Black Friday Finds

I hope everyone made it to their local indie record store on Friday for all the great special releases.

I made it to Amoeba in Berkeley, Calif., where I picked up The Black Keys' 45 RPM edition of Brothers. The package includes the album on double 45 RPM vinyl as well as a bonus 10-inch disc of six previously unreleased tracks.

In addition, I got U2's Wide Awake In Europe EP, which features three live songs from their recent tour. The first side has the previously unreleased "Mercy," recorded in Brussels.

And, I was able to get the Bruce Springsteen and The Gaslight Anthem 45s. The Springsteen 7-inch features "Save My Love," a new song off The Promise album, and the great song "Because The Night" on the flip side.

The Gaslight Anthem 7-inch features the band covering "Tumbling Dice." The B-side is their own "She Loves You." The single comes in four different colors, with the cover matching the color of the vinyl.

There was a nice little line in front of Amoeba before the doors opened. When folks were let inside, they jammed around the special releases, so you had to be a little aggressive, but everyone was friendly.

It was a good day to hold vinyl lovers over until Record Store Day in April.

Black Friday News

Hi Vinyl Fans:

Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving has become a tradition for many folks, but I've done my best to avoid the mall crowds over the years, This time, I'm happily heading to the indie record stores on Black Friday. A number of special vinyl releases will be offered that day. Now, it's not officially another Record Store Day, but you will find a number of super-cool releases from Bruce Springsteen, Black Keys, Metallica, and others.

Here's a link to a list of the Black Friday specials.

It's a great way to start the holidays.