RECORD STORE DAY SALES UP 40%

David Bowie and The Smiths were the most popular Record Store Day releases in Blighty, where sales were up a huge 40% to crown 2017’s 10th edition the most successful to date. Bowie is RSD’s top selling artist of the past decade.

More than 230 shops took part in this year’s event in the U.K., with album sales up by 35% and singles up by nearly 50%. For anyone who's counting, Max Lousada's Warner U.K. and David Joseph's Universal both have three entries in the albums Top 10. Jason Iley's Sony follows with one. Over at singles, Iley's label is a best-performer alongside RSD winner Warner with three releases, while Universal has two. Since launch in 2008, Bowie has had 11 appearances in RSD's Top 10 albums and singles chart. Sex Pistols are the second biggest sellers with five appearances.

For the second year in a row, Bowie took the #1 albums spot with Parlophone LP Cracked Actor—the first official release of the late star's Philly Dogs Tour show at L.A.’s Universal Amphitheatre in September 1974. His BOWPROMO, featuring alternative mixes of some of the songs that appeared on the ultra-rare Hunky Dory era promo album, is #2. (In the U.S. Bowie sold one fewer copy of Cracked Actor than the Grateful Dead's live set from 1966).

A previously unheard of version of The Smiths’ “The Boy With The Thorn in His Side” (Rhino) was #1 on singles. This week fans discovered a secret message predicting a rather dire consequence of the current U.S. presidency etched on the vinyl: 'Trump Will Kill America.'

If you count vinyl sales overall, Bowie continued his reign as best-seller—the non-RSD version of the No Plan EP would have overtaken The Smiths at #1.

RECORD STORE DAY U.K. ALBUMS CHART
David Bowie Cracked Actor (Parlophone)
David Bowie BOWPROMO (Parlophone)
The Cure Greatest Hits (UMC/Polydor)
Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Hammersmith Odeon London ’75 (Legacy)
Sex Pistols God Save (UMC/Universal)
Vangelis Blade Runner OST (Rhino)
The Cure Acoustic Hits (UMC/Polydor)
Pink Floyd London 1966/1967 (Kscope)
Elastica Elastica (Rough Trade)
Ocean Colour Scene Moseley Shoals - Live (Moseley Shoals Records)

RECORD STORE DAY U.K. SINGLES CHART
The Smiths “The Boy With The Thorn in his Side” (Rhino)
David Bowie “No Plan” (RCA)
Pink Floyd “Interstellar Overdrive” (Rhino)
U2 “Red Hill Mining Town” (Island)
Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (UMC)
Placebo f/David Bowie “Without You I’m Nothing” (International)
Kasabian “You’re in Love with a Psycho” (Columbia)
Madonna “Into the Groove” (Rhino)
The The “We Can’t Stop What’s Coming” (Cineola)
Manic Street Preachers “Your Love Alone is Not Enough” (Columbia)