Spring is in the air, making now the perfect time to check out some killer recent archival soundtracks released by our friends at La-La Land Records, Intrada, Quartet and Varese Sarabande – plus a great recent score with some deep musical history that felt worth sharing, too. La-La Land shone brightly with new releases in March and April, most notably their latest restoration of a James Bond film score! This time, it’s John Barry’s music to Diamonds Are Forever, the seventh film in the long-running spy series based on Ian Fleming’s novels. For…
The Weekend Stream Extra: ‘Play Dead’ Rolls Over Hi-Res Grateful Dead Sets in New App
Streaming music got a whole lot more live this past week – or is it a whole lot more Dead? On April 16, the live music platform Nugs.net launched Play Dead, a new app devoted to the live archive of The Grateful Dead. Authorized by the band and Rhino Records, the service brings a digital home to longtime series of authorized Dead recordings that have only been available in physical form – and also offers a leap forward in how the band’s concert releases are managed, with 20 previously unreleased shows available exclusively on…
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On the Wing: Pink Floyd Plan New ‘8-Tracks’ Compilation, Standalone Audio Release of 1975 L.A. Gig
Pink Floyd are revisiting their latest catalogue title with a standalone issue of a celebrated live bootleg on new formats – and they’re also planning a unique new compilation. The group’s Wish You Were Here 50 was packed with extras, most notably Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, April 26th, 1975. This performance, featuring key selections from the 1975 album as well as a full performance of the group’s 1973 masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon, was taped by legendary bootlegger Mike Millard and restored for official release by Steven Wilson of…
The Weekend Stream: April 4, 2026
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. The elder British/Irish rock contingent is alive and well, with new music from U2, Peter Gabriel and Ringo Starr plus new remixes from Sting; there’s also quite a bit of country (from Jim Reeves and Ricky Skaggs to…Disney?) and jazz (Monk, Maynard and more) to go around. U2, Easter Lily EP (Island) (Apple / Amazon) More prolific (and present) than they’ve…
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The Weekend Stream: March 14, 2026
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. This week is all about pairs: a New Jersey rock legend covering a classic Irish punk; expanded editions from our friends at SuperVisible Multi Media; and out-of-print albums by Jimmy Smith, Oscar Peterson and more! Bruce Springsteen, “A Rainy Night in Soho” (Rubyworks) (Apple / Amazon) The Boss’ second new studio recording of the year just dropped: the lead single to…
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The Weekend Stream: March 7, 2026
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. There’s new and old works from three of the best British white guys to ever do it, plus a boatload of Hugh Masekela treasures, a legendary punk session and plenty of exciting ’70s country nuggets. Sting, Mercury Falling (Expanded Edition) (A&M/UMe) (Apple / Amazon) For the 30th anniversary of Sting’s fifth studio album – a quirkier affair than previous, with tracks…
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As It Began: ‘Queen II’ to Be Remixed, Expanded in New Box
Following a similar remixed and expanded box set for their debut album in 2024, Queen will give the deluxe treatment to their second album, 1974’s aptly titled Queen II. Available March 27, the reissue arrives in multiple formats, all of which are centered around a new mix of the album by engineers and longtime archival overseers Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J. McRae and Kris Frederiksen. The biggest version is a 5CD/2LP box set that adds two discs of mostly unreleased studio material (including session takes, B-sides and backing tracks) along with two discs…
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Won’t Cry for Yesterday: Duran Duran’s Mid-’90s Albums Re-Appear on Vinyl for the First Time in Decades
Ever since EMI – yes, before their assets were divided between Universal and Warner Music Groups – expanded the Duran Duran catalogue with deluxe reissues in 2009 and 2010, fans have hoped that the shepherd of their most prominent major label material (now Parlophone, through Warner) would complete the campaign with reissues of the band’s last three albums originally released through Parlophone/Capitol. That day has finally (sort of) come with long-requested vinyl editions of two of those mid-’90s albums. Parlophone will reissue 1993’s Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) and 1995 follow-up Thank You as…
Iconoclassic Watch: Label Preps Expanded CDs for Dwight Twilley Concert, The Snake Corps, Members of The Bongos
With typical aplomb, Iconoclassic kicks off a new release year this week with the first of three forthcoming titles: the official release of a live show by one of the label’s favorite acts, and expanded editions of an overlooked post-punk classic and a power-pop rarity making its debut on CD. Tomorrow, February 20, the label will release Live on Fire At The Agora 1978, another vintage slice of guitar greatness from the Dwight Twilley Band. Having expanded four of Twilley’s solo albums (Twilley (1978), Scuba Divers (1982), Jungle (1984) and Wild Dogs (1986)) and given a proper…
Transdermal Celebration: Ween Get New CD Box Set, Vinyl Reissues, Live Albums from Rhino
Things are certainly looking brown at Rhino, who’ll be releasing five CD and vinyl titles related to Ween in the coming months. Following a deluxe edition of 1994’s Chocolate and Cheese and a Record Store Day vinyl pressing of rarities compilation Shinola, Vol. 1, the label will release Brown Box, a 10CD set of the band’s complete studio albums; color vinyl editions of late ’90s and early ’00s albums White Pepper and Quebec; and a new archival live album, Bring Out the Foos: Live 1996. All four titles will be available April 10. A week later, for Record…
Hold These Threads: Weezer Revisit “Color” Albums on Vinyl Box, Plan Archival Set for Record Store Day
One of the most familiar visual tropes of Weezer’s discography – the self-titled albums known by the color of their covers – is being celebrated in an intriguing way with a new vinyl box the band is putting out this spring. The same month it reaches fans, an archival LP for Record Store Day will celebrate the history of the group’s origins leading up to that first of six “color” albums. Coloring Book gathers those albums as originally issued over 25 years, from their 1994 debut Weezer (The Blue Album) to 2019’s Weezer…
The Weekend Stream: February 14, 2026
Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. New remixes from James Brown and Tears for Fears, uncovered rarities from Peggy Lee, new songs from MUNA and Bleachers and a whole lotta Ween will keep you busy for the rest of the day! MUNA, “Dancing on the Wall” (Saddest Factory) (Apple / Amazon) One of pop’s best current bands is back for more! Queer-friendly trio MUNA have built a considerable fan base through catchy, electronics-and-guitar-driven albums –…
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“Sea.Hear.Now” What Legacy’s Planning for Record Store Day 2026
Legacy Recordings is only spotlighting eight artists for Record Store Day 2026, but they’re making it count. Sony Music’s catalogue arm will showcase mostly live recordings – classics, out-of-print favorites and even some recent ones – on their vinyl selections for the annual retail holiday. And best of all, three of them will also be available on CD! Incredibly, only one of these titles has been on vinyl before: 1978’s Nite Flights, the striking final album by The Walker Brothers. Indeed, from pop (Tony Bennett and Jeff Buckley) to classic rock (Judas Priest,…
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The Devil Cried: Dio’s Heaven & Hell Era Revisited on New Box Set
A reunion of classic rock legends under a different name – and a final curtain for their second best-known lead singer – is the focus of Rhino’s latest box set, devoted to the late-period work of Black Sabbath under the name Heaven & Hell. Breaking Out of Heaven 2007-2009 includes the complete studio recordings from the reunion of singer Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice (including the album The Devil You Know and a trio of tracks recorded for a Dio-era Sabbath compilation that kicked off the…
It’s Got What It Takes: Rhino Expands ‘5150,’ Van Halen’s First Album with Sammy Hagar, for 40th Anniversary
Four decades ago, Van Halen entered a surprising new era of rock and roll – and they’re exploring it with a new deluxe edition from Rhino. 5150, the band’s first album with vocalist Sammy Hagar at the fore, will be released in several formats on March 27. The centerpiece is a 3CD/Blu-ray/LP version featuring the original remastered album (overseen by the band’s longtime engineer Donn Landee in 2023 for The Collection II box set), a disc of rare non-LP edits and mixes, and the premiere release of audio from the band’s bestselling…
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In the Mood for You: Ace’s ‘Highway of Diamonds’ Collects Black Voices Taking on Bob Dylan
Ace Records’ ongoing Black America Sings series gets a second helping of classic tunes by Bob Dylan on a new compilation available this week. Highway of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan, available January 30 in Ace’s native U.K. (and a week later in America), offers 20 compositions from the Nobel Prize-winning songwriter recast for soul, blues and gospel acts including The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte, Billy Preston, Natalie Cole, Solomon Burke, Merry Clayton, Sarah Vaughan, Aaron Neville and more. The collection, available on CD or two LPs, includes informative song/track…
“Four” and More: Craft Plans Prestige Compilation for Miles Davis’ Centennial
With a Miles Davis live box set recently back in print to celebrate his centennial, another label, Craft Recordings, is preparing a new compilation to mark the same occasion this spring. The Best of Miles Davis, to be released on vinyl March 13, is a simple eight-track compilation drawing from Miles’ mid-’50s sessions with his “first great quintet,” released through the rest of that decade on the Prestige label. Primarily comprised of pop and jazz standards (Rodgers and Hart’s “My Funny Valentine,” Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight” and “Well, You Needn’t,” Sonny Rollins’…
Until Them Dreams Come True: Aerosmith’s Debut Reissued with New Remix, Live Cuts and Outtakes
When Aerosmith surprised fans by moving their entire catalogue to Universal Music Group – switching two eras of material for Columbia Records (eight studio and live LPs originally issued between 1973-1982 and a further four studio releases from 1997-2012), everyone was dreaming on about potential archival titles. But outside of the terrific early rehearsal EP 1971: The Road Starts Hear and a new greatest hits package, there wasn’t much to speak of, and frontman Steven Tyler’s vocal issues forced an early end to their planned farewell tour. But just as in the ’80s,…
Not Under the Thumb of the Cynical Few: Early, Unreleased Howard Jones Set Unearthed by Cherry Red
Cherry Red, longtime home for Howard Jones’ catalogue, will release an unheard set from the beginning of his career this month. Live At The Marquee, available January 30, finds the inimitable singer/songwriter/keyboardist wowing a crowd at the late London venue just before his commercial breakthrough in 1983. The wholly unreleased show, available on CD and yellow vinyl, was unearthed from master tapes when the label began compiling bonus material for reissues of his former Warner catalogue in 2018, and remixed by Jones himself for this release. (It appears from the metadata that three…
The Weekend Stream: January 24, 2026
Welcome back 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’ve got a lot of new songs from old favorites and a couple of digital-forward expanded reissues, too – you don’t want to miss this! Squeeze, “You Get the Feeling” (Love/BMG) (Apple / Amazon) The latest single from Squeeze’s forthcoming Trixies, though written early in the partnership of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, harkens back to their signature sound. It’s also the first track from the album to have…
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The Body Electric: Rush Set Remixed, Expanded ‘Grace Under Pressure’ for March
Another of Rush’s mid-’80s works is getting expanded in 2026: 1984’s Grace Under Pressure. A 4CD or 5LP deluxe box set – each available with a Blu-ray Disc – is coming March 11, set to feature the original album remastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios, a new mix by the band’s longtime collaborator Terry Brown, a remixed and expanded edition of the live album and video Grace Under Pressure Tour, plus new surround mixes of the record and restored music videos. The deluxe packaging includes a re-imagining of the cover by…
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Miles Davis’ ‘Plugged Nickel’ Box Gets Reissued for Jazz Icon’s Centennial
Miles Davis’ upcoming centennial will be honored in part with a reissue of a box set collecting some of his greatest live recordings: seven sets at Chicago’s Plugged Nickel nightclub with his second great quintet line-up, recorded just before Christmas 1965. The near-mythic The Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965 was originally released in full by Sony Music in Japan in 1992, after two 1976 Japan-only LPs offering a small sample of the performances. (Those LPs were released as one set in America in 1982, with a disc of alternates, Cookin’ At the…
Stranger Than Fiction: Split Enz’s ‘Enzyclopedia’ Series Receives ‘Second Thoughts’ Vinyl Interlude
When Split Enz started their new archival series Enzyclopedia Volumes One and Two last year, there was a bit of a difference across formats. The 5CD box set included new remasters of debut Mental Notes and Second Thoughts, a new mix of the latter by longtime keyboardist Eddie Rayner, a tweaked version of early odds-and-ends compilation The Beginning of The Enz, and a new rarities set, Wide Angle Enz. The equivalent 3LP box, however, only had the remastered Mental Notes, the remixed Second Thoughts and the retooled Beginning. While fans await any news on another volume of Enzyclopedia, the band (soon…
Artists Only: Talking Heads’ ‘Tentative Decisions’ Collection Gets CD Expansion
One of the highlights of Rhino’s Record Store Day Black Friday bounty was Tentative Decisions: Demos and Live, a selection of early material from art-rock icons Talking Heads that predated (and had been left off) the 2024 deluxe edition of the group’s debut album Talking Heads: 77. Those hoping for a wider reissue will have their prayers answered in a big way: an expanded box set version will be released this spring. Tentative Decisions includes the baker’s dozen of 1975-1976 demos (plus one live recording and two tracks from The Artistics, an embryonic…
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Skin It Back: John Mellencamp’s Early Works Revisited on New Anthology
Heartland rocker John Mellencamp recently announced the Dancing Words tour, a summer trek through America in July and August that’ll focus on hits he’s not played in a while to audiences in outdoor amphitheaters. A few months before that, Cherry Red’s Lemon imprint will issue an exciting new compilation that takes things back to the beginning of Mellencamp’s career – under a different name, and with some enticing unreleased material. American Dream (The Mainman Recordings 1976-1977), coming April 3, is a 2CD set that’ll feature both albums he recorded for the MCA-distributed Mainman…
