Record Store Day 2012: Catherine Ringer

With Record Store Day this weekend, a look at some of the French releases coming out to mark the occasion.

The day sees independent record shops stocking limited-edition material specially released for the day, with collectors and fans out early to make sure they get their hands on some of the items.

The day came about in an effort to halt the decline of the independent record shop, once a ccommon sight on the high street and now very much an endangered species.

First the chain stores outperformed them, stacking high and selling cheap the popular releases that the independent store relied on for its day to day income, then these chain stores themselves fell to the internet.

The days of a record shop being not just a retail outlet but also a cultural resource, musical education venue and hang-out are seemingly drawing to a close.

But Record Store Day aims to ensure the independent record shop has a future, by bringing some excitement to the retail experience, and also by showing the value of the independent record shop. It's also as much a celebration of music as it is of retail.

There are a huge number of big names included in the releases, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Abba

Last year saw noteable release by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Team Ghost. This year there are more releases than ever, and again some French music among the vinyl deluge.

This year sees a ten inch release by Catherine Ringer, a seven inch by Django Django, both on Because records.

Francois And The Atlas Mountains releases a split seven inch with Slow Club on Domino record.

A seven inch by Gojira, some with a T short hits the shops, as does a limited to 500 copies M83 single.

Soko releases a single, with exclusive track First Love Will Never Die for Record Store Day

Feist releases a split 7 incl single with Mastodon.

There's also a vinyl album release from the Grateful Dead of their epic track Dark Star, recorded at l'Olympia in Paris on their Europe '72 tour, one of the peaks of their long strange musical career.

See you in the vinyl section.