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
Stardom had been predicted for Loleatta Holloway from the time she'd emerged as a solo artist with her 1971 recording of Curtis Mayfield's "Rainbow." Her voice, homegrown from singing gospel with her mother's choir and experience on the road with Albertina Walker's group The Famous Caravans, easily transitioned to R&B with her no-holds-barred, heart-on-her-sleeve approach. With two albums under her belt and a Top 10 R&B hit with "Cry to Me" in 1975, she was signed to Salsoul Records by
John Luongo is a good liar. Well, maybe he's good at being tongue-in-cheek. "I'm bashful," he says at the start of our interview back in October. "You're gonna have to really drag these things outta me, 'cause I'm a little shy!" What follows is about 100 minutes of captivating stories and thoughtful, enthusiastic lessons from one of the most notable names in dance music. The Boston-born DJ and mix engineer made a name for himself transforming dozens of soul and pop tracks for disco 12"
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. Dan Hartman, It Hurts to Be in Love (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Today, Dan Hartman would have turned 73. Sadly, the singer-songwriter-producer-musician-engineer's life was cut short by an AIDS-related brain tumor on March 22, 1994. He was just 43. The immense musical legacy of the "I Can Dream
On December 8, Dan Hartman would have turned 73. Sadly, the singer-songwriter-producer-musician-engineer's life was cut short by an AIDS-related brain tumor on March 22, 1994. He was just 43. The immense musical legacy of the "I Can Dream About You" hitmaker hasn't been forgotten, though. On his birthday, Iconoclassic Records will bring his 1981 solo album It Hurts to Be in Love to CD for the very first time. This newly remastered, expanded edition adds a pair of rare outtakes from the
Demon/Edsel's Dance Masters series only just released its second volume this summer - but a third one is on the way this fall, spotlighting the work of acclaimed remixer John Luongo. The Arthur Baker-presented series follows generous box sets on Shep Pettibone and Baker himself with a new overview of John "T.C." Luongo, who parlayed working in and around the Boston club scene into more than a decade of 12" remix work, first for some of the greatest R&B artists crossing over into disco,
Today, we're rounding up a host of releases from Cherry Pop from recent months! Early this year, Cherry Pop released a 2-CD expanded edition of The Big Kiss from the Canadian-born British singer Thereza Bazar. Formerly of Guys 'n' Dolls ("There's a Whole Lot of Loving," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me") and Dollar ("Mirror, Mirror," "Give Me Back My Heart"), Bazar released her solo debut in 1985 for MCA Records with legendary producer-arranger Arif Mardin (Dusty Springfield, Aretha
With his long mane of white hair, Edgar Winter has long cut one of the most striking profiles in rock. Like his older brother Johnny, Texas-born Edgar was steeped in the blues. Emerging onto the scene with the 1970 Epic album Entrance, Winter fused blues with many of the styles with which he would become known, including rock, pop, soul, and jazz. Funk and even disco would come later, but one thing remained constant in whatever genre Edgar Winter was recording: virtuosic musicianship. A
It's Instant Replay for Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint with the recent reissue of Dan Hartman's 1978 disco classic of the same name. The album featuring the Disco chart-topper has been expanded with four bonus singles for this new edition. It's difficult to pigeonhole Dan Hartman. The late musician-songwriter-producer-artist had begun his musical career as a member of psychedelic rock outfit The Legends before backing Johnny Winter and then, crucially, Johnny's brother Edgar. As a
Talk about fusion! For "Hands Down," the opening cut of his 1979 album Relight My Fire, Dan Hartman enlisted rock and roll great Edgar Winter to weave his alto saxophone licks throughout the Latin-flavored disco track, and Stevie Wonder to provide his instantly recognizable harmonica. Hartman wasn't just a dilettante, but a regular musical renaissance man. A veteran of the Johnny Winter Band and the Edgar Winter Group, he wrote the latter's smash hit "Free Ride," and successfully completed