Record Store Day 2026: The List Is Here
And My Wallet Is Sweating!
The list dropped a few days ago, and like clockwork, I’ve been spiraling ever since.
Record Store Day 2026 is officially on the calendar, bringing roughly 350 exclusive releases with it. Sure, there’s the usual quota of live albums, remixes, and picture disc gimmicks that feel more like filler than essential vinyl, but buried in there? Pure gold for those of us willing to dig.
It’s wild to think RSD started as a scrappy marketing push to save dying indie record stores. Now, nearly 20 years later, it’s a global phenomenon—over 280 participating stores, millions of collectors marking their calendars, and vinyl sales that eclipsed CDs back in 2022. We went from under a million vinyl units sold in 2006 to 43.6 million in 2024. The format that was supposed to be dead is very much alive.
After comparing notes with my brother (fellow vinyl junkie) and cross-referencing want lists, I’ve landed on 11 to 13 releases I’m chasing this year. I’m already funneling money into my RSD savings account because April 18 is coming fast, and this isn’t the kind of event you wing. Limited quantities, uneven distribution—you need a plan.
Here are my top five, the ones I’m willing to fight for:
Jeff Buckley, Live A L’Olympia, Legacy Recording, 2 LP, Exclusive RSD Release, 15,400 copies
This live album captures Jeff Buckley and band across two nights in Paris July 6th & 7th during his 1995 European tour in support of the release of his Grace album. Captured at the legendary Olympia, it found Buckley before a rapturous French crowd performing half of the songs from his beloved debut album ( including favorites like “Lover, You Should Have Come Over” and “Hallelujah”) plus covers as varied as the MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams,” a Led Zeppelin parody and songs made famous by Nina Simone and Edith Piaf. In addition, the album features an additional live performance of Buckley and Alim Qasimov in a competitive Qawwali singing duet from a festival of sacred music also captured that year in France. Originally released in 2001
Caamp, Caamp 10th Anniversary Edition, 2 LP, Exclusive RSD Release, 3,500 copies
Caamp is celebrating the tenth anniversary of their self-titled debut album with an expanded 2xLP remastered version for Record Store Day, which features three previously unreleased demos, four live tracks, in a double wide sleeve with two inserts, pressed on coke bottle clear vinyl.
Flat Duo Jets, Boogie on Your Head, LP, RSD First Release, 1500 copies
Few bands embodied the raw spirit of American rock & roll like Flat Duo Jets. Fronted by the late, great Dexter Romweber, the North Carolina duo’s frenetic energy, primal guitar tone, and unfiltered swagger became the missing link between Gene Vincent and Jack White. Recorded in 1989 during sessions for their iconic debut album, the 13 tracks on Boogie On Your Head! capture the Flat Duo Jets at their peak, being loose, wild, and unstoppable. These aren’t outtakes but alternate realities of that debut: equally vital, equally ferocious, and left unreleased only because there was simply too much fire to fit on one LP. Originally issued in a limited deluxe box set pressing for RSD 2017 and out of print since, these recordings return for Record Store Day 2026 as a limited-edition RSD First pressing of 1,500 copies on rose-splatter colored vinyl, complete with an exclusive fold-out poster. This release marks the first standalone vinyl edition of Boogie On Your Head!, lovingly curated by Propeller Sound Recordings as a companion to the band’s self-titled debut. For collectors and fans alike, it’s a chance to experience the full scope of the sessions that launched one of the most mythic cult bands in American garage rock. Dexter Romweber’s passing in 2024 reignited appreciation for his seismic influence, spanning from Jack White’s early sound and ethos to Cat Power’s haunting minimalism to Neko Case’s fearless individuality. Boogie On Your Head! serves as both a tribute and time capsule, capturing the essence of a band whose rawness inspired a generation of artists.
The Jesus and Mary Chain, Some Candy Talking EP, 12” Vinly EP. RSD Exclusive, 2000 copies.
First ever US pressing of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s legendary Some Candy Talking EP, originally released 40 years ago, hot on the heels of the seminal Psychocandy LP. Releaed now as an expanded 12” that include all seven tracks from the 1986 2x7” UK edition and adding the previously unreleased acoustic version of “Taste Of Cindy” that will only be featured on the Third Man Records edition. Housed in a reproduction of the iconic original B&W 12” artwork with full color frameable insert featuring brand new and original artwork by Mel Butler.
Bring Me the Horizon expands their sonic universe with the release of ‘LO-FILES’, a 23-track album of lo-fi reinterpretations from across their celebrated catalogue of music. This unique project sees tracks from every era including 2013’s Sempiternal through to 2024’s POST HUMAN: NeX Gen, transformed into laid-back, atmospheric reinterpretations by some of the most respected names in the lo-fi space, including No Spirit, Drxnk, HM Surf, and more.2 x Black Re-vinyl, with a Die Cut Cover Sleeve and 4 page folded insert.