Happy Record Store Day, Boston! This Record Store Day, we are highlighting our favorite physical media and where we got it. From David Bowie to Janis Ian, check out the records that mean a lot to spin!
MTV Unplugged- Live in London by Bastille, from Indy CD and Vinyl
I have a Bastille obsession. They’ve been my favorite band since I was eight years old, and continually make music that always seems to say exactly what I need to hear. Because of this obsession, in 2023, I saw that for Record Store Day, the band was releasing a limited vinyl pressing of their MTV Unplugged Session. The session had never been released before, and featured new iterations of some of the bands songs, including some of my favorite deep cuts, and covers of other songs which reimagine the originals completely.
As soon as the release was announced, I knew what I needed to do. The local record store in my hometown is Indy CD and Vinyl, a super cool locally-owned, female-owned, latin-owned, veteran-owned store with a huge variety of music and a deep seeded spot in the hearts of music lovers across Central Indiana. I got to the store hours before it opened, and waited along with other music enthusiasts for the doors to open, so I could get my copy of Bastille’s special limited vinyl. When I got home, I laid on the floor of my bedroom and listened to the record all the way through. I cried. It’s an amazing record, and is what is currently spinning on my turntable. The performance has since been uploaded to spotify, and I really recommend checking it out!
- Ahni Brown Harbin, Staff Writer
Miracle Row, Aftertones, and Stars by Janis Ian, from a Random Yard in Massachusetts
In the summertime, many tag sales pop up in New England. This is relevant because every now and then, I’ll hop in the car and pick a direction to drive, following whatever highlighter green sign catches my attention. I have found some of the best things by following signs pointing me to my next treasure. Last summer, I came across an unassuming tag sale that I didn’t think I’d find anything at—but then I saw a box of vinyls, which I obviously had to go through. My eye caught on a blue record with a woman wearing the cutest little hat. Janis Ian’s Miracle Row was in my hands.
Shortly after, I found Aftertones (where Ian peeks through a broken mirror) and Stars (where she stares down the camera with a blue backdrop). I hadn’t listened to Janis Ian before that day, but I knew she was a presence in folk music (and was queer), so I didn’t need much convincing to take these records home. When I went to give the family sitting at a foldout table my five or so dollars, one of them looked at me curiously when I placed the records down. “I knew you were gonna grab those,” she’d said. I wanted to play the records immediately, but I settled on queuing her up via Bluetooth and listening to her songs the whole ride home.
- Ella Mastroianni, Staff Writer
Jazz by Queen, from Eslite Bookstore in Taiwan
I grew up in Taiwan, where I spoke Mandarin and Taiwanese with my family and friends. It was through music and reading that I learned English. The first vinyl record I had ever purchased was from the Eslite bookstore in my hometown, Taichung, Taiwan. My hands were already full with English novels that day, but I decided to splurge a little and bought a record player from Audio-Technica. Along with that, I got the Jazz album by Queen. When I first played that record, Queen's unique sound opened up a new world for me. I spent hours with the album sleeve, connecting lyrics to sounds, gradually improving my English comprehension through Freddie Mercury's powerful and distinctive vocals, while Brian May's guitar solos spoke a universal language that needed no translation. Tracks like “Fat Bottomed Girls”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, and “Jealousy” soundtracked my days back in Taiwan. And through that, music became my most effective language teacher. It’s safe to say that my vinyl record collection grew exponentially since then, but Jazz by Queen will forever be a special album to me that I hold dear to my heart.
- Kelly Cheng, Staff Writer
Live at 75 by Various Artists, from…WERS!
The WERS Live at 75 vinyl is the newest introduction to my collection, and it’s a special one. Since I’ve been distanced from my record player for a while, I have had less draw to invest in physical media. So, it was great to be able to listen to the recent WERS Live At 75 Record and pick up a new addition! It had truly been too long. While there are several great recordings on the project, my favorite has got to be the raw version of “I’m Writing A Novel” by Father John Misty. In a full circle moment, one of the first records I ever bought was by FJM! So, after not picking up anything for a while, it felt good to spin something familiar.
The Live at 75 record feels like more than a set of live recordings. With its vast span of rock subgenres and decades, it feels like a piece of Boston radio history. Live recordings capture another side of every song featured, and it couldn’t have turned out better! Over the years, my listening habits have definitely leaned further into live recordings. Older rock recordings have had a special place in my heart recently, making this record all the better. If you’re interested, the records can be purchased here!
- Gavin Miller, Web Services Coordinator
#1 Record by Big Star, from Shangri-La Records in Memphis, TN
Memphis runs through my blood. Despite how much I like Boston, I will always be a Memphian at heart. One of my favorite things about Memphis is the abundance of music that comes from the city. From Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Julien Baker, and Glorilla. Memphis has one of the most diverse music scenes in the country. One of my favorite bands to come out of Memphis has to be Big Star. Not only are they one of the original indie rock bands, but also two of the members graduated from my high school. Ever since I learned the history of Big Star, I have been obsessed with them, which is why #1 Record means so much to me.
I remember for my birthday last year, my best friend went to this record store called Shangri-La Records, in Memphis and bought me two albums. One of the albums was Dark Horse, by George Harrison, and the other was and still is one of my most prized possessions, #1 Record by Big Star. This specific version of #1 Record was pressed by Stax Records in Memphis. This album, apart from being one of the most influential indie albums of all time, embodies Memphis. Everything sounds raw and uncut, but at the same time you can tell it was very well produced. My friend came and dropped it off with me and left. Immediately I ran back into my room and started playing it. The first side of the record is amazing. Hearing “In the Street” and “Thirteen” from a record player instead of a tiny speaker on my phone was an indescribable feeling. You can hear where bands like R.E.M. and artists like Elliot Smith were influenced on this album. #1 Record is worth the 40 minutes that it will take you to listen to it, so I highly recommend it!
- Fenton Wright, Staff Writer
Sound + Vision I by David Bowie, from Dad's Closet
It’s no secret that my dad has awesome music taste, and I can proudly say that he’s rubbed off on me — Not only that, but I’ve taken up his old hobby of collecting CDs, tapes, vinyls, anything I can get my hands on. It’s even better if I can find something buried in the depths of his closet. Over my gap year, I was searching desperately for something to fill my days with, and one afternoon I decided it would be an awesome idea to look through my dads old boxes that were full of music journals, old papers, and many other treasures.
In those boxes I found a small handful of tapes that had been saved when the rest were donated in favor of saving space in the house. And in that small handful, I found a Bowie tape, Sound + Vision I, that’s a compilation of songs off of various Bowie albums. The last track on the tape is a live recording of the last performance of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” on the Ziggy Stardust Tour in 1973. I remember putting that tape into my tape player and laying on my floor on a hot July evening (I totally didn’t cry) and feeling like I had just discovered something earth-shattering. Though, not a vinyl (sorry, record stores. We love you!), this tape is very special to me and one of my favorite things that I own. Physical media is so awesome! Go buy a record! Thanks for letting me keep the tape, dad.
- Ana Achata, Staff Writer
