Lots of "new" releases this year - I'm old so vault/new - it's all the same - besides once it is recorded - today - yesterday- 50 years ago - it goes into a vault somewhere...

Roxy By Proxy - Zappa - one of my favorite editions playing some of my favorite tunes - best of 2014
Joe's Camouflage - Zappa - uneven collection - some highs, some lows - some filler - the highs outweigh the lows
Carter Girl - Carlene Carter
Oh No! Not Jazz - the Ed Palermo Big Band
Out Among the Stars - Johnny Cash
Life Journey - Leon Russell
There's Nothing Like A Lox - Allan Sherman
Brass Tacks - NRBQ
I'm Coming Home - Robert Gordon
CSNY Live 1974 - CSNY
A Passion Play - expanded - Tull
Rare Episodes - Frank Zappa's Unmined Nuggets - various artists
Fillmore Box 1971 - Allman Bros
Haven't Got the Blues Yet - LWIII
Live @ Cactus - LWIII
Rockabilly Riot - Brian Setzer
Looking @ the Wind - JC's Bitter Tears Revisited - VA
Step Back - Johnny Winter
Rippin Up Time - Dave Davies
Rock N Roll Time JL Lewis
It's the Girls - Bette Midler
Basement Tapes Complete - Dylan/Band
LA Forum Live 1975 - Stones
Sun Zoom Spark - C Beefheart
War Child - Expanded - Tull
The River & the Thread - Rosanne Cash
the Anthology 1964 - 1971 - the Kinks

It's always fun to read everyone's lists at this time of year, and I've already seen a number of my favorites indicated in this thread. 2014 was another excellent year of new (and new-to-me) albums as well as archive releases. I'll be putting together lists for my obligatory "Year In Review" post at my blog, which I hope to complete next week. I'll copy & paste here whenever it's complete.

I WILL get to this sometime this month; I usually start this thread!

I must be getting old, I am feeling overwhelmed & this is the slowest xmas my business has ever had...... by a mile.

I wasn't sure if anyone was going to start this thread or not and emailed Linda before stepping on anyone's toes.

When I was on the Metacritic forums, the year-end favorite release thread was such a major deal. I don't see that kind of list making frenzy anymore since those forums ended. Guess that's why I've kept up making my lists.

Lawrence, I was bitching about myself not having gotten to it, not about you!

This was harder this year, as Wikipedia's list is their most incomplete ever. I used Wiki, Ice NR, FTV, DS & CC, & my weak memory. I'm sure I've inadvertently left some things out. I've also stayed away from remasters & hi-res unless they came with a significant amount of previously unreleased music that I really liked because there were so many quality remasters this year.

Not doing any order this year either (it kind of feels like a weak year in music other than the wonderful myriad of hi-res reissues); just a "top tier" & "2nd tier".

My fav 10:
Dan Reed Network - Network Anthology (with a rarities disc)
Frank Zappa - Roxy By Proxy
Jack Bruce - Rockpalast: The 50th Birthday Concerts/The Lost Disc
King Crimson - Starless Box
Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL - Montreux Jazz Fest 2013 Volume 3
Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL - Plectrumelectrum
Steve Rothery - Live in Plovdiv
Steve Rothery - The Ghosts of Pripyat
Suzanne Vega - Tales From The Realm Of The Queen Of Pentacles
Wishbone Ash - Roadworks Volume 4 (just released on 12/25/14 & probably my #1 album of the year)

15 others I liked:

Ani DiFranco - Allergic To Water
Ani DiFranco - Harrisburg January 23, 2008
CSNY - CSNY Live 1974
David Crosby - Croz
Grateful Dead - Houston, Texas 11/18/1972
Jackson Browne - Standing In The Breach
King Crimson - Elements
Lucinda Williams ~ Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
Martin Turner (3 original members of Wishbone Ash) - Garden Party Live
Steve Hunter - Tone Poems Live
Tom Petty - Hypnotic Eye
Tori Amos - Unrepentant Geraldines
Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope
Transatlantic - Kaliveoscope
Wishbone Ash - Blue Horizon

Positive trend of the year: Growth of Hi-res (both download & disc) & growth of cd quality downloads

Biggest disappointment (in a class by itself) - The Neil Young album that was recorded in a phone booth

2nd biggest disappointment - The insane trend for brickwalled hi-res releases.
3rd biggest disappointment - The Sarah McLachlan (her last truly GREAT album was Fumbling, & her last memorable album was Surfacing & that was a long time ago.....)

Renny, I recently finished BC's autobiography. I was left with the strong impression (though this wasn't stated) that what matters to BC at this point is his new family & what seemed like a very strong desire from either him or his new wife for his wife & new daughter to have EXTREME anonymity.

I got that opinion more from what he doesn't say (very little after 2002, very little about his last couple albums, lots about past lovers & wives, almost nothing about his current/new wife except the initials of her name (MJ; he didn't even state her full first name!), & that her face is somewhat obscured in the only picture of her in the version I have.

BC MAY be calling it a career. He's not a young man, either.

Mosaic's Complete Dial Modern Jazz Sessions box.
King Crimson's Starless.
Miles at the Fillmore, Bootleg series vol.3.
Black Sabbath, Complete Albums box.
Deep Purple, Made in Japan box.
Queen, Rainbow 1974 box.
All five Led Zep boxes.
Igor Levitt, Bach Partitas.
Howard McGhee, West Coast 1945-47.
Chubby Jackson Big Band, New York City 1949: Ooh, What An Outfit!
Gene Ludwig & Pat Martino Trio, Young Guns.
Rolling Stones Gear: All the Stones' Instruments from Stage to Studio, book.
Jeff Beck, Live in Tokyo dvd.
Pat Martino, Live at Ethel's Place dvd.
Ozzy, Memoirs of a Madman dvd.
Hard Day's Night, Criterion Edition dvd.

In no particular order, here's my top 25 surf instrumental albums of 2014.

Australosurfecus ~ And Now the Use of Tools
Bang Mustang ~ Surfin' NSA
Boss Fink ~ Finksville
Crazy Aces ~ Surfadelic Spy-a-Go-Go
Cutback ~ Surfers Journey
Dirty Fuse ~ Last Wave
El Ray ~ The Evil Mermaid
Fascinating Creatures of the Deep ~ Chapter One
Hattori Hanzo Surf Experience ~ Attácanos… con todo lo que tengas
Jason Lee & the R.I.P. Tides ~ Jason Lee & the R.I.P. Tides
Les Agamemnonz ~ Les Agamemnonz
Meanwhile In Mexico ~ Rosencrants & Guildenstern Are Deaf
Messer Chups ~ Church of Reverb
Moonbase ~ Creation Myths
Ralf Kilauea & Surfer Joe ~ Fenderoni Diavolo
The Abominable Showmen ~ The Abominable Showmen
The Concussions ~ Break Up With
The Kilaueas ~ Wiki Waki Woooo
The Madeira ~ Somic Cataclysm- Live
The Phantom Four ~ Mandira
The Shockwave ~ Contact From Space
Threesome ~ On Tour
V/A ~ Continental Magazine #22 CD
V/A ~ Monsters of Surf
V/A ~ Search For Atlantis

I have almost as many surf CDs on my want list for the year as I do versus surf CDs I picked up. So many South American & Eastern Europe surf albums that I either couldn't find an online shoppe to buy from or else was too expensive when I did.

I wrote my Year In Review blog post today, which includes my lists of favorite new & catalog releases from 2014 (and some from 2013 which I didn't get to until this year).
http://kamertunesblog.wordpress.com/201 ... view-2014/

New Albums:
Anathema – Distant Satellites
Beck – Morning Phase
The Black Keys – Turn Blue
Circa Zero – Circus Hero
A.J. Croce – Twelve Tales
David Crosby – Croz
Elbow – The Take Off And Landing Of Everything
The Empty Hearts – The Empty Hearts
Flying Colors – Second Nature
The Gloaming – The Gloaming
Ben & Ellen Harper – Childhood Home
Jason Isbell – Southeastern
Eric Johnson & Mike Stern – Eclectic
Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home
Mastodon – Once More ‘Round The Sun
Moon Safari – Himlabacken Vol. 1
Laura Mvula – Sing To The Moon
Opeth – Pale Communion
David Pack – David Pack’s Napa Crossroads
Pink Floyd – The Endless River
The Rails – Fair Warning
Rival Sons – Great Western Valkyrie
Sand – Sand
Shearwater – Fellow Travelers
Sloan – Commonwealth
Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes
Thompson – Family
Glenn Tilbrook – Happy Ending
Tin Spirits – Scorch
Tinariwen – Emmaar
Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart
John Wesley – Disconnect
Lucinda Williams – Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone
Yusuf (Cat Stevens) – Tell ‘Em I’m Gone

Compilations, Box Sets, Reissues, etc:
Michael Bloomfield – From His Head To His Heart To His Hands (3CD + DVD box set)
Big Bill Broonzy – The Anthology
Ry Cooder – 1970-1987 (11-CD box set)
Betty Davis – This Is It!
Peter Gabriel – Back To Front – Live In London (Blu-ray + 2 CDs)
Serge Gainsbourg – Comic Strip
Gentle Giant – The Power And The Glory (Blu-ray Edition)
Godley + Creme – Cry – The Very Best Of Godley + Creme
Donny Hathaway – Never My Love: The Anthology (4-CD box set)
Hot Tuna – The Best Of Hot Tuna
Billy Joel – A Matter Of Trust: The Bridge To Russia (Blu-ray + 2 CDs)
Mark Lanegan – Has God Seen My Shadow?: An Anthology 1989-2011
Led Zeppelin – Super Deluxe Box Sets of first five albums
Little Feat – Rad Gumbo – The Complete WB Years (12-CD box set)
Lone Justice – This Is Lone Justice: The Vaught Tapes
Bob Marley – Legend: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + CD)
Matching Mole – Matching Mole (Deluxe Edition)
Van Morrison – Moondance: Deluxe Edition (4 CDs + Blu-ray)
Oasis – Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory (3-CD expanded editions)
Danny O’Keefe – Classics
Philadelphia International Records – The Collection (20-CD box set)
Anthony Phillips – Harvest Of the Heart – An Anthology (5-CD box set)
Public Image Limited – Gold
Jess Roden – The Best Of Jess Roden
TV Eyes – TV Eyes (2-LP vinyl reissue)
Weezer – Pinkerton (4-LP Vinyl Deluxe Edition)
Johnny Winter – True To The Blues: The Johnny Winter Story (4-CD box set)
Bobby Womack – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright: The American Singles 1967-76
XTC – Drums And Wires (Blu-ray edition)
Yes – The Yes Album and Relayer (Blu-ray editions)

Was the Anathema this year? If so, I need to add it to my list.

Yep, Distant Satellites was their latest studio album. I think it got mixed reviews at the time of release which kept my expectations low, but I think it's fantastic.

Seems odd to me that I've just discovered my Top 2 albums of 2014 in the last week:

Wishbone Ash - Roadwork Volume 4 (download only)

&

Dan Reed Network - Anthology

OK, finally got it together (I think); I am sure I will find omissions over time. This list includes new as well as re-issues. So here we go:

January 21st
The Beatles –“The U.S. Albums Box set”

January 28th
Red Dragon Cartel - ‘Red Dragon Cartel’ (with Jake E. Lee)
Small Faces - ‘Here Come the Nice: The Immediate Years 1967-1969‘ (box set)

February 11th
Temples -“Sun Structures”

February 14th
Michael Bloomfield – “From His Head To His Heart To His Hands” (3CD + DVD box set)

February 24th
Beck – “Morning Phases”

March 3rd
Drive-By Truckers - "English Oceans"

March 4th
Real Estate “Atlas”

March 18th
UFO, ‘The Complete Studio Albums 1974-1986′ (box set)
The Strypes – “Snapshot”

April 15th
Elton John - “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (40th Anniversary HD Pure Audio Blu-Ray album)

April 21st
Yes - “The Yes Album” CD+Blu-ray

May 1st
Phonograph – Phonograph Vol. 1

May 19th
Oasis – Definitely Maybe (3-CD expanded editions)

June 3rd
Led Zeppelin – “I”, “II”, “III”

July 1st
Jethro Tull – “A Passion Play”

July 8th
CSNY – CSNY 1974 (3 CD + DVD) Box set
The Who – “Quadrophenia”: 1973 Studio Album (Blu-ray Pure Audio)

July 22nd
Gentle Giant – “The Power And The Glory” (5.1 Blu-ray/CD Mixed by Steven Wilson)

July 29th
The Allman Brothers, ‘The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings’
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, ‘Hypnotic Eye‘

September 2nd
Game Theory – “Blaze of Glory”

September 9th
Queen, ‘Live at the Rainbow ’74‘ Box
Ryan Adam – “Ryan Adams”

September 30th
(What’s The Story) Morning Glory (3-CD expanded editions)

October 27th
Led Zeppelin – “IV”, “Houses of the Holy”

November 3rd
YES “Relayer” Blu-ray, CD+Blu-ray

November 4th
Wings – “Venus and Mars” (Deluxe Book) box
Wings – “Wings at the Speed of Sound” (Deluxe Book) Box

November 10th
Tears for Fears – “Songs From The Big Chair” CD+DVD, Box set

November 11th
Pink Floyd, ‘The Endless River‘

November 18th
David Bowie, ‘Nothing Has Changed‘(compilation)
The Kinks, ‘The Anthology 1964-1971‘ box set

November 24th
Jethro Tull – “Warchild” (The 40th Anniversary Theatre Edition) CD+DVD, Box set

December 2nd
Love – “Forever Changes” (Hybrid SACD – DSD)

Rick A.

Based on my purchases from 2014...

Red Dragon Cartel - Red Dragon Cartel
Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer, Different Park
Frank Zappa - Roxy By Proxy
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 40th Anniversary editition
Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey - Going Back Home
Billly Joel - A Matter Of Trust: The Bridge To Russia
St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Half The City
Jill Sobule - Dottie's Charms
Ace Frehley - Space Invader
Queen - Live At The Rainbow
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - World On Fire
Vintage Trouble - The Swing House Acoustic Sessions
Abba - Live At Wembley Arena

There are several that I'm pretty sure would make my list but I haven't listened to them yet.

The Vintage Trouble is an EP, with two of the songs being acoustic versions of songs from their first album, but that band pretty much can do no wrong with me. The Queen and Abba releases were great. But the release of the year for me was the Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey album.

The bargain of the year, though, was enabled by this here board - I got in on the Judas Priest Complete Albums set when Amazon listed it at $11.99.

My Top Ten

01. Sara Burns - Girl On The Run
02. Sara Evans - Slow Me Down
03. Jennie Vee - Die Alone
04. Stevie Nicks - 24 Karat Gold - Songs From The Vault
05. Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls [Deluxe Edition]
06. Billy Idol - Kings & Queens Of The Underground
07. LIGHTS - Little Machines
08. Jessica Campbell - III
09. Markéta Irglová - Muna
10. Alisa Weilerstein - Dvořák

1. Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
2. IQ - The Road of Bones
3. Solstafir - Otta
4. Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls
5. Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope
6. Insomnium - Shadows of the Dying Sun