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. New singles from U2 and Peter Gabriel, expanded reissues from OK Go and The New Christy Minstrels, SuperVisible surprises and some new cast albums – you’ll find them all here, plus tributes to the many, many artists we lost this week.

U2, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” (Rubyworks) (Apple / Amazon TBD)

The boys of U2 are fully roused for a new cover of The Pogues’ “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah,” the latest single from November’s 20th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan, a tribute to the late, iconoclastic frontman of the Celtic punk act from London. Other acts on the album will include Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream.

OK Go, Oh No (Extra Nice Edition) (Capitol/UMe) (Apple / Amazon)

Chicago rockers OK Go broke through with their sophomore album in 2005 – a modest seller until the band issued one last single in 2006 – a deft garage rocker called “Here It Goes Again” – and promoted it with a wacky, low-budget music video featuring the group performing a synchronized dance on a series of treadmills. (They reprised the performance on the MTV Video Music Awards, earning them greater exposure on the nascent YouTube.) Alongside a new vinyl pressing, there’s a digital deluxe edition with nine vintage B-sides and alternates, including the “U.K. Surf Mix” of “Here It Goes Again” and a cover of The Cure’s “The Lovecats.”

Peter Gabriel, “Looking for the Happy” (Bright-Side Mix) (Real World) (Apple / Amazon)

We’re now up to nine tracks from Peter Gabriel’s new album o\i – how many do you think we’ll get?

Ween, Europe “90” (Rhino) (Apple / Amazon)

Released for Record Store Day back in April, this collection includes a studio session recorded in The Netherlands on Christmas Day 1990 as well as a beloved live show in Switzerland that the band cannot recall if it was recorded that same month or the following (into January 1991), hence the title.

A Certain Ratio, The Joy of Sextet / Force Majeure (Mute)

Sextet: Apple / Amazon
Force: Apple / Amazon

Manchester post-punk act A Certain Ratio expanded their sound considerably with the releases of 1982’s Sextet (a funky, percussive album recorded a year before and inspired by the band’s recent jaunt to New York City) and 1986’s Force (the last project of the group’s to feature keyboardist Andy Connell, who would form Swing Out Sister with singer Corinne Drewery). To mark these pivotal moments in the band’s history, they’ve each been given unique reissues of sorts: Sextet has been newly remixed by producer Andrew Meecham (better known as The Emperor Machine), while Force Majeure is essentially a bonus disc of alternate takes of songs from the album (plus an unused title track). Both albums are also available physically!

The New Christy Minstrels, The Quiet Sides of The New Christy Minstrels (Expanded Edition) (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)

The New Christy Minstrels’ 1964 album returns in another generously expanded edition from Legacy. Sweetening the pot, the original album had never been released on CD; here, it makes its digital debut with a whopping 14 bonus tracks. The album is special in a number of ways, not least because it was the very first anthology of the Christies’ recordings. It was originally released by the Columbia Record Club and put together by Randy Sparks just before he departed the group. There’s plenty to savor on this expanded set, including spotlights for many of the group’s pivotal early members including Sparks, Nick Woods, Jackie Miller Davidson, Art Podell, Karen Gunderson, Barry Kane and Clarence Treat) as well as superstar-to-be Kenny Rogers and Terry Williams (the latter being a co-founder of Rogers’ hitmaking band The First Edition with Mike Settle), and future Broadway stars Christine Andreas (Camelot, My Fair Lady) and Linda Hart (Hairspray, Anything Goes). Many of the bonuses are making their digital debuts, including “Miss Katy Cruel” (Jackie Miller’s only recorded solo with the Christies), “The River” (the English-language version of the group’s Italian chart-topper, featuring Karen Gunderson and Nick Woods), Phil Ochs’ “There But for Fortune,” and “It Should Have Been You,” with Rogers and Williams taking the chorus into pop territory. The final two rarities are “Run Wild, Run Free” (the group’s final Columbia single) from the 1969 British film drama of the same name; and “Hallelujah World,” originally released in 1972 by Gregar/RCA and featuring Andreas and Hart as well as male vocalist John Anthony Natale. It all adds up to a collector-worthy set no fan will want to miss.

Eddy Grant, Message Man (Ice) (Apple / Amazon)

Grant’s sophomore solo album, released in 1977, helped mainstream the island sound known as soca (a mix of soul and calypso) on tracks like “Hello Africa.” Grant has slowly begun to make his discography available to stream or download over the last two years, beginning with fan favorite Killer on the Rampage, featuring the hit “Electric Avenue.” (Thanks to reader Tom Riise for the heads up!)

Post Malone, August 26 (Mercury/Republic) (Apple / Amazon)

Rapper-turned-pop/country singer Austin Post, better known as Post Malone, missed a release date for debut album Stoney in 2016 but made it up to fans with a mixtape featuring guest turns from Lil Yachty, 2 Chainz, Jaden Smith, Jeremih and others. A decade later, Posty’s put this mixtape on mainstream digital music services for the first time.

Walt Mink, Miss Happiness / Bareback Ride (self-released)

Happiness: Apple / Amazon
Bareback: Apple / Amazon

St. Paul alt-rock trio Walt Mink (initially consisting of singer/guitarist John Kimbrough, son of Murphy Brown actor Charles; bassist Candice Belanoff and future journeyman drummer Joey Waronker) first gained some mainstream notice with a pair of albums for Caroline Records in 1992 and 1993. Long out of print digitally, they’re now available with the help of the team at SuperVisible Multi Media.

Lori Yates, Can’t Stop the Girl (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

Another SuperVisible assist comes in service of Canadian alt-country singer Lori Yates, who issued her solo debut in 1989 and earned a Juno Award nomination for her trouble.

Fania All-Stars, Fania All-Stars Live in Japan 1976 (Remastered 2026) (Fania/Craft) (Apple / Amazon)

The salsa legends of the Fania label toured endlessly around the world, and had the good fortune to record many of their treks as spirited live albums. One such trip to Tokyo’s famed Budokan – featuring star turns from vocalists Cheo Feliciano and Ismael Quintana, flutist Johnny Pacheco, pianist Larry Harlow and conga player Mongo Santamaria – was recorded in 1976 and released a decade later. It’s now been newly remastered.

The John Payne Band, Bedtime Stories (Arista) (Apple / Amazon)

Following last week’s digital delivery of the second and final album by fusion act The John Payne Band (which does not feature the singer from Asia), their first album – also issued by Arista in 1976 after a small independent release the year before – is now available to listen to, as well. (Perplexingly, the album incorrectly has the same cover art as follow-up The Razor’s Edge.)

Stu Daye, Free Parking (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

White Plains, NY-raised singer/songwriter/guitarist Stu Daye played on albums by Alice Cooper and Nils Lofgren, but issued only one album on his own. But 1976’s Free Parking had an incredible pedigree, with Jack Douglas in the producer’s chair and a backing band that included drummers Steve Gadd and Jerry Marotta and bassist Tony Levin.

Evita: The Full Album (The Other Songs) (Apple / Amazon)

At last, The Other Songs has unveiled the full recording of the electrifying production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita which entranced the West End in the summer of 2025 (and will soon be doing the same on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre). The cast includes Rachel Zegler, Diego Andres Rodriguez, James Olivas, Aaron Lee Lambert, and Bella Brown; it’s already confirmed that Zegler will be returning for the Broadway run which, again, will be directed by Sunset Boulevard‘s Jamie Lloyd. Evita: The Full Album is also available on vinyl(opens in new tab), but no CD has been announced.

Bat Boy: The Musical (New York City Center Cast Recording) (Ghostlight) (Apple / Amazon)

Hold me, Bat Boy! The star-studded cast recording of New York City Center’s 2025 revival of the irreverent yet oddly moving musical about the Weekly World News mainstay has arrived on streaming platforms. Featuring several new songs, a revised book, and an expanded 12-piece orchestration, the City Center production boasted such luminaries as Kerry Butler (Hairspray, Xanadu), Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw, The Rocky Horror Show), Tom McGowan (Wicked, TV’s Frasier), Alex Newell (Shucked, Chicago), Christopher Sieber (Death Becomes Her, Spamalot), Taylor Trensch (Hello, Dolly!, Floyd Collins), and Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray, TV’s Dancing with the Stars), among others. Bat Boy boasts a score by composer-lyricist Laurence O’Keefe and librettists Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. A CD will arrive later this year.

PASSINGS

It was an unusually heavy week for musicians and artists lost. Mike paid tribute to country music queen Dolly Parton earlier in the week; now, here’s Joe with a few words…

Dolly Parton famously liked everything big. But as we’ve been inundated this week with story after story of those who were touched by Parton’s immense magic, what became ever clearer was the enormous size of her heart. There were Facebook posts, Instagram stories, blog entries, and full-blown essays from people who met Parton one morning at the airport, one evening on a New York street corner, or an afternoon walking through Dollywood, and left with a greeting, a hug, a photo, an autograph, or just a few words they would never forget. Her generosity on a large scale was well-known, but it extended, too, to her everyday interactions with fans of all stripes. Her Pigeon Forge, Tennessee theme park referred to her as its “Dreamer-in-Chief,” and her dreams were shared by her fans everywhere: of a more loving, peaceful, prosperous, healthy, hopeful, giving, and kind culture. Dolly Parton led by example. She is already much missed, but her buoyant spirit of optimism, philanthropy, and good humor won’t be forgotten by anyone who’s ever heard a Dolly Parton song.  Those rich, timeless, and above all else, authentic compositions came from that big heart.  She wrote in “Little Bird,”

Love is a hidden treasure
Some never find where it lies
And memory is a little bird
Flies through life, live or dies
Little bird, take me aboard
Your beautiful wings and let me fly
Fly me away back to yesterday
And drop me off there awhile

Happily, we’ll always have awhile to share with the many gifts given to us by Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, who now and forever remains in heavenly flight.

Tim Curry (1946-2016)

Less than a day after bidding farewell to Parton, fans said goodbye to another iconoclast with a distinctive voice: actor/singer Tim Curry, who passed away at the age of 80, more than a decade after suffering a stroke that slowed down much of his creative output. But age and time robbed him of little of his wit, as evidenced by his promotion of last year’s memoir Vagabond. And he already had so much to go around: with that Cheshire cat smile, dazzling eyes, and one-of-a-kind British purr, he galvanized generations in roles that seemed more fit for him than anyone else. Bursting into the consciousness of millions of misfits as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show after originating the role on the West End, Broadway and Los Angeles, Curry wasn’t just a killer stage actor: he had a legitimate (if minor) Billboard pop hit, hammed it up in deeply weird cult classics, and made Mike laugh no more than 15 times yesterday morning with this cover of a Disney favorite that has to be heard to be believed. To paraphrase his most famous onscreen alter ego, he didn’t just dream it, he was it – and we’re all the better for it.

Jaye P. Morgan (1931-2026)

Jaye P. Morgan may be best-remembered today for her role as one of the uninhibited panelists of Chuck Barris’ self-spoofing The Gong Show, but underneath the brassy, bawdy persona was a first-class song interpreter. Morgan was a frequent presence on the charts in the 1950s, scoring with such hits as “Just a Gigolo” (No. 22 Pop), “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries” (No. 26), “That’s All I Want from You” (No. 3), “The Longest Walk” (No. 6), and “Chee-Chee-Oo-Chee” (No. 12) and Damn Yankees’ “Two Lost Souls” (No. 18), both with Perry Como as well as the Happy Hunting show tune “Mutual Admiration Society” with Eddy Arnold (No. 47). All told, Morgan notched 20 hits on the Hot 100 through 1960. She became a favorite guest of Johnny Carson, honing the risqué, wild-card persona which would eventually nab her a seat on The Gong Show judges’ panel. She played herself on The Odd Couple and joined The Muppet Show for “That Old Black Magic,” and proved that she never lost the magic herself when she recorded a funky, self-titled album in 1976 with the likes of David Foster, Bill Champlin, Kenny Loggins, Ray Parker, Jr., Jay Graydon, and the boys from Toto. (Adventurous yacht rock programmers could do worse than checking it out!) Prior to retirement, Morgan continued to triumph onstage in clubs, cabarets, and musicals; in 1995, she released a joint album with friend Kaye Ballard. With personality, style, verve, and more than a bit of naughtiness, Jaye P. Morgan was an American original.

Latimore (1939-2026)

That masterful, mononymous soul man with a foot firmly in the blues, Latimore’s hits were as hazy and enticing as the heat in Miami, where he made a mark as an artist on the Glades label. The simmering “Let’s Straighten It Out” from 1974 was his biggest hit, a No. 1 R&B smash that crossed over into the pop Top 40. He remained a consistent presence as a topline singer as well as a session pianist, going strong until shortly before his passing earlier this month.

Peter Cullen (1941-2026)

Finally, Canadian voice actor Peter Cullen wasn’t known to sing, but TSD is all about sound, and his vocal talents were as classic as they come. As the longtime voice for Optimus Prime – the leader of the heroic Autobots in the Transformers cartoon and film series – Cullen, who passed away this week at the age of 85, took inspiration from his brother, a captain in the United States Marine Corps, who advised him to play Prime as “strong enough to be gentle.” Cullen was a presence on Saturday mornings just like these, voicing Winnie-the-Pooh’s pal Eeyore in Disney cartoons in the ’80s and ’90s; he’d also announce on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, narrated a cadre of commercials for Cartoon Network’s anime-focused programming block Toonami; and sparked imaginations in dozens of film and TV productions, from the distinctive roars of the 1976 remake of King Kong to K.A.R.R. (the “evil twin” of K.I.T.T., the tricked out Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from Knight Rider), and even the clicking, extraterrestrial beast in Predator. Known for his genial warmth with fans, the voice of Prime takes his place as a media immortal.