Vinyl rules this weekend (4 photos)

Today is International Record Store Day.

To mark the annual occasion, The Rad Zone, located in Wellington Square Mall at 625 Trunk Road, is having a sale on specially reissued vinyl recordings.

“The day is a tribute to independent record stores. They’ve done a limited number of releases just for independent stores, so you could get (for example) a Motorhead 7-inch single that they made only 500 copies of to be sold worldwide, or a Bruce Springsteen record of only 3,000 copies. It’s to get people driven in to the stores and have a chance at getting a very limited edition piece,” said Paul Muncaster, The Rad Zone’s owner/operator, speaking to SooToday.

“We and most other stores do discounts on all the used stuff, and prize draws, and we have a DJ coming in at noon. It’s just to make it a fun day of recognizing what’s going on today.”

The Rad Zone opened Saturday at 9 a.m. (an hour earlier than usual) and is open until 5 p.m.

International Record Store Day sales on specially reissued and used vinyl will continue at The Rad Zone Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate people who are working Saturday. 

“(At The Rad Zone) people will be able to find everything from a Madonna picture disc to a rare Motorhead piece. There’s Dylan, there’s rap, Johnny Cash, Def Leppard, The Who…there’s Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits on vinyl. It was at $125 and they’ve finally reissued it so people can grab a copy for about half that price,” Muncaster said.

Business was brisk at the store, customers waiting for the doors to open Saturday morning.

Similar special vinyl sales, on a smaller scale, are held Back Friday.

“I’ve learned what to try order more of, even though a lot of stuff is limited for even me to get, but my fill rate is usually pretty good because I’ve doing this for a long time,” Muncaster said.

Muncaster opened his business under the name Radical Records on Bruce Street hill in 1984, then in 1994 renamed it The Rad Zone on Dennis Street before relocating to Wellington Square Mall in 2002.

The Rad Zone, with 20,000 pieces available, has become something of a landmark for both local and visiting music lovers over the years at its present location.

“This is what we do, sell treasures,” Muncaster smiled, adding the sound quality on old vinyl discs is ‘deeper’ than today’s electronic offerings.