Critic’s Picks for Record Store Day 2025: 16 Releases Worth Digging For

2x LP, 12,000 copies (Interscope)

Gracie Abrams — who is the daughter of acclaimed director J.J. Abrams — has certainly forged her own path to greatness with an uncanny ability to craft winning pop songs that owe as much to Elvis Costello as they do Taylor Swift. This epic Radio City Music Hall concert from Oct. 14, 2024, captures the smash singer-songwriter at the height of her The Secret of Us tour, where she shed a new light on such fan faves as “Mess It Up,” “That’s So True,” “Good Luck Charlie” and “I Miss You, I’m Sorry,” among many more on this double LP. There are 12,000 copies of this must-own live album going out for RSD, giving fans a fighting chance to score at the store.

LP, 17,000 copies (Republic Records)

Posty’s surprise house concert paying homage to Nirvana in the thick of the early days of COVID-19 was one of the most heart (shaped box) warming and exhilarating moments of the quarantine era. And Malone, backed by a band consisting of Travis Barker on drums, bassist Brian Lee and guitarist Nick Mack, delivered an impassioned facsimile that proved the rapper’s mettle as a rocker. The livestream has been pressed on yellow vinyl for Record Store Day, with 100% of the net proceeds of the vinyl sales going to the addiction, recovery and mental health division of MusiCares.

2x LP, 1,300 copies (Legacy Recordings)

In 1993, former Til Tuesday touring member Jon Brion and guitarist Jason Falkner, fresh from his tenure in Jellyfish, got together with a couple of other musician buddies (Buddy Judge and Dan McCarroll) and crafted one of the definitive power-pop classics of that decade as The Grays. Out of print forever and never pressed on vinyl, this expanded edition of the band’s sole LP, Ro Sham Bo, contains two bonus tracks from the original recording sessions, and is limited to 1,300 copies for Record Store Day. Don’t be surprised if this one’s gone within the first hour of shops opening their doors.

2x LP, 1,000 copies (4AD)

In one of the coolest parallels of the ‘90s, Lisa Germano was pulling double duty as John Mellencamp’s violinist while also forging her own path as a visionary artist on the iconic 4AD label. Originally released in 1994, her third studio album, Geek the Girl, is also her best, a coming-of-age song cycle rich in atmospheric beauty and a charged passion that’s more Rid of Me than The Lonesome Jubilee. With a limited run of 1,000 copies, Geek’s long-overdue debut on vinyl comes paired with its sister EP, Inconsiderate Bitch, along with the rare b-side “The Mirror Is Gone.” The art was created by Vaughn Oliver associate Chris Bigg from Dominic Davies’ original cover shoot.

LP, 10,000 copies (Atlantic Records)

Originally released in 2017, Charli’s third mixtape is no doubt a precursor to the ground she would break nearly a decade later with Brat. Working over the course of a month both in L.A. at her house and in the U.K. with such visionary producers such as as A.G. Cook, Life Sim and the late Sophie, Number 1 Angel is a revelation to revisit after the year Charli had in 2024. And for Record Store Day, the 10-track set makes it’s physical debut, pressed on “Apple” vinyl to the tune of 10,000 units. Get it while it’s hot.

2x LP, 2,000 copies (Republic Records)

Now that it’s available to stream on Peacock, the movie musical will be seen by even more multitudes of film fans enchanted by the origin story of Glinda and Elphaba in the years preceding the events of The Wizard of Oz. This special edition of the film’s smash soundtrack is strictly limited to 2,000 copies, and is pressed on green glitter and pink glitter vinyl, adorned with exclusive RSD cover art, a movie poster and a bonus track — “Ozdust Duet” — which was only previously available as a digital exclusive.

2x LP, 3,500 copies (Island)

There isn’t another album in the U2 catalog as peculiar as the sole LP from their collaboration with longtime producer Brian Eno under the name Passengers. Recorded at Eno’s suggestion that Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. engage in more improvisational concepts after hitting a creative wall following the recording of Zooropa in 1993, what resulted was a spiritual successor of sorts to Eno’s 1978 ambient masterpiece Music for Films, highlighted by “Miss Sarajevo,” featuring vocals from opera icon Luciano Pavarotti and contributions from U.K. producer Howie B and Japanese vocalist Holi.

This 30th anniversary edition of Original Soundtracks 1 is pressed on recycled black wax and contains the bonus track “Bottoms (Watashitachi No Ookina Yume),” which was previously featured on the original Japanese version of the album.

LP, 2,000 copies (Rhino)

Nothing hit the nostalgic sweet spot in an ‘80s kid’s heart quite like the use of Limahl and Beth Andersen’s infectious theme song to this beloved fantasy film from 1984 in the third season of Stranger Things. And while you might want to skip the track that will remind you of the horse Artax drowning in a mud pit (“Swamps of Sadness”), you will no doubt revel in the nostalgic swirl of synths and strings composed by legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder and Klaus Doldlinger of the German jazz group Passport that propels The NeverEnding Story to its whimsical pop heights.

Out of print for decades, the remastered edition of this cherished soundtrack is pressed on “starlight” vinyl in a limited run of 2,000 units.

3x LP, 1,500 copies (Resonance Records)

The jewel of “Jazz Detective” Zev Feldman’s latest cache of RSD exclusives, On Fire takes listeners back to 1967 to a Bronx nightclub owned by Sylvia Robinson, who a decade later would introduce hip-hop to the masses with Sugar Hill Records. Working with a sublime combo of pros that included Bennie Maupin on saxophone, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Herbie Lewis and the great Freddie Waits on drums, trumpet master Hubbard blows the soul out of his horn on such stellar, extensive workouts of classic fare such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Summertime.”

This recording was transferred from the original tape reels recorded by engineer Bernard Drayton and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at the Mastering Lab. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Le Vinylist, only 1,500 copies are available for this three-LP set.

2x LP, 6,500 copies (Parlaphone)

It was 19 years ago at the world famous Apollo Theater in the heart of New York’s Harlem that Gorillaz came alive in a two-night residency that featured Muppets, madness and multiple guest artists such as Neneh Cherry and De La Soul reprising their roles on the cartoon band’s 2005 studio masterpiece Demon Days on classic tracks including “Kids With Guns” and “Feel Good, Inc.,” among others.

Pressed on red vinyl with a limited run of 6,500 copies, this long overdue live album is a must-own for anyone who has been following the adventures of 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs for over a quarter century like they’re the last living souls.

LP, 3,000 copies (Craft Recordings)

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Peanuts, the beloved comic strip and animated series that has defined a lifetime of holidays. It also helped introduce generations of schoolchildren to jazz music thanks to the soundtrack work of piano great Vince Guaraldi and his trio. To commemorate the milestone, Craft Recordings is releasing a special edition of Guaraldi’s first album for Charles Schulz, Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, comprised of previously unreleased takes of such indelible compositions as “Linus and Lucy,” “Oh, Good Grief” and “Blue Charlie Brown.”

This RSD exclusive, pressed on sky blue vinyl, compiles highlights from the expanded version, offering longtime fans of Peanuts a whole new listening experience.

2x LP, 3,600 copies (Epitaph Records)

Anyone who was enrapt in the widespread critical acclaim of 2024’s breakthrough indie hit LP Manning Fireworks will no doubt want to check out the ragged glory of Lenderman’s 2023 live album, previously available only as a limited-edition cassette and making its debut on vinyl for RSD. Recorded while on tour in support of his 2022 studio debut Boat Songs, this 15-song set bristles with pure electricity and spirit. And in addition to his own original tunes that reference Jack Nicholson, Lightning McQueen and Dan Marino, Lenderman delivers a righteous rendition of the seminal murder ballad “Long Black Veil” that’s more Pavement than The Band.

3x LP, 3,000 copies (Atlantic Records)

Lil Uzi Vert has certainly grown in the five years following 2020’s Eternal Atake, the second album from the Philly trap star, released only days before COVID-19 hit the masses. But as this fifth anniversary RSD edition reminds, Uzi was working at near-genius levels from the jump, with the album debuting at No. 1 on Billboard. This version, pressed on Opaque Blue Jay vinyl, comes with a third LP containing LUV vs. The World 2, a bonus mixtape that came with the original deluxe edition from 2020 and features guest turns from Young Thug, Lil Durk, Chief Keef and Future, among others.

LP, 4,000 copies (Rhino)

The hope is that enough people were turned onto Tanya Donelly and Belly when “Gepetto” was played during the “Doomcoming” scene in the first season of Yellowjackets. And that led them to the band’s brilliant second album, King, a tremendous creative jump in the eternal promise the group displayed on its 1993 debut, Star, with such blissfully infectious songs as “Red,” “Silverfish” and “Now They’ll Sleep.” Out of print on vinyl since its original release in February of 1995, this 30th anniversary pressing of King was cut on green wax and limited to 4,000 copies.

7″ vinyl, number of copies unknown (Republic Records)

The first song on Taylor’s Grammy-nominated The Tortured Poets Department is also its best, an illuminating power duet with Post Malone that manages to intertwine the two disparate acts’ voices seamlessly in a dreamy haze of analog synths and forbidden romance. In honor of its first year anniversary as TTPD‘s first single, this special 7-inch, pressed on white vinyl, features a remix of “Fortnight” from acclaimed Canadian DJ/producer BLOND:ISH that was only previously available digitally and makes its physical debut on this release.

2x LP, 15,000 copies (Legacy Recordings)

Based on the word of drummer Brad Wilk in early 2024, the chances of catching Rage Against the Machine again in concert are zero. So if you didn’t get a ticket in 2022, you are unfortunately out of luck. Lucky for you, then, that Legacy Recordings has put together this new compilation of raw, unmixed live tracks culled from the quartet’s revolutionary first world tour, which, in 1993, included a run of Lollapalooza dates and a joint sojourn with Cypress Hill around the holidays. This three-sided vinyl LP includes an etching on side four along with explosive renditions of such Rage anthems as “Bombtrack,” “Killing in the Name” and “Freedom.”