Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week's lineup includes vault rarities from a legendary songstress; remixes of a pop/R&B classic to get you moving on your Peloton; vintage country; and more! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Bruce Springsteen, The Live Series: Songs of Celebration (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon)
The title says it all: this new entry in The Boss' ongoing Live Series debuts 15 live tracks to streaming services, all capturing the joyous spirit for which Springsteen and The E Street Band are known. Selections include "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" from Passaic, New Jersey's late, lamented Capitol Theatre in 1978; "Dancing in the Dark" from Detroit, 1988); "Having a Party" from NJ's now-shuttered (for concerts, anyway!) Brendan Byrne Arena, 1993; "Mary's Place" from Greensboro, NC, 2008; and "No Surrender" from Tampa, 2023.
Peggy Lee, From the Vaults: Volume One (Capitol/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon)
Capitol and UMe introduce a new series bringing rare Peggy Lee tracks to digital/streaming services. Once this series concludes, it's promised that the entirety of Peggy's recordings under the Universal umbrella - spanning affiliations with Decca, Capitol, A&M and Polydor - will be available online. This initial 12-track volume covers 1944-1948 including three songs written by Lee and her first husband, Dave Barbour ("What More Can a Woman Do," "Don't Be So Mean to Baby," and "Just an Old Love of Mine"). Other highlights include Peggy's renditions of "Everybody Loves Somebody" and Jerome Kern's "She Didn't Say Yes," the latter from a 1946 Kern tribute record.
Donna Summer, She Works Hard for the Money: DJ John Michael Peloton Remixes (Mercury/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon)
UMe debuts a suite of four remixes of the classic 1983 Donna Summer hit (written by Summer and Michael Omartian) by DJ John MIchael for Peloton.
Donna Summer, Any Way at All (Mercury/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon)
Here's one from last week: a digital version of the 1995 cassette single featuring Summer's Omartian-produced "Any Way at All," also including two B-sides. "Any Way at All," written by Summer and her husband Bruce Sudano, debuted as one of two new songs on the hits compilation Endless Summer.
Hank Snow, That's You and Me (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon)
Legacy continues reissuing Hank Snow's string of RCA studio albums with this mid-1974 entry, a top 40 success on the Billboard Country chart. The title track, too, went to the Country Singles top 40.
Charlie McCoy, The Nashville Hit Man (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon)
Hank's not the only country legend in the Stream this week. There's harmonica great and multi-instrumentalist "Nashville Cat" Charlie McCoy, whose virtuosic playing enlivened recordings by Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Chet Atkins, and just about everybody else; here's his accurately-titled '74 set The Nashville Hit Man, with renditions of popular tunes of the day including "Let Me Be There," "The Way We Were," and "You Win Again."
Crown Heights Affair, Crown Heights Affair (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon)
The Brooklyn R&B outfit's 1974 debut comes to streaming in time for its 50th anniversary; the RCA album set the stage for a string of hits on De-Lite Records.
Al Hirt, Raw Sugar / Sweet Sauce / Banana Pudd'n' (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon)
Here's a tasty platter from New Orleans trumpet great Al Hirt. In addition to the flavorful title tracks, the RCA label mainstay serves up fresh versions of "The Lonely Bull," "Rainy Night in Georgia," and "Dream a Little Dream of Me."
Living Colour, Cult of Personality EP (Epic) (iTunes / Amazon)
Legacy celebrates Living Colour's top 20 hit - the New York band's biggest hit on the Hot 100 - with this seven-song EP featuring the original hit plus a live version, two versions of "What's Your Favorite Color," a live "MIddle Man," the studio take of "Should I Stay or Should I Go," and the Funky Vibe Mix of "Funny Vibe."
Matt Dennis, She Dances Overhead (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon)
Today, Matt Dennis might be best known as a songwriter of such classics as "Angel Eyes," "Everything Happens to Me," and "The Night We Called It a Day." But Dennis was also a talented singer and pianist, as evidenced by this 1954 collection of Rodgers and Hart standards on which he's joined by Harry Geller's Orchestra. Tunes include "Mountain Greenery," "Isn't It Romantic," "Nobody's Heart," "Blue Moon," and "I Married an Angel."
Leave a Reply