Record Store Day 2012 was, for Turntabling at least, a great success. Scoring rare/weird and unusual vinyl isn’t something we limit ourselves round here to one day a year, but it seems that some vinyl sellers like to save some of the REALLY good stuff (RSD exclusives aside) for the big day.

In Chicago, RSD started quite early thanks to Dusty Groove America’s 8AM opening time. That might sound too early on a Saturday morning, but when the lines are forming outside Chicago record stores at 7AM and many of the stores not opening til 9 or 10, the Dusty Groove plan is actually quite nice for hardcore vinyl lovers.

RSD exclusives were definitely what these people were after, though some of those exclusives are pretty bewildering. An RSD re-issue of The Breakfast Club soundtrack? Are people CLAMORING for a brand-new version of this on vinyl? So be it…

Unfortunately, the most lust-worthy exclusives can’t be found on these American shores, and many were disappointed to learn about that. ‘Tis true–those UK editions stay in the UK, friends. If you’re after that Phish RSD vinyl, you’ve got a good chance of scoring one on RSD (you can have ’em all, jam bands don’t really float the Turntabling boat) but if you were hoping to score the Satanic Rites of Dracula/Dracula A.D. 1972 limited edition, you went home with a great big death metal-style frowny face.

There are some, including our very own Chicago Reader, who feel Record Store Day has jumped the shark because of all the “who cares?” reissues, long lines and general hullaballoo associated with the day. But when it comes to supporting your local record shop, Record Store Day is a crucial event.

Never mind the goofy re-releases you can still buy used for more affordable prices and all that–Record Store Day is something the shops have needed for quite some time and as such you’ll never hear us dissing it. If you want to continue having a record store in your area, events like this can’t be marginalized. It’s like getting cranky about the price of a Guinness at your favorite band’s live show–if you want to see ’em perform, you’re going to pay that extra two bucks for the stout. It’s just part of the biz, is all.

Here are some of the sights the Turntabling camera caught on Record Store Day 2012 in Chicago:

Laurie’s Planet of Sound was nice-n-orderly on RSD 2012, thanks to a pretty savvy head-counter/door opener setup. No fire marshall problems for THIS record shop. Also, some really excellent rare stuff in the stacks for the eagle-eyed crate digger.

Bravely manning the door at Dusty Groove America. We salute you, DGA crowd control volunteer–hope you survived the onslaught with no incidents to report!

All the crap nobody wanted from last year?

The people below were waiting outside at 7AM-ish. The hardcore vinyl junkies of Chicago, waiting outside Reckless Records in Wicker Park. Directly across the street was a different line of people outside a shoe store, waiting for god knows what.