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, we've got long-lost pop from a teenaged star, a crop of country classics, cool West Coast jazz, freestyle hits, and more! Nik Kershaw, B-Sides (iTunes / Amazon) and Extended Versions (iTunes / Amazon) (Island) Island brings two compilations from British singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw to digital
Harry Nilsson, Flash Harry (Varese Vintage) Never released in the U.S. or on CD, the wave of Nilssonmania continues with this: Harry's last album, released in 1980, now available on remastered vinyl or CD with several unheard bonus tracks. CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. Nik Kershaw, The Riddle: Remastered Expanded Edition (UMC) Kershaw's second LP, featuring one of the most criminally underrated singles ever in the title track, is reissued as a double-disc set with B-sides,
Following a recent expansion of his beloved (in the U.K.) debut album, Universal Music Group will offer the double-disc treatment to Nik Kershaw's sophomore effort The Riddle this summer, SuperDeluxeEdition reports. The monumental success of 1983's Human Racing, with its singles "Wouldn't It Be Good" and "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" reaching No. 4 and No. 2 on the U.K. charts, respectively, meant a need to produce a great follow-up. Kershaw delivered with The Riddle, thanks to its
A pleasant surprise is coming from Universal's catalogue arm across the pond: an expanded edition of Nik Kershaw's excellent debut album Human Racing. Released in 1984, Human Racing gave the young Bristol-born, Suffolk-raised guitarist a big break after years of jobbing in local bands. Aided by a set of teen magazine-ready good looks and an ear for intricately arranged, vaguely theatrical pop tunes, the second single from Human Racing, the excellent "Wouldn't It Be Good," became a Top 5 smash
Twenty-six years ago today, on two different continents, the music world came together for a worthy cause: to raise awareness of famine in Ethiopia. Live Aid, a pair of concerts organized by Bob Geldof in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985 and broadcasted live on the BBC, ABC and MTV, was seen in person by some 172,000 people and on television by nearly 2 billion across the globe. And, if you can believe it, none of it has ever been released on LP or CD. Granted, it's not entirely
It's not hard to see why Nik Kershaw was considered a teen idol in the 1980s, but it is hard to understand why this was the case after listening to his music. The British guitarist released several great albums of atmospheric yet accessible guitar pop-rock, but it seemed a bit heavier than the usual teen idol fare of generations past or future. Kershaw's best-known output don't deal with typical teen fare. His biggest singles, "Wouldn't It Be Good," "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "The