Usually these releases can fall into the money grab category, not really adding much outside of revenue for the label and (hopefully) the artist. Every now and then though some spectacular collections are unearthed and are worth any price.
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With the increase in vinyl, and enhanced Record Store Days to help smaller sellers, there are more and more archival releases each year. RtBE are sure to miss a lot of them, but the quality and abundance is exciting. Post your favorites, or any we may have missed, in the comments.
These were our favorite archival releases of 2024, click the link in the title for full reviews.
All the releases below are worth your money and more importantly your valuable time. In no particular order:
From an era of the band's history RtBE were not familiar with, shines a new light on the band with Oakley's bass being the main eye opener here. Well done for a live archive release.
New Orleans music is going to dominate the bulk of this years live/archival list. Why shouldn't it? It is the richest musical town in this country. Let's start off with Street Parade an excellent vinyl re-release from Tipitina's Record Club.
Another great vinyl re-release from Tipitina's Record Club (sign up, it is worth it). This classic record was our favorite from the club this year as it bumps from start to finish. Have owned it for years digitally, but nice to have this vinyl.
Staying in the Crescent City we have two top notch live albums that were both recorded and released this year. The first is the traditional jazz stylings of Tuba Skinny and while the album is from 2024 it could be from 1944. This record just crackles with energy and you feel like you are in dba as it rolls along. Fantastic.
Here is the second of the 2024 live albums, as New Breed threw it down with power at Jazzfest this year. Guest Trombone Shorty was icing on the cake as they opened for The Rolling Stones. Seeing this live, then being able to say this recording lives up to the set, is a joy. Def worth checking out as it is one of our favorite releases of the year.
New Orleans wasn't the only city to get on our list and in our ears. Tokyo and beyond went into this compilation and it was a really cool find.
From prime era funky Phish, here comes a complete release of a two night stand in Philly. While personally I might have released other nights from this tour, this is solid glimpse into prime era Phish.
A release like this is why I love to review music and continue to do so. These out of the blue discoveries can be wild. This music is lively, frantic, enjoyable on multiple levels. I would have never heard of this randomly but got clued in via bandcamp and love it. Check out just one tune and I am pretty sure most listeners will want to hear more.
From artists RtBE are just discovering, to a few RtBE has loved forever. This archive, live album, vinyl release from Third Man Records Vault does exactly what the title suggests. The only thing that would push it over the top would be a few songs from The Band, but otherwise this is a great capturing of a few tunes from the '74 tour that had never been officially released. Top Notch.
How'd we do? What did we miss? Feel free to comment below and thanks for reading.
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