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 has another rare track by Prince, promo for the new Beach Boys documentary, a powerful new remix by a legendary diva and more!
Prince, "Silver Tongue" (NPG/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon)
A third Musicology-era rarity has landed digitally, following "United States of Division" and "Magnificent." "Silver Tongue" was a "virtual B-side" to "Call My Name" from the 2004 album, a rare co-write between The Artist and singer Nikka Costa, who penned the lyrics. Like "United States," "Silver Tongue" was newly remixed for this release.
The Beach Boys, The Beach Boys: Music from the Documentary (Capitol/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon)
Directors Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny's Disney+ documentary The Beach Boys released its soundtrack as a digital-only album. The 35-song, 90-minute release is culled from various BBs reissues over the years, with various live and studio versions of almost every song, many in recent remixes. Most of the Boys' classics are here in one form or another along with a smattering of material that would be lesser known to a general audience ("A Day in the Life of a Tree," "Here She Comes," the SMiLE Sessions version of "You're Welcome"). It's a good and varied listen - although like the documentary, it ends after the Boys' first two decades - and it's one that doesn't offer anything new for collectors beyond Stephen Sanchez's new song "Baby Blue Bathing Suit" (which has no Beach Boys involvement). Despite closing the documentary over the end credits, "Kokomo" (outside of the film's chronological span) is also conspicuously absent. Even if longtime aficionados likely hoped for something more, The Beach Boys has good vibrations to spare.
Mariah Carey, "Portrait" (Epic) (iTunes / Amazon)
The pop legend just released an episode of the Audible series Words + Music entitled "Portrait of a Portrait," in which she shares insight on her songwriting process (recall that she's co-written many of her smash hits) through the lens of "Portrait," the introspective closing track to her most recent album, 2018's Caution. A further commemoration of the episode is a new extended house re-imagining of the track, the "Hopeful Child Remix" - which stretches to a whopping 16 minutes! (Two edits are also included.) Our friend and colleague Andrew Martone has written a great piece placing the new mixes in the context of Mariah's remix career, which is worth a read.
Peggy Lee, From the Vaults Vol. 2 (Capitol/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon)
Capitol issues the second of four From the Vaults compilations combing the Peggy Lee archives for tracks not yet on streaming services. Once all four volumes have been released, Miss Lee's entire catalogue of Universal masters - encompassing stints at Capitol, Decca, A&M, and Polydor - should be streaming. These 12 Capitol tracks date from 1948 to 1951 and include Lee's own "Happy Music," co-written with her first husband, Dave Barbour; "You Can Have Him" from Irving Berlin's Miss Liberty; "He's Only Wonderful" from Sammy Fain and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg's Flahooley; and the movie tune "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" from the 20th Century-Fox picture Come to the Stable.
INXS, "Burn for You" (Extended Remix) (Petrol/Atlantic) (iTunes / Amazon)
Another vintage INXS 12" - the extension of The Swing single "Burn for You" - gets the digital treatment for All Juiced Up Part 2.
The Jazz Piano Quartet, Let It Happen (RCA Victor) (iTunes / Amazon)
In 1974, RCA brought together four leading jazz pianists - Dick Hyman, Marian McPartland, Roland Hanna, and Hank Jones - to showcase quadraphonic sound: Hyman in the left front channel, Hank Jones in the right front, McPartland in the left rear, and Hanna in the right rear. The Jazz Piano Quartet's Let It Happen let the foursome loose on classic pop standards ("Here's That Rainy Day," "Lover, Come Back to Me," "How High the Moon"), jazz classics (Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage," Duke Ellington's "Warm Valley"), and even a dash of Motown (Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"). While the session doesn't shine quite as brightly in this stereo reissue - wouldn't a true four-channel release be nice! - the musicianship, skill, and sheer verve of these four players is undeniable.
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