“I Need That Record!”

If you’ve ever wondered whether independent record stores are going to survive, you know that there are a lot of variables involved in that question.

There are also many different ways to look at those variables, which is why you should check out I Need That Record! The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store when it goes on sale at independent record stores near you this Friday, for Record Store Day.

A mix of satire, analysis, sadness and hope, I Need That Record has been screened at half a dozen film festivals since its 2008 premiere. In it, the film’s director, Brendan Toller, asks everybody from Glenn Branca to Thurston Moore to Legs McNeil to Noam Chomsky for a prognosis, and their answers are the perfect complement to Record Store Day’s message.

As you can probably tell from its title, the film avoids pronouncing any final judgments. But if Record Store Day can keep rallying high profile artists to its cause (especially if it means pushing long dormant bands back into the recording studio), then hopefully Toller will be able to make a triumphant sequel.

Tagged as: Brendan Toller, cds, Documentary, Record Store Day, vinyl