B

How Soon Is Now? was a B-side once upon a time,so that has to go in.I think Dead Souls was too (which would make that and Atmosphere one of the greatest double-teams in history IMO).I'll beat Melissa to it by naming some Radiohead B-sides (How I Made My Millions,The Amazing Sound Of Orgy,blabla).I like a few Idaho ones too.

OMD's version of ^Waiting For The Man^=only VU I ever liked. Rain Tree Crow's ^I Drink To Forget^=gentle pisstake of improv/homemade instruments. For the G'ster~ yes ^Ice The Levant^ by Stump and that Banshees Bside to ^Dear Prudence^ that SHE HASN'T RETURNED YET.

Great b-sides: predictably, tons of Radiohead songs...Fog, How I Made My Millions, Meeting in the Aisle, Talk Show Host, A Reminder The Amazing Sounds of Orgy, Kinetic, Worrywort, Pearly*, Polyethylene [Parts 1 & 2], Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong, Lozenge of Love, You Never Wash Up After Yourself, Transatlantic Drawl. Being the only band I've ever heard every b-side from, I obviously have a lot to list. I've heard a few good Bjork ones...one that has lasted is Amphibian, which is gorgeous. Favorite b-side of all time though is probably Jim O'Rourke's Halfway to a Threeway. Beautiful, twisted, sad, slightly depraved... Really, if you haven't heard it, download it now. Boards of Canada's Amo Bishop Roden is a shimmering paean to the moon (in my mind, anyway). Ummmmm...come to think of it, I've not heard many b-sides. I'd have to be really devoted to a band to track down all their singles and EPs. I think it's different in England...singles are a much bigger deal and they're easy to obtain. Here, singles are near nonexistent.

Thinking about it>>>I would rather listen to Bsides than remixes

ex sociolologist=big generalisations>>>>

I want a dog, best Pet Shop Boys song, wrongfully b-sided, 'habitat' rhyms to 'cat', the whole 'alternative'CD I prefer over other stuff.

there are dozens and dozens... here are a few:

Clash - Armagideon Time (London Calling)
Fall - Various Times (It's The New Thing)
Gang of Four - Love Like Anthrax (Damaged Goods)
Higsons - The Lost & the Lonely (It Goes Waap)
Janis Ian - Stars - (At Seventeen)
Magazine - I Love You You Big Dummy (Give Me Everything)
Mott the Hoople - Rose (Honaloochie Boogie)
Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown (Baby I Love You So)
Pere Ubu - I Hear They Smoke the Barbecue - (We Have the Technology)

gorky's 'girl i've always known' b-side to poodle rockin'

Elvis Costello had more than I could name. But my all time b-side has to be Patty Smith's "My Generation" cover with John Cale on the flipside to Gloria. Also, wasn't Britney's Autumn Goodbye a B-side? Also, the flip side to The Bangles Hazy Shade of Winter is a killer Joan Jett tune. Also, Joan Jett's early b-sides were as good as or better than the album material -- in particular the version of Hanky Panky.

How long have you got? A friend of mine thinks that my epitath should be "But the b-side is better" because whenever I get a single that's always what I say.

Favourites? Reasons?

"All that love and maths can do" - Durutti Column ("Tomorrow" EP - Just too lovely for words, really.) "Signs" - Northern Picture Library ("Last September's farewell kiss". Best "Did I even know her?" song ever. Heartbreaking.) "Off your face" - MBV ("Gilder" EP, my fave Valentines track ever, the way the guitars swoop after two minutes...) "Rain" - Beatles ("Paperback writer" - obvious, but true) "Annex" - OMD ("Enola Gay" - the OMD b-sides album is end to end brilliant) "Mineral" - Pacific ("Shrift" EP - another mention for the band Pacific, and a big shout to the person who emailed me about them this week.) "Hate your drug" - Saint Etienne ("Hug my soul" EP, lovely!)

There's more... just let me think and look.

Northern Soul fans exist on diet of b-sides and unreleased material...

'I Will Survive' was originally a b-side, Tom Jones 'The Lonely One' is a fantastic b-side, as is the Incredible Bongo Band 'Bongolia'

"Dont Ask Why" from Glider but does this count since the EP is a thing in itself and made to be listened to as a whole. Tonnes of St. Etienne b-sides, "Paper" being my fave.

Actually best of all is "I Believe" from Feed Me With your Kiss. The I Wanna Be Your Dog sleighbells homage makes the track. Lots of the shoegazing stuff on EP b-sides was strong.

David and Rob already mentioned my two fave MBV B-sides ("Off Your Face" and "Don't Ask Why"), but "Swallow," "Slow," "Cigarette in your Bed," "Drive It All Over Me" and "Honey Power" (and especially that little snippet right after it) all rool.

Oh, and the Cure's "Babble." Goddamn, what a brilliant song.

Gorkys ACE for bsides! Someones just naff but there are some copper bottomed classics in there too: WHY ARE WE SLEEPING? = bside to MISS TRUDY (track 4) and it's wunderbar.

I like "I'll Call You Mine" by the Zombies (B-side to the UK pressing of "Time of the Season") more than I like anything on Odessy & Oracle. "Gulf Shores" by Palace (the B side to the "West Palm Beach" single) might be the best thing Will Oldham ever did.

I always liked 'Gangsters and Pranksters' by Pavement. And "24 Hours" of the "Inside the Head of Mr. Atom" single by Man or Astro-man?

"Erotic City" by Prince, and "Autumn Goodbye" by Britney Spears.

Well, I don't know how *any* of those MBV 'YMMR' songs go, though I do have them on tape.

An answer to add to others: 'I Know Very Well How I Got My Name' (Suedehead 45).

Oasis: 'Rockin' Chair' (12" B-side, August 1995) beats most of their A-sides.

Oh, and "Something's Gone Wrong Again" is a B-Side, isn't it?

Pet Shop Boys B-sides are for the most part utterly brilliant, particularly "I Want A Dog", "Miserablism", "Some Speculation", "Jack The Lad", "You Know where You Went Wrong", "We All Feel Better In The Dark" and "One Of The Crowd". Likewise, The Cure has some amazing b- sides, including "A Japanese Dream", "The Big Hand", "New Day", "The Exploding Boy", "2 Late", "It Used To Be Me", "Ocean", "This Twilight Garden", "Fear Of Ghosts", Splintered In Her Head", and "A Man Inside My Mouth". Also, the second half of _Mezzanine_ is shockingly more coherent and fun to listen to as a unit than the first half.

"Rainbow Ride" is the b-side to "Devil Went Down to Georgia" and it's probably the best prog-country song in the universe.

Another vote for "Erotic City".

A friend played for me a long time ago a killer Tom Jones b-side called "13 Guitars"... wish I knew what the a-side was.

And the PSB-side where Neil Tennant plays some evil Space Emperor, repeating "I hate you, I hate you" and "whenever i see you OR your work it makes me feel like spitting!" sort of Star Trek-episode directed by Derek Jarman.

The Fall - Pat-Trip Dispenser

Rod Stewart - Maggie May (this was originally a B, wasn't it?)

Sex Pistols - I Wanna Be Me

Oasis - Acquiesce

Jesus & Mary Chain - Vegetable Man

Pavement - Strings of Nashville

Beatles (ha!) - Rain

Not too many hip-hop/dance records with notable B-sides as they tend to be remixes/instrumental versions etc

Erik, that's "The Sound Of The Atom Splitting". Incredible song.

I should also mention that "Erotic City" is genius.

The B-side to "Born In The U.S.A." is "Shut Out The Light," one of Springsteen's best songs. My favorite B-side ever, probably (and I have the 7-inch!)

*takes deep breath*

First off, all those MBV tracks are brilliant, but NONE of them count as B-sides or bonus tracks. The records are all EPs in my book, and all the songs are as important as the lead. Loads of other indie 12"s 1981-1990 are disqualified on the same grounds. Sorry Cocteaus, Slowdive, etc.

That still leaves plenty of killer B's however:

Ian Dury & The Blockheads - "You'll See (Glimpses)"
Throwing Muses - "Cottonmouth"
Laurie Anderson - "Walk The Dog"
Oasis - "Step Out"
AR Kane - "Haunted"
The Undertones - "Mars Bars" and loads of others (the B-sides disc of "All Wrapped Up" is almost as good as the A-sides disc)
The Piranhas - "Space Invaders"
The Smiths - "Handsome Devil"
Rip Rig & Panic - "1619 A Dutch Vessel Docks In The U.S.A. With 20 Humans For Sale"
Splodgenessabounds - "Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, Please"
The Stranglers - "In The Shadows"
Yes - "Money" (this is in the 'so bad it's good' category: Rick Wakeman does Dennis Healey impersonation, the band whines about high taxes)
The Woodentops - "Steady Steady"
Altered Images - "Sentimental"
Yazoo - "Situation"
Verve - "Feel" (from before they were The Verve)
Low - "Don't Carry It All"Blake Babies - "Nirvana" (actually this is from an EP, whoops!)

B's that became A's, overlooked AA's, etc:

The Stranglers - "Go Buddy Go"
Public Enemy - "Bring The Noise"
Wham! - "Everything She Wants"
AR Kane - "Anitina" (the flip of M/A/R/R/S' "Pump Up The Volume")
Boney M - "Brown Girl In The Ring" (and "Belfast"?)
The Jam - "Precious"
Spice Girls - "Who Do You Think You Are"
Underworld - "Dogman Go Woof"
LL Cool J - "Jack The Ripper"
Killing Joke - "Pssyche"

Finally, I've generally ignored remixes of A-sides, but four I must mention:
Soft Cell - "Tainted Dub"
23 Skidoo - "Language B"
Propaganda - "Jewel"
Stereolab with James Dean Bradfield - "Electron Ray Tube mix"

Sorry about the bold, there.

reveal thyself>>>spawn of Martian###

Pavement's "Sue Me Jack." An enormous amount of Prince, but especially "Feel U Up." Thee Headcoats' "Louie Louie (Where Did She Roam)," which is the B-side of "Louie Louie" and, um, a completely different song (cough). The Pet Shop Boys list omitted the mighty, mighty "Shameless," the B-side of "Go West" and maybe my favorite song by them. Wire's "Options R" and "Former Airline." Speaking of which: Airlines' incredible reworking of Nick Drake's "Road." Belle & Sebastian's "Photo Jenny." The Beatles' "Revolution."

The records are all EPs in my book, and all the songs are as important as the lead

I won't disagree, but the lead tracks on all except YMMR ended up on the albums and the others didn't. So dammit I'll call 'em B-sides for the sake of argument. ;-)

The thing about "Shameless", though, is that it isn't actually very good. It's crass and obvious and while that might be the point of the song, that doesn't make listening to it any more ejoyable for me (except for those moments when I'm plastered). "Euroboy" does the whole tacky bombast thing much better.

"Euroboy" is The Shit. You could make such a twisted, evil video for it.

My brain = fried, right now, but the one that comes immediately to mind is The Cure's "2 Late". I dunno why it's the only one. More later, when I can think, maybe.

my Prince vote goes to "Another Lonely Christmas". and if those (honestly, just terrible) Pyramid Song b-sides are good for anything, it's stumping the theory that "Amnesiac" was glorified b-sides. but they have had a few good ones...Palo Alto, Trickster, etc. a couple that come to mind that were better than most of the respective albums they were outtakes from: "Sad To Be Aware" by the Posies "Genetic" by Sonic Yo

All the PSB proponents failed to mention Too Many People, which sounds like a New Order ripoff, but is still outstanding. Alternative is a phenomenal album.

B&S disqualified on 'ep' grounds?

I like 'Step Out' too. Smiths B-sides are a given - they almost don't count (which is to say - I agree about them).

Grate LLOYD COLE B-sides include:

Jesus Said / Big Bad World / Shelly I Do / the phenomenal *Wild Orphan* (best B-side ever?) / Weird On Me / The L-Word (Tell Your Sister: amazing alternate take with Quine explosive) / Somewhere Out In The East (instrumental).

Last of those was October 1991. No recent ones cos no recent LC 45s, unless I've missed something (and I probably have).

_Alternative_ is far and away their best album. It's kind of scary. I really thought I'd mentioned "Too Many People" somewhere up there, but I guess I didn't.

David Devant: Life On A Crescent/Slip It To Me/Who We Are
Divine Comedy: cover of Kraftwerk's Radioactivity
Fosca: Confused And Proud
Geri Halliwell: G.A.Y
Ladytron: Miss Black
My Life Story: Emerald Green/Heavenly Suitcase/Florence's Theme
Pet Shop Boys: How I Learned To Hate Rock N Roll
Pulp: Ladies' Man
Spice Girls: Spice Invaders
Suede: most early B-Sides (esp My Insatiable One/Killing Of A Flash Boy)


All of El Records: The Legendary B-Sides

"You Made Me Forget My Dreams" is a really wonderful and beautiful. The patient and inevitable way B&S build the instrumentation in that song reminds me of Jandek. (!) It's heartbreaking.

"Gangsters & Pranksters" is top. PJ Harvey's done a lot of great b- sides, like "Sweeter Than Anything" (which Will Oldham has covered), the cover of "Wang Dang Doodle," "One Time Too Many".. etc..
"Tomorrow One" by Low. There's a Hole b-side, "Old Age," which I love..