Sweet Limited Edition Releases for Record Store Day

Record Store Day is like Christmas in April for both fans and independent record shops. Fans make pilgrimages to local shops seeking limited-edition releases, free shows, band signings, bonuses, sales and, if you're lucky, free food. The releases are hyper-limited—smaller stores may only get one or two of what's ordered, if any at all. To fans, this makes them all the more coveted.

Here's a selection of the more unique collaborations, compilations and covers.

1. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi starring Jack White and Norah Jones: Rome.This 7-inch has two tracks from the forthcoming album of the same title. It was released by Third Man Records, Jack White's record label. He wrote “Two Against One” and sang on the track. Norah Jones sang on the second song, “Black.”
   

2. Mumford and Sons/Laura Marling: Dharohar Project. In the same vein as George Harrison's pilgrimage to Bombay that brought the sitar to the Beatles, Dharohar Project fuses Eastern folk music with that of the West and brings new life to both styles. They collaborated with a group of Rajasthani musicians called the Dharohar Project and recorded the EP at an arts school in New Delhi in 2009. This 10-inch is the first physical release of the EP. The vinyl includes reworkings of Mumford and Sons' “To Darkness” and Laura Marling's “Devil's Spoke.”

3. Fistful of Mercy: Pale Blue Eyes/Things Go Round (Live). Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur make up one of 2010's new super groups. Their new 7-inch features a live version of a track from their debut album, “As I Call You Down.” The gem of the 45 is their cover of the Velvet Underground's “Pale Blue Eyes.” The addition of a violin brings the song's beauty to a new level. If the vinyl is anything like the video below, this one should not be missed.