Deluxe anniversary editions, limited-edition pressings, complete boxed units, globe-trotting compilations, unearthed demo and dwell recordings — all of those and far more fill our editors’ lists of favourite archival releases from 2024.
We have been most enchanted by two revelatory volumes of 2000-2009 demos from longtime employees favorites Broadcast. Strange bedfellows led the ’90s representatives: His Name Is Alive had their first three dizzying 4AD albums expanded with demos and rarities, whereas Shampoo — usually dismissed again then as novelty pop-punks — noticed the entire of their prophetic output anthologized. This was a fantastic yr for dwell units, starting from the licensed launch of Sonic Youth’s Walls Have Ears (containing components of three blazing pre-EVOL gigs) to the eighth quantity of Miles Davis’ Bootleg Series (documenting the 1963-1964 origins and fruition of the trumpeter’s “second quintet”). Just as treasured because the Broadcast discs was Alice Coltrane’s The Carnegie Hall Concert, a vital 1971 date on which the harpist and pianist was backed by a double quartet that included saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp. No compilation did it for us as a lot as Pour a Little Sugar on It, a definitive 91-track overview of bubblegum.
Heather Phares
Broadcast – Distant Call: Collected Demos 2000-2006
Broadcast – Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009
His Name Is Alive – How Ghosts Affect Relationships 1990-1993
Galaxie 500 – Uncollected Noise New York 88-90
The Go-Betweens – G Stands for Go-Betweens, Vol. 3
Margo Guryan – Words and Music
Shampoo – Complete Shampoo
Sonic Youth – Walls Have Ears
Various Artists – Heaven Sent: The Rise of New Pop 1979-1983
Various Artists – Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971
Tim Sendra
Barry Ryan – The Albums 1969-1979
Broadcast – Distant Call: Collected Demos 2000-2006
Broadcast – Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009
Comet Gain – Radio Sessions BBC 1996-2011
East Village – Drop Out [Deluxe Edition]
Galaxie 500 – Uncollected Noise New York 88-90
Taana Gardner – When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings
The Go-Betweens – G Stands for Go-Betweens, Vol. 3
The Ladybug Transistor – The Albemarle Sound [25th Anniversary Expanded Edition]
The Saints – (I’m) Stranded [Deluxe Edition]
The Salsoul Orchestra – It’s Good for the Soul: The Vince Montana Years 1975-1978
Shampoo – Complete Shampoo
Shop Assistants – Will Anything Happen [Deluxe Edition]
These Immortal Souls – EXTRA
West Coast Consortium – All the Love within the World: Collected Recordings 1964-1972
Mark Wirtz – Dream, Dream, Dream: The Anthology
Various Artists – From Far It All Seems Small: A Compilation from Seattle’s Underground
Various Artists – Heaven Sent: The Rise of New Pop 1979-1983
Various Artists – Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971
Various Artists – SAM Records Anthology: The Sound of New York City 1975-1983
Matt Collar
Bryan Ferry – Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023
McCoy Tyner / Joe Henderson – Force of Nature: Live at Slugs’
Andy Williams – When You Fall in Love: Lost Columbia Masters 1977-1982
Cannonball Adderley – Poppin’ in Paris: Live at L’Olympia 1972
Miles Davis – Miles in France 1963 & 1964 – Miles Davis Quintet: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
Los Reyes 73 – Baila Mi Son
Sonny Rollins – Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Recordings
Ellie Pop – Ellie Pop
Irakere – Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital
Shampoo – Complete Shampoo
Loleatta Holloway – We’re Getting Stronger: The Gold Mind/Salsoul Recordings 1976-1982
Margo Guryan – Words and Music
Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
George Benson – Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon
Chet Baker / Jack Sheldon – In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album
Various Artists – Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971
Marcy Donelson
Sonic Youth – Walls Have Ears
Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
Weezer – Weezer 30 [Anniversary Super Deluxe]
The Rascals – It’s Wonderful: The Complete Atlantic Studio Recordings
Paul McCartney & Wings – One Hand Clapping
Various Artists – Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971
Thom Jurek
Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
Austin Peralta – Endless Planets [Deluxe Edition]
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Live in Paris 1970: Lost ORTF Recordings
Miles Davis – Miles in France 1963 & 1964 – Miles Davis Quintet: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul [Small Batch]
Grateful Dead – Friend of the Devils: April 1978
Soft Machine – Høvikodden 1971
Yusef Lateef – Atlantis Lullaby: The Concert in Avignon
Sonny Rollins – Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Recordings
Art Tatum – Jewels within the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet – Live in Montreal May 1975
Cannonball Adderley – Poppin’ in Paris: Live at L’Olympia 1972
Neil Ardley – A Symphony of Amaranths
Larry Nozero Featuring Dennis Tini – Time
George Duke – From Me to You: The Definitive Collection 1977-2000
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges
Mal Waldron / Steve Lacy – The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp
Elephant9 with Terje Rypdal – Catching Fire
Kevin Ayers – All This Crazy Gift of Time: The Recordings 1969-1973
Emily Remler – Cookin on the Queens: Live in Las Vegas 1984 & 1988
Andy Kellman [Spotify]
Cannonball Adderley – Poppin’ in Paris: Live at L’Olympia 1972
Blue Magic – Stop to Start: The ATCO & WMOT Recordings 1973-1977
Broadcast – Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009 / Distant Call: Collected Demos 2000-2006
CHBB – CHBB
Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
Creation Rebel – High Above Harlesden 1978-2023
Essential Logic – John Peel Session 21.02.79
Margo Guryan – Words and Music
His Name Is Alive – How Ghosts Affect Relationships 1990-1993
Loleatta Holloway – We’re Getting Stronger: The Gold Mind/Salsoul Recordings 1976-1982
Hugo Largo – Huge, Large, and Electric: Hugo Largo 1984-1991
Byard Lancaster – The Complete Palm Recordings 1973-1974
Majesty Crush – Butterflies Don’t Go Away
Sonic Youth – Walls Have Ears
Take Three – Music and Time, 1983-1985
Tsunami – Loud Is As
McCoy Tyner / Joe Henderson – Force of Nature: Live at Slugs’
Mal Waldron and Terumasa Hino – Reminicent Suite
Xmal Deutschland – Early Singles 1981-1982
Various Artists – New Jill Swing 1988-1994
Timothy Monger
Davy Graham – He Moved Through the Fair: The Complete Nineteen Sixties Recordings
Lindsey Buckingham – twentieth Century Lindsey
Grateful Dead – Dave’s Picks, Vol. 50: Palladium – New York City, NY 5/3/77
Paul Simpson [Spotify]
His Name Is Alive – How Ghosts Affect Relationships 1990-1993
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Volume II [Expanded Edition]
Can – Live in Paris 1973
Curve – Unreadable Communication: Anxious Recordings 1991-1993
Creation Rebel – High Above Harlesden 1978-2023
Cranes – Collected Works, Vol. 1: 1989-1997
36 – Dreamloops
Gas – Gas
Various Artists – Lost Paradise: Blissed Out Breakbeat Hardcore 1991-94
Love Child – Never Meant to Be: 1988-1993
Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
Crash Course in Science – Near Marineland
Various Artists – No Songs Tomorrow: Darkwave, Ethereal Rock and Coldwave 1981-1990
Broadcast – Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009 / Distant Call: Collected Demos 2000-2006
Robert Rental – Mental Detentions
Various Artists – Kampire Presents: A Dancefloor in Ndola
Dettinger – Intershop [Remastered 2024]
Shop Assistants – Will Anything Happen [Deluxe Edition]
Roedelius – 90
Sun Ra – Excelsior Mill
Neil Z. Yeung
Curve – Unreadable Communication: Anxious Recordings 1991-1993
Linkin Park – Papercuts
Shampoo – Complete Shampoo
James Wilkinson
Broadcast – Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009 / Distant Call: Collected Demos 2000-2006
Bob Dylan & the Band – The 1974 Live Recordings
Neil Young – Neil Young Archives, Vol. 3 (1976-1987)
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Volume II [Expanded Edition]
East Village – Drop Out [Deluxe Edition]
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru – Souvenirs
Miles Davis – Miles in France 1963 & 1964 – Miles Davis Quintet: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
Margo Guryan – Words and Music
Various Artists – Tomorrow’s Fashions: Library Electronica 1972-1987
Ron Geesin – Basic Maths: Soundtrack from the 1981 TV Series
Galaxie 500 – Uncollected Noise New York 88-90
Dorothy Ashby – Afro-Harping [Deluxe Edition]
Weezer – Weezer 30 [Anniversary Super Deluxe]
Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul [Small Batch]
Nico – Desertshore
White Noise – An Electric Storm
Julian Cope – Fried
Kaleidoscope – Tangerine Dream
John Cale – Paris 1919 [Deluxe Edition]
John Barry – Something’s Up: Film, TV & Studio Work 1964-1967