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. Remixes from icons in Ireland and Australia, a rare gospel classic and a new, catchy tune from a Disney theme park are part of our latest round-up!
U2, If God Will Send His Angels (Island/UMO) (iTunes / Amazon)
The latest in U2's digital backfill campaign is - surprise! - another single from Pop, backed with a handful of B-sides including a guest appearance from Willie Nelson. (There is still one more single from the album they haven't touched, for the curious; we'll see what happens.)
INXS, "What You Need" (Cold Cut Mix) (Petrol/Atlantic) (iTunes / Amazon)
Ironically a part of the original All Juiced Up compilation in 1994, this 1990 remix of the mid-'80s favorite "What You Need" is INXS' latest rare remix to be included in the digital All Juiced Up Part 2 campaign.
Reba Rambo, Dreamin' (2024 Remaster) (Greentree) (iTunes / Amazon)
A boundary pusher in the late '70s and early '80s contemporary Christian music scene, Reba Rambo combined lyrics of faith with very accessible pop and R&B melodies and production. Dreamin', her eighth album, fourth and final for the Greentree label, and one of her last before pivoting toward more traditional sacred music as part of Rambo McGuire with then-husband Dony McGuire, is now digitally available for the first time, sporting a new remaster by engineer Greg Hand and a new cover by Second Disc Records mainstay John Sellards. (Lock into our friend Tim Dillinger's God's Music is My Life for more info about the album, with an interview with Rambo about the album to drop next week!)
James, 1998 Singles and B-Sides (Mercury/EMI) (iTunes / Amazon)
After a months-long gap, James' streaming series of non-LP sides continues with the contents of the singles "Destiny Calling" and "Runaground," both released to promote their U.K. chart-topping first greatest hits album in 1998.
Leo Kottke, A Shout Toward Noon (Private Music) (iTunes / Amazon)
The celebrated folk guitarist's 13th studio album marked a number of transitions: not only was he recording for a new label (the New Age outfit Private Music, after stints on Capitol and Chrysalis), he shifted his sound significantly, modifying his fingerpicked style after developing tendinitis that kept him off the scene for several years. The result is a muted, more reflective affair, augmenting guitar with synthesizer textures.
Elephants Memory, Angels Forever (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon)
This 1974 album by Elephants Memory - their second to last - followed a lengthy tenure backing both John Lennon (Sometime in New York City) and Yoko Ono (Approximately Infinite Universe).
Anika Noni Rose, Special Spice (Music from "Tiana's Bayou Adventure") (Walt Disney Records) (iTunes / Amazon)
One last treat for our Disney fans out there: Walt Disney World is set to welcome its latest attraction later this month and have released a song from the ride. Tiana's Bayou Adventure continues the story of the 2009 favorite The Princess and the Frog in a rethemed version of what was originally the log flume Splash Mountain. For the New Orleans-themed attraction, a new song was commissioned from one of the city's most notable working musicians: PJ Morton, a five-time Grammy winner for his eclectic solo catalogue (and, since 2010, a member of pop/rock band Maroon 5). The catchy "Special Spice" features vocals from Anika Noni Rose, returning to the role of Tiana after more than a decade.
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