B Sides

[fiction-factory]

When I was an avid buyer of singles in the 1970s , 80s and 90s (and when i started buying old 60s singles) I used to enjoy listening to the B sides. Some were rubbish (the Stranglers had Don't Bring Harry on several singles) , some in the 70s were just instrumental versions of the B side, but quite often they were excellent. Excellent ones included-
PS I Love You (Love Me Do)
Queen's -We Will Rock You
Oasis - Half the world away
Oasis -the Masterplan

This is possibly my favourite that comes to mind at the moment (B side of Mr Blue Sky)

[Mexican18]

Ophelia by the Band is a great song!

[barry1010]

The Rolling Stones, Spider and the Fly is my favourite B side. The A side is (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

[Unsureme]

Favourite "B" side is "Bubbles, B side to Cool Water by Frankie Laine.

[fiction-factory]

I don't remember those, Unsureme- definitely before my time and never heard them on any Radio 1 Golden Hours although I did know some Frankie Laine stuff- but I'll have a listen later.

[royfromaus]

Unsurprising.

[fiction-factory]

Yes, I was a big Jam fan and saw them live. They had some great singles including great double A sides but The Butterfly Collector was always one of my top tracks

[jno]

FF, I think you may be right about Tell Me for Britain; not for all jurisdictions, though.

[royfromaus]

Dreams of children
Liza Radley
Tales from the Riverbank all would have made great A-sides imo.

Another old fav.

[royfromaus]

Although I don't think B-sides should have appeared on the same album as the A-side like the above did.

[Mozz71]

1963 by New Order (B-side of True Faith is a corker)
A couple more corkers from Elton John in the shape of Skyline Pigeon (Daniel) and Bennie and the Jets (Candle In The Wind)
Billy Joel's magnificent Vienna was only a B-side of Movin' Out
XTC finest moment, Dear God was only the B-side of (the also rather good) Grass, until all the college radio stations in the U.S. flipped it over and started playing it instead.

[Mozz71]

FF is right in the OP about Oasis. More ofter than not, their b-sides were far superior to the main tune.

[royfromaus]

Dear God ended up on Skylarking

[Mozz71]

Roy, wasn't Dreams of Children a double-A side with Going Underground, or am I having a senior moment? I recall The Jam having a few double-As, Town Called Malace/Precious was another IIRC.

[fiction-factory]

Yes it was Mozz. They also had David Watts and I think the other side was A Bomb in Wardour St.

[Mozz71]

//Dear God ended up on Skylarking//

I think it was added retrospectively following it's success Stateside.

[fiction-factory]

When I mentioned The Stranglers before, I think now the track they had on several B sides was In the Shadows rather than Don't Bring Harry

[Mozz71]

Ian Dury had some great B-sides too. I remember There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bustards (misspelt to avoid being censored) on the flip side of Rhythm Stick.

[fiction-factory]

B side of Wonderwall was a good track although Noel's voice sometimes grates

[fiction-factory]

The Beatles- Revolution is far better than its A side, Hey Jude, in my opinion

[fiction-factory]

The worst B side was possibly Napolean X1V- they simply played the A side backwards