This past calendar year proved extremely generous in terms of long-locked away gems finally seeing the light of day, through a glorious onslaught of vault releases. It’s a rewarding trend for music lovers and record collectors that we can only hope accelerates heading into 2026.
What recordings from your favorite artists do you know are hidden away in record-label vaults, and would you like to see finally given their due in the New Year? We can also only begin to imagine what other recordings we’ve never been tipped off on that could be languishing in captivity. It’s a thrilling and dangerous rabbit-hole for fans to venture down.
In the meantime however, here is a list of releases that thankfully have already come to fruition. They make up some of 2025’s most rewarding releases, triumphantly extending the legacy of already-towering catalogs from these beloved artists.
Luke Bell- The King Is Back
For those uninitiated with the music of Luke Bell, you’d be forgiven at first listen for mistaking The King Is Back as a vault of remastered recordings from the 1940s, rather than the collection of performances from the 2010s that it actually is. That’s how authentic and reverent Bell’s brand of classic honky tonk was during a young career, one which was cut far too short by his tragic death at the age of 32 in the summer of 2022. The only solace amongst the despondent wonderings of “what might have been” is the release of this record, which gathers 28 outstanding and primal honky tonk recordings outside of the sole Bell album that saw national release in 2016. It’s a sterling showcase of a tremendously talented performer who clearly understood the timeless quality of this musical style, and the fact that it was far more than a charming relic of a bygone era, but rather a vital art-form that remained ever-relevant in modern times. He accentuated this fact by way of his excellent songwriting and astutely fresh sonic vision, both of which made a classic sound exciting and fresh. His energy, charisma, and soulful gravitas simply radiate from your speakers. And while The King Is Back in-part shines light back on two grim tragedies: first that he was so unknown in his lifetime, and second that his lifetime ended so prematurely, these facts only escalate the need to celebrate this wonderful music all the more now.
Emmylou Harris- Spyboy- Bonus Track Edition
Across the spellbinding discography of Emmylou Harris, you will find three of the greatest live albums of all time: 1982’s Last Date, 1992’s At the Ryman, and 1998’s Spyboy. The first and last of these records particularly serve as staggering fenceposts for two extraordinary and vastly different chapters in Harris’ career: her run of classics in the 70s and 80s, and the mid-90s period forward that redefined her entire musical identity for a new era. (The middle one meanwhile just rescued an entire cultural touchstone from sheer demise.) Spyboy was released in 1998 and captured her tour in support of 1995’s shapeshifting Wrecking Ball. It found Harris flanked by a completely new band in tune with her new alt-country sound, and led by the inimitable Americana hero, Buddy Miller. The setlist featured both old and new material, painting her classics with a fresh coat, and giving her new band the same superlative musical showcase that Last Date provided the legendary Hot Band sixteen years prior. As as Bonus Track re-release, this is not technically a fully vault record, but it does provide five fresh new tracks that were omitted from the original. It’s a concept that has become incredibly watered-down in the viral age of deluxe and expanded editions following just mere months (sometimes weeks!) after an album roll-out. But in the case of Spyboy, these are treasured new discoveries to behold: Miller taking an electrifying lead on Tom Petty’s “Thing About You”, and captivating live versions of Harris’ sterling covers of classics from the likes of Bob Dylan, Bill Monroe, and Lucinda Williams, an inarguable spiritual influence for this entire arc of her career. May they be a gateway for not only rediscovery of this seminal concert, but for completely new listeners as well.
Waylon Jennings- Songbird
Is there a bigger music hero behind the scenes in 2025 than Shooter Jennings? Not only was he the producer behind excellent new releases from the likes of Charley Crockett and Lukas Nelson, but he also finished digitally restoring a trove of vaulted recordings by his famous father, which can now start seeing the light of day beginning with this September release. Given that the tracks that comprise Songbird were primarily finished from a production standpoint, it instantly feels like a selection already residing comfortably in Waylon Jennings‘ late 70s/early 80s catalog, and it’s a thrill to hear both his signature booming voice and The Waylors’ crackling band-work in their prime on unheard material. The material itself collects mostly reinterpretations of previous hits from acts like Fleetwood Mac (the title song) and Crystal Gayle (“Wrong Road Again”), as well as curated selections from the canons of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr., and JJ Cale. Meanwhile, we also get to hear a new Jennings co-write with the great, recently departed Johnny Rodriguez, in “The Cowboy (Small Texas Town)”. Given that these are essentially outtakes, none of these tracks immediately ascend to the special air of Jennings essentials, but that does nothing to diminish the novelty and joy in hearing Waylon records with fresh ears again. Looking forward to the forthcoming volumes.
Madonna- Veronica Electronica
Further stoking the flames of anticipation for new music and a highly-rumored return to the club tapestries of 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna finally brings to fruition this re-mix collection that was initially intended as a companion to her landmark 1998 LP, Ray of Light. Named for the alter-ego she says she embodied during this era of her career, Veronica Electronica is instantly intoxicating in its reframing of these monstrous songs that helped redefine Madge’s career at a pivotal turning-point, when the mainstream pop scene was embracing new sounds and baby-face teen acts. Equal parts haunting and infectious, this music ultimately made her as relevant as ever before, and to hear these long-hidden versions is a celebratory moment for her fanbase. Like the Emmylou record above, this serves as a gateway back to one of 1998’s greatest musical stories.
Madonna- Bedtime Stories: The Untold Chapter
The pop diva’s extensive archival curation continues with this spotlight on the 30th anniversary of Bedtime Stories. It’s refreshing to see Madonna revisit Stories, given that it’s easily one of her most under-appreciated releases, lost in the shuffle merely due to the fact it was sandwiched between so many other iconic moments for her in the 90s, i.e. “Vogue”, Erotica, Evita, and the aforementioned domination of Ray of Light. This extended play of demos and remixes does a solid job shining light back on the evocative allure of this era, though the slight 8-track run-time feels a bit neglectful in its exclusion of a moment like “Take A Bow”. And fans will surely be disappointed that it doesn’t include long-awaited cuts like her coveted 2 Pac duet, the charity single “Freedom”, or “Love Won’t Wait”. This project seems as natural a place as any to finally unleash these cuts, so their absence does feels surprising.
Anne Murray- Here You Are
The beloved vocalist emerges from a quiet retirement, though not to record a new album, but rather to unveil a collection of newly discovered performances recorded between the years of 1978 and 1995. In recent press rounds surrounding this release, Anne Murray confesses that she had immense reluctance in finishing these tracks and unleashing them into the public sphere. She didn’t want Here You Are to feel like a cash-grab, or a record that was lesser than any of those in her distinguished catalog. She need’nt worry about such a prospect now that the finished product has been gifted to her legions of loyal fans. The songs are uniformly strong and cohesive, and her voice is as gorgeously crystalline as you’d expect from a singer this great in her prime. The production added also does these performances great justice as well; it still feels in touch with the country/pop/AC blend of her heyday, but smartly avoids some of the sonic quirks that have rendered a run of her records in the 80s as rather dated. Both the effortless silk and gritty sandpaper edges of her sublime range get ample spotlight, whether it be on sentimental moments like the title track and “I Lost My Dog”, or “How About Goodbye” and a cover of Bryan Adams’ “Straight From the Heart”. Finally, the closing track, “Catch My Breath” is a golden revelation, leaving you wondering why she didn’t indulge in Dixie-leaning jazz more frequently. Between this record, the excellent 2021 documentary, Full Circle, and the recent Grand Ole Opry concert in her honor, may this be the long-overdue renaissance of appreciation for Anne Murray’s contributions to popular music.
Grace Potter- Medicine
The most recent lost recording in this batch, Medicine is the 2008 rock marvel that Grace Potter recorded with the great T. Bone Burnett, but was ultimately and foolishly shelved by Hollywood Records. Potter would break through to the mainstream a few years later after regrouping with her band, The Nocturnals. Eight of these twelve tracks (namely the smash “Paris (Ooh La La)”) made appearances on that later album, and while we certainly love those versions, it’s a real treat to hear them in the original bluesy rock incarnations that Potter and Burnett crafted here. It’s the marriage of a powerful, coming-of-age talent with one of the truly great musical mad-scientists of all time; it’s a frigging mystery as to why Hollywood didn’t think this was ready for public consumption. Record labels for ‘ya. Nevertheless, Potter has always made her pride for this record and the opportunity to work with T. Bone clearly evident, and now her fans can finally hear why. If it was a proper, new release, I’d easily rank this far and away as 2025’s best rock record.
John Prine- Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings- Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition
Another 1995 gem that seems to get lost in the shuffle of what surrounds it in the artist’s catalog, Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings was essentially saddled as the kid-brother to 1991’s The Missing Years, John Prine’s classic comeback album that was likewise produced by The Heartbreakers’ Howie Epstein. This is equally delightful in its pop-rock make-over of Prine’s folk-country style, though this is the first time I’ve dusted the album off in a loooong time, so this reissue has already accomplished its main goal. As for the vaulted material that is truly the center of our discussion here, brace yourself for plenty of smiles as you experience fresh Prine recordings. Five years removed from his death, they feel like gifts from beyond the grave, whether it be the bluesy piano version of “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody”, the formative revelations of the “Lake Marie” demo, the gritty growl of the “Quit Hollerin’ At Me” alternative, or especially the fresh new cut, “Hey Ah Nothin'”.
Bruce Springsteen- Tracks II: The Lost Albums
Alright, now we’re talking about the ever-loving motherlode in terms of a bounty of vaulted recordings. To view Tracks II as the formal sequel to the similarly-titled 1998 box-set is simply too slight given its overall scope, and that’s taking nothing away from the generosity of the original Tracks, which itself boasted 66 new recordings. But this project simply stands in a category all of its own, providing Bruce Springsteen devotees with no less than seven, full-length albums that have never before seen release. To say that this release has significantly expanded the amount of work at hand in our site’s ongoing Artist In Residence profile on Springsteen is a vast understatement; not that we’re complaining. But that really serves to be the venue to do this amount of music the greatest justice; there’s simply too much to unpack here in a mere summary. But if as a Boss-fan you weren’t already salivating, take note that this set includes a 1983 Heartland Rock session, a deep-dive into the “Streets of Philadelphia” era, an intended Western soundtrack, and what essentially adds up to the full-blown country/rockabilly LP so many have always clamored for from Springsteen. Clear your schedule to give these a listen; you won’t regret it.
Bruce Springsteen- Electric Nebraska
As if Springsteen fans didn’t already feel like they won the lottery this year, enter the long-awaited release of Electric Nebraska. As the title suggests, this entry (as part of an overall, more expansive retrospective of the 1982 classic) unveils the long-awaited full-band versions of cult-faves like “Atlantic City”, “Mansion on the Hill”, “Johnny 99” and “Nebraska”, while pairing them with earlier versions of Born In the USA dynamos like that title track and “Downbound Train”. It’s a fascinating adrenaline rush to hear these moments in their originally-intended incarnations as full E-Street records, while doing nothing to trigger regrets or rob the untouchable magic of the ultimate, glorified-demo version the album eventually was released under. To hear “Johnny 99” and the future synth-laden “Train” as absolutely unhinged rockabilly rave-ups is nothing short of rock & roll euphoria. And while “Atlantic City” has and will always be a rollicking anthem on its own in its classic, primitive form, there’s something uniquely exciting about hearing it given the full rock-band treatment. Finally, the raw and unpolished ferocity of this version of “Born in the USA” will transport you to an intriguing alternate universe where the entire trajectory of popular music would have been entirely different.
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