The Best Vinyl Releases of 2024
My favorite compilations, reissues, and live releases put to wax this year!
List season is in full swing here at The Wax Museum, and I’ve been buried under vinyl stacks, putting the final polish on The Vinyl Collector’s Guide to the Best Records of 2024. We’re talking 15,000 words of liner notes, vinyl variants, and deep dives into the 100 best albums of the year—available in paperback, Kindle, and PDF next week! Paid subscribers get free digital access straight to their inboxes.
But that’s next week. Today, we’re digging into my favorite vinyl releases of 2024 — compilations, reissues, live sets, and everything in between. Let’s jump in!
The 5 Best Compilations of 2024
5. Weird Scenes from The Hangout (Psychedelic & Freakbeat Dancefloor Anthems 1967-1982)
Stream: Spotify
Get Vinyl: Neon Green and Pink Marble | Neon Pink and Curacao
UK label Two Piers might just be my favorite compilation curator—they were behind the great Waves of Distortion shoegaze collection from last year. For Weird Scenes from The Hangout, they enlisted producer Richard Norris, the mastermind behind Liverpool’s first psychedelic nightclub in the '80s, to assemble 28 groovy foot-stompers that’ll keep you moving.
4. Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Sky Blue and Sunflower Yellow
This stunning compilation from Light in the Attic has been five years in the making. Initially meant to include both Ukraine and Russia, the outbreak of war shifted the focus entirely to Ukrainian music. It’s the first-ever collection of tracks recorded before and after the USSR’s collapse, offering a fascinating mix of ambient, downtempo, folk, rock, and post-punk. The selection offers subtle glimpses into the evolution of music during Ukraine's path to independence.
3. Various Artists - American Football (Covers)
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Frosted Glass
I’ll be honest, I went in expecting to dislike this. Cover albums usually aren’t my bag, but much like last year’s Nick Drake tributes, these reimaginations of the classic American Football debut are not just good — they’re great.
Iron & Wine, Blondshell, and Manchester Orchestra all score, but it’s Ethel Cain’s ten-minute version of “For Sure” — especially when the second half kicks in —that blew me away.
2. Jazz Dispensary: The Golden Hour
Stream: Spotify
Get Vinyl: Mint Swirl
Every Record Store Day, Jazz Dispensary puts out a new collection, and it always delivers. This Black Friday, we were treated to The Golden Hour, which “evokes the feeling of floating on a cool, lone wave while soaking in the last sunbeams of the day” and features legends like Johnny Hammond, Sonny Rollins, Chico Hamilton, Vince Guaraldi, and more. If you’ve been searching for that perfect soundtrack to close out the day, this is it.
1. Night Train - Transcontinental Landscapes 1968-2019
Stream: Spotify
Get Vinyl: Petrol/Magenta Sky
All aboard! We have another gem from Two Piers — this is an inspired “collection to accompany the change of the fields, the coastline the color of the sky outside your window as you take your journey.”
Picture each train stop introducing a new genre, spanning the last 50 years—folk one moment, electronica the next, followed by soul, rock 'n' roll, and beyond. You’re bound to discover a new favorite or two along the way.
BONUS: Cardinals at the Window: A Benefit For Flood Relief in Western N.C.
Download: Bandcamp
While this never came out on vinyl, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give it one more shout-out. Cardinals at the Window — named after an Appalachian phrase that means luck is on the way — is a jaw-dropping, 136-song compilation of riches, featuring unreleased songs, live sets, covers, and demos from some of the biggest names in indie, rock, and Americana, including The War on Drugs, MJ Lenderman, Fleet Foxes, Waxahatchee, Phish, King Gizzard, R.E.M., and more.
Check out the insane tracklist and donate $10 to help rebuild Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
The 5 Best Reissues of 2024
5. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (40th Anniversary)
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Clear | Black
Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense, widely regarded as the best concert film of all time, has been remastered for its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we’re treated to the complete show on vinyl for the first time, packaged in a release as huge as that iconic suit.
4. Alvvays - Alvvays (10th Anniversary)
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Cerulean in Cloudy Clear
Alvvays’ self-titled debut, one of my all-time favs, has never had a clean, punchy vinyl release — until now. Enter the legend Bernie Grundman, who remastered the album for its 10th anniversary, complete with the new deep cut “Underneath Us.” And for those looking for a challenge, the reissue includes an absolutely diabolical 1000 piece cover art puzzle.
3. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II (30th Anniversary)
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Black
Celebrating three decades since Richard D. James unleashed one of the greatest ambient albums ever, SAW II has finally been reissued for this milestone. This expanded quadruple vinyl features the full tracklist for the first time, including the blissful “Stone In Focus.”
2. Portishead - Roseland NYC Live (25th Anniversary)
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Red
Portishead's new Roseland NYC Live release is one of the best sounding live albums in my collection. Recorded in 1998, it features tracks from Dummy and their self-titled album, all backed by a 30-piece orchestra. Now newly remastered for its 25th anniversary, we’re treated to five new songs making their vinyl debut. This unreal performance—once elusive and out of reach—finally gets the release it deserves.
1. Weezer - Blue Album (30th Anniversary)
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Sweater Box
Weezer went all out for the 30th Anniversary of their self-titled debut — not only is the album remastered, they released 36 previously unreleased tracks, including demos, practices, live recordings, BBC radio recordings, and a live 1993 show at Loyola. The best part is the whole shebang is wrapped in a sweater boxset, including a blue thread that’s pullable and retractable.
BONUS: Daft Punk - Discovery
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Gold (Sold Out) | Black
I’m including this one as a bonus Jonas because it comes out today and I haven’t heard it on my system yet, but honestly, it’s wild that this even got reissued.
Last night, Daft Punk screened their anime film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem in theaters worldwide. To celebrate, they released limited gold and standard black editions of Discovery, featuring the original 2022 Japanese Interstella 5555 cover art. This was a holy grail vinyl for many, recently fetching over $1,000 on the resale market—making this reissue a major win for collectors.
The 5 Best Live Releases of 2024
5. The War on Drugs - Live Drugs Again
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Blue | Black
The Live Drugs sequel from The War on Drugs is here, four years later, packed with classics spanning all six of their albums. Thankfully, the pressing sounds just as immersive as the original. Frontman Adam Granduciel’s perfectionism is legendary—and it turns out that obsession extends to their live releases. He combed through 100 hours of recordings to craft the ultimate live experience, even splicing together different takes of the same song from multiple shows.
4. Fleetwood Mac - Mirage Tour '82
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Silver
Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage Tour ‘82 finally lands on vinyl for the first time, with the two hour show spread across three silver LPs.
I’ve always enjoyed the video from this tour, featuring many highlights — Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham battling it out vocally in “The Chain,” the cocaine-fueled, nine-minute rendition of “Not That Funny,” Mick Fleetwood on the drums looking like he’s possessed by the devil. Though they were touring the more laid-back Mirage album, the energy on these shows were cranked to 11. Cocaine: the unofficial sixth member of Fleetwood Mac.
3. Fleet Foxes - Live on Boston Harbor
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Peach | Sky Blue
In true Fleet Foxes fashion (try saying that five times fast), they delivered a marathon 27-song, two-hour career-spanning set on the autumnal equinox, August 10, 2022, in Boston. I’ve watched countless live shows on YouTube and Nugs, but I keep coming back to this one — masterclass.
2. Alice Coltrane - The Carnegie Hall Concert
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
Get Vinyl: Black
Alice Coltrane’s second live album, The Carnegie Hall Concert, dropped this year, capturing a performance from February 1971—just one week after the release of her career high point, Journey in Satchidananda. Coltrane plays piano and harp, joined by an all-star lineup including saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp, bassists Jimmy Garrison and Cecil McBee, and drummers Ed Blackwell and Clifford Jarvis. These cats were operating on another level.
The four-song set begins with the calm beauty of “Journey in Satchidananda” and “Shiva-Loka,” before ramping up into free-jazz madness with John Coltrane’s “Africa” and “Leo,” offering a wild journey from serenity to chaos.
1. Goose - Live at The Fox Theatre
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple
Get Vinyl: Multi-Colored
This year, I became an admirer of the jam band Goose, despite never seeing them live or knowing much of their catalog. My conversion happened thanks to their use of YouTube, where they regularly drop high-quality concert videos. I throw these on in the background while I work, and it’s pure bliss.
They recently outdid themselves with three nights at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, five and a half hours which you can now enjoy in its entirety on vinyl.
Goose also delivered one of my favorite musical moments of the year, teaming up with Vampire Weekend for a 33-minute improvisational version of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” complete with an Allman Brothers “Jessica” easter egg.
BONUS: The Cure - Songs Of A Live World: Troxy London MMXXIV
Stream: YouTube
Get Vinyl: Silver | Black
Perhaps the biggest surprise of 2024 was The Cure not only returning with their first album in 16 years but delivering an instant classic.
Coinciding with the album’s release, the band performed an incredible three-hour, 31-song set, starting with Songs of a Lost World in its entirety, followed by some of The Cure’s greatest hits. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect Robert Smith to still be out there performing at this level and his voice hasn’t aged a day since 1989.
While the vinyl doesn’t drop until February and it’s not on streaming platforms, the entire three-hour performance is available on YouTube, ad-free. What legends!
Hey friends, thanks for reading. Reply to this email or comment below to keep the conversation going. We got a fun one next week, the release of The Vinyl Collector’s Guide to the Best Records of 2024 — until then, keep spinning!
Didn't even know American Football put out a covers album but I'm so glad I saw it now. Thanks for such a great list of musical treats!
Great list. Didn't have any of the compilations on my radar, got some listening to do!