Record Store Day Black Friday has been successfully diverting post-Thanksgiving buying frenzy away from Amazon and into local record shops. The stellar RSD exclusives happen at the Peninsula’s vinyl gang of four, Vinyl Revolution (309 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove; 646-9020), Recycled Records (604 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey; 375-5454), Siren Records (527 Ramona Ave., Monterey; 920-2801) and DO Re Mi Music (26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd., Carmel; 625-1229):
Johnny Thunders Daddy Rollin’ Stone EP
The limited edition 10-inch yellow vinyl includes four unreleased tunes from 1978, featuring Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott on bass.
The Sonics Fifty
The Tacoma, Washington fivesome’s monster three-LP package boasts 34 of their garage rock nuggets, including “Strychnine,” “Cinderella” and “The Witch.” A 36-page book and poster come included.
Pharcyde Runnin’
Pharcyde’s mid-’90s classic Labcabincalifornia, produced by hip-hop guru J Dilla gets some RSD love with a blue/clear split 7-inch pressing and a reproduction of the original 45’s cover art first released in 1995. The hidden track B-side “Emerald Butterfly” is a nice treat. The silky backpack rap artifact showcases the South Central quartet’s musicality and stoner sensibility.
For other special music-centric gifts, shopping online doesn’t mean you can’t still feed a local economy somewhere in the country. Three ideas:
Manny’s Children’s Turntable
($89.95; www.thirdmanstore.com; Nashville) • Rock genius/vinylphile Jack White developed a retro yellow suitcase record player for kids that’s cool enough for grownups. Third Man Records’ three-speed Jensen turntable has built-in speakers, a USB port for converting vinyl to digital and an auto return tone arm. Also available is This Record Belongs To _____ ($17), a vinyl compilation with kid-friendly tracks by Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Kermit The Frog and more.
The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic by Jess Hopper
($17.95; www.featherproof.com; Chicago) • The Pitchfork Review editor-in-chief balances a contagious passion – borderline obsession – with spot-on insight in this entertaining assemblage of interviews, essays, record reviews and columns from 20+ years.
USB Portable Record Player
($70; www.dotandbo.com; San Francisco) • Retro meets minimalist-modern in the hipster-tech world with a new kind of record player that resembles nothing like the turntables. Main reason is, there is no turntable. The PRP is a needle and a speaker that clips onto a vinyl record. You have to see – and hear – it to believe it.