Features / The Weekend Stream

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Nine Inch Nails returns to The Grid, plus a trio of soundtracks from an electronica icon, rarities from The New Christy Minstrels, Wynn Stewart, Vince Guaraldi and others, plus some tributes to artists we’ve lost and a TSD-related onstage production you don’t want to miss!

Nine Inch Nails, TRON Ares: Divergence (The Null Corporation/Walt Disney Records/Interscope) (Apple / Amazon)

A complete surprise release from Friday, this is a new expansion of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ soundtrack (issued under Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails alias) to last year’s third installment of Disney’s sci-fi cult series TRON (arguably, the high point of the film). It includes 20 additional score tracks and remixes of tracks like the Grammy-winning “As Alive As You Need Me to Be.” (CD and vinyl versions are forthcoming.)

BT, Go (Motion Picture Score) / Driven (Original Motion Picture Score) / The Fast and the Furious (Original Motion Picture Score) (Binary Acoustics)

Go: Apple / Amazon
Driven: Apple / Amazon
Fast: Apple / Amazon

Electronica pioneer Brian Transeau parlayed his early success into a phase recording film scores. His first assignment was 1999’s  black comedy Go, and in 2001 he’d score two movies about cars moving extremely quickly: the Sylvester Stallone racing flop Driven, and the slick action film The Fast and the Furious, which improbably spun off one of Universal Studios’ most enduring franchises of the 21st century (10 films, with an 11th and final scheduled for 2028; six seasons of a Netflix animated spinoff and multiple theme park rides). Almost none of these scores were ever released aside from a few stray tracks on the films’ various artist soundtracks; Transeau has confirmed a digital release of his second score, 2000’s Gene Hackman/Morgan Freeman thriller Under Suspicion, is forthcoming as well.

Matchbox Twenty, The North B-Sides (Atlantic/Rhino) (Apple / Amazon)

The ’90s/’00s hitmakers were mostly on pause as the 21st century got going, with frontman Rob Thomas embarking on a successful solo career. A decade after the release of third album More Than You Think You Are in 2002, Matchbox Twenty came together for a chart-topping LP that featured their last Top 40 hit, the catchy “She’s So Mean.” These five tracks from the North sessions were doled out on various deluxe, ex-U.S. and retail-specific packages and are joined together here for the first time since a 2022 vinyl box set included them as part of a bonus disc. (A press blast from Rhino indicates the band will reconvene this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their blockbuster debut Yourself or Someone Like You.)

The Doors, Live in Copenhagen (Elektra/Rhino) (Apple / Amazon)

Released by Rhino last November for Record Store Day Black Friday, this is the debut official release of The Doors’ “spiritual communion” recorded in Denmark in 1968.

The New Christy Minstrels, In Person (Expanded Edition) (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)

The second album by the Christys (and first since their breakthrough television debut on The Andy Williams Show) is generously expanded with seven unreleased bonus tracks, including unearthed live performances from The Troubadour in Los Angeles. We’ll be posting extensive digital liner notes on this release next week!

The Ink Spots, Street of Dreams (Expanded Edition) / Time Out for Tears (Expanded Edition) (Decca/Geffen/UMe)

Street: Apple / Amazon
Time: Apple / Amazon

Two unexpected expansions from the beloved early pop vocal group The Ink Spots, featuring a total of four bonus rare tracks. 1955’s Street of Dreams featured a version of their well-known “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire,” famous to young folks for its use in the Fallout series of video games and Prime Video spinoff.

Patty Smyth, Never Enough (Expanded Edition) (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)

After breaking through as the voice of Scandal (“Goodbye to You,” “The Warrior”), Patty Smyth released her solo debut in 1987, featuring contributions from Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian of The Hooters (who co-wrote several tracks including the title song) as well as a cover of Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train,” which Rod Stewart would take to improbable heights around the decade’s end. This new expansion features three single versions and a cut from the soundtrack to Caddyshack II.

Nina Simone, Take Care of Business (Solomun Mix) (Verve) (Apple / Amazon)

Verve has long been unafraid to experiment with dance mixes of its catalogue tracks, so here’s a Nina Simone cut recast by Bosnian-German DJ Solomun.

James Brown, I’m Black and I’m Proud – Say It Loud (Carl Cox Techno Remix) (Republic/UMe) (Apple / Amazon)

Another remix of a signature track  for the Godfather of Soul, from the same producer who did one a few weeks ago.

Ween, Paintin’ the Town Brown (Ween Live ’90-’98) (Rhino) (Apple / Amazon)

Following the redelivery of Ween releases from Rhino (ahead of a batch of physical product), Rhino’s added another to the pile: the 2CD live anthology Paintin’ the Town Brown.

Wynn Stewart, Atlantic Singles (Atlantic/Rhino) (Apple / Amazon)

Stewart, a progenitor of the Bakersfield sound, was known for his tenure on Capitol (who released his country chart-topper “It’s Such a Pretty World Today”), plus time with RCA Victor and even the Playboy label, who released his last Top 10, “After the Storm,” in 1976. But he had a brief dalliance in 1974 with Atlantic Records, who released only “Why Don’t You Come to Me,” backed with “When.” This EP – another winner from our pals at SuperVisible Multi Media! – includes not only those tracks but a further two unissued ones, which debuted in 2000 on the long-deleted Bear Family box set Wishful Thinking.

The Bell Sisters, RCA Singles (RCA/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)

Another welcome SuperVisible add for early pop fans: sisters Cynthia and Edith Strother (recording under their mother’s maiden name) were a darling of RCA Victor’s roster in the early, pre-Billboard Hot 100 1950s. This 19-track collection includes their Top 10s “Bermuda,” “Wheel of Fortune” and “Piece A-Puddin’,” the latter a duet with beloved nightclub/radio singer Phil Harris (known to kids of multiple generations as the voice of Baloo in Disney’s The Jungle Book and Thomas O’Malley the alley cat in the studio’s The Aristocats.

Mac Davis, Forever Lovers (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

A writer of late period hits and favorites for Elvis Presley (“Memories,” “In the Ghetto”), Mac Davis parlayed that windfall into a singing career of his own, best known for the 1972 chart-topper “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me.” Forever Lovers was released toward the end of his Columbia tenure, and his last LP for that label to hit the all-genre Billboard 200.

David Houston, What a Night (Epic) (Apple / Amazon)

A decade removed from his signature country hit “Amost Persuaded” (which topped Billboard‘s genre chart), What a Night capped David Houston’s lengthy tenure on Epic Records.

Harold Bradley, Misty Guitar (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

Harold Bradley, a certified member of Nashville’s “A-Team” collective of session greats, lent his guitar skills as a bandleader for three LPs on Columbia Records. The first, 1963’s Misty Guitar, is now streaming.

Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, From All Sides (Remastered 2026) (Fantasy/Craft) (Apple / Amazon)

Jazz piano legend Vince Guaraldi followed his first album of material devoted to Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang with a sturdy 1965 offering of Latin jazz, augmenting his trio to Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete. Highlights include the immortal “The Girl from Ipanema,” “A Taste of Honey” and “Menino Pequeno de Bateria,” a riff on “The Little Drummer Boy” that inspired Guaraldi’s approach to the track on that year’s A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Wes Montgomery, Full House (Remastered 2026) (Riverside/Craft) (Apple / Amazon)

Recorded live at the Berkeley, CA club Tsubo in 1962 (shortly before its transformation into the psych-folk hub The Jabberwock, a breeding ground for Country Joe and The Fish), Full House finds guitarist Montgomery backed by some heavy hitters: Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Wynton Kelly on piano and the rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb.

Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, El Conde (Remastered 2026) / Este Negro Sí Es Sabroso (Remastered 2026) (Fania/Craft)

El Conde: Apple / Amazon
Este Negro: Apple / Amazon

Cheo Feliciano, The Singer (Remastered 2026) / Mi tierra y yo (Remastered 2026) (Fania/Craft)

The Singer: Apple/ Amazon
Mi tierra: Apple / Amazon

The spirit of Fania is forever, as evidenced by these remastered four mid-’70s albums from the celebrated salsa/tropical label, sung by two of Puerto Rico’s finest.

Nick Miller, “Moneypenny” (self-released) (Bandcamp)

Brooklyn singer/songwriter and friend of TSD Nick Miller has just released this reflective track, an instrumental piano elegy recorded in the wake of his mother’s recent passing. All proceeds from the song will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

PASSINGS

TSD is shocked and saddened by the passing of Neil Sedaka (1939-2026) yesterday. Sedaka was a one-in-a-million songwriter who transcended the Brill Building, penning bouncy hits for himself (“Calendar Girl,” “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”) and others (Connie Francis’ “Stupid Cupid”) in the ’60s. After a fallow period, he enjoyed a second wave of success, recording with the likes of 10cc and longtime fan Elton John (who secured him a deal with his Rocket label), leading to yet more hits for himself (“Laughter in the Rain,” “Bad Blood”) and others (Andy Williams’ “Solitaire,” The Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together”). He remained a beloved living legend right up to the end. Joe will post a full eulogy next week.

News of the death of Willie Colón (1950-2026) broke hours after last Saturday’s column was published. A teenager when he signed to the Fania label, Colón was a pioneer of salsa music, advancing the sonic parameters of the genre as a trombonist, singer and arranger; his songcraft fused the sounds of his native Puerto Rico as well as his home turf in The Bronx, offering a savvy dialogue between the two worlds, uneasily simmering in America’s melting pot. Though his late-in-life beliefs included political opinions that seemed at odds with his initial personal mission, his impact is impossible to deny. Fania will livestream a tribute to his work, embedded above, at 3 p.m. EST this afternoon.

DON’T MISS IT!

There’s still time to get your tickets for Once in a Lifetime: A Sammy Davis, Jr. Centennial Celebration, a special encore presentation at New York cabaret 54 Below of last year’s tribute to the Rat Pack legend and extraordinary song and dance man. With a stellar cast anchored by Blinky Williams, the musical direction of Michael Lavine and production by our own Joe Marchese and TSD friend/Motown historian Andy Skurow, this is something you won’t want to miss. Limited in-person tickets are still available, and you can also buy the option to livestream it at home!

FINALLY…

If you’ll forgive the self-indulgence, today is a very special day around TSD HQ. Mike’s twin daughters turn two years old on February 28, and they’re constantly wowing him with their boundless energy and easygoing tenderness. Reissues and box sets are fun, sure – but nothing has equalled the highs of these last 24 months, watching two young lives grow in ways that unlock magic out of mundanity. I doubt they’ll ever read this, but to R. Rainbow and B. Bear, Dada loves you immensely and is so excited to party with our friends and family today, maybe even squeezing in some Motown or Muppets (two musical ideas they’ve taken to!) in between another rendition of “The Wheels on the Bus” or “Old McDonald.”