Record Store Day Black Friday—an extension of the annual celebration of independent music shops that has since turned into a bloated, navel-gazing mess that can hurt the exact stores it claims to support—is once again returning on November 27. RSD was founded in 2008 as a way to help drive customers to then-struggling indie retailers (and entice vinyl-loving cranks like myself), but in recent years has become a clearinghouse for increasingly ridiculous rarities; some notable stores have even refused to participate over profitability and distribution concerns. While the 2027 edition likely won’t solve the well-documented issues the event continues to face, there are still gems worth braving a horde of Sombr fans to purchase. Below, the Pitchfork staff has compiled a list of the best ones amid the nuclear-grade cringe:
- David Axelrod: David Axelrod
- Frank Black: Teenager Of The Year
- Pi’erre Bourne: The Life of Pi’erre 4
- Fischerspooner: #1
- Funkadelic: Live at Meadowbrook 1971
- Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Advent Calendar Edition)
- Carly Rae Jepsen: Day and Night (Continued)
- Lil Wayne: No Ceilings
- Joni Mitchell: Live at Carnegie Hall – 1972
- Stevie Nicks: Bella Donna
- Masayoshi Takanaka: Super Selection
- Tom Verlaine: Live in NYC 1996 – 2006
- Bill Withers: Bill Withers in Concert – Live at the BBC, 1974