Why the hell did they leave it off the album?

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For all y'all hippity hoppers out there: What is your favorite track by a well-known artist that was only released as a single or on an EP?

― Oops (Oops), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 21:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Martin Tielli left "The Bridge" off his '01 solo acoustic CD. Bad boy.
Interpol left "Specialist" of the full-length. Naughty.

― gazuga (gazuga), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

i have no idea why Prince never released "Rebirth of The Flesh" surely one his best songs ever.

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Beck's "Clock" (only released on the Japanese Odelay) and "Cold Ass Fashion" (left off of Mellow Gold).

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm, I don't know that one ... and I have a couple boots.. What era?

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

(that was to Chaki)

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

it was to be the first song on the Camille album which became Dream Factory which became Crystal Ball and eventually became Sign O' The Times.

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Weezer's got some bomb-ass B-sides that could have been singles in their own right, esp. "I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams," "You Gave Your Love To Me Softly," and "Sugar Booger."

Superchunk's acoustic demos that they've been putting on recent EPs often are an improvement on the original track. Sometimes better recorded!

The Grifters "Organ Grinder"
REM's "Burning Hell" (some of the best Stipe vocals evah)

and the pinnacle...the PINNACLE is...
Adam Ant's "Beat My Guest"
paired with the A-side "Stand And Deliver" this really should have been a double A. And I can't imagine it wouldn't have been my favorite single of that year had I been old enough to have favorite singles.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:09 (twenty-two years ago)

OH SHIT!!!

The PINNACLE of what this thread's about is Fishbone's "I'm A Weed Plant", which Disney/Dreamworks convinced them to change to "Where'd You Get Those Pants?"...GRRRRRRR!!!

(I'm only so bothered by this as I'm currently listening to am mp3 of "I'm A Weed Plant" and DAMN if it ain't a great song!)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Siouxsie & the Banshees' "Song from the Edge of the World" was never included on any album, and didn't even see the light of day on compact disc until this year (albeit as a crappy remix).

Both "A New Day" and "Birds of a Feather" were singles by Killing Joke that never made it onto albums (both were included -- again as shoddy remixes -- on later compilations).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:25 (twenty-two years ago)

nick, im a weed plant was released on a ska/punk comp called 'steady sounds from the underground'

weapon of choice should release their 3rd album (finally)

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Lyrics Born - "Always Fine Tuning". Of course he never put out a solo album when that came out, but it should have been on the same Quannum Spectrum comp that had the single "I Changed My Mind". The afforementioned was bundled with latter on the EP as a bonus track. Damn good track.

― cprek (cprek), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Turntable Savage by Hellfish kicks everything off the face of Meat MAchine balhablah

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

"Genetic" by Sonic Youth...one of Lee's best songs, really one of their best songs ever, a bloody crime that it was left off of Dirty in favor of much weaker (Thurston/Kim) material, and relegated a b-side and soundtrack fodder (My So-Called Life(!))...rumor has it Lee almost quit the band because of the decision, which i could understand. but it'll be on the reissue in March, so that a wider audience may bask in its glory.

― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Oasis Whatever (ducks)

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:48 (twenty-two years ago)

"3am Incident" by Cop Shoot Cop only surfaced as a track buried on the soundtrack to the deplorable Keanu Reeves vehicle, "Johnny Mnemonic." It was virtually the last track the band recorded together that was properly released (beyond a yawnsome instrumental called "Schweinhund!" on a split e.p. with the Italian band, Meathead). After Tod [A] split from the band, the remaining members re-recorded it, stripped off Tod's vox and re-titled it "Pushing Overload," only to be found on their dead-on-arrival album as the re-named Red Expendables.

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― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Ack.

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― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm. that just ain't workin', I guess.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 22:49 (twenty-two years ago)

'Verse Chorus Verse' by Nirvana, left off of 'In Utero' and thrown away on some silly Geffen comp

― richard stacey (analog75), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 23:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Megadeth "Angry Again". The best track of their career was on the soundtrack of the worst movie of the decade.

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 23:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Cocteau Twins, 'Need Fire', which is only avaliable on the Judge Dredd soundtrack.

Beth Orton, 'Bobbie Gentry'. I saw her do this song live, and it's better than 80% of Daybreaker.

― derrick (derrick), Thursday, 6 February 2003 00:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"Genetic" by Sonic Youth, "Kenneth Angers Bad Dream" by the Auteurs, "Westie Can't Drum" by Pavement, "Iambic 5 Poetry" by Squarepusher, the "Hot Burrito #2" cover by Dinosaur Jr, Pulp "PTA", Pet Shop Boys "A man could get arrested", REM "Fretless", Husker Du "Eight Miles High" . . . . I could go on forever . . . . .

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Thursday, 6 February 2003 00:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Pulp's "Like A Friend" and the Libertines' "What A Waster" don't appear on the original versions of their respective albums of the time (although both are appended to foreign releases of said albums)..

Travis' "Coming Around" is a particularly glaring omission - it's their best song ferchrissakes and they don't want it on an album?!

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 6 February 2003 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

The final track off of Third Eye Blind's pop-rock orgasm "Blue", entitled "Slow Motion," (a catchy lunatic ballad about gun violence) was changed into an instrumental track shortly before the album's release since Elecktra feared 3eb fans would be turned off by lyrics that graphically describe shooting someone ("man, you should have seen his flesh explode"). The version with lyrics is widely available as an mp3.

― Theodore Fogelsanger, Thursday, 6 February 2003 01:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Ben Folds Five wrote a song called "Emaline," and it is wonderful. It was recorded for their self-titled debut but removed and it later showed up on their rarities collection. This was done because "Emaline" featured a guitar, and Ben Folds Five were easier to market as a guitarless band.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Thursday, 6 February 2003 01:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd have a CD of Combat Rock today if the Clash'd included "Midnight to Stevens".

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Thursday, 6 February 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Definitely "Genetic" by Sonic Youth. Also "No Shelter" by Rage Against the Machine. I think it was only released on the "Godzilla" soundtrack.

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Thursday, 6 February 2003 03:57 (twenty-two years ago)

"Naked Ambition at the EPA" by Mull Historical Society. The best Radiohead track not by Radiohead.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 6 February 2003 05:31 (twenty-two years ago)

'Ghost Town' left off More Specials

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Thursday, 6 February 2003 09:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Some of these weren't as left off as others.

"I Hate Myself and Want To Die"-Nirvana (In Utero outtake on the "Beavis and Butthead" TV album)
"Marigold"-Nirvana (the only Dave Grohl song recorded by them, left as a B-Side)
"Nitemare Girl"-Aimee Mann (on free bonus disc w/first run copies of Lost In Space)
"Save Me"-Aimee Mann (on Magnolia s/t, but not on Bachelor #2 like some of the other s/t songs)
"Lions & Tigers"-Sleater-Kinney (on free bonus disc w/first run copies of One Beat)
"Cannonball Days"-Ryan Adams (the best song he's ever done, or will do,it got left off Gold but did make the Side 4 e.p. included in Gold's 1st pressings)
"Call Letter Blues"-Bob Dylan (was replaced by the inferior "Meet Me In The Morning" on Blood On The Tracks)
"Let's See Action" "Pure & Easy" "Join Together" and "Relay"-The Who (all singles left off Who's Next)

― Clayton Grisso, Thursday, 6 February 2003 17:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I like just about every bonus track on the 2xLP version of Mouse on Mars' Niun Niggung better than the actual album tracks. Well, better than anything on the second half of it at least.

― original bgm, Thursday, 6 February 2003 18:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Depeche Mode "Death's Door" -- Pavement "Greenlander" -- Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

― Anonymous 1000 (Tim D), Thursday, 6 February 2003 18:55 (twenty-two years ago)

The Flaming Lips - "Slow Motion" (not on U.S. edition of The Soft Bulletin)
Primal Scream - "Velocity Girl"
Talk Talk - "John Cope"
The Streets - "Give Me My Lighter Back"
Syd Barrett - "Opel" and "Bob Dylan's Blues"
R.E.M. - "Crazy"
Radiohead - "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy"
Blur - "Sing" (not on U.S. version of Leisure)
Pet Shop Boys - "Paninaro"

― Evan (Evan), Thursday, 6 February 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Ms JaCKSON by the vines

― piet, Friday, 7 February 2003 10:40 (twenty-two years ago)

to answer the original question; i don't know why drizzay left 'deep cover' offa the chronic fucking mental weed addled bastard who thinks he is a doctor

― the internet (scg), Friday, 7 February 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

"Paninaro" is on _Alternative_ with a whole bunch of amazing PSB material, you know (plus there's the rereleased remastered versions of the first five albums).

The Cure owns this category with their post 1986 b-sides. "A Japanese Dream", "A Chain Of Flowers", "Snow In Summer", "Breathe", "Babble", "Out Of Mind", "2 Late", "Fear Of Ghosts", "Harold And Joe", "This Twilight Garden", "Play", "Halo", "The Big Hand", "Adonis", "Ocean", "It Used To Be Me", "Home", and "A Pink Dream" would make a fantastic album.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 7 February 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree with The Cure except add "I'm Cold" and "New Day" (et al) from the vintage years.

― christoff (christoff), Friday, 7 February 2003 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't list pre-1986 b-sides because (barring "Do The Hansa" and "Pillbox Tales") all of their b-sides are either on the cassette version of _Standing On A Beach_ or they're on _Japanese Whispers_.

Which actually reminds me that I left "Burn" off that list above.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 7 February 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

...and why was "Babble" relegatd to merely a b-side?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 February 2003 16:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Can't believe someone forgot "Shake the Disease" by Depeche Mode (perhaps my favorite song by them evah.)

What about the great tracks that got stuck at the end of the reissues of _Ziggy Stardust_? They stand up alongside just about any of the other songs on that album. I know, another thread hijacked by Bowie. I'll shut up now.

And why in the name of all that is unholy did Jason Pierce see fit to not put the single version of "Good Times" on _Pure Phase_? The album version is sickly and pretty blah compared to the full-tilt rocker that the single presents. Oh yeah, "Medication" shoulda been on the first album, too, but i've no idea how to resequence it with that in mind.

-Matt, who isn't really what you call a Bowie 'fan' either.

― Matt Maxwell (Matt M.), Friday, 7 February 2003 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Strings of Nashville by Pavement, i read somewhere that it is steven malkmus's favourite pavement song.

― Edmund Davie, Friday, 7 February 2003 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

But Matt, "Shake The Disease" is on _Catching Up With Depeche Mode_ (aka the first singles comp) and thus does appear on a readily-accessible album.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 7 February 2003 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

But but but...

Gaaah! I hate it when people make sense!

― Matt Maxwell (Matt M.), Friday, 7 February 2003 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Prince's "Love or Money"

Beck's "Deadweight"

― Edd Hurt (delta ed), Saturday, 8 February 2003 00:13 (twenty-two years ago)

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