What is the point of b-sides?
In this day and age, when albums are cannibalised for individual track downloads and playlists chopped and changed on streaming services, probably not much. But back in the hoary old 20th century artists were obliged to fill both sides of a small disc of vinyl, and this created both a problem and an opportunity. What exactly should go on the b-side of a high profile young band's latest potential hit? If you were a group with talent and creativity to spare, like the Beatles, you just whacked out a double aa side where both songs just so happened to be stone cold masterpieces (Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane) but instances where musical genius and commercial viability neatly dovetail prove few and far between. For a lot of artists the b-side was a mere dumping ground for silly doodles or half-hearted cover versions. But artists with a bit of vision and ability could plonk more experimental, less chart friendly work on the vinyl's flip side. The luxury of the b-side allowed for the flexing of artistic muscles away from the glare of the media and the label bosses. Or alternatively it could just be used as a way to pacify your drummer who's announced he's written a song.
Either way the history of the b-side is a kind of alternative (not in the indie sense) history of music. A place where some of pop music's best kept secrets reside, their merits made all the more enticing by their rarity or outsider status.
At this point I can hear (both of) you cry 'why oh why are you using the onset of punk as your starting point? Surely this discounts loads of great music from the 60s and early 70s?!' Well, yes it does. But this list is already 40 tracks long and opening it up to the titans of the Swinging 60s in particular risks well and truly disappearing down the rabbit hole. Besides I really don't want the dilemma of whether I include 'I am the Walrus' or 'Rain' on my conscience. Punk is a good place to start because it was a year zero of sorts and the DIY aesthetic that it engendered led to a flourishing of a new type of songwriting, much of which ended up on b-sides. As the compact disc reared its jewel case in the 80s the demand for multiple format releases to boost sales resulted in the need for yet more material. This glut of formatting reached its apogee during the heady days of Britpop when Blur notoriously pipped Oasis to Number One because they had more CD versions of their single Country House - and hence more b-sides.
As ever there have to be rules. Alongside the standard insistence on only one entry per artist (although a group and a solo entry are permissible - which lets a certain gladioli waving, celibate, vegetarian Mancunian in twice on a technicality) the strictures are thus:
1) All the tracks must be standalone b-sides. No opportunistic grafting on of a sub-standard album track here. Obviously material featured on compilations is acceptable - this would be a very short list if it weren't - but the song must have featured as an actual b-side rather than just being a rarity or an offcut. I am sure that somebody will delight in telling me I've fucked this up somewhere.
2) Only original, vocal material is permissible. So no stripped back acoustic versions of former singles, no singalong live versions, no minute long instrumentals and no goofy cover versions.
3) No EPs (extended plays) - which is a rule I am pretty sure I have broken
4) No b-sides that were very quickly re-released as a-sides when everyone realised how popular they were. Yes, I am thinking primarily of 'How Soon is Now?' here by the Smiths. The point of this list is to shine a light on some neglected gems; I can think of few songs less neglected than 'How Soon is Now?'
Note that I have cynically lobbed in the words 'very quickly' above. There is one song in this list which was re-released as a single but seven years after its initial, b-side release and in a new mix. So, you know, I'm letting myself have that.
Also, and potentially more contentious depending on how muso you are, I have not included Primal Scream's 'Velocity Girl.' Whilst it was technically a b-side it is so much more famous (in certain circles anyway) than its a-side ('Crystal Crescent' if you're interested) that it didn't really fit in this company.
The only thing that remains to say is that this is quite an Anglo-centric list. It was certainly not my intention to be nationalistic about this; I suppose I am just more familiar with British music. Any polite suggestions/outraged indignation about seminal US (or other) b-sides that I have neglected will be taken on board.
Happy listening.
40
Cheryl Tweedy - Lily Allen (2006)
A: Smile
Allen became renowned for spats with her fellow celebs and this deliciously dubby flip dedicated to the Girls Aloud popstrel scaled new heights of disdainful irony
39
Babe, I Got You Bad - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1997)
A: Are You The One That I've Been Waiting For?
Cave and his band of mordant musicians did some of their best work on The Boatman's Call and the quality extends to the album's b-sides. The barrelling Babe, I Got You Bad is the pick of a great bunch
38
Mars Bars - The Undertones (1979)
A: Jimmy Jimmy
Derry's finest at their most playful and throwaway with a punk-pop ode to the chocolate bar that helps you 'work, rest and play'
37
Melanie Davis - Supergrass (1996)
A: Going Out
So what if it sounds like a carbon copy of the Kinks, the Oxford Britpoppers outdid their A-side with this tearing powerpop gem
36
Shut Out the Light - Bruce Springsteen (1984)
A: Born in the USA
It wasn't just the alternative elite making brilliant b-sides in the 80s, as this intimate story song from the Boss ably demonstrates
35
City of the Dead - The Clash (1977)
A: Complete Control
Backing one of the most iconic punk rock tracks ever City of the Dead could easily have got lost. But its whipsmart pace and zeitgeist-y cynicism have ensured it remains a favourite amongst the faithful
34
Daddy's Eyes - The Killers (2006)
A: Bones
Brandon Flowers' footsoldiers always had a keen sense of pop history and put a great deal into their b-sides. Daddy's Eyes finds the charismatic front man in wonderfully histrionic form
33
...Said Sadly - The Smashing Pumpkins (1995)
A: Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Whenever Billy Corgan's epic melodrama proved a little wearing there was always comfort to be had from one of James Iha's gently melodic ballads. ...Said Sadly is proof positive of just how underrated his songwriting is
32
Shadow on the House - Madness (1981)
A: It Must Be Love
The nutty boys get deep for three minutes with this gorgeous, tinkling piano ballad about lost love and the depression that attends relationship breakdowns
31
The Lady With the Spinning Head - U2 (1991)
A: One
This is a curious one. A cracking guitar pop song in its own right The Lady with the Spinning Head cropped up on the b-side to One before being cannibalised for three different songs on the Achtung Baby album
30
Why? - The Specials (1980)
A: Ghost Town
Inspired by Lynval Golding's experience of a racist attack Why? is a heartfelt plea for tolerance and understanding set to a sweet ska beat
29
The Delaney - The Libertines (2002)
A: Up the Bracket
Barat, Doherty et al came racing out of the blocks in the early noughties and their corking second single is backed by this gloriously ramshackle racket which just about keeps it together for the duration
28
Donkeys - Manic Street Preachers (1993)
A: Roses in the Hospital
Hailing from the Manics awkward transitional period between snotty anarchist punks and Britpop establishment this plaintive power ballad is one of the brightest spots in their 90s catalogue
27
A: Stripped
By the mid 80s Gahan and co. were turning their backs on breezy electropop in favour of something altogether darker, and this majestic b-side is a fascinating bridge between two phases of the band
26
Plastic Tramp - Arctic Monkeys (2007)
A: Fluorescent Adolescent
Proudly flying the flag for the b-side in an age of digital downloads the Sheffield songsmiths gave us this excoriating diatribe against fake vagrants
25
Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It - Belle and Sebastian (2000)
A: Jonathan David
Much more than just a fabulous title this stately ballad about an office drone's kiss-off came wrapped in sweeping strings and a sense of scale not usually heard in a humble b-side
24
Ages of You - REM (1985)
A: Wendell Gee
Surprisingly, REM are not a particularly strong b-sides band, preferring to offer live versions of hits or quirky cover versions. This archetypal jangle pop gem is a rare exception in their canon
23
Harness Your Hopes - Pavement (1999)
A: Spit on a Stranger
Its not often that a late period b-side grows to become a band's defining track but this delightfully skittish number has consistently proved the most popular Pavement song on Spotify
22
Don't Be a Fool, Billy - Super Furry Animals (1996)
A: Hometown Unicorn
Exploding onto the Noelrock scene of 1996 with much needed psychedelic frenzy the Super Furries unleashed not just a killer debut single but a blinding, anthemic b-side to boot
21
Cocaine Socialism - Pulp (1998)
A: A Little Soul
Jarvis cocker's splenetic yet always eloquent rant about the disillusionment connected to New Labour is every bit as explosive in its way as the mighty Common People
20
Erotic City - Prince (1984)
A: Let's Go Crazy
The Purple One was so notoriously prolific that he required reams of compilation albums just to contain his vast non-album output. It is astonishing to think that the filthy funk of Erotic City never made it to an a-side
19
Into the White - Pixies (1989)
A: Here Comes Your Man
Most of the Boston band's best b-sides were covers (their readings of Neil Young are a particular treat) but this woozy Kim Deal sung gem is a terrifically off-kilter original
18
I Buy American Records - Saint Etienne (1994)
A: Hug My Soul
Tucked away on the flipside of the rather nondescript Hug My Soul is this thing of baroque beauty; a richly orchestrated, shimmering fragment that deserves a far bigger audience
17
Young and Lovely - Blur (1993)
A: Chemical World
Captured just at the point before Damon Albarn's voice and methodology slipped into mockney self-parody this stately ballad about the precociousness of youth is wonderfully affecting
16
Been a Son - Nirvana (1989)
A: Blew
Two years before Smells Like Teen Spirit catapulted Kurt Cobain into the mainstream this primal b-side served notice of his spirit and authenticity. Been a Son made the band's posthumous Greatest Hits; its a-side was nowhere to be seen
15
Wings - The Fall (1983)
A: Kicker Conspiracy
Built around a singularly brutal central riff Wings is a typically abstruse Mark E. Smith confection. Time travel, fake wings and US civil war veterans populate the band's finest b-side
14
Lipstick - Buzzcocks (1978)
A: Promises
Buzzcocks were always at the more melodic end of the punk rock spectrum and the insistent powerpop of Lipstick is a worthy complement to one of their strongest 45s
13
Shameless - Pet Shop Boys (1993)
A: Go West
The PSBs are adept at skewering the superficiality of celebrity and this turbo-charged belter stands proudly alongside Opportunities and Flamboyant as a danceably arch electropop classic
12
These Days - Joy Division (1980)
A: Love Will Tear Us Apart
There is hardly an abundance of Joy Division b-sides but These Days forms the perfect twitching, spidery counterpart to the stentorian behemoth that is Love Will Tear Us Apart
11
This Twilight Garden - The Cure (1992)
A: High
Whilst 1992 saw Robert Smith get happy with Friday I'm in Love there was still time for some old school goth with this stunning b-side drenched in marvellously murky atmosphere
10
Talk Show Host - Radiohead (1996)
A: Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Both as the flip to one of their most accomplished singles and through its appearance on the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack this jerky, stop-start Radiohead record has become a modern cult classic
9
Girl Least Likely To - Morrissey (1990)
A: November Spawned a Monster
Girl Least Likely To, a scabrous critique of the literary powers of one of Morrissey's acquaintances, provides much needed light and humour to counterbalance the stark, controversial November Spawned a Monster
8
The Butterfly Collector - The Jam (1979)
A: Strange Town
Possibly the most spare and cynical song about groupies ever written The Butterfly Collector paints a stunning lyrical portrait of a soul sucking star-fucker by utilising the perfect metaphor
7
Hoover Factory - Elvis Costello and the Attractions (1980)
A: Clubland
Clocking in at under two minutes Hoover Factory is a whistle stop journey through the fringes of London with all the lyrical and melodic invention you would expect from a master craftsman like Costello
6
1963 - New Order (1987)
A: True Faith
Possibly it was the bizarre concept of 1963 (a mad conspiracy theory regarding the assassination of JFK) which relegated one of New Order's catchiest songs to a mere b-side. It belatedly had its day in the sun with a new mix and single release in the 90s
5
Under the Ivy - Kate Bush (1985)
A: Running Up That Hill
On the b-side of Kate Bush's most iconic single lurked a fragile piano ballad dripping with gothic romance and a whole novel between its few lines. The closing key change is just heartbreaking
4
Acquiesce - Oasis (1995)
A: Some Might Say
It could have been Talk Tonight or Half the World Away so consistently strong were Oasis' earlier b-sides. But for sheer anthemic bombast and an oddly touching chorus Acquiesce just - just - shades it
3
Half a Person - The Smiths (1987)
A: Shoplifters of the World Unite
Another band with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of peerless non-album material The Smiths rarely bettered this wryly funny bedsit classic that spoke to sensitive outsiders the world over
2
Mersey Paradise - The Stone Roses (1989)
A: She Bangs the Drums
The Stone Roses had the ability to make glorious music sound effortless and there is such an unstoppable feelgood vibe to Mersey Paradise that attempting to resist its jangling, breathless charms is wholly futile
1
My Insatiable One - Suede (1992)
A: The Drowners
Suede fans certainly got value for money from the band's first release; not only the scintillating a-side and the soaring To the Birds but this tremendous offering as well. Covered live by Morrissey barely a week after release and featuring some of Bernard Butler's most accomplished spiralling guitar lines the magic of My Insatiable One would prove almost impossible to match for Brett Anderson's androgynous bohemians. If any song demonstrates the potential of the b-side it is this
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