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. This week offers a trio of classic rockers advancing a cause through new tracks, rare covers and live material, plus a new take on Peggy Lee's "Fever" and a pair of dance albums getting greatly, unexpectedly expanded.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Land of Hope & Dreams EP (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)
The Boss has been touring Europe this week. Perhaps you've heard about it: he had a lot to say while on stage at Co-Op Live in Manchester, England on May 14. (So, too, did the president he had a lot to say about.) This EP - featuring "Land of Hope & Dreams," "Long Walk Home," "My City of Ruins," a cover of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" and, pointedly, the speeches he gave on stage - made its streaming debut on Tuesday, surely to further stoke discussion of what was on Springsteen's mind.
John Prine, The Belonging EP Vol. 1 (Oh Boy) (Bandcamp)
Speaking of artists using their voice, the late John Prine's Oh Boy label is offering a limited EP of covers on Bandcamp, including versions of Buddy Holly ("Oh Boy") and Stevie Wonder ("I Just Called to Say I Love You"). They're donating all the proceeds from the sale of the EP to The Belonging Fund, created by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to offer financial aid to immigrants in crisis. (Unfortunately, the next Bandcamp Friday isn't until August, but now's as good a time as any to support if you can or want to.)
Mick Jones, "Shelter from the Storm" (Rhino) (Apple / Amazon)
With all the Foreigner re-recordings in Spanish going on - plus the news that the band's singer Kelly Hansen is passing the torch to Luis Maldonado, who's lent his talents to those versions - the time is right to check in on the band's founding guitarist, Mick Jones. Though he's been mostly retired from the road thanks to a battle with Parkinson's disease (which he disclosed last year), he's written and performed nearly all of this track, written decades ago but never released, as a way of supporting everyone who's going through something similar to his health struggles. The track, in fact, premiered during last month's Parkinson's Unity Walk, put on by the Michael J. Fox Foundation; Jones' team can still be donated to, as well.
Common, Be (20th Anniversary) (Geffen/UMe) (Apple / Amazon)
Common's sixth studio album was one of his most acclaimed and best-selling, thanks to a team-up with producer Kanye West - who at the time was on an incredible hot streak. (Longtime collaborator J Dilla also contributed a few tracks in the last year of his life during a battle with lupus.) Additional guests include John Legend, members of the proto-hip-hop collective The Last Poets and, of all people, John Mayer singing the one-word hook to "GO!" More than a dozen bonus tracks are offered, including B-sides, remixes and instrumental versions of each track on the album.
Peggy Lee & HoneyLuv, "Fever" (Capitol/UMe) (Apple / Amazon)
The sensuous, sensational signature song by Peggy Lee gets a dramatic rework by tech-house producer HoneyLuv. It's going to serve as the theme for the Indiana Fever, the WNBA basketball team that, with the help of point guard Caitlin Clark, helped revitalize the public profile of women's basketball in the United States.
Cindy Valentine, Secret Rendez-Vous (Deluxe Edition) (Republic/UMe) (Apple / Amazon)
Quite randomly, the sophomore album by Italian-born, Canadian-raised singer Cindy Valentine (who had a moderate hit on Billboard's dance chart with this album's title track and a bigger one with 1989's "Pickup the Pieces (to My Heart)" from the soundtrack to Mannequin Two: On the Move, as well as a featured cameo in the cult Halloween comedy Teen Witch) has been greatly expanded. It includes not only remixes to the album's two singles ("Secret Rendez-Vous" and "In Your Midnight Hour") but six alternate versions of songs from the album.
Orbital, Orbital 2 (The Brown Album Expanded) (London) (Apple / Amazon)
A favorite of early-mid '90s techno - especially the track "Halcyon + On + On," which appeared in multiple cult films of the era, from Hackers to Mortal Kombat - the second album by this U.K. sibling acid-house duo has been greatly expanded with B-sides, remixes, alternates and a live set from New York club The Limelight.
Fans Of Hank Williams Jr have most of her early Mercury albums available for the first time (digitally) this weekend! Check them out!