The B List: 10 Best Live Archival Releases of 2011

3. Frank Zappa – Carnegie Hall

Frank Zappa was an ornery, hard-to-impress fellow but even he was left in awe by the beauty of Carnegie Hall. Zappa is in fine spirits and plays his heart out in the latest Zappa archive release, the 4-CD Carnegie Hall, which features every note FZ and the Flo and Eddie edition of The Mothers played at the historic venue during a pair of shows on October 11, 1971. Despite the mono recording, the sound is good on this release and the performances are even better. There’s smoking guitar solos galore, a few hilarious skits from Flo and Eddie and exceptional versions of King Kong and Peaches En Regalia, in addition to the five-song Divan suite. All in all, it’s well worth the hefty $42 price tag.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Who Are The Brain Police

2. Phish – Hampton/Winston-Salem ’97

Ever since Phish left the stage in Winston-Salem on November 23, 1997, Phish fans have been begging for the band to release official recordings of the three-night stand which ended that evening. Phish was in the middle of arguably their best tour ever and littered all three shows with outrageous jams. Fred Kevorkian did a fantastic job mastering the sound on this release which was well worth the wait. Check out the Halley’s from 11/22 or the Bathtub from 11/23 for examples of why Phish was on top of their game that magical weekend in the Mid-Atlantic.

Where You Can Sample This Release: Three Incredible Sequences

1. Grateful Dead – Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings

I was always told that quantity does not outweigh quality, but the mammoth, 73-disc Europe ’72 box set is the rare case where both the quantity AND quality deliver throughout. Jeffrey Norman spent many months remixing the band’s original recordings and you could hear nuances that just didn’t come through on the best sources that were previously available. To be honest, I’ve only made it through about half of the 22 shows that make up this release, but I’ve found outstanding moments within each of the shows I’ve heard and I’m thankful for the opportunity to listen to “new” versions of old Dead shows for months to come. Hopefully the success of this mega-box will pave the way for more in the future.

Where You Can Sample This Release:04/14/1972 Playin’ Free Download (in widget)

Honorable MentionJohnny Cash – Bootleg #2Grateful Dead – Road Trips Vol. 4 No. 3Bob Dylan: In Concert – Brandeis 1963Phish – Fuji Rock FestivalRolling Stones – Some Girls Live In Texas,

Previously on HT: Best Archival Releases of 2010, Best Archival Releases of 2009, Best Archival Releases of 2008

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3 Responses

  1. having heard a god portion of these releases, I have to commend Scotty on compiling a great list for folks to check out.the Hendrix and Zappa sets, in particular, are fantastic.

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