Record Store Day will celebrate its 10th anniversary when it returns on Saturday, April 22 with another assortment of special vinyl releases. The party will take place at record stores across the country, where vinyl aficionados will have a chance to score both exclusive and early releases from local establishments.
Among those special releases are offerings from a number of New Orleans area artists, including icons like The Meters, Allen Toussaint and John Sinclair. Today we’re taking a look at the Record Store Day releases with ties to South Louisiana.
The Meters – A Message from The Meters–The Complete Josie, Reprise & Warner Bros. Singles 1968-1977
Originally released on CD last year, this three-LP set features all forty single sides the funk pioneers’ put out with the Josie, Reprise and Warner Bros. labels. That means the entirety of the singles catalog, with the exception of a few obscure international releases. Included are classics like “Cissy Strut,” “Hand Clapping Song,” “Hey Pocky Way,” “Sophisticated Cissy” and much more, as well as all of those tunes’ rare B-sides. Most of this material hasn’t been put on vinyl since its original release. The LPs also come with liner notes by Bill Dahl, complete with quotes from Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli and George Porter Jr. It’s a “Limited Run/Region Focus” release, so copies are very limited (only 510 were printed) and it may not be distributed nationally.
Allen Toussaint – The Allen Toussaint Collection
A two-LP, three-side reissue of the late New Orleans master’s 1991 CD of the same name. This “best of” compilation included five tracks from 1975’s Southern Nights—plus a lot more—but still got a rather lukewarm review from OffBeat when it was first released 26 years ago. This reissue marks the first time that the compilation has been pressed to vinyl. It’s a “Record Store Day First Release,” which means it will be available on Record Store Day four to six weeks before it is available to the general public.
John Sinclair – Mobile Homeland
Poet, activist and former manager of the MC5 John Sinclair had already been a countercultural icon for decades by the time he relocated to New Orleans in 1991. It’s a reputation he earned as co-founder of the leftist, anti-racist White Panther Party, a role that played no small part in the outrageous 10-year sentence he received for giving two joints to an undercover cop in 1969. During the dozen years he spent in New Orleans, Sinclair volunteered as a DJ at WWOZ, even winning a Best DJ at the Best of the Beat Awards for five straight years from 1999-2003 (he moved to Amsterdam in 2003). Though he’s toured the world with various projects for years, Mobile Homeland marks his first-ever vinyl LP. Produced by Tino Gross, the album finds the poet him joined by Wayne Kramer (MC5), Mary Cobra (Detroit Cobras), Jimmie Bones (Kid Rock), Johnnie Bassett (Legendary Detroit Bluesman), Harmonica Shah, Jeff Grand, Dave McMurray, Johnny “Bee” Badanjek (Mitch Ryder, Alice Cooper) and Kenny Olson (Kid Rock), among others. It will be available nationwide, but only 1,200 copies have been printed.
Buddy Guy – “Sick With Love”
Buddy Guy may have made the wise career choice to move to Chicago when he was 21, but we still like to claim him in Louisiana. After all, he was born in Lettsworth, cut his teeth in Baton Rouge and returns to this fine state fairly often. This release is a 10” single that includes two brand new songs that are can’t be found anywhere else, “Sick With Love” and “She Got It Together.” 2000 have been printed and it will be distributed nationally.
Participating Louisiana Records Stores (click here for map):
Louisiana Music Factory—New Orleans, LA
Classic Tunes Music—St. Amant, LA
Day Old Blues Records—Shreveport, LA
Sisters in Christ—New Orleans, LA
Lagniappe Records—Lafayette, LA
The Round About—Lake Charles, LA
The Mushroom—New Orleans, LA
Peaches Records—New Orleans, LA
Spazz Records—West Monroe, LA, LA
Capital City Records—Baton Rouge, LA
NOLA Mix Records—New Orleans, LA
Euclid Records New Orleans—New Orleans, LA
Retro Music Co.—Covington, LA
The White Roach—New Orleans, LA
Skully’z Recordz—New Orleans, LA
Atomic Pop Shop—Baton Rouge, LA
Rick’s Records—Shreveport, LA
