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 EPs from Duran Duran, rarities from Alanis Morissette and a tribute to an '80s jukebox musical are part of the fun this Saturday morning!
Duran Duran, My Own Way / Hungry Like the Wolf / Save a Prayer / Rio EPs (Parlophone/Rhino)
My Own Way: iTunes / Amazon
Hungry: iTunes / Amazon
Save a Prayer: iTunes / Amazon
Rio: iTunes / Amazon
Ahead of Duran Duran's classic '80s albums getting reissued on CD, another batch of digital EPs appears, covering the singles from 1982's Rio. Though generous with B-sides, remixes and rarities, they're a bit confusing: they offer bonus tracks from both the box set The Singles 81-85 and the controversial expanded remasters from 2009-2010, along with some easy-to-find album tracks and even a few oddly repeated cuts. (The Rio EP also ended up under the albums tag on Duran's Apple Music page instead of singles and EPs.) It's, at the very least, a just-OK presentation of some certifiably classic material.
Alanis Morissette, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (Thank U Edition) (Maverick) (iTunes / Amazon)
The Canadian singer-songwriter's 1998 follow-up to the juggernaut Jagged Little Pill turns 25 this year and will be reissued on vinyl later in the year. Meanwhile, a digital deluxe edition with a new cover adds five bonus tracks: B-sides "These Are the Thoughts" and "Pollyanna Flower," a previously released demo of City of Angels soundtrack favorite "Uninvited," the outtake "Death of Cinderella" and a new Freemasons remix of "Uninvited."
Vanity, Skin on Skin (Motown) (iTunes / Amazon)
Other than the Purple Rain Atmos mix, a tangentially Prince-related digital release has happened: the second and final solo album by Vanity, Prince's former paramour and the leader of girl group Vanity 6 made its way to streaming. The Purple One was not associated with her solo career, though a team of solid session players (including a relatively unknown Robbie Nevil) were on hand to help her out. (Thanks to reader Damien for tipping us off to this one.)
Thomas Dolby, The Flat Earth (40th Anniversary Edition) (Echo/BMG) (iTunes / Amazon)
Dolby's follow-up to 1982 breakthrough The Golden Age of Wireless featured "Hyperactive!" - a bigger U.K. hit than signature song "She Blinded Me with Science." This 40th anniversary reissue is loaded with B-sides, rarities and demos - even more than the previous CD reissue from 2009.
Jerry Vale, Jerry Vale's World (Columbia) (iTunes / Amazon)
Gennaro Louis Vitaliano (1930-2014), a.k.a. Jerry Vale, was one of the most romantic of the bel canto crooners. Among his biggest fans was Martin Scorsese, who frequently used his classic songs in films and even cast Vale in Goodfellas and Casino. The Bronx-born, Italian-American singer frequently championed Italian songs on such LPs as I Have But One Heart (1962) and Arrivederci, Roma (1963), just two of the roughly 40 albums he released during his two-decade tenure at Columbia Records. Following his 1973 studio album Free As the Wind, Vale departed the label, but in 1974, Columbia issued Jerry Vale's World, rounding up 11 then-recent tracks that had never previously appeared on an album. Derived from sessions produced by Billy Sherrill, Mike Berniker, Wally Gold, and Ernie Altschuler, the collection features pop (Carole Bayer Sager and George Fischoff's "Mister Good Time"), standards ("I Feel a Song Comin' On," "The Song is You"), and country ("I Found You (Just in Time)"), all rendered in Vale's signature smooth style.
Various Artists, Parting Gift: The Songs of Gerald Ginsburg (PS Classics) (iTunes / Amazon)
The PS Classics label unveils a beautiful and unexpected new collection of songs by the late composer Gerald Ginsburg. After an acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut in 1974, Ginsburg all but disappeared, a victim of self-doubt. Upon his death in 2019, his archive was opened to reveal that he had continued to write and compose, even if he kept the music to himself. Parting Gift shares his settings of poems by e.e. cummings, W.B. Yeats, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Langston Hughes, and other renowned poets, as orchestrated by such luminaries as EGOT winner Jonathan Tunick (who picked up his latest Tony Award on Sunday for Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along), Sondheim associate Michael Starobin, Larry Hochman, Doug Besterman, Chris Jahnke, and John Baxindine, among others. Producer and PS Classics co-founder Tommy Krasker enlisted an A-list of Broadway stars to bring Ginsburg's melodies to life, including Kelli O'Hara (Days of Wine and Roses), Patti Murin (Frozen), Colin Donnell (The Shark is Broken), Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Jason Danieley (Pretty Woman), PS Classics co-founder Philip Chaffin, and many more. Richard Carsey conducts the 17-piece orchestra. This beguiling collection is out now digitally and July 12 on CD.
Euel Box, Benji (Epic) (iTunes / Amazon)
Previously a composer for television commercials, Euel Box's biggest break came with the score to the 1974 independent film about a lovable, helpful mutt named Benji, which would spawn decades of sequels. Charlie Rich lent his voice to the film's theme song, "I Feel Love," which won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Various Artists, The Heart of Rock and Roll (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (Joy Machine Records LLC) (iTunes / Amazon)
Finally, Second Disc HQ has to shout out the cast, crew and creative team that got The Heart of Rock and Roll to its three-month run on Broadway. Despite the absolute ubiquity of Huey Lewis and The News' catalogue of songs, maybe fitting them into a jukebox musical seemed like a tall order for most fans. But days ahead of its closing tonight, I found a rapt audience taking advantage of one of the last performances of a silly, campy, simple story with a goofy but heartfelt tone, just like some of the best of Lewis' hits. And boy, were there hits and a lot of deeper cuts, to boot, now and forever still beatin' on this cast album. If you're lucky to get this as a regional show someday, take a chance - you won't regret it.
Robert says
Huey Lewis and the News’ “The Only One” always sounded like the story to a musical. Maybe the show will tour.