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. It may not get more eclectic than this one, folks! We’ve got catalogue classics from jazz immortals, country icons and ’80s hitmakers; new songs from legends of classic rock, R&B, adult contemporary and hip-hop; new sounds from MUNA, The Waterboys, and Crack the Sky’s John Palumbo; and a sampler of international works, from Spanish chorale to Austrian pop that won Eurovision.

George Michael, One More Try – Single (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)

The fourth hit single from George Michael’s solo debut Faith (and third U.S. No. 1!) gets its own remastered digital EP. Unlike the others, there are no major bonus tracks to speak of; the B-side is album cut “Look At Your Hands.”

The Rolling Stones, “Rough and Twisted” / “In the Stars” (Polydor) (Apple / Amazon)

The Stones are back! “Rough and Twisted” and “In the Stars” is the double A-side from the legendary group’s 25th studio album Foreign Tongues – the shortest gap between studio albums in decades. (Their last LP, Hackney Diamonds, came out just under three years ago, which about the same time between Undercover (1983) and Dirty Work (1986).) Like Hackney Diamonds, Foreign Tongues (out July 10) is produced by Andrew Watt – including some tracks that started recording during that album’s sessions – and features co-founders Mick Jagger and Keith Richards with longtime guitarist Ronnie Wood and touring members Darryl Jones (bass) and Steve Jordan (drums), the latter subbing for the late Charlie Watts at his personal request. Watts’ last recordings will feature on the album, along with guest turns from Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith of The Cure and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. (The cover art is, in Mike’s opinion, classically “so bad, it’s good.”)

Paul McCartney feat. Ringo Starr, “Home to Us” (Capitol) (Apple / Amazon)

Speaking of McCartney, there’s a new single from the nostalgic The Boys of Dungeon Lane (due out in three weeks, on May 29). Appropriately, “Home to Us” features an appearance from the other surviving Beatle, Ringo Starr.

Chaka Khan, “Chakzilla” (BMG) (Apple / Amazon)

One of R&B’s reigning queens is back with her first album since 2019’s Hello Happiness. The title track to Chakzilla, to be released September 18, was penned by Khan with writer/producers Sia and Greg Kurstin.

Barry Manilow, “Another Life (2026)” (Stiletto) (Apple / Amazon)

And here’s another single from Barry Manilow’s final album What a Time, due out next month. “Another Life” has an interesting history: Manilow first recorded the tune (written by Preston Sturges and Bucks Fizz songwriter Andy Hill) for the 1992 box set The Complete Collection…and Then Some. Barry’s recovering from a surgery to treat early stage lung cancer, which forced the postponement of concert dates in both his long-running Las Vegas residency and his ongoing farewell tour (though both are planned to resume just after the album’s release).

Mike D, “Switch Up” (Capitol) (Apple / Amazon)

Perhaps the most unexpected appearance on streamers this weekend is that of the Beastie Boys’ Mike D, who put out this solo cut yesterday (featuring production from indie duo Very Nice Person, comprised of Mike’s sons Davis and Skyler Diamond). It’s not only Mike D’s first solo track ever, but the first we’ve heard from either Diamond or Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, the surviving members of the celebrated hip-hop trio, since 2011’s Hot Sauce Committee Part Two – issued a year before Adam “MCA” Yauch died of cancer.

The Waterboys, “Don’t Even Have to Say His Name” (Chrysalis) (Apple / Amazon)

If the title and artwork to Mike Scott and company’s newest single didn’t tip its hand, the lyrics certainly will capture some of the spirit that a nonzero amount of people around the world are probably feeling about the state of things in America. There’s a far less political project of The Waterboys we’ll touch on here soon: this summer’s Atlantic Rain, a triple-album of unreleased tracks from the already well-explored sessions to 1988’s Fisherman’s Blues

MUNA, Dancing on the Wall (Saddest Factory) (Apple / Amazon / Bandcamp)

One of the best alt-pop acts out there, queer L.A.-based trio MUNA just released their fourth album, Dancing on the Wall. Produced by the band, this LP balances deeply personal lyrics about the love between friends, partners, and members of shared community with a series of sleek dance-rock tracks – a perfect playlist for crying in the club.

John Palumbo, R U SCIENCE? (Iconoclassic) (Apple / Amazon / Iconoclassic)

Best known as the voice of prog rockers Crack the Sky, John Palumbo’s newest solo album (and among the first non-catalogue releases for beloved reissue label Iconoclassic) is a striking one, evolving the CTS sound and lyrical bent with thoughtful meditations on technology and politics that sound clearheaded and relevant in today’s conversation.

Andy Partridge, Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 3 (Ape House) (Apple / Amazon)

The third of eight standard volumes of the XTC powerhouse’s demo archive, Andy Partridge’s Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 3, issued in 2003, features renditions of great deep cuts from his band (“Great Fire,” “Holly Up on Poppy”) and even a cover of The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

Motörhead, The Löst Tapes, Vol. 8 (Live At Winter Gardens, Margate, 5th Nov 1984) (BMG) (Apple / Amazon)

The latest volume of Motörhead’s live series finds the band at a unique crossroads, featuring a new quartet line-up of founder Lemmy Kilmister on vocals and bass, guitarists Phil “Wizzö” Campbell (who’d stay with the band for the rest of their tenure) and Michael “Würzel” Burston and ex-Saxon drummer Pete Gill. At the time, the band were essentially locked out of recording while in a legal dispute with their label, and took to the road, playing gigs like this hourlong U.K. set.

The John Coltrane Quartet, Africa/Brass (Impulse!) (Apple / Amazon)

Recently reissued on vinyl, John Coltrane’s Impulse! debut gets a new digital master, too. This minimalist masterpiece featured Trane’s quartet (by then consisting of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Elvin Jones) augmented with a large, unique brass-and-winds ensemble, as orchestrated by Tyner and Eric Dolphy, on three extended pieces including a take on folk standard “Greensleeves.”

Various Artists, The Bare Necessities: Songs from Classic Kids’ Movies (Warner Music/X5) (Apple / Amazon)

Here’s a fun recent collection from Warner Music’s U.K.-based X5 imprint! As the title would suggest, this collects nearly a dozen songs from nearly four decades of Walt Disney animated projects, from The Three Little Pigs and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats. They’re all presented in long-unavailable, polished pop forms, sung by respectable U.K. acts like The Mike Sammes Singers, Ronnie Hilton and Julie Dawn.

Jim Reeves, Tall Tales and Short Tempers (Expanded Edition) (RCA/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)

SuperVisible Multi Media continues overseeing expanded editions of the discography of Gentleman Jim Reeves, continuing on to this 1961 winner, which featured the Harlan Howard-penned, melodramatic Top 10 genre hit “The Blizzard” and arresting takes on “Danny Boy” and “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine.”

Clodagh Rodgers, Midnight Clodagh (RCA) (Apple / Amazon)

The Northern Irish singer’s 1969 album premieres this weekend on digital services. Primarily written and produced by American expat Kenny Young (co-writer of “Under the Boardwalk”), Midnight Clodagh also features covers of Jackie DeShannon (“Put a Little Love in Your Heart”), Jerry Jeff Walker (“Mr. Bojangles”) and Carole King (“Paradise Alley,” from The City’s lone album).  The weekly Clodagh series will continue until her core RCA discography is wrapped up.

Gene Pitney, Pitney ’75 (Bronze) (Apple / Amazon)

A latter-day U.K.-only album for the man who sang “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “I’m Gonna Be Strong” and other classics, Pitney ’75 finds the American pop-country hitmaker shining on deep cuts from Elton John (“Skyline Pigeon”) and the David Pomeranz-penned “Tryin’ to Get the Feeling Again,” which Barry Manilow would take to the U.S. Top 10 the following year. (This digital edition features none of the bonus tracks included on a CD edition released by the BGO label earlier this year.)

Eddy Arnold, Eddy (RCA) (Apple / Amazon)

After a spell on MGM Records, country icon Eddy Arnold returned to longtime label home RCA for this 1976 album, which featured the genre Top 20 hit “Cowboy.”

Mike Finnigan, Mike Finnigan (Warner) (Apple / Amazon)

A well-known session musician with a knack for Hammond B3 organ and a CV that included performances with Jimi Hendrix, Dave Mason and Peter Frampton (and later, Cher, Buddy Guy, Joe Cocker and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Mike Finnigan’s 1976 self-titled debut was only his first of four appearances as a bandleader. But he acquits himself nicely, performing songs by Allen Toussaint (“Holy Cow,” “Performance”), John Sebastian (“The Room Nobody Lives In”) and even Billy Joel (“New York State of Mind”).

N.A.S.A., Insha-Allah! (Sire/Warner) (Apple / Amazon)

Fairly little is known about this electronic rock duo whose sole album came out on Sire in 1990. But it’s now on all streaming platforms.

Los Indios Tabajaras, Secret Love: All Time Film Favorites (RCA Victor) (Apple / Amazon)

Brazilian brothers Antenor and Natalicio Lima recorded as a classical guitar duo since the ’50s, scoring an unlikely Top 10 hit with “Maria Elena” in 1963. More than a decade later, they were still on RCA’s roster, and in 1976 recorded this collection from decades of celluloid songs, from Pinocchio‘s “When You Wish Upon a Star” to Henry Mancini’s theme to The Pink Panther.

Juan Bau, Juan Bau (Remasterizado) (Sony Music España) (Apple / Amazon)

A well-known singer in Spain who took “La estrella de David” to the top of the local charts in 1973, Juan Bau issued this 20-track collection of hits in 1976. It’s now been newly remastered and redelivered.

Coral Isidoriana de Leon, Cancionero Leonés (Remasterizado 2026) / Canciones de Zamora (Remasterizado 2026) (Columbia)

Leonés: Apple / Amazon
Zamora: Apple / Amazon

This mixed sacred choir, founded in 1962 and based out of the Royal Collegiate Church of San Isidoro in León, recorded a handful of albums in the ’70s, including these two (from 1970 and 1977, respectively) for the Columbia label.

Udo Jürgens, Merci Chérie 60 (Extended) / in English / in italiano / en español / en français (Sony Music Germany)

Merci Chérie 60 (Extended): Apple / Amazon
in English: Apple / Amazon
in italiano: Apple / Amazon
en español: Apple / Amazon
en français: Apple / Amazon

Our eclectic Stream journey comes to a close with “Merci Chérie,” the first song to win the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria 60 years ago in 1966. These five EPs contain just about every version co-writer Jürgens recorded in his lifetime.

PASSINGS

Although first known for the line-ups that galvanized Woodstock in 1969 and continued through the early ’70s – including future Journey members Neal Schon and Gregg Rollie – Santana (named, of course, for lead guitarist Carlos Santana) took on many forms in the decades since. Younger audiences know the “band” as a shapeshifting collective featuring A-list guest vocalists, like on the Grammy-winning Supernatural (1999). But for a brief period in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Santana flirted with mainstream success once more with a line-up that included singer Alex Ligertwood (1946-2026), a versatile Scottish singer who can be heard on some of the group’s honest-to-God pop hits from the period, including “Winning” and “Hold On.” Ever the journeyman, Ligertwood also collaborated on stage and on record with Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, the Jeff Beck Group, Average White Band, David Sancious and others.

A fixture of the folk-rock scene in England and America in the ’60s, Beverley Martyn (1947-2026) made minor history in 1966, when her recording of “Happy New Year” (penned by Randy Newman and featuring an unbeatable session band that included future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on guitar and bass, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins and drummer Andy White) became the first single release on Decca Records’ new imprint, Deram. (Future releases over the next year included songs by Cat Stevens, The Move, a relatively-unknown David Bowie, and Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” Her standing in the scene found her rubbing elbows with the likes of Bert Jansch, Paul Simon and, of course, John Martyn, with whom she recorded a pair of duo albums in 1970 and subsequently married for nearly a decade.