCloone and sounding great. Check out the full album and an interview with the lads by Thin Air here, and spread the word!
http://thethinair.net/2017/03/
So look sin é for this and next week folks…
Hope you pop in and say hello on Record Store Day… 96FM are broadcasting from outside the shop from 10 till 2… Should be a right good celebration…
We’re still here!
Thanks for listening,
Ray