The best of 2014 – The results!

Finally, we’re there – our readers has been busy beavering away, looking back through their shelves, popping back on their headphones and revisiting the boots that made 2014 such an interesting year for bootlegs.

2014 was a quieter year on record. While there were a few results and new finds, these had become a little fewer than years previous but those who were prepared to wait were richly rewarded. Big new releases were shunted by HMC with their Shea set, the Godfather vied for king of the boxed set with a few excellently prepared and compiled sets. The Tarantura label continued their fantastic works by dipping once more in to some exclusive archives from the far east, the No Label label continued to source the best recordings of the Stones latest tours but also found space for Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Kiss, et al.

The Rattlesnake label returned after a silence with no less than 4 new releases while the Godfather kept up a good routine of CDs before taking a sabbatical for a while. The Wonderland label was still prolific but has since also taken a short vow of silence.

There have been other labels born, another few labels lost, the rumour mill keeps spinning with talk of brand new releases this year. Patience as always is a virtue but we’ll let you know as soon as these nuggets are announced. But, without further hindrance ..

Alex from Brazil entered;
1. Page / Plant: The Quitetude, Feb 13-15-17-19 & 20, 1996, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, Japan – 10CD – 4Sure label
I should write a book about this set, but I have no time nor skill. Five shows in pristine soundboard quality. Custard Pie, In My Time of Dying (only time played during the tour), Tea for One and much more. The set lists change everyday so it’s not the same stuff times 5. The japanese audience really embreces the musicians and they do quite well what they do best. Wonderful set that is must for any Zep fanatical or casual collector.

2. Page / Plant: The Restraint, Feb 5-6-8-9 &12, 1996, Tokyo, Japan – 10CD – 4Sure label
Again, a set that deserves a proper long review. Great shows, different set lists, fantastic audio quality. Page & Plant in really fine form. I love these concerts. I’ve chosen The Quietitude as #1 as I like the set lists of the second part of the japanese tour better. Other than that, the shows are on the same level. A must!!

3. Black Sabbath: Celebration Gathering, Dec 10, 2013, London, UK, 4CD, Zodiac
This is a 2 version set of the same show but priced as a 2CD set (or sort of). Audio is absolutely mind blowing. The band is in fine form, specially Ozzy, who really sung well. The set list is – as far as I’m aware of, the biggest and better of the 13 album tour. Where else can you get Rat Salad, 3 songs off the 13 albun (Age of Reason, The End of the Begining, God is Dead) in the same concert? This should be the tour’s official release. If you’re a Sabbath fan, do not hesitate to get it if you find it. It’s a wonderful release.

4. Black Sabbath: The Day of Tony Illness, Oct 18, 1980, Tokyo, Japan, 1CD, Tarantura
The Oct 18th, 1980 concert in Tokyo has been released several times in the last couple of years, I guess. I already owned the Dark Knight version (No Label), from the soundboard which is really great. This new Mr. Peach recording is – believe me, way better. It’s much upfront, crispier and louder. Too bad the concert had to be shortened due to Tony’s illness. Fantastic set!

5. Deep Purple: Live in Japan 2014, Apr 10 & 12, 2014, Osaka & Tokyo, 4CD, Zodiac
This contains both the Osaka and Tokyo concerts. Fantastic audio on both, however Osaka sounds a bit better to my ears. The set lists are identical in both shows. Here you get 6 songs off D.P.’s What Now? album and the band is really in great shape and mood. I haven’t heard the Tokyo show released by Tarantura as Dedicate to the Lord, but I guess this is the definitive 2014 set to collect.

6. Deep Purple: The Battle Rages in Yokohama, Dec 5, 1993, Yokohama, Japan, 3CD – Zodiac
This is also a 4CD set containing 2 different sources of the same concert. However, priced as a 2CD set. This is the second or third concert with Joe Satriani on the guitar, replacing Ritchie Blackmore who departured after the european leg of the Battle Rages On tour. To me he suites much better than Steve Morse on the band. In his last days, Ritchie was no longer playing the rithm sections on the songs. Solos only. Jon Lord was in charge of it. Here you can hear Satriani playing both the solos and the rithm sections and a rejuvenated band. Roger Glover is on fire and he would be probably the best bass player in the world if he played that way in every concert.

7. Iron Maiden: Rock Am Ring 2014, June 5, 2014, Nurburg, Germany, 1DVD – Unknown Label
This is a PRO-SHOT DVD and contains a great performance. It’s a Maiden England show with the 2013 set list slightly changed. You can find a 2013 PRO-SHOT concert getting The Bright Side of Life DVD (Apocalypse label) or Rock in Rio 2013 (No Label). However, besides having a better set list, the performance is far superior as the band seems to be very tired in the Rio concert. There’s not much more to say other than the usual Maiden energy in a hell of a concert with fantastic video and audio.

8. Led Zeppelin: Return of Zoso, 23-24/Jul/79, Copenhagen, Denmark, 4CD – Empress Valley
This is Empress Valley’s new release of the old ’79 warm up concerts. The audio is phenomenal and so are the performances. I already had the LSD version, but this is an important upgrade to my ears.

9. Yes: Wonderous Tilburg 2014, May 22, 2014, Tilburg, The Netherlands, 2CD – Virtuoso
This is Yes playing 3 albuns in their entirety: Close to the Edge, Going for the One and Yes Albun. The audio is fantastic and it’s really nice to hear Jon Davison singing the old classics. I think he does a tremendous job replacing Jon Anderson. Some songs are played in a more relaxed tempo what may bother some old fans

10. Metallica: Yokohama 1993, Mar 18, 1993, Yokohama, Japan, 3CD – Zodiac
It’s been a while that I was looking for a great sounding bootleg from the black albun tour. This is a great title with excellent audio. If you’re a Metallica fan, do not hesitate to get it. Great energy, excellent audio, oustanding performance.

Important Note: Several titles released in the end of 2014 have been ordered but haven’t arrived yet, like Hawaiian Under Pressure (Rush), Definitive Torino (Pink Floyd), Slip of Laguna Hills (Whitesnake), Definitive Nagoya (Yes), Trilogy (Yes) and mostly Texas Hurricane (Led Zeppelin). It’s very likely that some of them would make my top 10 list if they were here.

While WD listed his favourites and wishes as;
Metallica / Legendary Quartet First & Last / 2CD / Zodiac095
2CD DIRE STRAITS SINGING OLDIES AND GOLDIES
GR 1002/1003

Kiss – Horny Bitches & Daisy Daze (The Godfatherecords G.R. 978)
Judas Priest – Unleashed In New York (Zodiac 039) not sure it is 2014 release but deserves to be mentionned

Hoping some Megadeth, Iggy, Slater, VU releases/ upgrades will be released in 2015

Michelino posted:
2014 has been a quite interesting year for collectors, both from an expected and unexpected perspective.
On the expected side: knowing that Clapton, Dylan AND the Rolling Stones would tour in the Far East, the result was quite foreseeable (see below). Same for The Boss touring the southern hemisphere and the USA this year.
But pretty unexpected has been the decision by the Boss camp to make all shows of the current tour available officially. First intended as a wristband “souvenir” solution for concertgoers only, he changed his mind to offer the recordings also as downloads. Quickly a label was ready to fill the need from the collectors which prefer physical products like me: getting all 7 4S(H)URE boxsets with each 12CD and A DVD created quite a significant attack on the wallet.
But I think the boss camp has understood: With his latest decision to market also historically important shows the same way (with a physical product available, albeit only on CDR) a very important cornerstone for unofficial live product seems to be lost. Let’s see on how this is going to evolve.

As for the charts (in no particular order):

Rolling Stones: Live In Zürich 2014 (No Label)
The “no label” folks spent a lot of efforts to cover the entire Stones “14 on fire” tour on silver CD – as a swiss, the Stones appearance ion Zürich last year is a must for the collection.

Depeche Mode: Live Palau St. Jordi (Boot-X-Press)
Finally, the last tour brought Depeche Mode, one of my favorites, back to the roster of producers of unofficial live CD – the label produced three shows of the 2014 leg on CD – this one has been chosen randomly out of the three

Prince – Days Of Montreaux (5xCD) (Irukandji Music)
The soundboard recordings of all 3 shows of Prince at the Montreaux festival in 2013 is a must for every serious collector! Keep it coming guys.

Clapton, Eric: Royal Albert Hall 2013 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)
Not that much into Clapton usually, but this set caught my attention: brilliant recording, nice shows and a great item in the shelf

Bruce Springsteen: Roskilde Wrecking Ball Night (Crystal Cat)
Released completely out of the blue after the recording appeared in some collectors circles. The sound quality is just stunning (even the outro after the show is of better quality than a big chunk of my collection of unofficial CDs) and deserved to be preserved on silver disc. And if we are unlucky, it might have been one of the last Springsteen releases on this label, too. Hopefully not!

Bruce Springsteen: Leeds Wrecking Ball Night (Crystal Cat)
A great recording of a great show – a must have!

Bruce Springsteen: The River Outtakes Remastered (Scorpio UK)
This silver CD rendition of Vintage Master’s “A tear must fall” really made me give my attention to the original River album – and the version of “Cindy” is ever since a a regular guest on my iPod playlists…

Tom Petty & Heartbreakers: Echo At The Plaza (Godfather Records)
A quite unexpected, nevertheless great release of the Don. Always a pleasure to listen to!

Rolling Stones : 14 On Fire Japan Tour Box (Empress Valley)
Not many events have brought the unofficial live CD industry into action like the shows of the Stones in Japan – this set (allegedly limited 100 copies) covered all Tokyo shows (plus some bonus) with two different sources. Great stuff. Although, in all honesty, the price from my perspective would have gone to Tarantura’s release if only I were able to grab a copy of their limited to 66 copies release…

Led Zeppelin: “Blitzkrieg On Zurich” (Tarantura)
The clear winner for this year, limited to two covers with each 80 numbered copies, this release of the infamous Zurich soundboard recording of a very legendary show came with a 3rd CD containing the Westwood One broadcast. And a T-Shirt! So it combined all ingredients of a collector’s item: good show, good sound, highly collectable! Great. And the best: even my record dealer wanted to have a copy ;-)

Javier favoured the Godfathers releases and a lot of Stones:
1.Pink Floyd-The Darker Side Of Rising Sun.Japan 1972 Chronicles Godfatherecords Box 24 (19 March 2014).
2.Pink Floyd-All Roads Lead To Knebworth Godfatherecords 1023/1024/1025 (11 December 2014).
3.U2-Songs of 2014 Godfatherecords 1033 (11 December 2014).This is the COMEBACK!!!of this great band!
4.The Rolling Stones Australian Tour 2014
-14 On Fire Australia Tour Syndey On Fire Works OFW-20141112 A/B/C 2CD & DVD
-14 On Fire Australia Tour Adelaide On Fire Works OFW-20141025 A/B/C 2CD & DVD
-14 On Fire Australia Tour Melbourne On Fire Works OFW-20141105 A/B/C 2CD &DVD
-Adelaide 2014 New Master 25-10-2014 No Label 4CD(Remastered Version & Original Master Sound).
5.The Rolling Stones European Tour 2014
-14 On Fire European Tour Pinkpop Festival On Fire Works OFW-20140607 A/B/C 2CD & DVD.
-14 On Fire European Tour Oslo On Fire Works OFW-20140526 A/B/C 2CD &DVD
-14 On Fire European Tour Rock In Rio Lisboa On Fire Works OFW-20140529 2CD & DVD
-14 On Fire European Tour Paris,France On Fire Works OFW-20140613 2CD & DVD
-14 On Fire European Tour Vienna On Fire Works OFW-20140616 2CD & DVD
-Circus Maximus MMXIV Godfatherecords 1006/1007 (2 October 2014)
-France On Fire Godfatherecords 1004/1005 (2 October 2014)
-Madrid 2014 The Satanic Pig Records TSP-20140625
6.Pink Floyd-A Momentary Lapse In Osaka Sigma 108
Osaka Castle Nights Non Label
7.Coldplay-Look Up The Sky Godfatherecords 1001 (1 July 2014).
8.Pink Floyd-Definitive Torino 1994 Sigma 119
9.U2-Detroit Rock City Godfatherecords 991/992 (28 May 2014) 2 COMPLETE CONCERTS FOR THE 1st TIME ON CD!!!
10.Bob Marley & The Wailers-Uprising At Hallenstadion Godfatherecords 981 (19 March 2014) Superb Sound Quality From The Mixing Desk.

Some boxed set love from Relayer67:
2014 was a slow year for me with new releases, spent a lot of time filling in gaps from Pink Floyd, Yes, and of course Pink Floyd. Seems like KISS was well represented with a variety of labels vying for collectors attention, and we were the winners ! As with previous years, would love to see some different Floyd releases and many shows could use and upgrade, as do some great shows from 69. After seeing the latest batch of Zodiac releases, I can say they have got my attention, two 87 Maiden shows in one month, almost too much to ask for !

In No particular order

Black Sabbath Definitive Boston 1992 – Zodiac 045. The forgotten first reunion with Dio, under rated album and tour given the Definitive treatment, simply as must have.

KISS Horny Bitches and Daisy Daze – Godfathers 978. 2014 was a great year for KISS releases for sure, the best of the lot was the recording from the Daisy in mid 1973. This must be considered one of the holy grails of KISS Kollectors and its excellent quality and performance made for a memorable release.

Led Zeppelin Texas Hurricane – EVSD 737-739 / Eelgrass 20256/57/58. A quiet year for Zeppelin collectors, thanks to Epmress Valley for supplying another excellent soundboard to the masses. Excellent sound and a great 1977 performance to boot.

Pink Floyd Darker Side Of Rising Sun Japan 1972 Chronicles – Godfather Box 24. The Japanese 1972 tour gets the deluxe treatment from The Don, excellent packaging and best quality of this material made this a memorable release.

Pink Floyd The Wall First Ever Live – Sigma 116. With many of the Sigma releases recently being a re hash of the same old shows it was nice to get an historical show in really great quality.

Iron Maiden Whispers In The Night Stockholm 92 – Godfathers 1018/1019. Been to long since we have seen a new Maiden title, hopefully the new year will bring more. A killer show from 1992, nuff said…

Rainbow Tonight’s The Night – Tarantura TCDRAINBOW 24-1,2. Another killer Peach master, great performance and title. You could also throw in Attack On Titan TCDRAINBOW 22-23, both from the same run of shows and both are killer.

The Rolling Stones From 2120 to 1000 The Definitive Chess Sessions – Godfathers 1000. 2014 was certainly the year of the Stones, the 50th anniversary tour spawned a massive amount of releases and the celebrate the anniversary Godfathers collected some classics recordings done at the famed Chess studios to celebrate their 1000th release. Great music and title from a iconic label…and band.

KISS You Are The Best…Because I Say So – Godfather Box 24. A KISS box set is always something to get excited about, Godfathers does what they do best and go off the beaten path to give us something different. Great packaging and content made for a great listening experience.

Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii Quadraphonic – Sigma 118. Love the film yet I have never had a CD of the audience, taken from a pristine source and very well mastered by Sigma make this one of the company’s more interesting titles.

KISS Maiko Girls From Hell The Last Night At Budokan 1978 – Tarantura TCDKIS78-5. Like the Rainbow shows, nothing better than a Peach recording and KISS from 78 makes for a memorable release.

More Godfather plaudits  from Roberto:
Hello, as i did last year i wanna give my contribution to this fantastic site with my personal chart for year 2014:
1- PINK FLOYD ” The Darker side of rising sun ” – 12 Cds BOX SET on “godfatherecords ” : as a long time Floyd collector i picked through the years from Japan some single releases witnessing the second tour in Japan( 1972) of my favourite band ,anyway i guess this is the best release for the past year, the outstanding presentation ( poster, ticket, tour programme, liner notes and the great papersleeves housing the discs) and all the different sources for many many songs will give a deep insight in one of the most famous tour in the entire history of the band, so this is a must have for any serious Floyd collection

2- DAVID BOWIE ” C’est la vie- Ultimate rare tracks 1964/2013 ” – 6 Cds BOX SET on “godfatherecords” : another box set that will offer you on six discs one of the most complete in-depth view of the Bowie career, many songs are really obscure and ,to me (a causal listener to Bowie stuff ) offered the chance to discover a total artist , also the booklet inside will help you browse through these array of songs and you ‘ll be sure to find anything new any time you’ll put a disc in the cd player

3- PINK FLOYD ” From Abbey road to Britannia Row” – 1 cd – ” Extraction cd 001″- this is the most surprising release of the year: it contains alternate studio recordings from the year 1975/1976 that will find their way to the best selling albums ” Wish you were here” and ” Animals”, what we find here is a secret look in the studio in a period not well documented by bootleggers but finally this cd filled some gaps, another must have for Floyd collector!

4- PINK FLOYD ” The Wall first ever live” – 2 Cds.- “Sigma” – after many weak releases this japanese and Floyd devoted label took its chance: the first and not well documented concert of one of the most famous tours of the entire history of live music, only previously available in a 6 cds box set ( hard to find nowadays and quite expensive) released many years ago now we can finally listen the greatness of the Floyd in this controversial tour, unmissable!

5- ROLLING STONES ” From 2120 to 1000″ -1 Cd on” godfatherecords”: yes ,i know this stuff was released other times in the past but included in this lovely trifold gatefold papersleeve with excellent graphics and pictures there’s the complete catalogue of the greatest label in the world, many of these releases are absolutely obscure to me but now with this i’ll do my best to locate them , anyway here we can count ,in the whole career of the label ,over 600 releases ( including the box sets), this releases sold out very fast so if you have it in your collection give it the best treatment!

6- LED ZEPPELIN ” Texas Hurricane ” 3 Cds on “Eelgrass”: great performance and great sound in this stunning release, this was also issued on ” Emprees Valley” but i prefer this particular release due to the affordable price, this gig was in my cd player a lot of times, you won’t be disappointed with this show!

7- BOB DYLAN ” Los Angeles 1978 ” 2cds on ” Empress Valley “: i’m not really fond of the neverending touring man but this tape comes from the great Mike Millard, we owe him a big thank for all the incredible tapes he did that gave us the chance to be in the middle of the audiences of many live acts in the seventies in the L.A. area , many many thanks again Mike!!

8- BLACK SABBATH ” Celebration gathering ” 2cds on “Zodiac” : Ozzy and the other guys toured again when nobody seemed to believe it, this is an excellent example of what this group can give on stage, great show with a great sound from a largely underrated label, highly recommended even to casual listeners ( like me)

9- E.L.P. ” Definite works 1977 ” 4 Cds on “Virtuoso ” label : this label devoted to prog music ( but not only) gives the best treatment to the 1977 tour, to me the best one for this group , if someone wanna start listening ELP my warm recommendation goes to this release, the sound is rich and the performances are highly enjoyable, i cannot choose any song from this so pick one and you’ll be fully satisfied

10- PINK FLOYD ” Hyde Park 70″ – 1 dvd -no label- this is an unusual choice, i know but for a floyd fan this release is a dream, the image is grainy and black and white but pro-shot ( one camera only) and the cream of this dvd is the “Atom heart mother ” performance with choir and orchestra, it was performed few times this way and no one could expect that this historical performance was filmed and found its way to us, so just sit on your couch and imagine to be in front of the stage, the other songs are cut and barely noticeable but the view of this single song is worth every buck you’ll pay for this dvd ( currently released in Japan only)

Andrew Molloy chose hard, soft and punk rock; 
Aerosmith-Rocks Session (Zodiac) Instrumental outtakes of most of the songs on my favourite (and first) Aerosmith album.
Blondie-Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (no label) Single vinyl lp of a recording by the notorious Mr. Freezer of a great show from Houston ’79. Not the whole set, unfortunately, but beautiful cover.
Fleetwood Mac-Rehearsal Live 1975 (Zion) Oft-booted, outstanding set that I had never gotten around to picking up.
Bob Dylan/Neil Young/The Band-S.F. SNACK (WOW) Single lp w/ cd copy. Another show that has circulated for decades that I hadn’t ever actually heard. Pretty sloppy at times but worth it for the historical content.
Led Zeppelin-Blitzkrieg over Zurich (Tarantura) 3-cd Haven’t heard that many shows from ’79-’80 but this one smokes.
Rolling Stones-In Action-German Tour 1965 (Dog ‘n’ Cat) This arrived in the mail on Jan. 5 so I’m gonna say it was officially released Dec. ’14. Vintage live Stones!
Jimi Hendrix Experience-In The Legend (Tarantura) 2-cd Again, had never heard this legendary R.A.H. ’69 show.
Led Zeppelin-Texas Hurricane (EVSD/Eelgrass) 3-cd The soundboard revolution continues.
Aerosmith-Alive Out There Tonight (Zodiac) Pretty decent-sounding recording of a fine Draw the Line ’78 Tour show.
Who-Largo 1976 (No label) 4-cd Two stomping D.C. shows from ’76.

Steve Olsen was another boxed set type of guy; 
In no particular order, I enjoyed the following releases of 2014:

Bruce Springsteen:

4shure Records releases of his South African, Australian and USA (so far) concerts, for their excellent
presentation. I know you can get them via his website; but I’ve been collecting since 1975 and there is
just something about having a bootleg.

The Godfather Records “Growing Young With Rock And Roll”, for the historical value as much as anything
else.

Led Zeppelin:

EVSD release of “Thunder Down Under”. A rare gem!!

Bob Dylan:

4shure Records “Japanese Collection Vol. 1 & 2.”, again for their excellent presentation.

Crystal Cat Records “The West Coast Box”, well it is Crystal Cat!

Pink Floyd:

The Godfather Records “The Darker Side Of Rising Sun”, for their superb packaging!

Rolling Stones:

Red Tongue Records “Live In Hamburg 1965”, to the owner thank you and RIP.

Neil Young:

The Godfather Records, “British Summer Time” and “Collisioni Harvest 2014”.

Crystal Cat Records “Stockholm Music & Arts”.

“When Neil Young sings; you shut the fuck up”!, says it all.

Rod Stelling included his wish list if you’re reading, bootleggers; 
1.Pink Floyd-Animals Outtakes-Sigma 107-Very interesting material surfaces in great sound from one of my favorite Floyd albums.Maybe as close as we`ll come to a real immersion set.
2.Jeff Hanneman-Seeds Of Horror Home Demos-Late Slayer guitarist Jeff Haneman`s 1985 solo home recordings have been around for a time.The version I obtained is on white vinyl and issued in 2014.While the recording quality has it`s limitations I prefered the vinyl to both the cd and download for it`s more open sound.
3.Areosmith-Rocks Session-Zodiac 79-A great raw sounding instrumental studio session from the Rocks album.
4.Kiss-Amityville 1973-Zodiac 051-Great early live document.I prefered Zodiac`s edition.Their mastering s are more raw neutral sounding straight transfers as opposed to heavily equalised loud and squashed dynamics.wichever label you have like,having this complete has to make anybody happy.
5.Kiss-Unreleased 1974 Cleveland Broadcast-Zodiac084-same as above!
6.Kiss-Destroyer Demos-Zodiac054-While you may have heard these before,these are the complete versions from the master and they sound incredible.I doubt any official release of these 3 cds would be done this well.I hope the 1973 Eddie Kramer demos will be upgraded also.
7.Metallica-Master Of Assasin-Zodiac053-This is a great show from the Felt Forum in New York.as much as Cliff Burton is missed the band is at their most ferocious during this leg of the tour.The Quebec DVD is further proof.I still would argue that the audio of the concert in Toronto 12/86 is their very best performance of the tour and should also be released on cd raw warts and all.
8.Metallica Legendary Quartet First And Last-Zodiac095-A very listenable audience recoriding of The first live show with Cliff Burton in at the Stone and also a second disc with Mustaine`s last show with the band.
9.AC/DC-Down Under 1974-Archives Master Series-Superb quality radio Broadcast from 12/31/1974 featuring Bon Scott.Essential stuff.
10.Metallica-No Life Til Megaforce-Zodiac-Zodiac-89-My favorite from 2014.This is one of my all time favorite recordings,the legendary No Life Til Leather Demos along with the demos of Whiplash and No Remorse.The first cd is a digitaly remastered version and The second cd has the warts and all raw straight transfer.I realize I am in the minority but I generally prefer straight transfers so I am very glad the second disc was included.
Hopefully 2015 will see more great silver releases like the Judas Priest soundboard from Tuscan AZ`83,or It`s time for a Zeppelin Blueberry Hill reissue on vinyl!

A strong ndt to Bob Dylan and the Beatles from Matthias:

Bruce Springsteen & ESB: Roskilde Wrecking Ball Night (Crystal Cat Records CC 1039-41) Roskilde, 7 July 2012
Setlist is nothing special, but the quality of the sound and the performance are simply great.
I didn’t want to buy this when it was announced, but then gave it a listen at a record fair and was really impressed.
The Beatles – SHEA! – His Masters Choice HMC 030. Best quality to date of the famous Shea concert. And the gazette style package is, as usual with this label, very nice.
David Bowie. C’Est La Vie: The Ultimate Rare Tracks 1964/2013 (G.R. Box 25)
It was a great idea of Godfather to collect all these rarities in one boxset.

Bruce Springsteen – 31 Shots (Apocalypse Sound 210) Alone the proshot recording of „New York City Serenade“ from Rome is worth buying this dvd. The rest of the performances is great too.

Van Morrison “My New World Crystal Ball” (Rattlesnake RS 255/56)
Here we find two sets from San Anselmo (August 8th 1971). Surely a must have if you like Van Morrison as performances and sound quality are outstanding. And new silver pressed bootlegs from Van the man are hard to find these days.

Neil Young „Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi“ (Godfather Records 963/64)
These recordings from New York 1988 are really something special as we have Neil with a horn section. There is also a more complete version (performance from one day earlier also included, but with no songs not played the night from April 18th presented on the Godfather version) from a no name japanese label and also from Scorpio (UK) Title:„The world of Bluenotes“.

Kate Bush „The season of the witch“ (Godfather Records 1017). With these home demos from 1974, we get an interesting inside look into Kate Bush’s early days.

Bob Dylan „Tokyo 2014“ and „The red circle“ from 4Shure records. In these two boxsets, we get all the concerts Bob gave last spring in Japan. The setlist is more or less the same every night these days as we all know (there are few rare exceptions as „Huck’s tune“), but the sound quality of most of these recordings is really great.

Bob Dylan: Street legal tour 1978. These concerts from Los Angeles were taped by Mike Millard and they sound incredibly good. With the version from OMS (Original master series), we get the most complete version with 7 CDs and a 40 page booklet. If you only want to get some of these concerts, there are also versions from „New Empress Valley“ or the Satanic Pig label.

Tom Petty: Echo at the Plaza (GR 986/87). One of my all time favourite boots is the 3 CD-set from Crystal Cat with the 1997 Fillmore concerts. Here we get another great sounding Petty boot from the Godfather label with a New York gig from 1999 and the soundboard-audience matrix is a big pleasure to listen to.

Delaney and Bonnie And Friends “Live At The Falkoner Theatre” (Jolly Joker Empressa Volumen Uno. There is also a no name label production from Japan). This is a black & white proshot from Copenhagen 1969. To have a proshot with two of the greatest guitar players of the world – Eric Clapton and George Harrison – is fantastic and also the other musicians are only the crème de la crème from the music scene of those days.

Pink Floyd – A Total Zabriskie Point Of View – The Complete Collection (The Godfatherecords 885/886). This one gets my award for the best package. The tri-gatefold sleeve and the booklet are simply beautiful and give accurate information about the recordings.

Here Jens picked another collection of classic rock; 
1. Led Zeppelin – Texas Hurricane (6CD Box, Empress Valley EVSD 737-739, Bonus Disc)
2. Yes – The Years Of Delirium (4CD + 2CDR, Virtuoso 218-221)
3. David Bowie – C’est La Vie – The Ultimate Rare Tracks 1964-2013 (6CD Box, Godfather G.R.Box 25)
4. Led Zeppelin – Live In Osaka 1971 (6CD + 1DVD Box, Empress Valley EVSD 776-781, Bonus DVD)
5. Rolling Stones – From 2120 To 1000 (1CD, Godfather GR 1000)
6. Jimi Hendrix – In The Legend (2CD, Tarantura TCDJH-4)
7. Yardbirds – Live Games (1CD, Godfather GR 1020)
8. Anderson Bruford Wakeman & Howe – Close To The Master (3CD + 2CDR, Virtuoso 228-230)
9. Led Zeppelin – Plays Oldie But Goodie (2CD, Tarantura TCD-130)
10. Led Zeppelin – Complete Copenhagen Warm-Ups (4CD, Wendy WECD 220-223)

Leedslungs71‘s Fave Raves for ’14 (presented in no particular order except for the first selection, which was, for me, the best overall package, presentation, title, and historical listening experience of 2014; my reviews for most of these titles can be found at CMR):

1. My Black Dog Barks and Sydney Shakes — Bob Dylan (Godfatherecords 951/952)
2. A Day Gone By (LP/CD version) — Nick Drake (RRCD 0001)
3. Hamburg 1973 1st Show — The Rolling Stones (No Label)
4. Boston Tea Party 1968 — The Velvet Underground (Godfatherecords 948/949)
5. Make Way For The Rock and Rollers — David Bowie with Dana Gillespie (Godfatherecords 953)
6. A Hard Day’s Night Sessions — The Beatles (Original Master Series 84-087)
7. Please Meet The Beatles — The Beatles (Original Master Series 080-083)
8. The Real Alternate Goats Head Soup Alternates and Outtakes (LP+CD box set) — The Rolling Stones (Red Tongue Records)
9. Fukuoka 1995 2nd Night (Original Dat Master) — The Rolling Stones (No Label)
10. New Jersey 2nd Night — The Rolling Stones (No Label)

Finally, My Top 10 of 2014 – Aleebee

I thought this had been a quieter year for me, but this list, now edited to a mere ten titles, shows that it has been much like any other year.

BLACK SABBATH – 4CD “Definitive Boston 1992” (Zodiac 045). A set containing the 2CD Pre-FM master and the 2CD FM Broadcast. Released many times soon after the broadcast (and I’ve had them all), the best single CD version was Black Bloody Black (Kiss The Stone KTS 171), whilst the best 2CD version was ‘Class of ’92’ (Langley 221). What we have here as the Pre-FM master, I’m 99.9% certain, is a straight copy of the Langley title. The FM broadcast has slightly more treble to it, and Ronnie’s voice is more to the fore, but with some distortion in places, such as Tony’s solo spot. Interestingly, Geoff Nicholls’ backing vocals are mixed down on the FM Broadcast – listen to ‘Cry out!’ and ‘Ride out!’ in Neon Knights for an example. You’ve also the DJ talking on the FM Broadcast set. I’m keeping my ‘Class of ’92’, as much for sentimental reasons as any other, it being one of those releases that was head-and-shouders above its rivals, but this new release nicely combines the two slightly different mixes. Let your ears decide which you prefer.

BLACK SABBATH – 4CD “Celebration Gathering”. Almost like being there, but not quite. And I should know, as I queued from 11am! Well-recorded, a fitting document of the event.

BLACK SABBATH – 2CD “Swedish Cross 1989” (Zodiac 058). Just when Sharon may think she’s winning with her airbrushing of history, further proof that Sabbath without Ozzy was still entertaining. This tour shall always be held in great affection by me, it being the first one when I came to the realisation that I could attend more than just my local show. I certainly wasn’t in Sweden, but extend my thanks to the taper who was, for capturing the band so well.

BLACK SABBATH – CD “The Eternal Idol Working Tracks” (Zodiac 073). The Ray Gillen version may have formed part of the official deluxe release, but this is the recording session that just keeps on giving. SQ is 10/10, which is the icing on the cake.

DIO – CD “Final Night 1990” (Zodiac 050) – a tour under-represented in quality releases, finally we have a sold 10/10 SQ. Previously this was out on CDR, a Lost and Found release (LAFCD061), but not only do we have the first silver release here (to my knowledge), the SQ bears no comparison.

KISS – CD “Amityville ’73” (Zodiac 051). Zodiac keep up their fine track record, with quality releases. Early KISS – and I mean early – in this quality? What more could a man ask for?

OZZY OSBOURNE – CD “Ozzmosis Demos”. One of those releases that lead you to realise that something had been lost by the time the finished album was released.
PINK FLOYD – CD “Wish You Were Here Outtakes” (Abbey Road Studios 1975) (Sigma 109). I had hardly dared hope this would be as good as it proved to be.

PINK FLOYD – CD “Animals Outtakes” (Sigma 107). See above.
RAINBOW – CD “FM Broadcast” (Tarantura TCDRAINBOW-21). Sourced from a radio broadcast that I somehow don’t already have? Thank you very much! I don’t even know whether this is the complete broadcast – it fades out during Bobby Rondinelli’s solo, before the ‘Lost In Hollywood’ reprise – but for now it shall do very nicely.