It is what it says on the tin.
Post your favourites of the year. You can list as many as you like but the top one will score ten, the second nine, down to the tenth which will score one point.
Poll closes 31st December 2024 at midnight.
The Afterword Archival, Historical, Compilation & Remix Poll 2024
by 120 Comments
Here’s mine:
1. Joni Mitchell – Archives Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980)
2. Nusratt Fateh Ali Khan – Chain Of Light
3. Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian – The Old Country
4. David Bowie – Rock And Roll Star!
5. Niney The Observer Presents Lightning And Thunder: The Observer Singles 1969-1972
6. Can – Paris 73
7. Talking Heads 77
8. George Harrison – Living In A Material World
9. Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
10. Little Feat – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
I share your top three exactly, Tiggs, followed by your numbers 8 and 10.
So that’s as follows:
1. Joni Mitchell : Archives Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980)
2. Nusratt Fateh Ali Khan : Chain Of Light
3. Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian : The Old Country
then my next two are:
4. George Harrison : Living In A Material World
5. Little Feat : Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
and the rest are as follows:
6. Aphrodites Child : 666.
7. Fanny : The Reprise Years.
8. Splinters : Inclusivity
9. Vincent Geminiani : Musique Pour Un Voyage Extraordinaire.
10. Wishbone Ash : No Easy Road – Live In The Seventies.
My god can nobody get the George Harrison title correct!?
1. Neil Young – Archives 3
2. One Hand Clapping –
McCartney and Wings
3. Uncut Mind Games CD –
John Lennon
I don’t have the physical release for 1., but it has to win.
I seem to be buying much fewer box sets these days (finally)
cut’n’paste does not invoke spellcheck, let alone a Discogs check.
The.
There you go.
Some f*cker in HM Govt. turned my mobile phone into a bloody air-raid siren in the small hours of this morning, while the house shook from violent wind battering, rendering me red-eyed and grumpy for the rest of the day, and now some other f*cker is invoking imaginary celestial beings when complaining about a minor inadvertent lack of corrective nomenclature in a ruddy records list. FFS, complain about something worth complaining about or STFU.
/grumpy rant mode
😉
Nusrat only has one T too – saved you the bother.
Maybe you should up your compalin dose.
My God can nobody spell Complein correctly.
Ah I see you have missed out the silent g.
Of course. I’m not ignorent.
Steady on. As the collating of counts is somewhat automatic it helps to have the correct title. I have had problems in the past and even published a list here that had the same album twice (with slightly different titles)
And however bad your week has been, mine has probably been worse (without going into details)
Relax. Sal is looking after these things and he is a whizz at spreadsheets
Season of Goodwill and all that.
Peace and love in the community, etc…
…and so, as Tiny Tim observed: : “God bless our ‘light-touch’ Mods – every one!”
Er… that’s right – I can usually unmangle anything (even mixed countable and uncountable quantifiers).
Good gracious!
I’m sorry you had a bad week, and I hope this week will be better.
Thank you. The situation will not be improved next week barring a miracle, but life goes on (for some of us)
Hopefully your week wasn’t made even worse by your mobile phone bursting into life, uninvited, in the middle of the night to warn you that you might not be going to get a good night’s sleep?
No, a close work colleague and friend died suddenly. Only 50
That’s rotten news, I hope your loss and grief is ameliorated by those you love around you.
Thank you.
Oh jeez, Dai, that’s awful.
I’ve just found out a young (20-something) chap in the software team has aggressive bone cancer. I can’t say we are close, but we would sit on the same table at lunch when I used to go into the office.
That’s terrible. We are a small very close team and it has hit us very hard. However for his wife and 3 boys it must be a million times worse. Unfathomable. A sudden severe heart attack, a fit guy with no known health issues otherwise
That’s awful. So close to Christmas as well.
Hope your loved ones close.
It’s his wife I feel really sorry for, they only got married in the summer. They should be looking to the future. Right now, she’s fundraising for his stem cell treatment.
Jeez, @Dai, that’s awful.
Would never have asked you to take time to do me a favour over the weekend – which you very kindly did – had I known.
No worries @jaygee was a welcome distraction
Terrible news. Fickle and capricious fate – I’m so sorry to hear that news, and can only sympathise with the awful consequences for you, for all of his friends, and most of all for his poor family. My heartfelt condolences.
Thank you
1 – Joni Mitchell – Archives Vol 4
2 – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Live at the Fillmore East 1969
3 – Lindsey Buckingham – 20th Century Lindsey
4 – Neil Young – Ragged Glory: Smell the Horse
5 – Jason Isbell – Live at the Ryman Volume 2
6 – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Long After Dark (deluxe edition)
7 – Thea Gilmore – Can You Hear the Ghosts Sing?
8 – George Harrison – Living in the Material World
9 – Fleetwood Mac – Mirage Tour ‘82
10 – Johnny Cash – Songwriter
If the Norwegian jury decides any of the above are ineligible, please award them nul points.
Tsk.
Sloppy capitalisation there. Get with it, daddio, or you’ll wreck the spreadsheet!
Well I hate to be a pedant on a site not known for its pedantry, but it’s customary to capitalise nouns, verbs, adjectives etc. in the title of a book, film, album or similar, while leaving conjunctions and articles uncapitalised unless they are at the beginning of the title. I know you haven’t slept, but you seem like an intelligent bloke to me. By the way, I’ve not slept for 3 nights either, mainly because I’ve damaged the sternocleidomastoid muscle in my neck and am in excuciating pain. (I just hope I’ve spelt that right!)
I don’t know if you’ve spelled it correctly but I do know I can’t pronounce it.
I acknowledge your correct interpretation of customary capitalisation; I was just poking mild fun (so mild it was practically invisible) at the remarks elsewhere about the desire for a standardised approach for Afterword spreadhseet purposes. On my copy of George’s album, the title of the thing is rendered inconsiderately amd alarmingly ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS. The nerve of the man!
DONOVAN’s suggestion at the time, I gather.
Please don’t worry, guys – there are more important things to concern yourselves with – your health and well being, for a start. The poll compilers are very accommodating of every variance of entry – we (and I am sure I can speak for the kindly souls that are Paul and Tig) are grateful to receive your contributions to the polls – they would be nothing without them.
Is it Echo And The Bunnymen, or Echo and the Bunnymen, or Echo & The Bunnymen, or…?
Yes, that’s right.
👍
What he said.
All of the Above.
Sniff ‘n’ the Tears
Is it Wah!, Wah! Heat, Say Wah!, JF Wah!, The Mighty Wah!, Wah! The Mongrel or perhaps it’s a Wah! on Drugs.
Evelyn Wah?
The Wah!terboys?
Wah!terdifference A Day Makes
Here we go.
1. Bill Fay Group – Tomorrow Tomorrow And Tomorrow
2. Dorothy Ashby – Afro Harping
3. Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
4. Aphrodite’s Child – 666 (The Apocalypse of John, 13/18)
5. Broadcast – Spell Banket(Collected Demos 2006-2009)
6. Various – The Devil Rides In (Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974)
7. King Crimson – Red (50th Anniversary Edition)
8. Prince Far I – Cry Tuff Chants On U
9. John Barry – Something’s Up! (Film, TV, & Studio Work 1964-1967)
10. Can – Live Paris 1973
Bubbling Under
The Residents Present ….”Buy Or Die” Ralph Records 1972-1982
New Guitars In Town (Power Pop 1978-1982)
Patterns On The Wall (The Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1974)
Control I’m Here (Adventures On The Industrial Dancefloor 1983-1990)
Now 12″ 80s 1982
Pushin’ Too Hard (American Garage Punk 1964-1967)
You Can Walk Across It On The Grass (The Boutique Sounds Of Swinging London)
Les Cousins – The Soundtrack Of Soho’s Legendary Folk & Blues Club
I See You Live On Love Street: Music From Laurel Canyon 1967-1975
Glen Campbell – Glen Campbell Sings Jimmy Webb
Fantasic Voyage
John Savage’s 1983-1985 (Welcome To Techo City)
Psych! British Prog, Rock, Folk & Blues 1966-1973
Do You Have The Force? Volume 2 (Jon Savage’s Alternate History Of Electronica 1978-82)
Jon Savage’s Secret Public – How LGBTQ Resistance Shaped Popular Culture 1955-1979
Antique Songs For Children’s Carousel (The Eclectic Sounds Of Scott Walker)
Night/Train
Tomorrow’s Fashions (Library Electronica 1972-1987)
Roots Rock Rebels – When Punk Met Reggae 1975-1982
Can’t Seem to Come Down: The American Sounds of 1968
We’ve Only Just Begun • The Paul Williams Songbook
Rocking Horse – Yes It Is
John Cale – The Academy In Peril
John Cale – Paris 1919
John Cale – Fear
John Cale – Helen Of Troy
John Cale – Slow Dazzle
Tucker Zimmerman – I Wonder If I’ll Ever Come True
John Coltrane – Evenings at the Village
Paul McCartney & Wings – One Hand Clapping
From Taboo To Telstar: 1962 A Year In The Life Of 304 Holloway Road
Ring The Bells & Sing – Progressive Sounds Of 1975
Twisted Dream Machine (The Paisley Underground/California’s Psychedelic Reaissance 1982-1985
Broadcast – Distant Call (Collected Demos 2000-2006)
That’s quite a lot of bubbling.
I’m guessing you’ll have more.
So many to choose from in this one and the Other poll. Not sure I can face it right now, what with Top Ten Gigs of the Year and this month’s Blogger Takeover too..
@ip33 pray tell, what exactly is ‘Fantasic Voyage’?
Sorry. I should have been a little clearer. It’s this https://www.acerecords.co.uk/fantastic-voyage
@ip33 what is the Bill Fay album like?
I have his others which I really like but steered clear of this thinking it was some odds and ends that were left in a tin in the studio for some reason.
Since it is number one in your chart I assume you rate it very highly.
A couple of musician fans asked him to work with him after he’d been dropped by his record label. It was recorded over a couple of years at the end of the 70s. I first heard it on Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone many years ago and got a CD 2008/9ish.
This new edition is stupendous, remastered and with extra tracks. It’s a bit Prog, Jazz, Fusion and Folky in equal measure to these aging ears. An absolutely essential purchase IMO.
1. Joni Mitchell ~ Archives Volume 4
2. Rory Gallagher ~ BBC Collection
3. Alice Coltrane ~ The Carnegie Hall Concert
4. Little Feat ~ Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
5. Neil Young ~ Dume
6. Robin Trower ~ Bridge Of Sighs
7. Paul McCartney & Wings ~ One Hand Clapping
8. Elvis Costello ~ King Of America & Other Realms
9. Crosby, Stills , Nash & Young ~ Live At Fillmore East 1969
10. George Harrison ~ Living in The Material World.
Love those Swintons.
1. Frank Zappa – Apostrophe
2. Talking Heads – Talking Heads 77
3. Joni Mitchell – Archives Vol 4
4. George Harrison – Living In The Material World
5. Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention – Live At The Whiskey A Go-go 1968
6. Little Feat – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
7. Yannis and The Yaw – Lagos Paris London (feat. Tony Allen)
8. Dr John – Frankie and Johnny
9. Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Early Daze
10, CSNY – Live at Fillmore East 1969
Why is Yannis and The Yaw in the rereleases? I thought it was new.
It was largely recorded in 2016. Tony Allen died in 2020 with the project incomplete, so finishing touches have been added since then. I’m happy to classify it as historical.
Once more you are simply making up rules as you go along. You’re like a tinpot dictator: no – you are a tinpot dictator. Earlier you plucked “five years” out of the ether but now it’s apparently four. I have not the slightest idea who or what Yannis and the Yaw is or are or even were but that’s not the point, is it? The point is… er, I’ll get back to you.
I don’t normally contribute to this one, being more of a new music kinda robot, but I’ve not seen any of these mentioned so far and I’d like to see them up on the board..
1. Creation Rebel – High Above Harlesden
2. Junior Byles – Curley Locks: The Upsetter Singles 1973 – 1975
3. Dennis Bovell – Sufferer Sounds
Thanks. I’d forgotten about Blackbeard. Is he Greybeard these days?
I’ve been dithering about the Sufferer Sounds album – given that I have a shedload of Bovell already, do you think I’d find it worthwhile?
It’s worth it just for the Silly Games Dub in my opinion. I’m late to this, hence it’s not in my list.
Dennis Bovell is always worthwhile.
Only one from me:
Bryan Ferry – Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023
Fully deserving his 10 points.
Here you go….
1. Rory Gallagher – Best Of Rory Gallagher at the BBC
2. Porcupine Tree – Fear Of A Blank Planet
3. Faces – Faces at the BBC
4. Joni Mitchell – Archives Volume 4
5. Van Morrison – Live at Orangefield
6. King Crimson – Red 50th Anniversary
7. Little Feat – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
8. No-Man – Housekeeping – The OLI Years
9. Talking Heads – 77
10. Tom Petty – Long After Dark
11. Dr John – Frankie & Johnny
12. David Bowie – Waiting For The Sky (Before The Starman Came to Earth)
13. The Police – Synchronicity
14. Elvis Costello – King of America & Other Realms
15. Steven Wilson – Harmonic Divergence
16. Aphrodites Child – 666
17. Marillion – This Strange Engine
18. Robin Trower – Bridge Of Sighs
There are undoubtedly some that I missed – as I file archival albums under year of original release, I can’t just do a search on 2024 albums ! – so I may be back……
Tigger’s rules mean numbers 11-18 score nothing, I think,
Correct. But they are historical and well worth mentioning. You have a point with David Bowie. It’s an excellent summary of the big box.
Here goes:
1) Joni Mitchell Archives 4
2) Waterboys – 1985
3) Lilac Time – Astronauts
4) Elvis Costello – King of America and other realms
5) Mark Lanegan – Bubblegum
6) John Barry – Somethings up
7) Dorothy Ashby – Auto harping
8) Essential Melody Gardot
9) Broadcast – Spell Blanket – demos 2006-2009
10) Little Feat – feats don’t fail me now
11) Ry Cooder and David Lindley – Live in Vienna 1995 (bought this year, think was released this year but not sure)
12) Roseanne Cash – The Wheel (deluxe edition) Again not sure if this year or last
13) Van Morrison – Live at Orangefields
Easy:
Magazine – Give Me Everything box set
Sparks – 1974
1. Various – That’ll Flat… Git It! Vol. 47: Rockabilly and Rock ‘n’ Roll from the Vaults of Starday Records (Bear Family).
I think you’ll find that ‘this’ is Rock ‘n’ Roll.
2. Various – Mojo Working! The UK R&B Explosion (Mojo)
3. Various – Point Me At The Sky: 15 Flashbacks to the Golden Age of British Psych (Mojo)
4. Various – A Man of Wealth and Taste: The Brain Jones Companion (Mojo)
Dovetails perfectly with Mojo’s The Meaning of Within (2022) and Love In Vain: The Weird Old Blues (2023).
5. Various – Jingle Jangle Mornings: A Byrds Companion (Mojo)
It may be about a 25% hit rate, but these Mojo CDs are now the best, and certainly the cheapest, on the market. They’re also available on the High Street.
Aside from foreign language girl-group recordings (bought directly from Ace), the discs I’ve purchased which I’ve most enjoyed have been:
A Delfonics compilation (£1), Dory Previn’s ’70 debut (£1.75), a Harmless compilation of Latin Boogaloo (50p) and Elvis Presley’s 2nd album (£2).
The one that left me cold was an update of Blonde on Blonde (50p). Played it twice, all the while wondering why on earth I wasn’t listening to Rockabilly or Swedish 60s pop instead.
ARCHIVAL/REISSUES in order of preference with no 1 at the top
Jackie Leven: Live and Die in Bremen
Neil Young: Archives III
XTC: Skylarking (vinyl reissue of 2016 SW remix)
Neil Young: Early Daze
Various Artists: Nuggets Vol II
CSNY: Fillmore East
@Jaygee how could I have overlooked Jackie Leven – that is a real gem.
Still time to change your vote, @stevet. Remember the AWs’ high placing of the album of cover of JL’s songs got mentioned on a fan forum a couple of years back. Nice to think that it may even have attracted a couple of people to post here
1 – Thin Lizzy – 1976
2 – Talking Heads – 1977 Deluxe Edition
3- Paul McCartney & Wings – One Hand Clapping
4 – Faces – Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings
5 – Rory Gallagher – At the BBC
6 – Tom Petty – Long After Dark Deluxe Edition
1. Little Feat – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
2. John Cale – Paris 1919
3. Zappa – Apostrophe
4. Joni Mitchell – Archives Vol. 4
1. VA – Congo Funk! Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa/Brazzaville 1969-1982) (Analog Africa No. 38)
2. Bob Dylan – 1974 tour
3. Pallas – Eyes in the Night – The Recordings 1981 – 1986
4. Jethro Tull – Bursting Out- the Inflated Edition
5. Grateful Dead – Dave’s Picks Volume 50: Palladium, New York City, NY, 5/3/77
First vote for Dylan, I think.
I’m reliably informed Lando has not listened to all 47 discs from the 74 tour 6 times so I’m afraid it’s Dylan – nul points.
ha ha — and can you *prove* that?
I asked Alexa.
Can I just point out that the date format (5/3/77) used in Lando’s no.5 choice, the Grateful Dead – Dave’s Picks Volume 50 set, is the American one. So it’s the gig from 3rd May 1977, not 5th March! It’s very confusing on Grateful Dead sites when someone refers to a show in this way. I always end up thinking something like … “Hang on a minute – is that the 12th January or 1st December?”
1. Joni Mitchell – Asylum Years
2. Toumani Diabate & Ballake Sissoko – New Ancient Strings
3. Anthony Phillips – Strings of Light
Just the one for me
Stornoway – Best of Unplucked
Various – New Guitars In Town: Power Pop 1978-82
Frank Sidebottom – Little Box Of Bobbins, Frank’s Fantastic Anthology
Pete Wylie & The Mighty Wah! – Teach Yself WAH!
1: Broadcast – Spell Blanket : Collected Demos 2006-2009
2: VA – Fantastic Voyage: New Sounds for the European Canon 1977-1981
3: Can – Live Paris 1973
4: VA- Jon Savage’s Ambient 90s
5: VA – Do You Have the Force? (Jon Savage’s Alternate History of Electronica)
6: Aphex Twin -Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (30th Anniversary Edition)
8: VA – A Crushing Blow: Complied by Matt Sewell
9: Les Rallizes Denudes – YaneUra Oct. 80
10: VA- Moving Away From the Pulse Beat: Post Punk Britain 1977-1981
1: Pat Hare – I’m Gonna Murder My Baby : Pat Hare In Session 1952-1960
2: Faces – At The BBC
3: Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
4: Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Singles 1969-1972
5: MC5 – Live In Europe 1972
6: Sun Ra – Inside The Light World
7: Evenings At The Village Gate – John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy
8: Shack – HMS Fable (National Album Day Release)
Cheers for reminding us about the Alice Coltrane live album, el hombre. I must check that out.
Erm … Evenings at the Village Gate by Coltrane & Dolphy is indeed excellent, but unfortunately it was released in July 2023.
1. Jerry Burns – Jerry Burns 2024 reissue
2. Robin Trower – Bridge of Sighs 50th anniversary edition
3. Peter Cox – The Deep Dive Anthology
4. Go West – Dancing on the Couch Deluxe reissue
5. Various – I See You Live on Love Street: Music from Laurel Canyon
6. Linda Ronstadt – The 1977 Fox Theatre Broadcast
7. Joe Walsh – Reunion Arena, Dallas 1981
8. George Marinelli – Except Always compilation
9. Van Morrison – Live at Orangefield
10. Paul Carrack – How Long 50th anniversary compilation
11. Wishbone Ash – No Easy Road Live in the ’70’s
Very interesting list, niall. Thanks
Just two for me (both of which are reissues from 2004)-
1. Matt Elliott- Drinking Songs Live 20 years on
2. Mark Lanegan- Bubblegum XX
1. Bob Dylan – The 1974 Live Recordings
2. Bryan Ferry – Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023
3. Elvis Costello – King of America and Other Realms
4. Faces – Faces at the BBC: Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings (1970-1973)
5. Jason Isbell – Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2
6. Nico – The Marble Index/Desertshore
7. Rory Gallagher – The BBC Collection
8. Jackie Leven – Live Or Die: Live in Bremen 1999 & 2004
9. Talking Heads – Talking Heads 77
10. Neil Young – Archives Vol. III (1976 – 1987)
I only bought one album this year that would fit in this poll, and I liked it, so I might as well vote for it (or it won’t get any votes at all…)
1. Kite – VII
After 6 EPs the synth pop duo from Sweden made an album – but it’s a compilation of the singles they released in the years afterwards (between 2017 and 2024), so as far as I can tell, there’s only one completely new track on it. Brilliant band, a bit of a cult phenomena in Sweden.
1. Richard Thompson Band/ Historic Concert series: Live at Nottingham Rock City 1986
2. Jackie Leven – Live Or Die: Live in Bremen 1999 & 2004
3.Bryan Ferry – Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023
4. Neil Young/Dume
5. Van Morrison/Live at Orangefield
6. Oysterband & June Tabor/Freedom and Rain
7. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan/Ballad of the Broken Seas
8. Oysterband & June Tabor/Ragged Kingdom
9. Hawkwind/In Search of Space
10.Elvis Costello ~ King Of America & Other Realms
Some of my favourite reissue labels, particularly Ace, Charly, Soul Jazz Records, Mr Bongo and Vampi Soul continue to issue old music I love. Long may they continue.
1. .Juan Pablo Torres – Algo Nuevo
2. Juan Pablo Torres – Super Son
3. Eddie Palmieri – Sun Of Latin Music
4. V/A – Harvey Averne’s Coco Records
5. V/A – Miami Sound 2 (More Funk and Soul from Miami, Florida, 1967 – 1974)
6. V/A – Down Beat Special
7. V/A – Studio One Soul 2
8. V/A – We’ve Got A Groovy Thing Going – The Latin Soul of Bobby Marin
9. V/A – Thom Bell – Didn’t I Blow Your Mind? The Sound Of Philadelphia Soul 1969 – 1983.
10. V/A – Groove Machine – The Earl Young Drum Sessions
30 selections to choose from. I’m only allowing myself one per artist, which cuts it down a bit.
My Top Ten Archival, Historical & Remix releases of 2024
1. Joni Mitchell – Archives Volume 4: The Asylum Years 1976-1980
2. Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian – The Old Country (Live At The Deer Head Inn)
3. Dhafer Youssef – Izmir Concert (Live 2013)
4. Bill Evans – In Norway: The Kongsberg Concert
5. McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Henry Grimes, Jack DeJohnette – Forces Of Nature: Live At Slugs
6. Oscar Peterson Quartet – City Lights-Live In Munich 1994
7. Ahmad Jamal – After Hours New York ’85
8. Miles Davis Quintet – Miles In France 1963+1964
9. Sun Ra – Inside The Light World-Sun Ra Meets The OVC
10. Snarky Puppy – We Like It Here, Remixed, Remastered,Reimagined
The rest of them, in alphabetical order:
Bobby Wellins Sextet – Homage To Caledonia
Bobby Wellins Quartet – What Was Happening
Brother Jack McDuff – Ain’t No Sunshine (Live In Seattle)
Charles Tolliver – Music Inc. Live At The Captain’s Cabin
Chick Corea, Béla Fleck – Remembrance
Eternal Triangle – Gravity
Fingers – The Complete Fingers Remember Mingus
Gerry Mulligan Quartet – Spring In Stockholm: Live In Sweden 1959
Gordon Beck’s Gyroscope – Progress
João Gilberto – A Summer Night
Ray Russell Quartet – The Complete Spontaneous Event: Live 1967-1969
Roy Hargrove’s Crisol – Grande-Terre
Sun Ra – Excelsior Mill
Sun Ra – Strange Things (Expanded)
Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Kingdom Of Discipline
Sun Ra And His Arkestra – Pink Elephants On Parade
Trevor Watts – The Lantern Tree
Tomasz Stanko Quartet – September Night
Wayne Shorter – Celebration Volume 1
Wayne Shorter Quartet – Key Largo Club, Portland ’85
Of course Joni and Jarrett are at the top. How could they not be?
Note Dhafer Youssef, released just this month and straight in at #3.
My Jazz obsession blatantly shown.
The spate of Sun Ra archival releases are a rabbit hole I willingly entered this year.
A special mention for Jazz In Britain, curators and purveyors of fine British jazz of the “modern” era.
Still working on my New Releases list. A lot of whittling down to be done there.
What kind of »alphabetical« order is THAT?
{grabs coat etc.} 😉
My alphabetical order, by which I file my music.
Did you ever work for Andy’s Records @mike_h?
No. But I did go there once or twice.
Correction: “Gravity” by Eternal Triangle and “The Lantern Tree” by Trevor Watts are new 2024 releases, not archival recordings. Neither in my final 10 so they don’t affect my result.
1 John Cale – Paris 1919
2 George Lloyd – Complete symphonies
3 Joni Mitchell – Archives Vol. 4
4 Nico – The Marble Index/Desertshore
5 Thin Lizzy – 1976
6 Tina Turner – Acid Queen
The Phil Manzanera and Bryan Ferry boxes deserve honourable mentions here – they would both be on this list if the timing had been slightly different – I intend to buy them, but probably won’t before the closing date for the poll.
1 Joni Mitchell – Archives Vol. 4
2 Faces – At the BBC
3 Elvis Costello – King of America & Other Realms
4 Crosby Stills Nash & Young – Live at the Fillmore East
5 Paul McCartney – One Hand Clapping
6 Van Morrison – Live At Orangefield
7 Alan Hull – Singing a Song in the Morning Light
8 Bob Dylan – The 1974 Live Recordings
9 Mark Lanegan – Bubblegum XX
10 Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
Thanks again for making this happen.
1 Tracey Thorn- a distant shore
2. John Cale Paris 1919
3. Joni Mitchell archives 4
4. Neil young archives 3
Okey-dokey – here are my 10, as listed and annotated on a separate thread, as you may have seen:
1. Fleet Foxes – Live on Boston Harbor
2. Joni Mitchell – Archives Volumes 4: Asylum Years 1976-1980
3. Prince Philip Presents : Dubplates And Raw Rhythm From King Tubby’s Studio 1973-1976
4. Prince Jammy – Kamikazi Dub
5. Niney the Observer – Tubby’s Want the Channel: Dubbing With The Observer 1976-1978
6. Taj Mahal Sextet – Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa
7. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Live at Fillmore East, 1969
8. Jutta Hipp – At the Hickory House, Volume 1
9. Various Artists – Les Cousins: The Soundtrack Of Soho’s Legendary Folk & Blues Club
10. Noel Kelehan Quintet – Ozone
Hm, I put the Taj Mahal album in my regular Best of (new) albums list – I figured it was fairly newly recorded and never before heard (except live at the day). Did I mess up?
Should I move it here and add another album to that list, or does it count as a new album?
I need a Tigger ruling!
The Taj Mahal album looks like a new release to me.
Any extras with that Jutta Hipp album duco, or is it just the original remastered?
I must check out that Noel Kelehan Quintet album.
Tigger still hasn’t settled the Elton John “Diddling Around” debate. It’s like he’s not in control or something….
Yes, I fear that you’re both right and I’m wrong regarding the Taj Mahal album. It should’ve been in the new albums list. But I only realized this after I’d submitted my Favourite 60 New Albums to the board. Oh well. If it’s disqualified, then please put no. 11 (Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Paul Motian – The Old Country) in at no.10!
The Jutta Hipp is a vinyl-only reissue on Blue Note. Just the original 10 tracks.
👍
1 – Waterboys – 1985
2 – Joni Mitchell – Archives Volume 4: The Asylum Years 1976-1980
3 – Rory Gallagher at the BBC (2 CD version)
4 – Jason Isbell – Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2
I forgot about a set I got early in the year
The Dream Academy: Religion, Revolution & Railways.
I would like to place it at #2 and move the other selections down a place.
REMIINDER: POLL CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT TOMORROW!!!
Shhhh. Some of us down here are trying to sleep off a hangover.
Tip top ten – blurb below:
1. Vince Mendoza – Epiphany
2. Bobby Hutton – Piece of the Action
3. Bobby Watson – Love Remains
4. Two Tons of Fun – Get The Feeling: The Complete Fantasy/Honey Recordings
5. V/A – We’ve Only Just Begun – the Paul Williams Songbook
6. Roy Hargrove – Grande-Terre
7. Tomasz Stanko – September Night
8. Luther Vandross – This Close to You
9. V/A – Thom Bell: Didn’t I Blow Your Mind? The Sound Of Philadelphia Soul
10. Glen Campbell – Sings Jimmy Webb
Couple of 12″ remixes from the reliable Mike Maurro – doesn’t tinker too much but adds some very nice touches to all time 80s soul classics:
Michael Wycoff – Looking Up To You
Keni Burke – Rising to the Top
Then there’s this – a 7” UK single reissue of Johnnie Mae Matthews all-time soul classic “I Have No Choice.” Originally issued in the early 60s on one of several labels she owned in Detroit, she was apparently a major influence on Berry Gordy.
Blurb:
1. Vince Mendoza – Epiphany
A symphonic jazz classic from the 90s – remastered and on vinyl for the first time – featuring Vinnie conducting the LSO and all star line-up on epic sweeping masterpiece!
2. Bobby Hutton – Piece of the Action
Early 70s soul classic – reissued for the first time – include youth club northern soul bangers “Lend a Hand” and “Come See What’s Left of Me” plus additional stuff include the sublime “Loving You, Needing You”
3. Bobby Watson – Love Remains
One of my favourite 80s albums by overlooked jazz giant – now remastered.
4. Two Tons of Fun – Get The Feeling: The Complete Fantasy/Honey Recordings
Later known as the Weather Girls – but earlier work is a mix of disco monsters and mid-tempo magic inc. “Just Us” / “Never Like This” / “I’ve Been Down” and the all time deep soul classic “Taking Away Your Space.”
5. V/A – We’ve Only Just Begun – the Paul Williams Songbook
Hugely enjoyable re-workings of the great songwriter’s familiar classics and lesser known gems.
6. Roy Hargrove – Grande-Terre
More high quality posthumous releases of the great jazz trumpeter’s work – a follow-on to his wonderful late-90s “Habana” Latin album. The somewhat tragic documentary about his life is now on Prime.
7. Tomasz Stanko – September Night
Live date from 2004 – real stars here are his trio led by Marcin Wasilewski who really fly on some almost Latin-style belters.
8. Luther – This Close to You
Fine pre-solo career Philly-flavoured album from the late Mr Vandross.
9. V/A – Thom Bell: Didn’t I Blow Your Mind? The Sound Of Philadelphia Soul
More stellar work from genius songwriter/producer in new Ace Records comp.
10. Glen Campbell – Sings Jimmy Webb
All the classics – and even the tailing off in quality of later recordings is worth a listen.
Ooh – I must check out the Two Tons Of Fun comp!
Didn’t know it existed, thanks!
1. Neil Young – Archives Vol 3
2. Paul McCartney & Wings – One Hand Clapping
3. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Live at the Fillmore East 1969
4. Oasis – Definitely Maybe 30th Anniversary
5. The Charlatans – Up To Our Hips
6. Mark Lanegan – Bubblegum XX
7. Tom Petty – Long After Dark
1. The Liliac Time – Astronauts. A package head and shoulders better than the rest.
2. New Order – Brotherhood. Nice set but daft price and missing content.
3. Talking Heads – 77. Lost a place due to missing the 1975 CBS demos.
4. The Waterboys – 1985
5. Mother Earth – The People Tree
6. The Blue Aeroplanes – Beatsongs
7. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Ragged Glory
8. Orbital – The Green Album
9. Utah Saints – Utah Saints
10. Brian Ferry – Retrospective
11. Various Artists – Arthur Baker Presents Breaker’s Revenge – Original B-Boy And B-Girl Breakdance Classics: 1970-84
12. Tina Turner – Tina Turns the Country On!
13. The Waterboys – Dream Harder
14. Heaven 17 – Penthouse and Pavement
15. The Special AKA – In The Studio
This poll is now closed.
Have I managed to miss the results?
Aha! Thank you!
Thanks to you Monsieur Gateau for drawing my attention to the Congo Funk compilation..