We Dug Through The Record Store Day 2023 Exclusives

Written by Morgan Ciocca on April 21, 2023

^{Pictured above: Inside Gramaphone Records, one of the dozens of participating Chicago stores featuring exclusive vinyl for Record Store Day on April 22. Morgan Ciocca/Vocalo Radio}

Record Store Day 2023 is tomorrow, April 22, bringing exclusive vinyl from hundreds of artists to participating record stores nationwide. Check out some releases Team Vocalo is excited to see hit the shelves this weekend!

Record Store Day this year boasts exclusives from some of the biggest names in popular music like Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Doors, The 1975 and more, and the seven-page list is honestly a little bit overwhelming. But don’t worry, we dug through the vinyl about to hit the shelves tomorrow to bring you recommendations you might have missed (and you’re more likely to catch on Vocalo, and less likely to hear on a Top 40s station). Think The Temptations, Nas, Larry Lovestein (Mac Miller’s jazzy alter ego), Raphael Saadiq, Donna Summer, Roy Ayers and so much more.

Read below for our recommendations, and head over to the official Record Store Day website for a full list of releases and participating stores.

Arooj Aftab – Live in London

Live recording of the Grammy-winning artist’s sold-out performance at London’s Barbican Centre on June 17, 2022, available for the first time on vinyl. It’s pressed on a limited-edition red opaque vinyl record, featuring two pieces: “Udhero Na,” featuring Asnoushka Shankar, and “Aey Na Balam.”

Roy Ayers – Stoned Soul Picnic

The 1968 album pressed on splatter colored vinyl.

Butcher Brown & Bruce Hornsby – Secret House

Limited edition metallic copper 12” vinyl single release of “Secret House,” a never-before-heard collaboration between soul jazz group Butcher Brown and singer/songwriter and pianist Bruce Hornsby, released on Record Store Day. Also includes Butcher Brown’s single “Thirty One.”

Chief Keef – Mansion Musick

The 2018 drill album pressed on vinyl for the first time.

Miles Davis – TURNAROUND: Unreleased Rare Vinyl from On The Corner

A new vinyl release of four cuts from The Complete On The Corner Sessions, a 2007 collection of recordings before and after the 1972 release of Davis’ On The Corner. Features a new adaptation of the original album cover and pressed on light blue vinyl.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version

A 2LP picture disc release of the artist’s 1995 debut album.

Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts: Live At Allaire Studios

The never-before-released live version of the 2012 album, recorded live in 2022 at Allaire Studios in upstate New York. Pressed on 140g white vinyl.

Amythyst Kiah – Pensive Pop EP

The artist’s 2022 EP reinterpreting pop songs to emphasize their stories.

Carole King – The Legendary Demos

Originally released in 2012, on milky clear vinyl for a limited-edition pressing.

B.B. King – Blues Is King

King in concert in Chicago back in 1966, the first American LP reissue of the album in more than 40 years.

Larry Lovestein & The Velvet Revival – You

Mac Miller’s only release under this pseudonym, out on a physical copy for the first time. The five-track EP is pressed on gold 10” vinyl, and includes a poster of Larry Lovestein’s sole live performance at the Baked Potato jazz club in LA.

Metronomy – Small World (Special Edition)

Metronomy revisits their 2022 album, with new versions of every track — each with a special guest including Porij, PPJ, Panic Shack, Nadeem Din-Gabisi & Tony Njoku, Katy J. Pearson, Jessica Winter, Haich Ber Na, Bolis Pupul, and Sebastian Tellier.

Nas – Made You Look: God’s Son Live 2002

Nas’ 2002 performance at Webster Hall, on vinyl for the first time.

Charlie Parker – Afro Cuban Bop: The Long Lost Bird Live Recordings

A compilation of 18 selections recorded in the ‘40s and ‘50s from Charlie Parker’s discography, appearing together on one release for the first time (though they have all been released separately). Double LP pressed on 180g vinyl.

Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It