To be honest I dont really like RSD, to me its the record buying equivalent of The Grand National. I would much rather record companies give us decent quality records on proper release. I blame RSD for much of the decline in pressing quality in recent times with companies hogging pressing plant capacity and the plants cutting corners to rush stuff out for the day. What started as a well intentioned campaign to support record shops has become largely imo a cynical marketing gimmick using FOMO to manufacture a demand to queue hours (which I wont do) for a lot of crap.
Sorry for the rant😂 back to BTBL I agree, with the one possibility that perhaps if the re issue is any good it might lessen demand for overpriced originals and bring the price of those down.
Yes, I agree about RSD. I suspect that it has become at least as important to the big record companies for generating income as it is for the survival of independent record shops. It’s also a problem for those of us who don’t have easy access to an independent store - the only record shop in Milton Keynes is an HMV. I don’t think we will ever get away from limited edition releases as a concept, but the approach of having independent shop only releases coming through the year, rather than all on one day, seems a better one to me.
Not sure if your being tongue in cheek, but I still wouldnt queue for hours out in the cold and wet hopping from one foot to the other, getting my ears assaulted by second rate buskers and slurping second rate coffee with second rate pastry…to get home and find Ive bought a second rate crackly coloured vinyl of something I thought I wanted then realised I didnt…
Black Circle records in Leighton Buzzard are alright. And participated in RSD 2022. They are one of I think 4 second hand dealers in LB, as well as stocking a fair bit of new vinyl. There’s a reasonable coffee place on the same street too. I might take a wander down to see about that Ernest Ranglin release on the off chance they participate this year, and have it in, enjoyed a few streams of it recently.
[edit: Or maybe the day after, I’ve never been on the day before, sounds awful! I cannot abide second rate coffee X) ]
Absolutely Dread- only a thousand copies so I may well have to get up early and queue.
I’ve been looking for a vinyl copy of this for ages- in fact I nearly bought the Japanese reissue- rather glad I didn’t given your comments.
Here’s hoping I manage to secure a copy.
Well subject to the slight caveats I’ve opined I hope it works out for you. If I can still get a copy after the day I may do if only to get it in a proper sleeve with Steve Barrow’s notes.
But to just bang on again, these RSD “limited” releases dont help anyone other than flippers and vinyl fetishists. This is music that deserves to be made readily available, I hope Universal are testing the waters here and will do a proper release in due course for the benefit of music lovers.
I couldn’t agree more. RSD has morphed from something laudable to another money making exercise for the record companies.
In addition most of the releases are of no interest to me- but Below the Baseline is a glaring exception.
Normally I just wait and buy after 1800 on the day but on this one I may try a bit harder.
Yes, I know Black Circle and they always participate in RSD - I have even queued outside, although I hadn’t anticipated it being so busy by late morning. I do rarely go to Leighton Buzzard though and hadn’t discovered the other s/h record shops. Would you recommend any of them?
I haven’t tried them I’m afraid. I buy most of my new vinyl from Piccadilly Records, followed by Rough Trade, Juno and Ace. I take the occasional wander to Black Circle and usually leave with a few new and secondhand bits.
You might be interested in the Vinyl Nation documentary I posted a little way back.
RSD was born out of a couple of record shops in the US who started it locally as a means to promote their declining shops.
Now imo its ballooned into an international marketing Behemoth, what is it 2 or 3 RSD days now, each one with drop1, drop 2 etc then theres album day and even black Friday blah blah
Simply because it is an exceptionally good album by an often unsung but very important figure of JA music.
Its been hard to find on vinyl for sensible money, a few hundred pounds on the collectors market since its original release.
It was part of a short lived project (Island Jamaica Jazz) and series of albums bringing attention to the Jazzier side of modern Jamaican music, other titles included Monty Alexander’s excellent Yard Movement, saxophonist and musical director Dean Fraser Big Up, Skatalites Ball Of Fire and a further excellent Ranglin’ Memories Of Barber Mack.
Maybe I misunderstand you, its not now being re issued on vinyl or (hopefully not) transferred from a CD, many of the titles were originally released at the time simultaneously on both vinyl & CD
Yes, they were released on CD with more tracks and Below The Bassline (not sure about the other titles) is available to stream. If the vinyl format doesnt particularly interest then the digital options of course are another way of hearing this fine music.
