10. Jerry Garcia Band - GarciaLive Volume Seven: Sophie's 11/08/76 (ATO)
One of the nice things that happened in 2016 was the resurrection of the GarciaLive archival live recordings of Jerry Garcia's non-Dead performances from ATO records. Although it had been only a couple years off, it was disappointing not to have a regular scheduled Jerry release to count on. This was the second of the 2016 releases, featuring the Donna and Keith version of the JGB line-up from fall of 1976. A gorgeous "Mission in the Rain", back after a brief dalliance with his man band, and a 22-minute take on "Don't Let Go" are the highlights.
9. Thee Oh Sees - Live in San Francisco (Castle Face)
It had been a long eight years since the last Oh Sees live record, eight years in which quite a lot changed for the band as their sound progressed. This release, as part of the ongoing Castle Face series, captures the band over three nights at The Chapel while they toured for the Mutilator Defeated at Last album. It captures them firing on all cylinders, tearing through their distinct and energetic take on psychedelic garage rock. A must hear for John Dwyer fans.
8. Grateful Dead - July 1978: The Complete Recordings (Rhino)
A twelve-disc set that captures all five shows that the Dead performed in July of 1978, starting out with their extended one set appearance at Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic through to two nights at Red Rocks. The second night at Red Rocks was extracted for the general release, but the entire box is packed with great moments. 1978 was an interesting year for the band, evolving from the 1977 groove era and setting the stage for where the band would grow into the eighties when Brent joined. As always, gorgeous packaging and a must hear for Deadheads.
7. Jerry Garcia & Merle Saunders - GarciaLive Volume Six: Lion's Share 07/05/73 (ATO)
This was the one that restarted the GarciaLive series and oh what a pick it was. This finds Jerry and Merle playing at the Lion's Share just a few short days before the legendary Keystone performances. It features a mysterious trumpet player that remains unidentified, but Merle is absolutely on fire throughout - including the 26 minute segment that evolves from "Merl's Tune" into a perfect jam. Absolutely lovely stuff, it's always appreciated to hear more Jerry and Merle this clearly.
6. Kate Bush - Before the Dawn (Fish People)
It is a massive understatement to note that Kate Bush isn't a huge fan of live performances. After her first tour concluded in 1979, she stayed away from the stage for 35 years. So it was a huge deal when her 22-date residency in London was announced. This three disc set is culled from those performances and structured in three acts, similar to the stage show. The first disc, Act I, was the closest to a standard live performance, featuring a mix of some of her bigger songs from throughout her career. Act II was a performance of the entire Ninth Wave, or side two, of her 1985 classic, Hounds of Love, with some added dialogue and interludes. The final disc, Act III, captures the entire performance of A Sky of Honey, or disc two, from 2005's Aerial, along with two encores. It's a lot to digest, but well worth the time and energy spent.
5. Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks Volume 17: Selland Arena 07/19/74 (Rhino)
This was the first of two stellar picks from Dave during 2016, a fantastic set from the Wall of Sound era, specifically Fresno's Selland Arena on July 19, 1974. It's a terrific era for the Dead, with a jazzy improvisation sound that lessened over the years (though briefly resurrected during parts of the '89-'90 peak). This show has a lot to offer, particularly the half hour "Playing in the Band" that closes the first set and the 45-minute set two run that includes "Weather Report Suite > Jam > Eyes of the World", just gorgeous stuff. And bonus points for Dave including the sometimes divisive "Seastones" performance from Ned Lagin and Phil Lesh.
4. All Them Witches - Live in Brussels (self-released)
This Nashville stoner rock band has never been afraid of releasing their live performances, including virtually every night from various tours. But it's no wonder that this performance from Brussels in March of 2016 was specifically highlighted, as it just might represent the band's first live peak. the band tears through fourteen songs, with half of them lasting well over six minutes, meaning they take plenty of time to lock into various grooves. The setlist leans heavy on the then contemporary Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, but pulls from older releases as well. It's the most crisply recorded they've yet been and this ends up a key milestone in the band's development.
3. Colour Haze - Live Vol. 1 Europe Tournee 2015 (Elektrohasch)
It was about time for another live album from this instrumental stoner rock group from Munich, seeing as it's been eight long years since the excellent two-disc Burg Herzberg Festival was released. This release, also two long discs worth, pulls from various stops during their 2015 European tour with a setlist pulled from all over their catalog. If you've heard Colour Haze before, you'll know how fantastic this likely sounds, as they remain one of the most consistent stoner rock bands in the world. It's heavy and fuzzy, with plenty of room for the band to jam, topped off by the nearly half hour take on the self-titled album's "Peace, Brothers and Sisters".
2. Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks Volume 19: Honolulu 01/23-24/70 (Rhino)
The second of Dave's stellar 2016 picks takes us back to Honolulu for some classic primal dead during the latter days of January in 1970, just weeks before the legendary run at the Fillmore East with the Allmans. While neither are the greatest versions ever, any set that includes BOTH "The Other One" and "Dark Star" is worthwhile in my book. Fans of Pigpen will be happy, particularly with the 38(!) minute "Lovelight". A great one for primal Dead fans.
1. Bob Dylan - The 1966 Live Recordings (Columbia)
What else could take this spot? If the name alone doesn't ring a bell, Dylan's 1966 tour was the infamous one where The Band backed him to strongly divisive crowd reactions all around the world, peaking in England with the now legendary shouts of "Judas!". This 36-disc box set includes every known recording from the tour, including some (very, very) low quality audience recordings to fill in gaps in the U.S., Australia and Sweden. But the rest of the box is taken from either soundboards or professional recorded by various media entities, meaning we get most of it in surprisingly high quality. It's an absolute treasure trove for Dylan obsessives, even when the setlist gets a little stale over multiple shows. One of rock's most notorious tours ever, it's a blessing to be able to experience as much of it as possible.
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