Original Features

It was a great year for headbangers.

The band's last concert began with a talk show and ended with them vowing to live on forever.

Some were planned, some were not.

Box sets, expanded classics and archival releases highlight the best of the past year.

B is for Beatles ... and big money.

Taking you back for the binge!

Big returns, genre moves and records by reliable legends mark the year's best.

"One minute he was there and the next he was gone," the bassist's friend recalled.

From reworked traditional songs to drunken laments to that Christmas favorite.

Perfect for a year-end playlist.