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Another year of LP acquiring, cleaning, listening, archiving, and spinning, and archiving has come and gone — and not necessarily always in that order, either! — so, naturally, before the big holiday week takes hold of our respective calendars, we here at AP feel it’s the exact right time to determine the best of what we’ve heard on vinyl during the past 12 months. Between the two of us — i.e., 1) yours truly, Mike Mettler, your intrepid AP editor, and 2) our chief LP reviewer, Mark Smotroff — we have listened to multiple-hundreds’ worth of LPs in 2024 apiece (not to mention all the ones we’ve obtained with the best of listening intentions but have yet to crack the plastic seals on yet, as it were).

It’s never easy whittling our favorite LPs down to the selection that appears below in our annual year-ending best-of listing, but we do feel we’ve covered a wide array of the absolute best new and reissued LPs we’ve heard this year. Note that the majority of (though not all) the albums listed here were reviewed on AP proper in 2024, and those reviews can be found via the Album Reviews, AAA Vinyl, Features, and Short Cuts pull-down headers that appear underneath the main Music menu header, and/or by typing the artist/album names into our search bar, and/or clicking on the provided links. Now, if you think we’ve left something out of our finest vinyl of 2024 selections, please feel free to chime in with your own favorites in the Comments section that follows after the final “2024 Postscript” section at the very end of this story. Let’s get to it!

MIKE METTLER’S TOP 5 ARCHIVAL LPs OF 2024
Just as we did it last year, I’m going to go first with my choices, then Mark will follow suit with his. First up are my favorite archival selections, followed by my new-to-2024 LP choices.

5. EVERCLEAR
SONGS FROM AN AMERICAN MOVIE VOL. ONE:
LEARNING HOW TO SMILE
140g limited-edition yellow 1LP / 140g “unlimited” edition Coke Bottle Clear 1LP (Intervention/Capitol)

As I noted in my interview with Everclear frontman Art Alexakis here on AP on December 13, 2024, though the Portland trio’s alt-rocking July 2000 release Songs From an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile, was a smash hit on CD, it never made its way onto vinyl until Intervention Records righted that wrong back in September 2024 with their limited-edition 140g 1LP translucent yellow version of Vol. One. That initial issuance of 2,000 quickly sold out, and Intervention immediately repressed it in “unlimited” fashion on Coke Bottle Clear vinyl. Either way you spin it, SFAAM Vol. One delivers on the promise of Alexakis’ chronicle of the art of falling apart in the 1990s, and the analog experience clearly delineates the differences of its inferior digital counterpart on standout tracks like “AM Radio” (Side 1, Track 3), “Wonderful” (Side 2, Track 5), and Annabella’s Song” (Side 2, Track 6). The full lushness of the 24-piece orchestra on “Annabella’s Song” tells you all you need to know. Now, can we get Songs From an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude plated next, please?

4. ALBERT KING & STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
IN SESSION (DELUXE EDITION)
180g 3LP (Stax/Craft Recordings)

File this one under, “Reborn under a good sign.” Craft Recordings released a truly marvelous Deluxe Edition of In Session, the legendary December 1983 collaboration between the late, decidedly great blues guitar icons Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, as an expanded 180g 3LP set on October 18, 2024 (which I initially reviewed here on October 17, 2024), and this collection — on lacquers cut by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl — captures and translates in full an important meeting of the minds, hearts, souls, and fingers of two of the blues genre’s most important and creative fretboard ambassadors. Dig how “Born Under a Bad Sign” (LP1, Side A, Track 2), King’s signature song that he originally cut in Memphis in 1967, is an undeniable showcase for the unmistakable soloing tones of both artists — who trade off searing, “cutting heads” leads all throughout the track — not to mention their underrated comping/support skills. King’s real-time adjustment suggestions after the song ends and SRV’s “hah-hah!” exclamation are priceless postscripts.

3. STEELY DAN
GAUCHO
200g 2LP 45rpm (Geffen/Analogue Productions)

Though not quite as life-altering as last year’s UHQR edition of Aja was (and still is), the Analogue Productions 200g 2LP 45rpm version of the seedy, somewhat gritty, and expertly engineered sundown on the initial Steely Dan era, November 1980’s Gaucho, has perfected the UHQR presentation of the overall grace inherent within its fatalistic grooves. As I noted in my in-depth review that posted here on May 15, 2024, the compression and EQ native to the original have not been altered. Instead, the flawed soul of Gaucho is now more clear, more pure, and more there on the UHQR. On “Time Out of Mind” (LP 2, Side c, Track 2), there is more life, verve, and swing in its 4 minutes than most elsewhere on the album, perhaps reflecting the urgency of the “tonight when I chase the dragon” fervor of its core subject matter. The horns move with flair, and while Mark Knopfler’s left-channel, back-in-the-mix guitar soloing near the end of the track lasts a bit too brief for my tastes, it retains that signature MK bite I just can’t seem to get enough of. How can you tell? It’s the smile on my face.

2. THE TRAGICALLY HIP
UP TO HERE: COMMEMORATIVE BOX SET
180g 4LP/1BD (UMe)

While I haven’t yet had the time to file a full review of this stunning box set, I can unequivocally say that the four 180g LPs within Up to Here, the thoughtful expansion of the September 1989 full-length album debut of Canada’s favorite sons The Tragically Hip, is a true revelation across the soundboard. (Complete UTH box set tech stats and more can be found in the Album Release News report I filed about it here on June 20, 2024.) As Das Hips’ technical team told us directly, “the source material for all songs were the original analog tapes. Nothing was mastered/remastered from a digital source.” Among other things, that means you get that much more character out of guitarist Rob Baker’s snarling slide tone on “Blow at High Dough” (LP1, Side One, Track 1), the uncanny interplay between lead vocalist Gord Downie and guitarist/vocalist Paul Langlois on the choruses of the relentless live version of “She Didn’t Know” (LP2, Side One, Track 2), and the prairie-wide mix of the unreleased demo of “Rain, Hearts, and Fire” (LP3, Side Four, Track 3), to name but a few. “You gotta do what you feel is real,” as Downie infamously proffers in “New Orleans Is Sinking,” and this expanded version of Up to Here is as real as it gets.

1. GENESIS
ATLANTIC 75 REISSUE SERIES
180g 2LP 45rpm (Atlantic/Analogue Productions)

Nothing but manna from analog heaven can be found within the balance of Analogue Productions’ year-long-plus Atlantic 75 anniversary reissue series — which, at its core, features a treasure trove comprised of many of the storied label’s most celebrated releases, as mastered directly from the original master tapes — but to my ears, the crème de la crème of the lot are all the reissuances culled from the prime, more progressive-leaning ’70s era of the Genesis catalog. Naturally, I will be doing a deeper-dive review of them all collectively here in the coming weeks, but if you love that early era of Genesis like I do, needless to say, your ears are in for a treat. A few highlights to whet your aural whistle: 1) Mike Rutherford’s high-pitched, 12-string acoustic guitarwork and the overall rise/fall drama of “The Musical Box” (LP1, Side 1, Track 1, November 1971’s Nursery Cryme). 2) The full majesty of Tony Banks’ lengthy piano intro (and outro!) and Steve Hackett’s career-defining guitar solo on “Firth of Fifth” (LP1, Side 2, Track 1, September 1973’s Selling England by the Pound). 3) Peter Gabriel’s pleading lead vocals and Phil Collins’ ever-clever drumming on “Back in N.Y.C.” (LP2, Side 3, Track 1, November 1974’s The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway). 4) The all-in, all-band composition of the mostly instrumental “Los Endos,” replete with thematically squonky, volcanic callbacks to prior tracks and other suppers past (LP2, Side 4, Track 2, A Trick of the Tail). I could go on — and I will, when I can! More Atlantic 75 entries appear to be forthcoming from the band’s ensuing, Collins-led trio-centric decade (including September 1981’s Abacab and October 1983’s Genesis), and they can’t arrive fast enough, sayeth I! From absolute Genesis to sonic Revelation, indeed.

MIKE METTLER’S TOP 5 NEW LPs OF 2024
Yep, I became very much enamored with a number of new albums this past year as well, so here are some slightly abbreviated takes on my five fresh faves, again presented here in reverse order.

5. Tony Levin: Bringing It Down to the Bass. 2LP. Flatiron. Prog ’n’ bass lovers, you are in for a major delight here. Check with your favorite indie record store ASAP to see if they still have a copy of this RSD Black Friday special release, a magical 2LP set on espresso vinyl (replete with OBI strip, no less). Everything you love about Levin’s playing and personality are within, as low as it all can go on four well-sequenced sides. Plus, Levin gets additional kudos for the self-reverential instruction manual that is “Side B / Turn It Over,” which, of course, opens Side B on Disc 1. “It’s about  the experience some of us remember about turning your record over — and, when you think about it, it’s quite an experience,” Levin recently told me in an exclusive interview that will post here on AP hopefully before the end of the year. “You literally get up from your chair, and everything’s changed. You don’t know what to expect on Side B, so I wanted to write a piece about that.” The Bassmaster has spoken!

4. Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks: True. 2LP. Frontiers. Some artists give great lip service to being humble, spiritual messengers of their artistic muse — and then there’s Jon Anderson (whom I interviewed here, back on September 5, 2024). The eternal voice of vintage Yes just keeps on keeping on, with his instantly recognizable alto tenor at the forefront of True, a vibrant new 2LP set credited to Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks. “Once Upon a Dream” is the crux (LP2, Side 4, Track 1) — and, throughout the entirety of its 16 minutes and 34 seconds, this instant-classic epic symbolizes where literally everything is possible in the way it showcases all facets and uplifting movements of what you’ve always loved about Jon Anderson the artist. Not only that, but his direct verbal nod to the vintage Yes song “Heart of the Sunrise” — the elegiac last track on Side 2 of their seminal November 1971 LP on Atlantic, Fragile — gives us total mass lyrical retain.

3. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: Woodland. 1LP. Acony. When guitarist/producer David Rawlings and I discussed his inherent love of the reel-to-reel tape experience here back on November 8, 2023, I got quite the sense of just how pure his artistic mindset is. That mien comes to ever fuller fruition on Woodland, his latest collaboration with mindmeld partner Gillian Welch, an album that was, quote, “mastered directly from the original analog tapes through custom Ortofon amplifiers to a Neumann VMS-80 cutting system.” Whether it’s the acoustic clarity of “Lawman” (Side A, Track 3) or the naked harmonies of “Here Stands a Woman” (Side B, Track 4), Woodland is as intimately rustic a set as you’ll ever spin. I’m hoping to chat with Rawlings anew in the new year about the wonders of Woodland, so stay tuned.

2. David Gilmour: Luck and Strange. 1LP. Sony Music. My compatriot in vinyl Mark Smotroff reviewed this, Gilmour’s fifth and latest solo LP here on September 13, 2024, and I can easily echo his enthusiasm. The title track (Side A, Track 2) reminds me of the ever-intuitive creative interplay between Gilmour and original Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright, who sadly passed away in 2008, about a year after the sessions on display here bearing his instinctual accents and style occurred. The full-channel guitar-solo assault in the back half of “The Piper’s Call” (Side A, Track 3), buttressed by the abject sinew of Guy Pratt’s bass, is beyond palpable, while the final track, “Scattered” (Side B, Track 3), smatters in some sonic clues that might remind you of some of his previous band’s output — whether it be the metronomic heartbeat in “Speak to Me,” or the pinging Binson Echorec stabs of “Echoes,” for example — but that only adds to the proper absorption of the scope of an artist’s body of work at work, in the moment. The swelling orchestral break widens the soundfield as it should, but thankfully, none of it gets obscured by clouds.

1. Mark Knopfler: One Deep River. 2LP 45rpm. British Grove/Blue Note. Although Glaswegian born and Northern England bred, Mark Knopfler sure is one helluvan American-immigrant storyteller. His songs are all about story and myth, but his guitar still has plenty to say — and on his latest (and 10th) solo LP, One Deep River, he has plenty of opportunities to do so. Spread across four sides at 45rpm, One Deep River takes its time to flow as its creator sees fit. “I think I’d much rather be known as a songwriter than anything else,” Knopfler told me a few months back in an interview that appeared over on our sister site Stereophile here on July 10, 2024. “If I can write a good song, I hope we can make a decent record of it. That’s all I want to do.” That mission is most decidedly accomplished all throughout One Deep River, MK.

Knopfler also pointed out to me that he remains “interested in the old working with the new,” and you can feel that vintage/modern mesh on River bed tracks like the “Boom, Like That” thrust that meets a J.J. Cale-esque slow roll on “Two Pairs of Hands” (LP1, Side A, Track 1), the unsuspecting lilt of the actually foreboding “This One’s Not Going to End Well” (LP2, Side D, Track 2), and the ever-harrowing train robbery treatise that is “Tunnel 13” (LP1, Side B, Track 3), my absolute favorite song on the album. Sidenote: The guitar Knopfler plays on that latter train-track is cultivated directly from the Siskiyou Mountains in Northern California where the song’s narrative took place a century before, and it’s referenced directly in one of its lyrics: “Tunnel 13 is the place in the song / Where the beautiful redwood for my guitar came from.”

As broad and strong and nuanced as any fierce tributary could be, Mark Knopfler’s One Deep River is a deeply rewarding listen with every successive rotation.

And now, let me hand the Best LPs of 2024 baton over to Mark, who will now unveil the listings for both his archival and favorite new LPs of the year. Over to you, brotha Mark!

MARK SMOTROFF’S TOP ARCHIVAL LPs OF 2024
Thanks, Mike! When Mike asked me to whittle down my vinyl favorites of 2024 to a mere ten entries, that was a tough enough request. But when tasked to limit it to five new releases and five reissues, the pressure was on. The following are my picks for the five (ok, actually, I went up to eight!) best reissues and five best new albums, presented in no particular ranked order, per se — and I think at least one of them technically falls somewhere betwixt and between new and old. (You decide.)

Paul McCartney & Wings: One Hand Clapping. 180g 2LP. MPL/Capitol/UMe. Short review: One Hand Clapping rocks hard! This previously unreleased 1974 film soundtrack presents a version of Paul McCartney’s 1970s band Wings that I always dreamed of — edgier-sounding, and ready to take some chances. It’s a shame this film and its soundtrack were buried for so many decades, but now it is out there, and we can hear vintage mid-’70s Wings rocking out and sounding, frankly, more like Sir Paul’s current band, where drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. pushes them like no one since Ringo Starr. Who knows what might have happened had this version of Wings not imploded — but at least we have this one solid rock document to (re)visit. (Click here to read my full review that posted on June 14, 2024.)

Television: Marquee Moon. 180g 1LP. Elektra/Rhino. The music is all aces, and its influence undisputed. But the sound quality of original pressings of Television’s February 1977 debut LP Marque Moon always lacked a certain level of “muchness,” to borrow a Mad Hatter phrase from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. All that is history now as Rhino’s new “Rhino High Fidelity” (RHF) series audiophile-grade remaster of Television’s landmark release finally delivers the goods. Untethered, uncompromised, uncompressed, all-analog glory, as championed by Cohearant Audio’s Kevin Gray and wrapped up in a superior pressing from Optimal in Germany. An outstanding reissue. (Click here to read my full review that posted on February 9, 2024.)

Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (’) 50th Anniversary Edition. 180g 2LP+7-Inch. Zappa/UMe. For many fans, March 1974’s Apostrophe (’) was Frank Zappa’s pinnacle, and it’s often considered the ultimate gateway entry point for getting into this complex artist’s incredible music. A beloved album no matter which way you slice it, delivering a great-sounding reissue for its 50th Anniversary edition was critical — and the good folks at Zappa/UMe delivered. Cut directly from the designated-for-vinyl Dolby encoded 1/4-inch Stereo Analog EQ master created at Artisan Recorders back in 1974, the new vinyl lacquer-cut mastering was helmed by Bernie Grundman of Bernie Grundman Mastering. The outstanding bonus disc — cut from hi-res digital transfers of previously unreleased tracks made by FZ Vaultmeister Joe Travers — features fine mastering by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering and John Polito of Audio Mechanics. Even the color vinyl editions of Apostrophe (’) that we collectively reviewed sounded great! An excellent album, now sounding better than ever. (Click here to read our three-man round-robin group review that posted on October 31, 2024.)

Deep Purple: Machine Head 50th Anniversary Deluxe 5-Disc Edition. 1LP/3CD/1BD. Warner Records. This deluxe box set includes a great-sounding remix of DP’s March 1972 proto-metal hard-rock classic, Machine Head. Dweezil Zappa’s excellent stereo remix delivers the music in a more cinemascopic manner, delivering more detail and nuance while retaining the essence of the original music. (Click here to read my full review that posted on March 29, 2024.)

Terry Adams: Terrible. 2LP. Omnivore. Ever find yourself wanting to hear music from someone who sounds and feels like a lost love child of Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and Sun Ra? If so, then NRBQ co-founder Terry Adams’ first solo album outside of his legendary, multi-talented band — the ironically titled Terrible — might be just the elixir you seek. In its first-ever vinyl release, my discovery of this 1995 album was a joyous surprise. ’Nuff said.

Bill Evans Trio: Everybody Digs Bill Evans. 180g 1LP. Riverside/Craft Recordings. There is no question as to the importance of this revered 1959 album by the Bill Evans Trio. Home to one of legendary pianist Evans’ most beloved original compositions, “Peace Piece” (Side 2, Track 2), the underlying recording of Everybody Digs Bill Evans is beautiful, and the performances exemplary. The new Craft Recordings reissue of the original mono mix — of which original NM pressings still command prices between $700 and nearly $1,200 on Discogs! — feature AAA lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio from the original master tapes. Pressed on 180g dark black well-centered vinyl at RTI, this limited-edition RSD run was long overdue.

The Ben Webster Quintet: Soulville. 180g 1LP. Verve/UMe. This is a gorgeous reissue of a gorgeous recording that is very hard to find in its original 1958 pressing. Teaming saxophonist Ben Webster with pianist Oscar Peterson was a stroke of production genius for the times. A sweet, swinging, and even sometimes bluesy session, Soulville is a relative bargain, an essential release for Webster aficionados or simply fans of rich, buttery tenor sax sounds in general. True to form, this Acoustic Sounds Series reissue is arguably much nicer and better-sounding than the original editions, presented in a lavish tip-on laminated gatefold cover (with lovely new pictures inside) and pressed on 180g dark black well-centered vinyl at Quality Record Pressing (QRP). This new Soulville is a gem.

John Cale: Paris 1919. 2LP. Domino. February 1973’s masterwork Paris 1919 is hands-down my favorite John Cale recording, a gorgeous song cycle replete with orchestral strings, choirs, and the rock-solid support of members of Little Feat. The new vinyl edition was authorized by Cale, and it sounds richer and brighter than the at times murky original editions. (My full review of this critical reissue will post here on AP in the near future.)

MARK SMOTROFF’S TOP 5 NEW LPs OF 2024
And now, it’s time for my top five new LPs of 2024, again presented in no particular order per se, other than they’re my favorites of this year.

Thee Sinseers: Sinseerly Yours. 1LP. Colemine. Right from the very first spin back in March 2024, I knew this one was going to be one of my favorites. From Southern California’s pre-eminent “souldies” band, the debut release by Thee Sinseers, called Sinseerly Yours, is a charmer. With one foot in the past and another in the future, this self-produced gem — made in a converted dental office turned studio! — is chock full of vintage low-rider-infused, live-take-feel total authenticity. If you didn’t know it, these songs sound like they might even be covers of tunes from the ’50s through the early ’70s — from doo-wop vibes to slinky soul grooves — but they are all fresh and new compositions. I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg for a great band I had the privilege of seeing at the start of their tour supporting this release. Hard at work for years touring and polishing up a soul revue that I’m quite confident would have made James Brown proud, their live show was outstanding — and even jaw-dropping — at points, pulling off the intricate arrangements found on this album, plus so much more. Sinseerly Yours only hints at that side of Thee Sinseers’ offering as a band, but if that show was any indication, I suspect the next album will be more of a raver. For now, this debut LP is a great first step. (Click here to read my Short Cuts review of it that posted on March 22, 2024.)

Lady Blackbird: Slang Spirituals. 1LP. BMG. Lady Blackbird’s sophomore release Slang Spirituals was arguably one of my most anticipated new releases of this year, and I wasn’t disappointed. A natural progression from her remarkable 2021 debut Black Acid Soul (Foundation Music) — my favorite album that year! — Slang Spirituals pulls you right into Lady Blackbird’s fresh trajectory, blending in more modern mainstream dance rhythms to perfectly complement her glorious vocals and powerful songs. This is a singer who can be hushed and intimate like Nina Simone and Jeff Buckley, or off-the-charts soul-driving like Betty LaVette by way of Lady Gaga. The standard clear vinyl pressing is quiet, well-centered, and remarkably warm-sounding for a modern recording, so this release felt like a full win. (Click here to read my Short Cuts review of it that posted on September 27, 2024.)

T Bone Burnett: The Other Side. 1LP. Verve Forecast. For a musician, composer, and producer who has worked in the crosshairs of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, Sam Phillips, Roy Orbison, Brandi Carlisle, Grace Potter, Elton John, Leon Russell, and even Robert Plant over the years, Joseph Henry “T Bone” Burnett III is sadly not a household name for most people. However, between his fine new album with Elvis Costello as The Coward Brothers and his solo album The Other Side from earlier this year, we hope that is changing. Hey, even my older brother recently saw him doing an interview on TV, so the times must be a-changin’ at least a little bit. Either way, The Other Side is a wonderful reflective album of impeccably recorded heartfelt Americana, and you should get both sides of it onto your turntable ASAP. (Click here to read my full review that posted on May 17, 2024.)

The Coward Brothers: The Coward Brothers. 2LP. New West. Speaking of those rascally Coward Bros., the new album from Elvis Costello (a.k.a. Howard Coward) and T Bone Burnett (a.k.a. Henry Coward) in their alter-ego personas is a wonderful listen. Spread across two quiet and well-centered standard-weight black vinyl LPs, The Coward Brothers was recorded in many locations ranging from fancy high-end studios to hotel dressing rooms, so there is a distinctive in-the-moment vibe they captured here. And the music is just a joy! A wonderful end-of-year surprise from this dynamic duo. (Click here to read my full review that posted just a few days ago on December 18, 2024.)

Vijay Iyer: Compassion. 180g 2LP. ECM. I love being blown away by incredible music from artists I’ve never heard of before, such as Vijay Iyer. His exemplary 2LP ECM release Compassion is outstanding, both musically and production-wise. The black 180g German-made vinyl discs are perfectly well-centered and dead-quiet, which is important for these lush, intricate, and compelling modern jazz-leaning compositions. From a stunning cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” (LP1, Side 1, Track 3) through his own originals like “Tempest” (LP1, Side 2, Track 3) and “Ghostrumental,” (LP2, Side 4, Track 1), Iyer’s music is perfectly suited for being on the audiophile-centric ECM label. (Click here to read my full review that posted on May 31, 2024.)

2024 POSTSCRIPT
And that’s a wrap on 2024! Both Mike and Mark would like to wish you, the Analog Planet faithful, a hearty, hale, and healthy Happy New Year, one that’s sure to be filled with many great archival and new LP releases we can all endeavor to listen to, learn more about, and discuss together. Until then — happy spinning!

Author bios: Mike Mettler is the editor of Analog Planet in addition to being the music editor of our sister site Sound & Vision, and he’s also a contributing music editor to two of our other sister sites, Stereophile and Hi-Fi News.

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.