Release Round-Up: Week of May 8

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. Neil Diamond, Wild at Heart (Capitol/UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Walmart (with exclusive lithograph) / Target (with exclusive lithograph) / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP (Bronze Elegance Edition): NeilDiamond.com LP (Copper Nugget Edition): Barnes and Noble A new album from Neil Diamond is out today…and it’s so good, so good, so good!  The superstar singer-songwriter’s Wild at Heart is composed of nine previously unheard outtakes recorded with producer Rick Rubin in…

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The Weekend Stream: May 2, 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. You know you’re in for a treat when the most recognizable digital catalogue here is a country-rock record by Jimi Jamison – plus new singles from Madonna and Peter Gabriel, for good measure. Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love” (Warner) (Apple / Amazon) The official lead single from Madonna’s anticipated Confessions II – a sequel to her 2005 blockbuster Confessions on a…

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The Weekend Stream: April 18, 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. We’ve got a trove of new songs from old (and not-so-old) favorites to kick off your post-Record Store Day festivities, plus a load of rare, out-of-print and expanded titles across genres from country, jazz, prog and beyond. Madonna, “I Feel So Free” (Warner) (Apple / Amazon) Just over two decades after her triumphant Confessions on a Dance Floor – and seven years after…

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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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Release Round-Up: Week of March 13

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. Leon Russell with Mary Russell, The Paradise Years 1976-1981 (Cherry Red/Lemon/Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red) Second Disc Records teams with Cherry Red’s Lemon Recordings imprint to release the first-ever collection of Leon Russell’s recordings for the Warner-distributed Paradise Records label.  The Paradise Years 1976-1981 presents, on four CDs, six full albums plus seven bonus tracks, all of which are new to CD.  These encompass the non-LP B-side…

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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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Release Round-Up: Week of March 6

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. Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, The Ultimate Collection (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada/ Real Gone Music) Real Gone delivers the definitive tribute to Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme with this 4-CD box set.  Previously available only as a Public Television pledge incentive, The Ultimate Collection has been curated by David Lawrence and is thematically arranged by disc.  It features highlights from Steve and Eydie’s…

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The Weekend Stream: February 7, 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 tracks from old favorites, deep cuts, good causes, a fun recent Grammy winner, and the triumphant return of The Muppets? What more could you possibly ask for?! The Muppets, The Muppet Show Theme (2026) (Walt Disney Records) (Apple / Amazon) It’s time to play the music! The Muppet Show made a triumphant return to television this week: a special episode that aired on ABC and Disney+, produced by…

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I Have the Touch: Two Vintage Peter Gabriel Live Sets Get Physical Releases

Peter Gabriel may be prepping an unexpected new album this year (o\i, the comparatively rapid follow-up to 2023’s decades-in-development i/o) – but don’t worry: he’s got catalogue plans, too! Over the next few months, the two time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will offer physical releases of two archival live shows he released digitally last year: Live At WOMAD 1982, and In the Big Room, a live-in-studio set from 2003. Live At WOMAD takes listeners back to the first installment of Gabriel’s founded festival of the same name, occurring over a weekend in…

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The Weekend Stream: August 9, 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. Jim Reeves isn’t the only gentleman on display this week: we’ve also got Peter Gabriel, Eddy Grant, Ben Folds and a host of film composers – plus many, many more! Peter Gabriel, Live At WOMAD 1982 (Real World) (Apple / Amazon) Loosed from the vault is Gabriel’s nine-song headlining set at the first World of Music, Art and Dance Festival, held at the Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallet,…

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The Weekend Stream: June 28, 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. 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 consumption: highlights from an intimate 2003 performance at his Real World…

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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 with you more than four dozen one-offs, archival…

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Gotta Get In to Get Out: Genesis’ ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ Set for Deluxe Edition Next Year

Genesis will revisit one of their most beloved albums – and their final bow with original vocalist Peter Gabriel – in a new box set next year. Announced almost 50 years to the day of its original release in 1974, a new deluxe version of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway will be a multi-disc celebration – four CDs or five LPs, a Blu-ray Audio disc and a download card – of the group’s acclaimed work. Inside the box will be a new remaster of the original mix of the album, done by Miles…

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Release Round-Up: Week of December 1

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. The Sound of Music: Super Deluxe Edition (Craft Recordings) 4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Craft Store (picnic meadow green) This remarkable new 4CD/1BD box set invites listeners to hear The Sound of Music anew.  The first two discs represent the complete musical score as heard in the film, from the orchestral prelude and Julie Andrews’ iconic “The Sound of Music” – yes, that…

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The Weekend Stream: July 29, 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. Big things happening in this column: two big box sets from a legendary prog-turned-pop outfit, rare mixes from one of pop’s most legendary performers, tons of remixes from a soulful producer/performer and 200(!) classical titles from a legendary British label. Whew! Genesis, Archive #1 (1969 – 1975) / Archive #2 (1976 – 1992) (Atlantic/Rhino/Craft) Archive #1: iTunes / Amazon…

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Deep in the Motherlode: Genesis Detail ‘BBC Broadcasts’ Box

Though the exhaustive archival work that accompanied Genesis’ 2007 touring did not extend to the group’s latest (and likely last) outing in 2021 and 2022, this year brings a new box set for fans of the prog-turned-pop/rock icons: a collection of their live material as recorded by the BBC. BBC Broadcasts, curated by founding keyboardist Tony Banks and longtime engineer Nick Davis, offers a trove of concert audio from all the major eras of Genesis from 1970 to 1998. The earliest material, taken from a 1970 appearance on BBC Radio 2 program…

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The Weekend Stream: January 7, 2023

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 usher you into the weekend. And we’re ringing in the new year with new music from Peter Gabriel, old music from Madonna and a call to help out an old soul hero! Peter Gabriel, Panopticon (Bright Side Mix) (Real World) (iTunes / Amazon) Our first digital item of 2023 isn’t catalogue, but it’s certainly of interest to fans of classic pop and rock….

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The Weekend Stream: April 23, 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! Return from your Record Store Day binge and kick back with some exciting finds, from charity rarities to new mixes of old favorites and even a surprising soundtrack find or two! Various Artists, EarthPercent Earth Day Initiative (Bandcamp) Though Bandcamp Friday is back in two weeks, the beloved digital service has partnered with EarthPercent, a charity aiming to connect musicians with meaningful…

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In Your Eyes: Mondo Expands ‘Say Anything…’ Soundtrack with Unreleased Material

Soundtrack vinyl label Mondo offers a killer new expanded release this week that’ll make even the staunchest opponent to selling, buying or processing anything reconsider their position: the stirring soundtrack to 1989 romantic comedy Say Anything… Already lauded for his teenaged work as a journalist for Rolling Stone (which inspired his 2000 film Almost Famous) and the book-turned-’80s film classic Fast Times At Ridgemont High, screenwriter Cameron Crowe made his directorial debut with this unlikely hit about a high school valedictorian (Ione Skye) who falls for an underachieving misfit classmate (Jon Cusack). The film’s mixture of sweetness…

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Summer Blessings: Super Picks for July’s Bandcamp Friday

The Bandcamp Friday train keeps rolling – a light in the darkness for music lovers if ever there was one! On March 20, as the COVID-19 pandemic was putting the world on pause, the indie music service waived their revenue share on all music and merch sold, allowing indie artists and labels a chance for some steadier income as concert tours began to halt. The event was a resounding success, and has been repeated on the first Fridays of May and June, with another on June 19 (a planned annual practice in…

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Release Round-Up: Week of June 12

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Peter Gabriel, Rated PG (Real World) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Last year, Peter Gabriel issued Rated PG, a collection of one-off songs he’d performed for motion pictures across his solo career. This year, that album gets a wider release beyond its picture disc pressing for Record Store Day; it’ll now be available on CD and vinyl on Friday, June 12.  The 10-track compendium features PG favorites from WALL-E, Against All Odds, Natural…

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Down To Earth: Peter Gabriel’s Collection of Movie Songs Gets Wide Release In June

Last year, Peter Gabriel issued Rated PG, a collection of one-off songs he’d written and performed for motion pictures across his solo career. This year, that album gets a wider release beyond its picture disc pressing for Record Store Day; it’ll now be available on CD and vinyl this Friday, June 12. A longtime film fan who once nearly enrolled at a London film school before his work in Genesis became noticed by the British music press, Gabriel has been no stranger to writing music for movies. Four soundtracks are in his…

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Among The Believers: Steven Van Zandt Preps Vinyl/CD Box Set with Classic Albums, Unreleased Tracks

In the 1980s, after a successful run as a key member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band as well as a key architect of the rock-and-soul-infused “Jersey Shore sound,” Steven Van Zandt struck out on his own. A new box set from UMe will showcase his solo evolution. The singer/songwriter/producer/guitarist’s RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work will collect five of Little Steven’s solo works on colored vinyl – Men Without Women (1982), Voice Of America (1984), Freedom – No Compromise (1987), Revolution (1989 – making its official debut in the U.S.) and…

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Walk Through The Fire: Peter Gabriel Rarities Collected Digitally As ‘Flotsam and Jetsam’

Having brought his catalogue into the digital and streaming age on his own timeframe, Peter Gabriel is now offering more than 60 rare tracks in a new compilation. Flotsam and Jetsam, announced today as a digital album, offers B-sides, remixes and non-album tracks spanning Gabriel’s extensive solo career from 1976 (a cover of The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” from the All This and World War II soundtrack) to 2016 (“The Veil,” penned for the dramatic biopic Snowden). In between, there’s versions of many favorites, including “Solsbury Hill,” “Biko,” “Shock The Monkey,” “Sledgehammer,”…

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Review: “Music from Vanilla Sky” and “Orange County: The Soundtrack” LPs From Real Gone

Real Gone Music has recently given soundtrack lovers and vinyl aficionados something to talk about with two new color vinyl reissues of turn-of-the-millennium soundtracks:  Music from Vanilla Sky (on “blue cloud” vinyl) and Orange County: The Soundtrack (on orange vinyl).  The plots of both films are tied to the music within.  The soundtrack for the far-out Vanilla Sky shifts moods and tones while maintaining some sense of cohesion as it takes listeners from classic rock to folk, trance and hip-hop.  Meanwhile, Orange County‘s soundtrack is more of a music time capsule of the late-’90s and early ’00s rock and hip-hop…

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