Something special always happens on Record Store Day. Huh…not familiar with Record Store Day? … Always observed on the third Saturday of April, Record Store Day is a day of recognition for independent brick and mortar music stores everywhere. It truly celebrates the art of music, by bringing together anyone who loves music.
April 21st will be the 5th annual Record Store Day celebrated by roughly 700 independent re
cord stores and countless fans in the US. And as is tradition, this Record Store Day will feature limited edition albums in CD and vinyl formats, available only at independent retailers!
Not only are some of the biggest names in music participating in this special event, but there are also several artist involved, that reggae-rock fans should really be excited about. 311, Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables, The Green, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and Peter Tosh will all be releasing titles exclusively for record store day.
Courtesy of ATO Records, 311 will release 1000 12″ vinyls with four songs off their latest album, Universal Pulse. The tracks will be remixes of “Trouble,” ” Weightless,” ” Sunset In July,” and “Time Bomb.” The remixes are said “to range from dub-step bangers ready for the clubs, to laid-back reggae grooves.”
In honor of the holiday, Windstar Records and the estate of John Denver will be releasing The Music Is You Series, a run of 7′ vinyl records with various artists covering John Denver songs. 1500 copies will be released on a very special vinyl with Slightly Stoopid playing “Leaving On A Jet Plane” on side A, and The Expendables playing “Back Home Again” on side B.
The Expendables recorded the single exclusively for Record Store Day, during their Gone Soft recording sessions, and it will not be on the upcoming acoustic album. To commemorate the John Denver series, and the May 2012 release of their upcoming album, The Expendables will be playing an ‘intimate’ acoustic set at Streetlight Records’ Santa Cruz and San Jose locations. Check out details for the show and meet and greets at TheExpendables.net
As their way of supporting the record store culture, Vans Warp Tour bound, The Green will put out 2500 vinyl copies 
of their most recent album Ways & Means.
Reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry will release a Blackboard Jungle Dub Limited Edition 10″ Box triple vinyl set. This is the first time that Perry’s Blackboard Jungle Dub will be issued in a 10″ vinyl pressing. This triple vinyl will be in red, green and gold, enclosed in a full color box, hinged box secured with a magnetic clasp. Also included in this special limited set is a 30″ x 30″ poster of the cover art.
Finally, a very limited run of 510 discs will be released, and endorsed by the estate of reggae favorite Peter Tosh. The Legalize: Echodelic Remixes Picture Disc will be a 12″ full color picture disc that includes four all new “echodelic” remixes of the Tosh classic.
G. Love says it best “Independent record stores are where kids like me learned about the music that made them the musicians they are today. Independent record stores are about the love of records not the love of money!”
On April 21st find your area record store and pay it a visit, it is your support that keeps the music alive. Check out information regarding this holiday, including all the special releases, artist appearances, and find out where your closest record store is here: RecordStoreDay.com
Record Store Day Countdown:
Article By: Aaron Solomon
Check out Slightly Stoopid playing “Leaving On A Jet Plane” live at the Hangout Music Festival!
