With iconic special guests including Steven Tyler, Buddy Guy, and ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons, Jeff Beck's 'Live at the Hollywood Bowl' is an essential collector's item for longtime fans. Period.

Other than The Beatles, Black Sabbath is perhaps the most influential band in rock history. February 4, 2017 is forever marked as the final date of their last ever tour. It was a one of a kind celebration of their enduring legacy. And the Angelic Sessions is a bonus treat.

By any means, 'Shade' is an impressive achievement that few bands 30 years into their career can ever hope to achieve. It may not replace their classic releases, but it absolutely belongs right next to them.

In just over one year's time, JB's dropped three tremendous releases to the masses: 'Blues of Desperation,' 'Live at the Greek Theatre,' and now 'Live at Carnegie Hall.'

With just seven songs totaling 40 minutes, prog metal forefathers Uriah Heep created a monster of a record that has lost none of its meaty charm over time. The "alternate look" at the album that comprises the 11-track bonus disc adds a fuller picture of this era of one of early hard rock/metal's most overlooked acts.

Over 40 years after its initial release, 'Max's Kansas City 1976' has been greatly expanded (from 10 to 40 tracks) and is an indispensable source of music history of a club that spawned the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, and along with CBGB's, the NYC punk movement itself.

One-off or not, 'Crystal Fairy' should still go down as a late career highlight for The Melvins maestros (Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover) and a breakout performance for Teri Gender Bender.

'Turbo' has its flaws but it should still be appreciated as the distinct, experimental nugget full of party rockers that it is. The real gem of this three-CD edition, however, is the 20-track live show from May 22, 1986 that makes up the latter two discs.

These are in no particular order, except for this first one, my vote for song of 2016, at least for guitar. After listening to Joe Bonamassa's blistering, searing solo, you will not forget it anytime soon.

As for the music of 2016, there was the usual amount of "meh" mixed in with a host of impressive releases. Certainly, there were no game-changers that I heard. (Sorry Kanye and Kendrick.)