My wife and I recently took a trip to visit our son who’s spending this semester studying in London. We’re not extensive world travelers, but we’ve gone overseas a handful of times, and this was our fourth trip to England’s capital. As such, we opted to just enjoy the city rather than visit usual Tower of London/Westminster Abbey/Big Ben/Parliament stuff we’d already seen.
After overcoming a bit of jet lag and stopping for a caffeine jolt, we took a walk from our hotel to the original Rough Trade record shop (aka, “Rough Trade West”) in the Notting Hill neighborhood (the store moved from its first location to the current spot on Talbot Road in 1982). Though Rough Trade has expanded far beyond selling records out of crates off Kensington Road (note London’s newer, more modern “Rough Trade East” featuring a 300-cap venue and a café, plus branches elsewhere in England, New York and Berlin) I wanted to see the original. It didn’t disappoint.
I could have spent all day there. Didn’t buy any new music but filled some gaps in my still-growing vinyl collection – De La Soul, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Pulp, and since I’ve had Massive Attack on my mind lately, Blue Lines on LP.
The staff was friendly and helpful, offering to safely package the records just from overhearing me talk about getting them on a flight (the finishing touch being a nice Rough Trade-branded reusable cloth bag). The young woman behind the counter also patiently listened when, upon seeing a nearby copy of Some Friendly, I mentioned I first saw The Charlatans 34 years ago, responding only with “whoah.” Not sounding impressed, more like “isn’t it time for your nap?” (Side note: if they start selling Rough Trade-branded defibrillators I’ll assume this interaction was the inspiration and I want a cut.)
All this brings me to Record Store Day 2026 on April 18. I get that it’s not for me. It’s not for the guy who heads to Rough Trade West before eating his first meal in London. They have me already. I’m hooked and eager for my next fix.
I can appreciate Record Store Day for what it is – a promotional exercise designed to wring dollars out of the normies (kind of like how in my younger days I viewed the trifecta of Halloween-New Year’s Eve-St. Patrick’s Day as amateur hour for the bridge & tunnel crowd). Everyone needs to make their nut, including and especially independent record store owners. Whether it’s overpriced green beer tickets in Times Square or an expanded double-LP Pogues reissue on green vinyl with demos and never-released outtakes and live performances, special promotions bring in revenue essential to keep these businesses open. In the end, I’m all for watching money flow to independent store owners over streaming services (hot take, I know).
Speaking of which, we’re now in an era in which algorithm manipulation is the new payola. Or maybe it’s just good PR. A semi-annual promotion involving slightly overpriced records seems harmless, almost quaint. Oh how we yearn for simpler times, plying program directors and record store buyers with cash and blow. Glory days, they’ll pass you by.
(Side note #2: I think people are still focused on Geese and their algorithmic shenanigans – which some in 2026 would justifiably call “marketing” – because people fall into one of three camps with this band: love them, hate them, don’t get them. I tend to be in the last one. I believe I’ve written before that Cameron Winter’s voice is what a punchable face sounds like. Maybe if I was in my 50s when The Bends was released I’d say the same thing about Thom Yorke but I wasn’t and I love Radiohead and I don’t get the appeal of Geese. It’s easy for me to imagine someone – whether that person is current on new bands or not – hearing their music and asking, “Them? They’re the Gen Z zeitgeist rock band?” Add into the mix bigger concerns about social media manipulation generally, often for more serious things than music promotion. Factor in long-standing major label marketing strategies, and add a dash of skepticism directed at young white affluent New Yorkers - with parents connected to the creative world - who make a sudden leap to rock stardom, similar to The Strokes 25 years ago but using bots instead of writers at NME. I don’t have a grand conclusion to this detour other than to say keep listening to what you like, and if an artist’s rise seems inorganic it probably is. But that also doesn’t mean the band and its fans aren’t legit.)
That’s the business side of Record Store Day. The music side is just plain fun. Each year brings interesting re-releases, vinyl-only collections, odd one-off pairings, and the occasional new album drop. Yes they already have me hooked, but each year a few notable RSD releases catch my eye.
One that stands out for me is Pavement’s Perfect Sound Forever. The 1991 Drag City EP with tracks like “Heckler Spray,” “Debris Slide” and “Home” that made it onto the compilation Westing (By Musket and Sextant), it’s a cool addition for the Pavement completist.
A pairing I didn’t have on my 2026 bingo card is Chuck D and John Densmore of the Doors. The duo have combined under the moniker doPE (as in, Doors/PE) to release No Country for Old Men. I haven’t heard it yet but I’m intrigued. Keep an ear out for the single and RSD Song of the Year “Every Tick Tick Tick.”
Suede’s Coming Up at the BBC wasn’t available when I visited Rough Trade, but you can bet your arse I would have grabbed it then if I could. This collection is a reconstruction of Suede’s 1996 third album using live BBC radio recordings in the album’s proper sequence. While reconstructed live albums can be hit or miss, in their heyday Suede put on some electric British TV and radio performances, so this one has a chance.
Anyone else excited for the return of MC 900 Ft. Jesus? No? Just me? As part of Record Store Day, we’re getting a double-LP, expanded 35th anniversary reissue of his 1991 album Welcome to my Nightmare. Can’t say I’ve thought much about MC 900 Ft. Jesus over the past… oh… 35 years. But I know I have this CD in a box somewhere, and I distinctly remember playing it in my freshman dorm, particularly during times when women were not expected to be around.
Finally we have a release that was truly meant for me – Warren Zevon’s Epilogue: Live at the Edmonton Folk Festival. This one violates the spirit of Record Store Day somewhat in that it was initially dropped on streaming in December 2025. But it’s getting a vinyl release on Record Store Black Friday (April 17). More importantly, the album showcases Zevon’s final live performance in August 2002, two months before his famous Letterman appearance. It’s all-acoustic like 1993’s Learning to Flinch, but unlike its predecessor Epilogue is from one concert. A truly memorable moment is Zevon covering Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.”
These are just a few examples of the titles available on Record Store Day 2026. So get your arse out there on Saturday and spend some money at your local independent record store. And while you’re there, do one more thing. As you’re purchasing the latest RSD-approved reissue or repackaging or never-before-heard live album or triple-LP in neon pink vinyl from an established artist, take a minute to find something new.
Talk to a store employee and ask for a recommendation. Like the woman I encountered at Rough Trade West, most people who work in independent record stores are cool and willing to both talk and listen. The stereotype of the smarter-than-thou record store guy (always a guy) looking down his nose at the unwashed masses is both overblown and out of date. Put simply, in today’s record buying economy, independent stores can’t afford to employ people who are dicks.
Tell the employee that you listened to My Bloody Valentine in college and they can recommend a new shoegaze band. Maybe you’ll find a power pop band that reminds you of Matthew Sweet. Or an alt-country band carrying the torch lit by Uncle Tupelo. Or a hip hop artist that mixes elements of Native Tongues and MF Doom. Buy a record from one of these newer artists that reminds you of a band from your youth. They’re not the draw on Record Store Day, but discovering them is what will bring you back the following week. And just like the independent record stores, these newer artists need your consistent support too. (Brian)
I have been known to vibe to The City Sleeps but I don't think I'm in the market for the MC 900' Jesus double LP.