Tales of the Weird’s Offical RSD 2014 7″ Picks

Record Store Day is Saturday, April 19. Here are a few choice 7″ picks from one of our own.

by Mat Weir

The Cure/Dinosaur Jr. – “Just Like Heaven” 7-inch: It’s catchy and oozing with sap, “Just Like Heaven” is one of those songs you can’t help but love. Plus it’s the Cure and Dinosaur Jr. on one record, sounds like an RSD win to me.

Nirvana – “Penny Royal Tea/I Hate Myself And Want to Die” 7-inch: Set to be released as the third single & B-side from In Utero, the plans were quickly scratched with Cobain’s suicide the same month. Twenty years later, Cobain and crew are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame only to have the lost single released a week later. Eerily coincidental or perfectly planned marketing? Either way, both of these are monster tracks from the band and going home with me.

OFF! – “Learn to Obey” 7-inch single: This four-piece, o.g. hardcore super group is real punk rock, done by the guys who were around from the beginning (albeit, second wave). They capture the quintessential, Southern California, 1980s hardcore sound that made the suburbs riot & the cops violent. This particular single comes with cover art by the one-and-only Shepard Fairey, and both songs are inspired by his art. Limited to 2000

The Litter – “Action Woman/A Legal Matter” 7-inch single: One of the best bands from the 1960s you never heard of. Take all of the great psychedelic music from the time period and roll it into one band, and you have Minneapolis’ the Litter. This is a reissue of their first single and one not to miss for any garage/60’s/psych/rock fan.

Ghoul – “Hang Ten” 10-inch EP: Pressed by Tankcrimes, this is a limited, regional pressing of several surf songs by the Creepsylvania misanthropes. Hooded death thrash at its finest! Limited to 500

Ron Jeremy – “Understanding Classical Music With Ron Jeremy” 7-inch single: Ron Jeremy. Need I say more? Even though anyone familiar with the adult film star’s work knows 7-inches is too small for the godfather of porn, this is a RSD gem. It comes on colored vinyl and features Jeremy playing classical piano while making off-the-cuff & crass remarks about Bach, Mozart and more. It’s the weird releases like this that made Record Store Day what it is. Limited to 1000