Los Angeles, CA (October 8, 2019)—Craft Recordings is thrilled to announce seven exclusive vinyl albums for Record Store Day’s 2019 Black Friday event, taking place on Friday, November 29^th in independent record stores across the country. A diverse selection of titles will be reissued this year, including Buffy Saint-Marie’s innovative 1969 album, Illuminations, Matt Nathanson’s best-selling 2007 LP, Some Mad Hope, and The Wrens’ acclaimed 1994 debut, Silver. Also available will be State Songs from They Might Be Giants’ John Linnell, a mono pressing of Chet Baker’s Riverside album (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen to You,and one of the most popular Latin holiday albums, Asalto Navideñofrom salsa stars Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe. Also forthcoming is a new selection in the mighty Jazz Dispensary series, The Dank D-Funk Blend, featuring an assortment of gems from artists like Charles Earland, Melvin Sparks and Idris Muhammad. More info on each release below.

For over a decade, Record Store Day has championed the culture of the independent record store, offering music lovers the chance to pick up exclusive releases and support their local music retailer at the same time. Record Store Day’s Black Friday is no exception. The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the biggest shopping season in the country, and this event subverts the mass consumerism model—instead placing the focus on creating special limited-edition releases from revered musical artists. For a full list of participating retailers, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

About Jazz Dispensary: The Dank D-Funk Blend (180-gram green-marbled vinyl):

The newest installment in the ongoing Jazz Dispensary series features a mind-expanding collection of rare and funky tracks from the ’60s and ’70s, culled from the Prestige Records catalog by guest curator Doyle Davis, co-owner ofGrimey’s Records in Nashville, TN. Jazz Dispensary: The Dank D-Funk Blend offers the highest-quality experience for the funk fan, with hard-driving grooves like the upbeat “Message From the Meters” by Funk, Inc., and “Sing a Simple Song” by Charles Earland. Other highlights include a scorching cover of Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” from Boogaloo Joe Jones and the chilled-out “Song for My Father” by organist Richard “Groove” Holmes. The package features an original cover design by Argentinian artist Mariano Peccinetti in an embossed sleeve. With audio remastered from the original analog sources and pressed on 180-gram green-marbled vinyl, The Dank D-Funk Blend is limited to 3,000 copies worldwide.

Jazz Dispensary originated in 2016 with the release of Cosmic Stash—a limited-edition box set for Record Store Day, comprised of four distinct musical strains—“Soul Diesel,” “Purple Funk,” “OG Kush” and “Astral Travelin’.” The sought-after collection offered a heightened musical experience and featured some of the most iconic and hard-to-find drum breaks, legendary samples and a who’s who of players. Additional limited-edition titles in the series have followed for subsequent Record Store Day events, including Holiday Treatsfor Black Friday in 2016 and Moon Rocksin 2018.

Track Listing:

Side A

1.     Message From The Meters (Funk, Inc.)

2.     Sing A Simple Song (Charles Earland)

3.     Song For My Father (Richard “Groove” Holmes)

4.     Cissy Strut (Edit) (Houston Person)

Side B

1.     Theme From Shaft (Bernard Purdie)

2.     Super Bad (Idris Muhammad)

3.     Thank You (Part 1) (Melvin Sparks)

4.     I Feel The Earth Move (Boogaloo Joe Jones)

About Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Illuminations (180-gram opaque yellow vinyl):

First released in 1969, Illuminations is the pioneering sixth studio album from the Academy Award–winning singer-songwriter and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie. Throughout her long career, the Indigenous Canadian-American icon has been a trailblazer and a tireless advocate, an innovative artist and a disruptor of the status quo. No exception to her career, Illuminations broke ground as one of the very first electronic vocal albums.

A departure from her previous work, Illuminations incorporates vocals and acoustic guitar along with early electronic synthesizers to create an experimental sound that is wholly unique, even entering avant-garde gothic territory. AllMusic praised that Illuminations is “A treasure that is still ahead of its time,” while Wire listed the album in their roundup of “100 Albums That Set The World On Fire While No One Was Listening” in 2000. Exclaim! simply called Illuminations “Unrestrained genius.” For its 50th anniversary, the album—which includes psychedelic masterpieces “Poppies” and “God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot”— has been remastered from its original analog master by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram opaque yellow vinyl at QRP. Housed in an old-school-style tip-on jacket, this special reissue will be limited to 2,000 copies worldwide.

Track Listing:

Side A

1.     God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot

2.     Mary

3.     Better To Find Out For Yourself

4.     The Vampire

5.     Adam

6.     The Dream Tree

Side B

1.     Suffer The Little Children

2.     The Angel

3.     With You, Honey

4.     Guess Who I Saw In Paris

5.     He’s A Keeper Of The Fire

6.     Poppies

About Chet Baker’s (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen To You (Mono Mix) (180-gram vinyl):

Few musicians have embodied the romantic—and ultimately tragic—jazz figure as totally as Chesney “Chet” Baker (1929–88). Unschooled yet eloquent in his music, and a fast liver who survived for nearly six decades, the Baker mystique has only reinforced one of the most haunting trumpet styles and ingenious approaches to jazz singing. By the end of the 1950s, when Baker signed a four-album deal with the New York–based label Riverside, Baker had become known for his trademark West Coast “cool jazz” style. However, his Riverside recordings—which pair the artist with some of the best East Coast players—demonstrate Baker’s versatility as a modern trumpeter who could play with even the hardest boppers.

The artist’s 1958 release for Riverside offers a modern take on standards like “Old Devil Moon,” “You’re Driving Me Crazy” and “How Long Has This Been Going On?” Chet Baker Sings is unique in that the nimble artist sets aside his trumpet in several of the tracks, using only his vocals—and even scatting the instrumental solos. Baker is backed by the great Philly Joe Jones and Dannie Richmond on drums, Kenny Drew on piano and George Morrow and Sam Jones on bass.

Called “An essential title in Chet Baker’s 30-plus year canon” by AllMusic, this inventive album has been remastered from the original mono tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. Originally released in both mono and stereo, this reissue—limited to 2,500 and housed in a tip-on jacket—marks the first U.S. mono reissue of the album.

Track Listing:

Side A

1.     Do It The Hard Way

2.     I’m Old Fashioned

3.     You’re Driving Me Crazy

4.     It Could Happen To You

5.     My Heart Stood Still

Side B

1.     The More I See You

2.     Everything Happens To Me

3.     Dancing On The Ceiling

4.     How Long Has This Been Going On?

5.     Old Devil Moon

About Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe’s Asalto Navideño (translucent red vinyl):

Both members of the Fania All-Stars, trombonist Willie Colón and singer Héctor Lavoe were instrumental in popularizing salsa in the United States. The dynamic duo collaborated for seven years, releasing a total of 10 albums together, and this vibrant 1970 title is one of their most beloved. To this day, there’s not a Puerto Rican Christmas party in New York, San Juan, and beyond that isn’t heated up by this irresistible medley of holiday tunes.

Featuring cuatro master Yomo Toro, who permeates the recording with authentic Puerto Rican folk, plus members of the Fania All-Stars, including the great bandleader Johnny Pacheco, Asalto Navideño is one of the most soulful albums ever made by Lavoe and Colón. In fact, its popularity ushered in a follow-up—Asalto Navideño, Vol 2.—just two years later. The album also includes the hit single “La Murga,” a year-round staple across Latin American dance floors. This reissue—limited to 2,500 worldwide—has been remastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on festive translucent red vinyl.

Track Listing:

Side A

1.     Introducción

2.     Canto A Borínquen

3.     Popurrí Navideño

4.     Traigo La Salsa

Side B

1.     Aires De Navidad

2.     La Murga

3.     Esta Navidad

4.     Vive Tu Vida Contento

About John Linnell’s State Songs (green-marbled vinyl):

Did you know that Montana once was a leg? According to State Songs, it was. As one half of They Might Be Giants, John Linnell is known for his surreal lyricism and absurdist alt-rock. Linnell brought those qualities—plus a myriad of melodic styles—to his debut full-length, State Songs. Originally released in 1994 as a five-song EP, Linnell expanded upon the collection of songs for a 15-track full-length, released five years later.

Employing a variety of instrumentation, including a carousel organ, accordion, alto saxophone and even a DustBuster to transport listeners on a tour across the United States, Linnell offers amusing, fictional tales and dubious facts in these offbeat anthems. AllMusic praised that Linnell “Masters every stylistic leap he takes; the tunes are all united by the catchy-as-the-clap melodies. You’re guaranteed to be continually amazed by the inventiveness and sheer beauty of his melody lines.” Limited to 2,000 copies worldwide, and pressed on green-marbled vinyl, this 20th-anniversary reissue marks State Songs’ first availability on wax.

Track Listing:

Side A

1.     Illinois

2.     The Songs Of The Fifty States

3.     West Virginia

4.     South Carolina

5.     Idaho

6.     Montana

7.     Pennsylvania

8.     Utah

9.     Arkansas

Side B

1.     Iowa

2.     Mississippi

3.     Maine

4.     Oregon

5.     Michigan

6.     New Hampshire

7.     Nevada

About The Wrens’ Silver (coke-bottle clear vinyl, two-LP):

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Wrens’ critically acclaimed debut, Silver, and to celebrate, this cult favorite is now making its debut on vinyl. Praised by Pitchfork as “A low-fi triumph of a record,” Silveris considered to be one of the sleeper hits of the early-’90s shoegaze/dream-pop wave. The ambitious album, which offers 23 tracks, features such highlights as the beautifully simple opener “Propane,” the post-hardcore sounds of “Adanoi” and “Darlin’ Darlin’” and the darkly sweet “Dakota.” Limited to 2,000 copies worldwide, the two-LP set is pressed on Coke-bottle clear vinyl.

Having spent much of their career at the whims of a changing music industry, the New Jersey–based four-piece formed in the late ’80s, and, following several persistent years, signed to emerging indie label Grass Records (which later became Wind-up Records), releasing Silver in 1994 and the follow-up Secaucus in 1996. Though the band members pursued full-time careers in other fields, they remained together, and eventually released a much-anticipated third album, Meadowlands,in 2003. With a hearty sense of humor and a tagline of “Keeping Folks Waiting Since 1989,” the band continues to perform occasional shows and has even teased a fourth record.

Track Listing:

Side A

1.     Propane

2.     Napiers

3.     From His Lips

4.     What’s A Girl

5.     Darlin’ Darlin’

6.     6

Side B

1.     Leather Side

2.     Fuzz

3.     Strange As Family

4.     Kevin’s Hell

5.     Minion

6.     Crawling

Side C

1.     Ruth/Learned In Space

2.     William

3.     Behold Me

4.     Down To The Service

5.     Dakota

6.     Adanoi

Side D

1.     Me, The Misser, The Late

2.     Dust

3.     Grey Complexion

4.     Strengthless

5.     Decided Girl/Broken

About Matt Nathanson’s Some Mad Hope (sky-blue vinyl):

Matt Nathanson’s best-selling album to-date, 2007’s Some Mad Hope will make its vinyl debut on Black Friday. Produced by Marshall Altman (Amy Grant, Marc Broussard, Natasha Bedingfield) and Mark Weinberg (O.A.R., Tyler Hilton, Sugarland), Nathanson’s sixth studio album marked the singer-songwriter’s Billboard 200 debut, thanks to his multi-platinum-selling single “Come on Get Higher,” as well as fan favorites like “Car Crash” and “Falling Apart.” Limited to 2,500 copies, Some Mad Hopewill be pressed on beautiful sky-blue vinyl.

Witty and introspective, and full of irresistibly catchy melodies, Nathanson’s music has become a staple on television over the last decade. His songs have been heard on shows such as One Tree Hill, Scrubsand Private Practice. Nathanson has performed on the likes of The Bachelorand Bachelor in Paradise, as well as The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Track Listing:

Side A

1.     Car Crash

2.     Come On Get Higher

3.     Heartbreak World

4.     Gone

5.     Wedding Dress

6.     Bulletproof Weeks

Side B

1.     To The Best Of Our Noisy Hearts

2.     Still

3.     Detroit Waves

4.     Falling Apart

5.     Sooner Surrender

6.     All We Are

About Craft Recordings:

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most prestigious collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its rich and storied repertoire includes legendary artists such as Joan Baez, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, Nine Inch Nails, Thelonious Monk, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Traveling Wilburys, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Concord, Fania, Fantasy, Milestone, Musart, Nitro, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Sugar Hill, Vanguard and Vee-Jay Records, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation-ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Recorded Music. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify.

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