Record Store Day is a beautiful thing. It gives music lovers fresh new tunes and exciting reissues to collect, it brings attention to the beloved local record store, and most importantly, it brings people together. Such is the case of The Smiths who, despite millions of dollars being thrown at them to reunite, came together to denounce Donald Trump by way of their Record Store Day release.
For this year’s Record Store Day, the legendary Manchester group decided to reissue their seminal 1985 single ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’, featuring a demo of both the title track, and its original b-side, ‘Rubber Ring’. Back in 1985 when the single was released, the runout groove of the vinyl featured some some etchings, which were quite typical of the group. The 1985 editions featured the words ‘Arty bloody farty’, and ‘Is that clever.. JM’, but this time, the 2017 edition features the ominous warning ‘Trump will kill America’. Take a look for yourself below.
The artwork and etchings for this release were presumably handled by frontman Morrissey. After all, he is known as the more vocal member of the group, plus the record’s artwork is credited to ‘Esteban’, which is the Spanish equivalent of Steven, Morrissey’s first name.
Undoubtedly, a limited release like this that features such a highly political message will go down as one of the more famous Record Store Day releases, so if you’re keen on grabbing a piece of musical history, you’d best make your way to eBay pretty soon.
