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. There's new music from Sarah McLachlan, Public Enemy and Liam Finn, plus a new video to a one-hit wonder, a Record Store Day single gone digital, and tributes to musicians we lost this week. Peter Gabriel, In the Big Room (Real World) (Apple / Amazon) The legendary pop/rock voice has loosed a recording from his vault for larger public
The Weekend Stream Extra: A Guide to 'MTV Unplugged' on Paramount+ (Part 5)
Welcome to a special Sunday feature of The Weekend Stream, which takes a look at one of MTV's great live music programs thanks to a recent reissue of one of its best-known episodes. We're running a five-part deep-dive on every episode of MTV Unplugged that's currently streaming on the station's parent streaming network Paramount+! (Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be read here, here, here and here.) The turn-of-the-millennium shot in the arm afforded to MTV by a big-budget teen-pop explosion and the
The Weekend Stream Extra: A Guide to 'MTV Unplugged' on Paramount+ (Part 2)
Welcome to a special Sunday feature of The Weekend Stream, which takes a look at one of MTV's great live music programs thanks to a recent reissue of one of its best-known episodes. We're running a five-part deep-dive on every episode of MTV Unplugged that's currently streaming on the station's parent streaming network Paramount+! (Part 1 can be read here.) The evolution of MTV Unplugged was not unlike that of the network itself. If those first years on the air from 1989 to 1991 were
The Weekend Stream: May 24, 2025
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
So Lucky: Legacy Expands Britney's 'Oops!' and Plans Millennium Pop Comp 'Y2K25'
With an expansion of the Backstreet Boys' Millennium as one of the few items on their release schedule, Legacy Recordings will go a few steps this further, celebrating the turn of the millennium with a new compilation and a reissue of one of the biggest solo artists of that time. On May 16, Legacy will release an expanded vinyl and digital edition of Britney Spears' Oops!...I Did It Again for its 25th anniversary. A year before, Spears had ascended to pop's A-list with her debut ...Baby One
Oooh, This I Need: Adam Mattera Talks 'Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook'
Last year, The Second Disc had nothing but good things to say about Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook, Cherry Red's triple-disc tribute to the music of Prince. The set told a story of The Artist's massive impact on pop, rock and soul by way of songs he gave others to record and a galaxy of genre-bending covers. In a year of considerable challenges in Prince fandom, it was a veritable oasis in a desert. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Mattera, the curator and
Record Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
Next Saturday, April 12, is certainly one of the most packed Record Store Days in recent memory. Since the list was announced, we drilled down on titles from Craft Recordings, Legacy Recordings, Rhino Records, Universal Music Group, Real Gone Music, Omnivore Recordings, BMG, Cooking Vinyl and Demon Music Group, as well as some notable titles that were getting later general releases on CD. Well, if you thought that was it, you're wrong! We pored and pored over the list and are here to share
They Will Have Their Way: Legacy Plans Packed Record Store Day Slate
Is it just us, or has Record Store Day felt a little muted in recent years? Obviously the annual Black Friday celebration boasts less titles than the festivities held every April, but it's sometimes been a struggle to identify great archival titles or worthy re-pressed discs. Well, that certainly isn't the case this year: labels seem to have gone into overdrive stockpiling interesting LPs and singles worth a second (or first!) look - and one of the strongest showings might be Sony Music's Legacy
The Weekend Stream: January 11, 2025
Welcome to 2025's first edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! We're catching up on some of our favorite artists adding albums to stream and download, plus country soul and remixes aplenty - as well as a list of resources to help our friends and family in the music business affected by the California wildfires. The Damnwells, One Last Century / No One Listens to the Band Anymore (Poor
The Weekend Stream: December 14, 2024
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. We've got Christmas cheer from The Damnwells and Jody Miller, a Record Store Day reissue from Tegan and Sara, mid-'70s fun from The Flying Burrito Brothers to Freddie Prinze and a new spin on a John Williams classic. Plus, a way to help a dear friend and collaborator of the TSD team. The Damnwells, Xmas Eve (Poor Man/Pasadena Records) (iTunes
The Weekend Stream: November 30, 2024
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. The Christmas season means favorites (quite) old and (sort of) new, plus Wang Chung's first album and a rock and hip-hop packed slasher film soundtrack. Band Aid, Do They Know It's Christmas? EP (Band Aid Trading Limited/UMC) EP: iTunes / Amazon Single Version: iTunes / Amazon Extended Version: iTunes / Amazon Just over four decades
In Memoriam: Quincy Jones (1933-2024)
Quincy Delight Jones was just 14 years old when he introduced himself to Ray Charles. Though the pianist-singer was just two years older, he was already an inspiration to the younger musician. Charles had the gift of synthesizing the various strains of music - jazz, folk, country, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, and gospel, among them - into a sound both wholly new and wholly American. Jones was struck by how Charles overcame adversity, and their shared ethos became one which shaped young
The Weekend Stream: November 2, 2024
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. We've got all the usual stuff you'd expect - reissues from Usher, rarities from The Alan Parsons Project, and another unique Daryl Hall-related EP - and some stuff you might not, like truly unusual Christmas collections and a new app from one of the best places for music in video games! Nintendo Music app One genre the Second Disc team has
The Weekend Stream: October 26, 2024
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. We're positively packed this Saturday: posthumous tracks from Van Halen, Luther Vandross and DMX; a great deluxe live set from Linda Ronstadt; plus some Halloween and Christmas surprises...and, to top it all off, a call to action to aid one of our favorite power-pop acts of the last 40 years. Edward & Alex Van Halen, "Unfinished (Between
The Weekend Stream: October 19, 2024
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. A brief week offers some unusual soundtracks, an even more unusual Beach Boys homage - and plenty of Christmas curiosities! Various Artists, Pulp Fiction (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Geffen) (iTunes / Amazon) This weekend, the iconic songs-and-dialogue album for Quentin Tarantino's classic film Pulp Fiction - featuring favorites
Discs for Groovy Children: Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Rage Against the Machine Lead Legacy's Record Store Day Black Friday Slate
Legacy Recordings has prepped an eclectic state of mostly classic rock and hip-hop titles to be released on vinyl for Record Store Day Black Friday. The long-running spinoff event to the big April bonanza takes place November 29 at participating independent outlets - and below is an alphabetical look at what Sony Music's catalog arm will be releasing. More than 50 years after her tragic passing, singer Janis Joplin continues to find new fans - and Legacy's first Black Friday title highlights
Release Round-Up: Week of October 18
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Long After Dark: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe) 2CD/Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/Blu-ray Audio (with Amazon-exclusive stickers): Amazon U.S. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Tom Petty Store (Exclusive) Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' fifth studio
The Weekend Stream: October 12, 2024
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. The Christmas creep may continue, but we've got plenty more where that came from: a new spin on a John Lennon classic, rare remixes from David Bowie, a live triumph from Céline Dion, some thrills and chills from the Alien universe - and first off, a charitable compilation built for a good cause in the wake of our country's severest storms of
Joy in Repetition: Cherry Red's 'Dearly Beloved' Pays Tribute to Prince, the Songwriter
Between the muted 40th anniversary celebration of Purple Rain and the bizarre drama over an estate-sanctioned Netflix documentary on his life and career, Prince fans could probably use a win lately. A new compilation from Cherry Red looks like it might finally offer one. Dearly Beloved - A Prince Songbook is an unexpectedly robust-looking 3CD set that will pay tribute to the Minneapolis icon as a songwriter - one whose classic hits have become pop standards, with so much talent overflowing
The Weekend Stream: August 17, 2024
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. We've got digital EPs from Daryl Hall and U2 and expanded albums from Dan Hartman and Akon; bet you'd never hear those artists in one sentence! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Dan Hartman, It Hurts to Be in Love (Expanded Edition) (Blue Sky/Epic/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Recently issued on CD for the first time by
Release Round-Up: Week of July 12
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. John Lennon, Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection (Capitol/UMe) 6CD/2BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 9LP/6CD/2BD Super Deluxe Box: Official Store 2CD (includes contents of CD 1 and 6, below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (includes contents of CD 1 and 6, below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon
The Weekend Stream: June 29, 2024
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. It's another week of Duran Duran EPs, plus expanded albums by Cher and Neil Diamond, some hip-hop oddities and a new live set from one of our favorite indie bands. It's all happening here! Duran Duran, Union of the Snake / New Moon on Monday / The Reflex / The Wild Boys EPs (Parlophone) Union: iTunes / Amazon New Moon: iTunes / Amazon The
Release Round-Up: Week of May 3
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Belinda Carlisle, Decades Vol. 3: Cornucopia (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Edsel continues its chronological collections of Belinda Carlisle's albums with this Cornucopia. The 4-CD book-style box starts off with two discs of mostly "orphaned" tracks released largely between 1987 and 2021: B-sides, non-album
So Much To Say: Real Gone's May Slate Includes Elaine Brown, Tweet, and Thomas Newman
Real Gone's May slate is hitting store shelves tomorrow, May 3, and we've got all the details of the trio of releases below. First up is the vinyl reissue of Elaine Brown's Seize the Time - Black Panther Party from 1969. Brown has been an activist for most her life and became the first and only Chairwoman of the Black Panther Party in 1974, appointed by Huey Newton. She first joined the Party in 1968 after having worked at the newspaper Harambee and being a representative at the Black
The Weekend Stream: March 2, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts. This week's lineup includes a solo rarity from a famous lyricist; a celebration of one of music's most famous duos; classic hip-hop; vintage vocals; and more! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Bernie Taupin, Tribe (iTunes / Amazon) Though best-known as Elton John's primary lyrical collaborator, Bernie Taupin released three solo albums (as
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