“White Man In Hammersmith Palais” is the title from the 1977 song by the punk rock legends The Clash. Inspired by a concert line up that featured Ken Boothe, Dillinger, Leroy Smart and Delroy Wilson, the 7″ EP features a hit from each of the four artists, packaged with a replica of the concert’s promotional poster. Stores are reporting strong sales of the title which was also featured on the official U.K. Record Store Day site (
http://recordstoreday.co.uk/news/posts/2017/record-store-day-2017-releases-revealed/)
“Mad Professor Meets Jah9 – In The Midst Of The Storm” features nine new dub versions of the authentically soulful and lyrical tracks on Jah9’s album “9” mixed by legendary dub engineer Mad Professor. The limited press, colored vinyl was a U.S. Record Store Day exclusive. Based on the success of the title, the label plans to do a full release later this year. Although, the success of both titles alongside the celebratory events for Record Store Day 2017 underscore the enduring value of reggae music, on vinyl and in general.
The VP Records retail store in Jamaica, Queens celebrated Record Store Day 2017 by hosting their third annual sound system celebration, which featured live sets from DJ’s Massive B, Road International, Tippatone and King Addies. Addis Pablo, son of reggae legend Augustus Pablo and Jah Bami, both from the collective Suns of Dub, gave an impromptu performance including a version of Augustus Pablo’s classic ‘Java’ to promote their upcoming Greensleeves label release “Riddimentary – Suns Of Dub Selects Greensleeves.”
Vinyl lovers and record store owners celebrate a day for them, by them. Originated in 2007, Record Store Day is an annual event held in April to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store.” The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores world-wide to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding independently owned record store. In 2016, vinyl sales increased for the 11th consecutive year, having reached an all-time Nielsen Music-era high with a volume of 13 million units, according to Nielsen’s U.S. 2016 year-end report. 2017 figures prove to the notion that Record Store Day has only catapulted those already impressive sales with a total of 547,000 vinyl releases sold that week alone.
