Record Store Day highlights

Record Store Day returns on Saturday, April 18, with a 2026 lineup built around limited vinyl runs and store-only exclusives. (recordstoreday.com) The official Record Store Day site says John Lennon’s *Love Meditation Mixes* will be released that day as a limited-edition three-LP set on iridescent Pearl Arctic 180-gram transparent vinyl. The set was produced by Sean Ono Lennon and reworks Lennon’s song “Love” from *John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band*. (recordstoreday.com) Record Store Day’s listing says the package includes nine meditation mixes, plus nine short mantras on side B of the third LP that loop in the runout groove. John Lennon’s official site says the release is due April 18, 2026 on UMR and Calderstone. (recordstoreday.com) (johnlennon.com) Primal Scream’s *1987 EPs* is also on the April 18 list as a Record Store Day Exclusive from Rhino with a stated quantity of 3,500 copies. Record Store Day says it collects the 1987 *Gentle Tuesday* and *Imperial* EPs from the band’s *Sonic Flower Groove* era for the first time on one release. (recordstoreday.com) Glide Magazine reports the Primal Scream release is pressed as a translucent-blue 45 revolutions-per-minute LP. Record Store Day’s track list includes covers of songs by The Who and The Shadows of Knight alongside the original EP tracks. (glidemagazine.com) (recordstoreday.com) Record Store Day began in 2007 as an initiative by independent record store owners and employees, and the first event was held on April 19, 2008. The organization now says it involves nearly 1,400 independently owned stores in the United States and thousands more internationally. (recordstoreday.com) The rules for the April 18 releases remain the same: Record Store Day says participating shops sell the special titles in person on the day, with policies such as first-come, first-served and limits of one copy per title at some stores. The official list is positioned as a traffic driver for independent retailers rather than a standard wide release. (recordstoreday.com 1) (recordstoreday.com 2) In Paris, the day is also being stretched into a broader public event at Ground Control. Ground Control says its Disquaire Day program will run from noon to midnight with 70 labels, a large vinyl market, recorded-music talks, a photo exhibition, children’s workshops and a booth that lets visitors cut their own record. (groundcontrolparis.com) Sortir à Paris says the Ground Control program also includes live sets by Nouvelle Vague, Flore Benguigui, June The Girl and Sarah Marie, followed by Radio FG DJ sets at night. The venue describes the event as free to attend. (sortiraparis.com) (groundcontrolparis.com) That mix of scarce records and daylong programming is the shape of Record Store Day 2026: a Saturday built around what collectors can only get at participating shops on April 18, and what stores and partner venues can turn into an event. (recordstoreday.com) (groundcontrolparis.com)