Record Store Day 2022’s Most Wanted: Beyond the Taylor Swift Hysteria, 25 More Vinyl Pieces Worth Hunting Down

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticSocial justice got nearly equal time with branding at the 2022 Clio Awards, as music exec Jason Flom got a special award for his work on criminal justice reform, and a public service spot that married the message of Sandy Hook Promise and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” won a Clio in the “social good” category.Six-time Grammy nominee Yola hosted the event, which was being held during the Music Biz conference in Nashville for the first time, at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville. Organizers further took advantage of the locale to book country music artists Breland and Lily Rose as guest performers.Mary J.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticIn paying tribute to Bob Dylan at a concert held during the opening festivities for the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Elvis Costello sang an epic, rip-roaring “Like a Rolling Stone,” apparently the first time he’s covered the signature song of his most obvious influence in full in concert. But earlier in the set Costello also did a lesser-known balladic chestnut from the Dylan catalog: “I Threw It All Away.” Of course, that title was the very opposite of the message being sent out by the new museum.

A supportive couple! Taylor Swift reacted well to Joe Alwyn’s sex scenes in his new Hulu series, Conversation With Friends. The actor revealed in an interview with Extra that the evermore singer is a big fan of the book from which the series is based on, and expected the sex scenes to come. 

It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday — especially when it’s New Music Friday! We’re breaking down this week’s best new tracks to keep on your radar.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticWhen the song “This Love” appeared on Taylor Swift’s “1989” in 2014, it was a bit of a sleeper track that didn’t get undue attention amid the splashier run of singles off that blockbuster album. But fans won’t be sleeping on it today.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticWell, Dolly Parton didn’t get her wish, although she’s likely to be happy anyway. The country superstar will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November — a possibility she said last week she’d come to terms with and would “graciously” accept, after initially trying to get herself nixed  — along with Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics and Carly Simon.Those are the seven performers that the Hall’s thousand-plus voters chose.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticDiscogs, the website that has become the primary online spot for the buying and selling of collectable physical music, might be thought of by many as being part of a move away from traditional music retail. But the site is emphasizing how many of its sellers are, in fact, traditional brick-and-mortar stores by starting up International Record Store Month, an initiative that will roll out on Discogs.com in June.The month-long event is described in an announcement as “a series of virtual events connecting music fans to independent record stores across the globe and recognizing the importance of independent brick-and-mortar shops and their contribution to vinyl culture.”Most of what the initiative aims to do will continue on a year-round basis, including creating a global directory of ma-and-pa record stores that the site’s habitues can visit in the flesh if they aren’t getting their fix via mail order.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticThe Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame Sunday evening in Nashville, in an emotional medallion ceremony that went on as scheduled the day after Naomi Judd’s death. The Hall had announced Saturday that the induction would go on in the wake of the tragedy due to the wishes of the family.“I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,” said a tearful Ashley Judd, according to an Associated Press report.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticThomas Rhett and Maren Morris were the top-billed attractions on the Stagecoach Festival’s opening day, Friday but when it came to heightened emotions, and pure enthusiasm per-square-inch, Tanya Tucker’s climactic set in the Palomino tent might have ruled the day at the desert gathering.The veteran of 50 years of country hitmaking seemed taken aback by the roar of the crowd, late in the set, and not just in a typical welcoming-the-roar way. “It’s hard for me to believe anybody would want to watch me,” she admitted, belying more than a hint of insecurity amid one of the brassier facades in the business.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticFor a headlining appearance at the Hollywood Bowl Sunday night, the group Haim does have two official support acts (Waxahatchee and Buzzy Lee). But for hometown fans who really want to make a full day of it, there’s an additional opening act: a screening just a couple of blocks down the hill of the complete tandem filmography of Haim and director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticIs every day Record Store Day? It is for the several dozen interviewees of “Vinyl Nation,” a documentary that aims to not just explain the phenomenal LP resurgence of the last 15 years but break down any “High Fidelity” stereotypes about who’s driving the comeback. Record collecting may be a massive cult, but it’s also a rainbow coalition of enthusiasts, the movie argues.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticPost Malone has posted a release date for his long-promised new album: “Twelve Carat Toothache” will be out June 3, he announced in a social media message that contained little else besides a blurry red image and a link to pre-save the album on streaming services.The album will mark the performer’s first on the Mercury Records label, the revival of which was announced by Republic Records earlier in April. Tyler Arnold, the newly installed president of Mercury, signed and developed Post Malone at Republic, where he had been executive VP of A&R.Twelve Carat Toothache.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticTyler, the Creator is back on top of the Billboard 200 album chart for the first time since premiering at No. 1 back in July of 2021, due to “Call Me If You Get Lost” very belatedly making its bow on vinyl 10 months after the digital release.The tally for “Call Me” in the LP format was 49,500 copies, which Luminate says is the most pieces of vinyl sold in a week for any hip-hop record since rolls began being kept in 1991.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticThe general public may not think of “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” as a divorce movie, per se … although Dee Wallace’s reading of the line “He hates Mexico” has always been one of its most resonant.

Record Store Day 2022.As part of RSD’s 15th anniversary, hundreds of exclusive physical releases – including vinyl, CD and cassette – were made available at over 260 participating indie retailers nationwide.Fans can get their hands on special records from the likes of Blur, Taylor Swift, Elvis, U2, Bring Me The Horizon, Sam Fender and Blondie.Many celebrated managing to bag ‘The Lakes’ 7″ by Swift, who is the global ambassador of Record Store Day 2022.“Still can’t believe this happened but I’m so glad to have another addition to my Taylor Swift collection, especially one of my favourite tracks for my first RSD!” one customer wrote on Twitter.Another Swift fan shared a picture of their clear vinyl of ‘The Lakes’, captioning it: “Three hours later and she’s finally mine.”Elsewhere, a third Twitter used said: “SO SO HAPPY !!!!!! I GOT IT!! after waking up at 4am for record store day I now own ‘The Lakes’ on vinyl and it is so beautiful.” You can see those tweets below.Three hours later and she’s finally mine

This weekend marks a celebration of both the 15th anniversary of the annual Record Store Day and the very special 10th anniversary of our very own Official Record Store Chart.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Criticare a few artists who’ve been flagship artists for Record Store Day in its 15 years of existence — among them, the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band and David Bowie, all of whom have had multiple exclusive LP releases for RSD — but maybe none have seemed quite so synonymous with the day as jazz piano great Bill Evans. And Resonance Records, the archival label that has been behind the wave of live Evans releases, is doubling down on the legend this weekend with twin titles, “Morning Glory” and “Inner Spirit,” both recorded in Buenos Aires in the 1970s but never officially released until now.As with all the previous Resonance Evans titles before them, this pair of double-LPs is not likely to last a full day in stock at most of the indie music shops that have ordered it.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticA Record Store Day 15th anniversary program at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles this week was meant to be a celebration of vinyl and music retail first and foremost. But if it turned into a Metallica lovefest as well, that was understandable.

Record Store Day 2022 is upon us; with April 23 proving the ultimate appreciation of music in its physical form.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticIf you missed out on catching the first weekend of Coachella from the comfort of your own home, and want to catch up after reading all about it… you’re probably in luck, if your interest is in the roughly 25 artists whose sets will be livestreamed in a more limited weekend-2 webcast lineup.Twenty-six attractions will have their full sets livestreamed as part of the “Coachella Curated” programming happening through Sunday. Full follow-up sets going out online include performances by Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, the teaming of the Weeknd with Swedish House Mafia, Doja Cat, Anitta, Baby Keem and Brockhampton, along with a partial set from 88rising, all on the festival’s YouTube channel 1.