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. We've got some early classics in Atmos from England's not-so-newest hitmakers, a soundtrack to a classic Tom Petty streaming feature, and new tracks from some of our favorite women in pop and rock!
The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones EP / The Rolling Stones (U.K.) / England's Newest Hit Makers / Five by Five EP / 12 X 5 / The Rolling Stones No. 2 / The Rolling Stones, Now! / Let It Bleed (Atmos Mixes) (ABKCO)
EP: Apple / Amazon
U.K.: Apple / Amazon
Newest: Apple / Amazon
Five by Five: Apple / Amazon
12 X 5: Apple / Amazon
No. 2: Apple / Amazon
Now!: Apple / Amazon
Let It Bleed: Apple / Amazon
Six early LPs and two EPs from The Rolling Stones are now available in Dolby Atmos, offering new immersive mixes of much of the group's early blues covers as well as their 1969 classic album featuring the originals "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want."
Tom Petty, Heartbreakers Beach Party: The Soundtrack (Geffen/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon)
Last year, to promote the expanded reissue of Long After Dark, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' MTV special Heartbreakers Beach Party - the directorial debut of Rolling Stone journalist-turned-Hollywood hotshot Cameron Crowe - was released to theaters for the first time. Now, the special is streaming on Paramount+, and there's a digital soundtrack to go with it, offering studio versions of Petty's biggest hits to that time as well as tracks from Long After Dark and its bonus disc.
Chappell Roan, "The Giver" (Amusement/Island) (iTunes / Amazon)
Last year was unquestionably the year of Chappell Roan. The Missouri-born singer was just 26 when her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess (released in 2023 to little fanfare) suddenly became a sensation. Roan's expressive voice, songwriting gifts and dazzling stage presence (complete with eye-catching costumes) helped her become the most talked-about musician on the scene, with buzzy performances at the Coachella and Lollapalooza festivals, seven hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (including the Top 10 "Pink Pony Club," a song nearly rejected by former label Atlantic Records, who dumped it digitally in the summer of 2020 before dropping her; plus the dance smash "Hot to Go!" and another Top 10 non-album single, "Good Luck, Babe!") and a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. When Roan played Saturday Night Live last year, in addition to a stunning rendition of "Pink Pony Club" that had the audience singing along (something rarely, if never, seen on the 50-year-old show), she debuted a queer country banger called "The Giver," which finally makes its debut in studio form. Whether it's part of a larger project or not remains to be seen, but it won't be a surprise to see this one surge up the charts.
HAIM, "Relationships" (Columbia) (iTunes / Amazon)
It's shaping up to be another summer with a HAIM album in tow. The sisterly California-born trio are poised to issue their as-yet untitled fourth album - the follow-up to 2020's Grammy-nominated Women in Music, Pt. III - and have just launched the first single, a celebration of being single. (The album is slated to be their first without the contributions of producer Ariel Rechtshaid, who dated lead singer Danielle Haim for nine years; former Vampire Weekend guitarist Rostam Batmanglij, who was heavily involved in WIMPIII, returns as their chief collaborator.)
The Doobie Brothers, "Learn to Let Go" (Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon)
The Doobies have released a fourth preview track from their upcoming album Walk This Road, due in June from Rhino. Written by Michael McDonald and album co-producer John Shanks, this slice of pure blue-eyed soul is led by McDonald in imitable fashion.
Maybe Happy Ending: Original Broadway Cast Recording (Ghostlight) (iTunes / Amazon)
The original cast recording of Broadway's most enchanting new musical arrives today in digital formats, with CD and LP releases to follow later this spring. Maybe Happy Ending, with a book and score by Will Aronson and Hue Park, stars Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen as two robots nearing obsolescence who embark on an amazing adventure. Tender, funny, and ultimately moving, the show directed by Michael Arden has become one of Broadway's biggest hits; its quirky and touching score has been favorably compared to both Stephen Sondheim and Burt Bacharach. Hear for yourself on this 26-track album which preserves the complete score and one bonus track.
I have seen Maybe Happy Ending twice. The first time I was teary eyed. The second time I was openly crying. This is such a gorgeous show. If you are in the NYC area, please see it. If not, at least listen to the beautiful songs.
A totally original Broadway musical is a rarity on Broadway these days. Maybe Happy Ending is that rarity.
I've only sampled a little bit of the Atmos Stones mixes, but they aren't impressive. Comments I've read about them elsewhere are very critical. It's sad that, like Sting/The Police, such a major act could have such uninspired surround sound mixes.