2016's best ARCHIVE releases - according to Uncut magazine

Following the new albums poll (2016's best albums - according to Uncut magazine »), here's Uncut's list of the best archive releases of 2016.

How many of these have you bought? Which is your favourite?

If your favourite is in 25–30 (such as the Floyd box!), please pick the last option and tell us about it.

01. David Bowie – Who Can I Be Now?: 1974–1976
02. Van Morrison – It's Too Late to Stop Now, Vols II/III/IV
03. Various – Close to the Noise Floor: Formative UK Electronica 1975–1984
04. Bert Jansch – Avocet
05. Jack White – Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016
06. Ramones – Ramones: 40th Anniversary Edition
07. Big Star – Complete Third
08. Terry Allen – Lubbock (On Everything)
09. The Associates – Sulk
10. Terry Reid – The Other Side of the River
11. Lou Reed – The RCA and Arista Album Collection
12. Cluster – 1971–1981
13. Bob Dylan – The 1966 Live Recordings [36-CD box]
14. Lee Hazlewood – The Very Special World Of
15. Gillian Welch – Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg
16. Ray Charles – The Atlantic Studio Albums – In Mono
17. Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions
18. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
19. Various – I'm a Freak, Baby: A Journey Through the British Heavy Psych and Hard Rock Underground Scene 1968–72
20. David Bowie – Bowie at the Beeb [vinyl w/extra tracks]
21. This Heat – Deceit
22. Judy Henske and Jerry Yester – Farewell Aldebaran
23. Various – Music of Morocco: Recorded by Paul Bowles, 1959
24. Marc Almond – Trials of Eyeliner
25. Grace Jones – Warm Leatherette Deluxe
26. Pink Floyd – The Early Years
27. The Scientists - A Place Called Bad
28. Super Furry Animals – Fuzzy Logic
29. Françoise Hardy – Mon Amie La Rose
30. Neil Young – Time Fades Away

 

Terry Reid

 

Van the fracking Man!!!

I would say ITLTSN 2-4 stand head and shoulders above the rest, but there is that incendiary Dylan box, which would take the prize if it wasn't so repetitious.

 

I voted the final option (one from 25-30), 'cos I love the Pink Floyd Early Years box.
However, the CD/5.1 blu-ray of Skylarking by XTC (not on the list) is magnificent.
Gillian Welch's Boots isn't even out yet, though I'm not questioning its inclusion.

 

Van, of course.

 

That made me laugh out loud. Have decided to buy this set.

 

That is a ****ty list but I voted for Van.

 

Can't believe I'm the only one who voted for Ray Charles!

 

Out of interest, which of the releases you rate have they missed?

 

A couple of my favorite first time on vinyl archive releases this year, both with bonus tracks, were the great Blue Mountain Dog Days 2-LP set from 1995 on MVD Audio, and the beautiful Richmond Fontaine Thirteen Cities 2-LP set from 2007 on Decor Records. Maybe not the historical significance of some of those on the Uncut list, but two really nice albums that I love, and having them on vinyl now makes them even just a little bit more special.

 

That would take me a bit to sort out, but what I do know is that I have very little interest in most of that list, which is extremely unusual for me.

 

Well, anything that Steven Wilson had his hand in, most notably King Crimson (80s material), Yes (Tales), XTC (Skylarking), Jethro Tull (Stand Up). I guess I should know better than to expect the press to look favorably on such unfashionable stuff. I also think that the Pink Floyd Early Years set here is woefully underrated here.

From this list, my vote goes to Van.

 

Actually, Uncut usually love all those artists so it is indeed baffling.

 

Bob Dylan's Box Of Judas is the easy winner for me. Holy grail item presented complete and at an unbelievably good price. I'm not listening to much else right now and enjoying every minute.
Unless Brian Wilson or Van Dyke Parks suddenly tweet that they've found an acetate of the finished Smile album from early 1967 that they'd completely forgotten about (with Brian doing guide lead vocals on everything) and it's coming out next week ain't nothing beating Bob.

 

Avocet.

 

Dylan's Cutting Edge. Extraordinarily revelatory (say that ten times fast.) As for performance, Van all the way.

 

That was 2015.

 

Carry on.

 

Van Morrison definitely. Great mastering and sound too, especially for a live album.

 

Hovering on the buy button. What's the DVD like?

 

Dylan got my vote...
Honorable Mention- Van Morrison, Big Star, Lou Reed, Gillian Welch, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Ramones, Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young

 

Pure McCartney for me. And The Stones in Mono.

 

Mojo’s archive releases of the year:

• Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind: The River Collection
• Judy Henske and Jerry Yester – Farewell Aldebaran
• Pink Floyd – The Early Years 1967–72
• The Associates – Sulk [Collector's Edition]
• Bob Dylan – The 1966 Live Recordings [36-CD box]
• Dan Penn – Nobody's Fool
• Lou Reed – The RCA and Arista Album Collection
• This Heat – This Heat
• R.E.M. – Out of Time
• Led Zeppelin – The Complete BBC Sessions

 

"Cluster" for me.

Rick A.

 

no love for The Kinks in Mono? I know it didn't come out until November 18th so maybe it was too late for the poll, but there's no excuse as to why The Rolling Stones in Mono isn't in there...