Since 2021, vinyl LPs have outsold CDs in the U.S., according to Luminate.
While some of us still hold silverback compact discs close to our hearts, it has been nothing short of remarkable to see vinyl rise from its decades-long decline to become the top format in America for the first time since the late ‘80s. Plus, it’s a telling referendum on the staying power of physical media in a world where streaming remains king.
Credit this wax resurgence to the founders of Record Store Day. In 2008, they began an annual April holiday that allows serious collectors to binge like it’s a vinyl-centered version of St. Patrick’s Day. Since then, labels have been working overtime to secure exclusive titles from every genre to ensure your place in that line on Saturday.
Perusing through this year’s list of exclusives, it was no easy task to narrow down over 400 titles down to 10 choices. One label alone, Rhino Records, has no less than 24 distinct offerings for this year’s big day, including exclusive wax from such stalwart acts as Madonna, Yes, Stevie Nicks, Talking Heads, The Grateful Dead, Tori Amos and more. Yet that’s exactly what makes Record Store Day so much fun for the vinyl junkie: even if you don’t score a title on your priority list, there are so many worthwhile alternatives to help soothe the loss of your white whale on wax.
Here are 10 amazing titles for Record Store Day 2023 — releases worth queueing up for on Saturday, April 22 at a record store near you.
