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. More late period Prince is released from The Vault, plus a new Barbra Streisand single, future Bandcamp Friday favorites, cuts from new Broadway cast recordings and more! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Prince, "Magnificent" (NPG/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon)
The Musicology 20th anniversary celebration continues with the digital release of another Prince rarity from The Vault! "Magnificent" was issued as part of The Artist's NPG Music Club as a "virtual B-side" to the album's title track. It's now being released commercially for the first time.
INXS, "Searching" (Alex Reece Drum 'n' Bass Mix) (Petrol/Atlantic) (iTunes / Amazon)
The latest All Juiced Up Part 2 remix - of 1997's "Searching," the last INXS single released in frontman Michael Hutchence's lifetime - now digitally completes the fourth of nine planned 12" singles in the series.
Birdfeeder, Woodstock (Soul Selects) (iTunes / Bandcamp)
Next week (May 4) is the 40th Bandcamp Friday, and it's worth using this space to share some of our favorite recent indie releases from artists we love! We already shared the lead single to Birdfeeder's Woodstock, a supergroup record consisting of Miracle Legion/Polaris' Mark Mulcahy on vocals/drums, Three Colors/Band of Changes' Chris Harford on guitar and bass, and producer/engineer/mixer/guitarist Kevin Salem. Now, all these songs - written and demoed in the '90s and almost entirely re-recorded here - are available digitally or on vinyl.
RINSE feat. Hatchie, Kiss Me (Kill Me) (Cohort) (iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp)
Another great single on Bandcamp and elsewhere: the latest from RINSE, a shimmering shoegaze project by Australian singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Joe Agius. "Kiss Me (Kill Me)," like RINSE's terrific "Back Into Your Arms," is a duet with Agius' creative partner and wife, singer/bassist Harriette Pilbeam, who records great albums of her own under the name Hatchie.
Barbra Streisand, Love Will Survive (from The Tattooist of Auschwitz) (Columbia) (iTunes / Amazon)
Any new music from La Streisand is always an event - and "Love Will Survive" is no exception. This haunting ballad from the Sky/Peacock series The Tattooist of Auschwitz (based on the novel by Heather Morris) was written by a true A-team: Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Dune), Charlie Midnight ("Living in America," "How Do You Stop"), Kara Talve (The Simpsons), and Walter Afanasieff ("All I Want for Christmas Is You," "One Sweet Day"), and produced by Afanasieff and the legendary Peter Asher. William Ross conducts the London Symphony Orchestra on the sweeping orchestration.
Here We Are Orchestra, Here We Are: Exit Music (Concord Theatricals) (iTunes / Amazon)
On May 17, Concord Theatricals releases the Original Cast Recording of Here We Are, the final musical to feature music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. (David Ives penned the book.) Bucking the recent trend of most cast recordings releasing digitally in advance of physical availability, both the CD and digital album drop the same day. (A vinyl edition is due in September.) So why shouldn't the altogether adventurous Here We Are buck another trend, too? Instead of releasing a vocal track from one of its many stars (David Hyde Pierce, Steven Pasquale, Denis O'Hare, Rachel Bay Jones, Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, and Jeremy Shamos comprise the illustrious cast) to preview the release, the label has opted to share the "Exit Music." And what a track it is! With Alex Gemignani conducting a 14-piece orchestra playing Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations, the piece is quintessential Sondheim - a lively mélange of his richly melodic themes for the show, with humor and tension both in good measure. For those who didn't see Here We Are, this is quite the tasty appetizer. For those who did, it's a poignant reminder of a singular show.
Original Broadway Cast, Water for Elephants: "Wild" / "Silver Stars" (Ghostlight) (iTunes / Amazon)
Also on May 17, Ghostlight Records will release the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Water for Elephants to all digital platforms, with a CD planned for later this year. Today, Ghostlight premieres two choice tracks from the album of the circus-themed musical with a folk-tinged score by the PigPen Theatre Co.: the soaring "Wild," performed by Grant Gustin (TV's The Flash) and Isabelle McCalla (The Prom, Shucked); and Gustin's moving "Silver Stars." The musical with a book by Rick Elice (based on the novel by Sara Gruen) is currently packing houses at The Imperial Theatre on Broadway.
Matt Dennis, Dennis, Anyone? / Dave Garroway Presents Some of My Favorites (RCA Victor)
Dennis, Anyone?: iTunes / Amazon
Some of My Favorites: iTunes / Amazon
Legacy has recently been restoring singer-songwriter Matt Dennis' RCA long-players to print in digital formats. 1955's punningly-titled Dennis, Anyone? finds the singer tickling the ivories as he leads a quartet through twelve originals including "Relax," "Too Late for Love," and "A Thousand Years Ago." Dave Garroway Presents Some of My Favorites pairs four Dennis tracks with four by vibraphonist Red Norvo's Sextet. (Garroway, of course, was the first host of NBC's still-running Today. He hosted between 1952 and 1961.)
Tim Dillinger, Love is on My Mind (20th Anniversary Edition) (Imagination Fury Arts) (iTunes / Amazon)
Tim Dillinger wears many hats: singer, songwriter, soul and gospel historian/blogger (visit him at God's Music is My Life), and producer-writer; in the latter capacity, we're thrilled that Tim recently teamed with The Second Disc and SoulMusic Records for Taana Gardner's When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings and Loleatta Holloway's We're Getting Stronger: The Gold/Mind Salsoul Recordings (1976-1982)...more on that one soon! Now, Tim has returned to his own discography with the digital reissue of his debut album, Love is on My Mind, in a special 20th anniversary edition. Inspired by a wide range of artists including Reba Rambo, Teena Marie, Sylvester, Philip Bailey, and Ntozake Shange, Love is on My Mind is a deeply personal yet universal statement of tremendous soul and spirit. Don't miss out: it's been remastered and expanded with bonus remixes and demos for this celebratory release.
Avi says
Hello! I noticed that Sheena Easton's trio of singles from A Private Heaven were added to streaming this month: Strut, Sugar Walls, and Swear. All mixes and B-sides appeared on the 2022 deluxe edition of A Private Heaven, but a few are making their streaming debut, and they sound fantastic! Of interest is the TV Mix of Sugar Walls, which is previously unreleased - but will appear on the forthcoming vinyl reissue of A Private Heaven.