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 got comebacks aplenty: new songs from Squeeze and Robyn, old favorites from Art in America, Jim Reeves and Outkast; a whole ton of jazz and a toast to an unsung hero of the early rock and roll years.
Squeeze, "Trixies, Pt. 1" (Love/BMG) (Apple / Amazon)
As speculated last week, Squeeze have a new album coming through BMG! Trixies, due March 6, is a loose concept album built from 13 songs that band founders Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook penned near the start of their partnership, as teenagers in the mid-'70s. The first part of the album-closing title track is the lead single.
Art in America, Art in America (John Luongo Management Recordings) (Apple / Amazon)
An art-rock force to be reckoned with in the heady, early days of MTV, Art in America - siblings Chris (vocals/lead guitar), Dan (drums/percussion) and Shishonee Flynn (pedal harp) and Jim Kuha (bass, 12-string guitar) - recently paired with Iconoclassic Records to both release the new album Rise and reissue their 1983 debut with two unreleased live bonus tracks. That debut is now digitally available - but the CD makes a tremendous holiday gift for any progressive rock enthusiast you know.
Robyn, "Dopamine" (Konichiwa/Young) (Apple / Amazon)
Swedish singer Robyn's sleek dance-pop has captivated audiences for nearly 30 years and counting, from early Top 10 hits "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love" to the decade-defining songs of 2010's Body Talk ("Dancing on My Own," "Call Your Girlfriend"). Now, more than seven years after her most recent work, the acclaimed Honey (2018), it sounds like she's got a new album coming out, working again with producer Klas Ahlund (and "Dynamite" singer/songwriter Taio Cruz!) on its first track, the upbeat yet contemplative "Dopamine."
Queen, "Who Wants to Live Forever (Stranger Things Remix)" (Hollywood) (Apple / Amazon)
The fifth and final season of the popular Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things starts this month. With the show's 1980s setting a source of its popularity - the fourth season, airing in 2022 even made a Top 10 hit out of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" - there's always been an appetite for its song syncs. and the trailer to this season includes a remix of Queen's Highlander classic "Who Wants to Live Forever," integrating the group's vocals and Michael Kamen's incredible orchestral arrangement with Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon's famous synth-driven series theme.
Outkast, Stankonia (25th Anniversary) (LaFace/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)
The album that helped Atlanta duo Big Boi and Andre 3000 cross over into new commercial heights turned 25 in October, and was celebrated with this new digital deluxe edition, an upgrade on a previous digital reissue five years ago. It includes the original album (including "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)" - Mike's pick for favorite single of the 2000s - "So Fresh, So Clean" and the chart-topping "Ms. Jackson") plus two rare studio tracks, six remixes and a rare, alternate cover.
Jim Reeves, Jim Reeves (Expanded Edition) (RCA/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)
Gentleman Jim's fourth album (and third for RCA Victor) was a conscious effort to market his Nashville sound to a more pop-facing audience, with early-to-midcentury ballads like "My Happiness" and "You Belong to Me." This edition - part of SuperVisible Multi Media's ongoing work with the Reeves estate - includes nine bonus tracks including the non-album single "Four Walls," Reeve's third-ever song to top Billboard's country chart.
Mötley Crüe, Theatre of Pain (40th Anniversary) (BMG) (Apple / Amazon)
The Crüe's transition from straightforward metal to Sunset Strip glam started on this 1985 release, featuring a Top 20 cover of Brownsville Station's "Smokin' in the Boys Room" and the fan favorite ballad "Home Sweet Home." A previously reissued album, this version has six rare live cuts from the period.
Roy Ayers, Secrets of the Sun (Verve/UMe) (Apple / Amazon)
A killer tribute to the neo-soul pioneer, Secrets of the Sun combines four remixes of cuts created by Dennis "ROC.am" Jones with four previously unreleased recordings.
Lionel Hampton, Oh Rock! (Verve) (Apple / Amazon)
Making its digital debut - it's never been released on its own on CD - is a 1955 10" collection offering just over half of the vibraphonist's complete recordings for the MGM label.
Art Pepper, Surf Ride (Remastered 2025) (Craft Recordings) (Apple / Amazon)
A newly remastered collection of various sessions from alto saxophonist Art Pepper, recorded between 1952 and 1954 and released on the Savoy label in 1956. (Spoiler alert: fairly little of it has to do with surfing.)
Stan Getz, Focus (Verve) (Apple / Amazon TBD)
Considered by the bandleader to be one of his best works, this 1962 cool jazz work features Getz's tenor against a suite of tunes composed by his friend, composer Eddie Sauter - all buttressed by a simple piano/bass/drum combo with a lush string section, to boot. (While not indicated in the metadata, this and the next are new remasters, lacking the two single takes of tracks from the album included on later CD reissues and recently issued as part of the Verve Vault vinyl series.)
Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery, Jimmy and Wes (The Dynamic Duo) (Verve) (Apple / Amazon)
A high-energy 1966 meeting of the minds between organist extraordinaire Smith and celebrated guitarist Montgomery, leading a large ensemble arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson.
Yellow Snow, Yellow Snow Vol. 1 (self-released) (Apple / Amazon)
The holidays are almost here, and an unexpectedly...tasty Christmas record just dropped! Yellow Snow, a project from singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Mike DiBiase, well outdoes all things Trans-Siberian with a taut and merry mix of holiday originals ("Man in Red," "Giddy Yup Santa Claus!" - the latter first heard on an episode of the hit CW Archie teen-soap Riverdale) plus hard-rock renditions of Yuletide favorites ("What's This?" from Danny Elfman's song score to The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Kinks' "Father Christmas"). DiBiase will lead his ensemble as headliner of the 8th Annual Yellow Snow Rock 'N Roll Charity Christmas Concert next December 4 at Third & Lindsley in Nashville.
Madi Diaz, Enema of the Garden State (self-released) (Bandcamp)
Indie-folk artist Madi Diaz has a killer new project available solely on Bandcamp: a stripped-down, full-album cover of Blink-182's pop-punk masterpiece Enema of the State (1999). (Diaz would play the songs to warm up during the sessions for her latest album, Fatal Optimist.) All the revenue she makes from this album will go to the Defending Our Neighbors Fund, which offers legal aid and advocacy to immigrants in the face of wrongful detention and deportation without due process currently occurring throughout countless communities in America.
Last night, reports came in that rhythm guitarist Dave Burgess passed away last month at the age of 90. Though not a household name, Burgess had a hand in one of pop's greatest instrumental singles: a signee to Gene Autry's Challenge label, he partook in a 1957 session with a hodgepodge of local session musicians to cut some tunes. The last they cut was a mambo-inspired number with a killer rhythm, a catchy saxophone lead and one word spoken three times in the song: "Tequila." Released as a single by the ad-hoc group - now known as The Champs - it topped the pop and R&B charts (also winning the first ever Grammy for Best R&B Performance) and became one of the ubiquitous early rock songs. (Lest we forget the above platform-shoed sequence from Pee-wee's Big Adventure!) Our hearts go out to Burgess and his loved ones - thanks for being part of an unforgettable song.
Q's Cues: New 'Écoutez Le Cinéma' Box Celebrates the Music of Quincy Jones
The Weekend Stream: November 22, 2025
Happy to see that Savoy is now a Concord label, and will hopefully benefit from their stellar (re)mastering team (Paul Blakemore, Joe Tarantino). The 2000’s remasters of Savoy Jazz product were uniformly awful. Can’t wait to hear what they’ve done with “Surf Ride”
The new Jim Reeves (Expanded Edition) RCA/Legacy release will surely be well-received by fans of his early recordings. Few of his individual RCA Victor albums have been re-released in the digital age although most were included within the multi-disc Bear Family box sets. The addition of non-LP bonus tracks makes this new edition even more desirable.
The RCA Victor "Jim Reeves" album was released in October 1957. It was an era when albums were viewed much differently than they are today by the music industry. Rather than including current or future single releases, most country albums from that era usually featured a variety of different material including brand new songs mixed with pop standards or vintage country songs. Single hits were usually compiled in "Best Of" or "Greatest Hit" collections. Sadly many excellent single B sides were overlooked for LP release.
The "Jim Reeves" album contained none of his recent singles. Released in October 1957 the album did not include "Four Walls" his #1 country and #11 pop hit from a few months earlier. In fact that massive hit was not included in any of Jim Reeves' albums until his 1964 "Best Of" collection. As referenced in the above review this new set has added that single as one of the nine bonus tracks.
"Am I Losing You," Jim's previous single hit [#3/March 1957] is also included. It was the first of Jim's three recordings of his most successful composition. That version was never issued on an album until the digital age. Jim's second recording of the song from January 1959 was made for his "Songs To Warm The Heart" album released in July of that year. It has mistakenly been included on multiple Jim Reeves "hit" compilations including the 1964 "Best Of Jim Reeves" set although that version was not a single release nor a chart hit. Jim's third recording of the song in August 1960 was issued as the B side of "I Missed Me" [#3/1960] and climbed to #8 on it's own merit. That version was also denied a release on any Jim Reeves album until the digital age. However it was issued on two RCA Victor various artist compilation albums in 1960 & 1963..
Years later the song was a #1 hit for Ronnie Milsap in 1981.
Two non-LP single B sides are among the bonus tracks. "I Know (And You Know)" is the flip side of "Four Walls" and "Everywhere You Go" was issued as the B side of "Anna Marie" [#3/1958]
Like the previous two Jim Reeves' releases curated by SuperVisible Multi Media all tracks have been restored to their original MONO format rather than the "electronic [fake] stereo" effect that many were subjected to on LP and some CD compilations.
Another superb reissue.