At Third Man we are constantly working on new ways of looking at the art and production of vinyl. It’s always important to us to show that records and vinyl do not have to be strictly the domain of the retro or vintage enthusiast, but that it is very much a modern and viable and important physical product. We strive to make our vinyl products the highest standard of packaging and presentation. A great way to spread the word of vinyl is by showing people that there are always new ways to present and innovate LPs and 45s. Furthermore, Record Store Day is a fantastic way to help get these ideas out there to the public. For one day a year, all eyes are on the independent record industry; the labels, bands and record stores all get a moment to shine. This event gets bigger and word spreads further every year as bands and labels put together great limited edition recordings and packaging that will be available for one day only. It’s almost like an international trade show for records where you can actually buy the innovations you’re seeing demonstrated before you... We love it.
This year we have some things for record store day that we are REALLY excited about... Without further ado... We give you this years innovations:
JACK WHITE “SIXTEEN SALTINES”
The 12-inch single of Jack White’s “Sixteen Saltines” comes complete with a playable etching on the b-side (designed by George Ingram), a cover of U2’s “Love is Blindness.” Truly a sight to behold, the etching depicts Third Man’s iconic logo and the grooves of the record play through the image, presenting consumers with the world’s first-ever playable etched record ®.This is an entirely different process (and look) from your Styx and Split Enz records from the 80’s. No lasers, holograms, or rainbows are involved in this playable etching.
As if that weren’t enough, Third Man took the playable etching one step further and used the same parts to make a limited-edition version of the “Saltines” 12-inch single. Not only is the etching playable, but the record itself is pressed on clear vinyl and filled with psychedelic blue liquid. While the soundtrack for the 1978 film The Black Hole was initially prototyped as a liquid-filled disc, problems with leakage prevented it from ever being released. The liquid-filled “Saltines” is the first-ever disc of its kind to be made available to the public.
KAREN ELSON “MILK AND HONEY”
In addition to these two releases, Third Man is also releasing the new single from Karen Elson. The cover of Jackson C. Frank’s “Milk and Honey” is pressed on milk and honey split-colored vinyl coupled with a laser-cut lace sleeve. The visual these two elements make when combined together is, as you can see, stunning.
The WHITE STRIPES “HAND SPRINGS” B/W “RED DEATH AT 6:14”
In addition to that, Third Man is releasing a milk and honey swirled colored vinyl of Elson’s single as well as a red vinyl with black whisps edition of the White Stripes “Hand Springs” and “Red Death at 6:14”, two songs that have been out of print on vinyl for over ten years. These two releases, along with the CD/LP release of Jerry Lee Lewis’ live recording at Third Man (that took place on Record Store Day 2011) will be available at ANY record store wise enough to have ordered copies for Record Store Day.
The liquid-filled record ® and laser-cut lace split-color will ONLY be available from Third Man Records physical location in Nashville (623 7th Ave S) on Record Store Day, April 21st, 2012. The playable etching will also be available from Third Man and a select number of record stores.
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