Some huge names in music have particular album releases tied to as we speak, Report Retailer Day. We spotlight just a few – and take a hear.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Report Retailer Day is as we speak. How can we observe it? What sort of card do you ship? Stephen Thompson from NPR Music is right here as our information. Stephen, thanks a lot for being with us.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: It’s a pleasure to be right here, Scott.
SIMON: I am afraid I do not know what Report Retailer Day actually is.
THOMPSON: Effectively, Report Retailer Day began in 2008 as a manner of attracting prospects again to brick-and-mortar document shops – encouraging individuals to rise up off their couches, cease simply listening to music by way of their computer systems, go to an precise document retailer and purchase some music. And at the side of that, Report Retailer Day has an entire bunch of form of sponsored, unique releases.
SIMON: Effectively, what sort of music are you trying ahead to?
THOMPSON: For me, there are a pair that stand out. You recognize, certainly one of my favourite bands from the ’90s, Harvey Hazard, put out a document referred to as “King James Model…”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN (SHOW ME THE HERO)”)
HARVEY DANGER: (Singing) I bowed earlier than the avatar. He mentioned, the issue’s clear to me. You by no means obtained over Morrissey. Yeah. I mentioned, nicely, proper you’re. It is a lot tougher to be underfed than under-understood, he mentioned. Yeah.
THOMPSON: …Twenty-five years in the past, which makes me really feel very outdated. It is a great document. It did not do very nicely, and now it is getting a deluxe reissue on vinyl with bonus tracks. That is one which I will definitely be in search of. Followers of the French band Air – they’ve a basic album referred to as “Moon Safari” from 1998. It is getting a deluxe reissue with stay tracks and demos and stuff like that. And it will get extra esoteric from there. There are some actually obscure titles, a few of which I am fairly enthusiastic about.
SIMON: Is that what the day’s for – in some ways, to have fun music that perhaps has been neglected?
THOMPSON: Effectively, I feel they definitely attempt to have it each methods. You have got a mixture of titles which are fairly esoteric to convey out the music nerds, however they will additionally typically have titles by greater artists. And every year, Report Retailer Day appoints a unique ambassador – a form of huge, A-list pop, rock, hip-hop star who will launch an unique title that can convey out extra informal followers. This 12 months, that artist is Publish Malone. And Publish Malone is dropping an album referred to as “Publish Malone Tribute To Nirvana,” which is the first-ever vinyl urgent of a livestream Publish Malone did in the course of the pandemic, the place he carried out a bunch of Nirvana songs.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “COME AS YOU ARE”)
POST MALONE: (Singing) Come as you’re, as you had been, as I need you to be, as a pal, as a pal, as a recognized enemy.
THOMPSON: And that is being pressed as a Report Retailer Day unique – 17,000 copies. And so followers of Publish Malone will go to their native document shops and choose that up. There’s additionally a 7-inch single of “Fortnight,” which is the music he did with Taylor Swift. That is definitely been on vinyl for a very long time. However for collectors who need this particular urgent of it, they will solely get it by way of Report Retailer Day.
SIMON: Stephen, I need to ask you rigorously a couple of responsible pleasure.
THOMPSON: (Laughter).
SIMON: Perhaps one thing you may purchase and play only for your self over some headphones so nobody can hear it.
THOMPSON: (Laughter) You recognize, now that you just point out it, there’s a title that I am very enthusiastic about. And I really feel like solely a small handful of individuals might be as excited as I’m, however there’s a urgent of an album by a gaggle referred to as The Rock-afire Explosion.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WILL YOU MARRY ME”)
THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION: (Singing) And if solely it was mine to decide on, I would by no means ever need to lose my Lucy.
THOMPSON: Scott, have you ever ever heard of the Rock-afire Explosion?
SIMON: Positive. No, by no means.
THOMPSON: (Laughter) The Rock-afire Explosion was the animatronic band that performed in ShowBiz Pizza eating places within the Eighties. Chuck E. Cheese additionally has had…
SIMON: (Laughter).
THOMPSON: …These form of animatronic, you understand, robotic bands.
SIMON: Yeah.
THOMPSON: However ShowBiz Pizza had a gaggle referred to as The Rock-afire Explosion, and so they performed authentic compositions unique to The Rock-afire Explosion. And I might be in search of out an album referred to as “Authentic Goals: Songs From Showbiz” by The Rock-afire Explosion.
SIMON: This may in all probability not shock you. I have been informed that my tastes, just about in all the pieces…
THOMPSON: (Laughter).
SIMON: …Are what they name fundamental.
THOMPSON: (Laughter) Put on it with satisfaction.
SIMON: So – nicely, I need to open up to you. What I would like to purchase and take heed to are songs from the film model of “Cats.”
THOMPSON: (Laughter). Effectively, that might convey out Taylor Swift followers, ‘trigger she is within the…
SIMON: What does she sing from “Cats”? How do I not know this?
THOMPSON: She sings an unique music. It isn’t from the unique “Cats” manufacturing, the place the entire film grinds to much more of a halt than it had already floor to convey out Taylor Swift to carry out a music that didn’t get nominated for an Academy Award.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS”)
TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) All that I needed was to be needed.
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