When Marvin Gaye released his thirteenth studio album, I Want You, in March 1976, it had been roughly 2-1/2 years since his last solo studio album. Motown passed the time with various other Gaye releases: the Diana Ross duet set Diana and Marvin, a triple-LP Anthology, and a live album, but Gaye’s latest original work would be hotly anticipated. The label itself was at a crossroads; Four Tops and Martha Reeves had left the roster and The Jackson 5 were on the cusp of doing so. The sound of soul music was…
The Weekend Stream: March 21, 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. Two eras of Madonna, early INXS and plenty of new cuts for country, folk and rock lovers are all in the mix! Madonna, Into the Groove / Hung Up (Remixes) / Sorry (Remixes) / Jump (Remixes) / 4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) (Remixes) / Celebration (Remixes) EPs (Warner/Rhino) “Groove”: Apple / Amazon “Hung Up”: Apple / Amazon “Sorry”: Apple / Amazon “Jump”: Apple / Amazon “4 Minutes”: Apple…
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Tell Me Something Good: Ace’s Songwriter Series Honors a Legend on ‘Black America Sings Stevie Wonder’
Ace’s Songwriter Series and Black America Sings compilations always promise a good time, but their latest may have outdone them all: a hits and rarities packed tribute to the songs, sound and style of Stevie Wonder. Black America Sings Stevie Wonder, available March 27, collects 20 compositions by the Motown legend from across the pop and soul diaspora. From familiar tracks in less familiar versions to songs he gave others both on and off the label he was part of for more than half a century, there’s quite a bit to appreciate here,…
The Weekend Stream: May 3, 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. We’ve got a real party mix for you this week: alt-rock, soft rock, classic rock (in Spanish!), post-hardcore, funk, Barbra Streisand – you name it, we’re spinning it! R.E.M., Radio Free Europe 2025 EP (Craft) (Apple / Amazon / Bandcamp) The legendary Athens, Georgia rockers have a special, timely treat for fans this weekend. With the real and nonpartisan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s grants under fire from the current presidential…
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The Weekend Stream: March 29, 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. Classic Motown in concert, long-lost favorites from a country icon, a live country take on a Fab Four favorite, Gary Numan’s mid-’80s works, new music from Bachman-Turner Overdrive and a documentary on a late, great Australian musician…there really is a lot of ground to cover, and that’s not even all of it! Marvin Gaye, Marvin Gaye Live! (Deluxe Edition) (Motown/UMe) Original LP: Apple / Amazon Deluxe: Apple / Amazon To…
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Try to See Things Their Way: Ace Preps ‘Here, There and Everywhere,’ Third Collection of Beatles Covers Through a Black Lens
As fans prepare for the release of the new Disney+ documentary Beatles ’64, chronicling The Fab Four’s legendary inaugural trip to America, U.K. label Ace Records has an exciting release coming that same weekend, featuring nearly two dozen Black artists paying tribute to a series of songbooks that owed so much to soul music and rhythm and blues traditions. Here, There and Everywhere: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, available November 29, is the seventh of Ace’s “Black America Sings” releases, which began with a 2011 entry on Bob Dylan and…
The Weekend Stream: August 26, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. Today, some Marvin Gaye classics get rediscovered and one of rock’s greatest drummers turns his band’s classics into a global party – plus rare tracks from Ariana Grande, Doris Day and another collection of rare ZTT remixes! Marvin Gaye, Let’s Get It On (Deluxe Edition) / You’re the Man (Expanded Edition) / The Originals, The Very Best of The…
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I Ain’t Gonna Worry: Motown Preps Digital Deluxe for 50th Anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’
No need to hold back for so long: Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On will be celebrated this month with a digital deluxe edition packed with unreleased tracks. Following the stirring social consciousness of his last album, 1971’s What’s Going On, Gaye used the musical canvas to dive deep into matters of the bedroom. Romance, carnal desire and the intersections between the two were explored in sessions split between Motown’s Detroit studio – including contributions and their newly constructed headquarters in Los Angeles, including the album’s first side, co-written with Ed Townsend…
The Weekend Stream: July 2, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. This week brings an R.E.M. classic given new life by a hit TV show, another side of one of Motown’s sultriest crooners, two Prince-related artists gone solo, dance grooves from Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul and an early version of one of the greatest epic film scores of the ’50s. R.E.M., Strange Currencies EP (Craft) (iTunes / Amazon) The…
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Release Round-Up: Week of January 27
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM Bob Dylan, Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 (Columbia/Legacy) 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 10LP: Bob Dylan Store 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The seventeenth volume of Bob Dylan’s long-running Bootleg Series explores the creation of Dylan’s thirtieth studio album. Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997) takes a deep dive into the three-time Grammy Award-winning album which was perceived by many as a comeback after a…
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Pride and Joy: Mercury Studios Preps Marvin Gaye’s “Greatest Hits: Live in ’76”
What’s going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on. January 27 is the date for Universal imprint Mercury Studios’ audio release of Marvin Gaye’s Greatest Hits: Live in ’76, a concert album featuring 23 songs on CD and 22 songs on single-LP vinyl. March 1976 saw the release of the Motown superstar’s fourth solo studio album of the decade. I Want You built on the erotic themes and smoldering sound of its 1973 predecessor, Let’s Get It On. Produced and co-written by Leon Ware, primarily teaming with Gaye and Arthur “T-Boy” Ross,…
The Weekend Stream: September 17, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! This time out we’ve got Motown rarities, a couple of albums with comic book roots, early music from future legends, and more! Roger Miller, Roger Miller (RCA/Camden/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Legacy has resuscitated this 1964 compilation of early sides from singer-songwriter Roger Miller (produced in Nashville by Chet Atkins). The self-titled album was originally released on RCA’s budget Camden imprint in the…
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The Weekend Stream: August 27, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! This week, Marvin Gaye gets remixed, two pop icons from different generations join forces, an underrated Olivia Newton-John album resurfaces and more. Marvin Gaye, I Want You: The John Morales M+M Mixes (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) Sort of the quiet masterpiece in Marvin Gaye’s impressive ’70s run, the disco-tinged title track to I Want You was given the remix treatment by John Morales…
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The Weekend Stream: August 20, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! A short but sweet release week has jazz, soundtracks and a lost pop record from one of the best-loved rock frontmen of the last few decades. Max Q, Max Q (Golden Rebel) (iTunes) INXS may have announced some activity around the 40th anniversary of their classic Shabooh Shoobah this fall (more on that as we keep confirming information about the band’s plans)…
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As You Walk on By: New Box Celebrates the Music of John Hughes Films
A wise philosopher…or maybe a punk kid…or maybe an astute screenwriter?…once wrote “Life moves pretty fast – if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” A new box set devoted to that iconic filmmaker – the late John Hughes – will help fans enjoy some of that life a little more through a diverse collection of pop songs he helped bring to the masses. Life Moves Pretty Fast. The John Hughes Mixtapes offers four volumes of songs from the writer/director’s popular comedies and teen dramas….
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The Weekend Stream: May 28, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! This week features digital debuts from a country legend, a new theme from a galaxy far, far away and some 21st century hip-hop for your consideration. Roger Miller, A Trip in the Country / Making a Name for Myself / Roger Miller (Capitol Nashville/UMe) A Trip: iTunes / Amazon Making: iTunes / Amazon Miller: iTunes / Amazon A digital rollout big enough…
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The Weekend Stream: May 21, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! Some classic compilations, a Who-related soundtrack and a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. appearance are all part of the experience this week. Various Artists, The Sound of the R&B Hits (Motown) Original: iTunes / Amazon Deluxe: iTunes / Amazon As a new wave of British rockers from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and more took the world by storm with their groundbreaking spin on…
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Release Round-Up: Week of April 1
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles arriving in stores today! Daryl Hall, BeforeAfter (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Daryl Hall is looking back with his first-ever solo anthology. BeforeAfter, curated by the artist, draws on all five of his acclaimed solo albums: the Robert Fripp-produced cult classic Sacred Songs (1980), Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine (1986, including the top five hit “Dreamtime” and top 40 success “Foolish Pride”), Soul Alone (1993), Can’t Stop Dreaming (1996), and Laughing Down Crying (2011). Many of Hall’s charted singles are here, also including “Someone Like You” from Three Hearts,…
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The Weekend Stream: November 20, 2021
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! This week features some new remixes for Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass, a revisit of Josh Groban’s debut and some great rarities for soul and alt-rock fans. Marvin Gaye + SaLaAM ReMi, Save the World Remix Suite (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Spotify / Amazon) From remixer SaLaAM ReMi – who helped organize Gaye’s aborted You’re the Man into proper release in 2019 –…
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The Weekend Stream: September 11, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it’s no secret that listening audiences are also digital – catalogue music lovers, too – and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we’ve introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Aaliyah, Aaliyah (Blackground/EMPIRE) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) The Blackground Records digital rollout…
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The Beat of Our Hearts: Bear Family Collects Definitive Survey of “R&B in D.C. 1940-1960” Featuring Early Recordings of Marvin Gaye, Don Covay, Billy Stewart
Washington, D.C. is associated with a great many things…but R&B? Leave it to German label Bear Family to take the emphasis off politics to uncover a lost chapter of the American capital’s rich story. R&B in D.C. 1940-1960 is the name of the upcoming LP-size, 16-CD box set comprehensively surveying two decades of regional music as only Bear Family can – with 472 tracks (that’s around 20 hours of music) and a 352-page hardcover book. This one-of-a-kind set is due on September 3 and limited to just 1,500 copies worldwide. It spotlights…
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and More Feature on “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” Soundtrack
David Hepworth’s 2017 book Never a Dull Moment: The Year That Rock Exploded set forth the author’s belief that the year crystallized the “rock era,” producing more enduring recordings than any other year in the genre’s history. It’s difficult to argue with any year that yielded John Lennon’s Imagine, The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers, Carole King’s Tapestry, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Elton John’s Madman Across the Water, Carly Simon’s Anticipation, Sly and the Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On, The Who’s Who’s Next, The Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up, Black Sabbath’s Master of…
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“It’s What’s Happening, Baby!” Historic, All-Star Music Special Returns To TV After 55 Years
It’s What’s Happening, Baby! That’s the name of the 1965 television special hosted by influential New York disk jockey Murray Kaufman, a.k.a. Murray The K. Over the course of 90 minutes, the jocular, hep-talking Murray (who christened himself The Fifth Beatle as an early friend and supporter of the Fab Four) shared musical performances by the day’s biggest pop and soul acts including The Supremes, Dionne Warwick, Ray Charles, The Righteous Brothers, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Rivers, Herman’s Hermits, The Temptations, The Ronettes, Martha and The Vandellas, Patti LaBelle and The…
In the Meantime: UMe Reconfigures ‘What’s Going On’ Bonuses for 50th Anniversary
As one of the most striking albums in Motown Records’ deep catalogue and one of the most moving pieces of conscientious Black expression in pop music, What’s Going On has been in the spotlight many times since its release nearly a half-century ago. This week, Universal Music Enterprises seeks to streamline the album’s reissues in the 21st century with three new digital products. What’s Happening Brother: Earlier Reissues What’s Going On first got the deluxe treatment for its 30th anniversary, one of the initial releases in Universal’s standardized “Deluxe Edition” series, featuring remastered classic…
A Miracle Happened: “A Cellarful of Motown” Returns with Gems from The Temptations, Martha and The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Kim Weston, Blinky, and More
The classic Motown vaults are, once again, open. This Friday, the U.K.’s Caroline label will release the long-anticipated fifth volume of A Cellarful of Motown, the rarities series which last saw a volume in 2010. But this 2-CD, 43-song collection promises to have been worth the wait as it features previously unreleased and new-to-CD tracks from such household name artists as Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Gladys Knight and The Pips, and The (Detroit) Spinners as well as cherished favorites including Chuck Jackson, Barbara McNair, Billy Eckstine, Brenda…
