Deluxe anniversary editions, limited-edition pressings, comprehensive boxed sets, globe-trotting compilations, unearthed demo and live recordings — all of these and much more fill our editors’ lists of favorite archival releases from 2024.

We were most enchanted by two revelatory volumes of 2000-2009 demos from longtime staff favorites Broadcast. Strange bedfellows led the ’90s representatives: His Name Is Alive had their first three dizzying 4AD albums expanded with demos and rarities, while Shampoo — often dismissed back then as novelty pop-punks — saw the whole of their prophetic output anthologized. This was a great year for live sets, ranging from the authorized release of Sonic Youth’s Walls Have Ears (containing parts of three blazing pre-EVOL gigs) to the eighth volume of Miles Davis’ Bootleg Series (documenting the 1963-1964 origins and fruition of the trumpeter’s “second quintet”). Just as treasured as the Broadcast discs was Alice Coltrane’s The Carnegie Hall Concert, an essential 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 much 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 in 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 in 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 at 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 1960s Recordings

Lindsey Buckingham – 20th 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