Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! Millennial nostalgia is all over this week's releases - plus some live jazz and pop as well as a real rarity from a disco diva.
Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight (Deluxe Edition) (Warner/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon)
In 2007, nu-metal rockers Linkin Park broadened their sound with the help of producer Rick Rubin and got a few big hits for their trouble. Not only did the album top the charts in over a dozen countries, but lead single "What I've Done" was a Top 10 smash, one of the biggest of their career. For its 15th anniversary, it's been digitally reissued with two non-LP bonus tracks, a live session track and a remix.
Peggy Lee, Peggy Lee on The Ed Sullivan Show: 1950-1961 / 1962 / 1963-1969 (Sofa Entertainment/UMe)
1950-1961: iTunes / Amazon
1962: iTunes / Amazon
1963-1969: iTunes / Amazon
Universal Music Group's ongoing licensing agreement with The Ed Sullivan Show has resulted in dozens of official singles and videos from the show's considerable archive. Sophisticated jazz singer Peggy Lee made so many appearances on the program that there have been three mini-albums' worth of live material issued in the past month, including classics like "La Vie En Rose," "Why Don't You Do Right," "Nice 'N' Easy" and more.
Bobby Darin, Darin at The Copa (Atlantic) (Apple Music / Amazon)
The only live album issued in Darin's lifetime was recorded at the legendary Copacabana in 1960 and includes solid renditions of favorites like "Mack the Knife," "Dream Lover," "Love for Sale" and "I Got a Woman."
Buddy Holly & The Crickets, The Buddy Holly Story (Geffen) (iTunes / Amazon)
Not to be confused with the recently-expanded soundtrack album of the same name, this 1959 compilation - rush-released into stores only a month after Holly's death in a plane crash alongside Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper - featured a dozen of his biggest hits, including "Peggy Sue," "Rave On," "That'll Be the Day," "It's So Easy," "Everyday" and "Oh, Boy!" It's really a terrific starting point if you've heard none of his work - or want a half-hour reminder of a rock pioneer.
Smash Mouth, All Star (Owl City Remix) (Interscope/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon)
Sure! Smash Mouth's deathless 1999 party anthem gets remixed and reimagined courtesy of Adam Young, the creative force behind electronic project Owl City (who had a pretty big hit a decade later with the earworm "Fireflies").
Grace Jones, Sex Drive (Island) (iTunes / Amazon)
A genuine rarity, here! In 1993, disco diva Jones recorded and released this dance chart-topping cover of "Track X," a tune by British industrial group Sheep on Drugs, for Black Marilyn, an album slated for release the following year. For reasons unknown, it was never released - so these three mixes, plus a version of "Typical Male" (by leftist dance group Consolidated, not Tina Turner), are the sole reminder of its existence.
My Chemical Romance, The Foundations of Decay (Reprise) (iTunes / Amazon)
Finally, a nice surprise for anyone who's been patiently holding onto tickets to the oft-rescheduled My Chemical Romance reunion tour. The band has released their first new track in years, since the unreleased "Fake Your Death" off the greatest hits album intended to close their career. Will there be more? For the sake of the many fans we at Second Disc HQ know: here's hoping!
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