Thirteen of my favorite B-sides... plus one.
Back in the day, the 45 rpm single was one of the most popular methods of purchasing music. Although the B-side of a single was sometimes considered a throwaway track, there were quite a few instances where you could find audio gold if you flipped over the 45 and gave it a listen. On my weekly radio show, I periodically do a segment called "On the Flip Side" where I spin a B-side to a hit from the 70s or 80s. Below are 14 of my favorite B-sides (it was hard to narrow it down to 13). Along with some of the B-sides that I've played on my show, I have also included some earlier ones from the 50s and 60s.
1. Any Major Dude Will Tell You- Steely Dan: One my favorite tracks by Fagen & Becker, this 1974 tune was the B-side to their biggest hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number".
Around and Around- Chuck Berry: This 1958 rocker was the flip side to Berry's classic "Johnny B. Goode".
3. Baby You're A Rich Man- The Beatles: They were one of those acts that had so much quality material that their B-sides often could have been A-sides. This was the flip to their 1967 anthem "All You Need Is Love".
4. Everybody Is A Star- Sly & the Family Stone: This smooth groove was the B-side to their 1970 #1 hit "Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin". For anyone asking themselves, "You ever heard of Spell Check Malcolm?", that's the actual spelling of the A-side.
5. Fields of Clover- The Box Tops: This Memphis group had a string of hits in the late 60s (The Letter, Cry Like A Baby, Soul Deep, etc.). I discovered this song earlier in the year and it quickly became one of my favorite Box Tops tunes. It was the flip side to their 1968 Top 30 hit "Choo Choo Train".
6. Funkier Than A Mosquita's Tweeter- Ike & Tina Turner: The flip side to their 1971 version of the CCR tune "Proud Mary", this song is also included on a best of compilation of theirs that I own. When I saw the title of this tune, I said that even if the song sucks, that is an awesome title!
7. Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose- Teddy Pendergrass: The B-side to one of his earlier solo hits (the 1978 ballad "Close the Door"), you may know this tune if you are a fan of the sitcom "What's Happening!" The instrumental track was featured in the episode where Rerun entered a dance contest and went up against Danny Domino.
8. The Girl I Knew Somewhere- The Monkees: Written by Wool Hat himself (Michael Nesmith), this tune was the B-side to their 1967 hit "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". This B-side is notable because it was the first Monkees' release on which all four members were allowed to play their own instruments.
9. In A Different Light- The Bangles: This driving rocker was the flip side to their 1986 hit "Manic Monday".
10. 17 Days- Prince: His Royal Badness is another performer who had such a wealth of quality material that his B-sides were usually top notch. I remember this 1984 tune (the flip to his first #1 pop hit, "When Doves Cry") getting a lot of airplay on the R&B station in Flint.
11. Shoo-Bee-Doo- Madonna: In addition to being included on her "Like A Virgin" album, this tune was also the B-side to her 1985 hit "Dress You Up".
12. Stand On It- Bruce Springsteen: I loved this rocker from the first time I heard it on the album rock station in Flint. It was the B-side to the Boss' 1985 top 10 hit "Glory Days".
13. Sunshine- The O'Jays: This ballad, the first song that I featured in the "On the Flip Side" segment, was the B-side to their 1972 smash "Backstabbers".
14. You've Got To Earn It- The Temptations: Typical of the major Motown acts, The Tempts had access to some of the best tunes at Hitsville. This 1965 song, the flip to "Since I Lost My Baby", could have easily been an A-side.
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35 comments:
You really know your 45's! Happy TT...
http://happywonderer.wordpress.com/2007/11/07/thursday-thirteen-8-friends/
OH MY GOD! "Stand On It!" I haven't heard that in years because all my 45s are tucked away. I loved that song! Thanks for reminding me. Great TT.
Oh "17 Days" by Prince! You didn't go there, did you? That's my jam! Well, one of them anyway.(LOL)
Baby your a rich man is the only one I know. Yikes. Have a great TT. :)
Mine was "Girl on the Moon" by Foreigner.
Smiles,
Holly
Whoa! I don't think I know any of those.
Lame Pittsburgh radio... :(
Happy TT, love!
I remember Baby You're A Rich Man very well. Was All You Need IS Love an anthem, or just a great song?
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I still have my 45s. I can't play them, but I won't get rid of them.
Great list! One question...How do we find the B sides on i-tunes;)
Beatles B-sides get played so much they might as well be A-sides. Funny a whole generation is growing up who won't get why this was important.
Great TT :-)
Hey now! Number 4, 13, 14 and of course number 7 are among my very favorite B-sides to be sure. We all know Rerun and his date won the dance contest against Danny Domino. Although I knew about the A-sides, a bunch of these B-sides I have never heard. Anyhow happy Thursday Thirteen.
Oh, I love B-sides. My kids now listen to my 45's (I have a great record player) and the B-sides almost always were my favorites.
Im embarassed...I guess Ive never listened to the other side!! My bad...lol. Happy TT. Great list.
This made me want to yank out all my 45's and check the B sides. I still must have about 100 45's (by such notables as Ray Stevens)laying about. I'm not even sure I can play them, but I've got 'em!!
Great TT -- and thanks for the memories!
OMG..I don't recognize any of those;)
What a very clever idea for a post. My god...what a concept "b-sides" huh? I used to love to get a 45 and play it raw and see what song was on the other side. You rock with this theme Malcolm!!!
Ellen B: Thanks! It helps that I have at my disposal what my best friend refers to as the archives.
The Gal Herself: I'm getting a mental picture of you digging through boxes so that you can find the 45 single of "Glory Days"/"Stand On It". It's worth the dig.
Lori: I figured that you would remember "17 Days". Like you referenced, there is no such thing as having just one "jam".
Sandee: I am glad to hear that you knew at least one tune on the list. In addition to the fact that I like them, I chose the songs so that there would be something for everyone who visited.
Holly: I looked it up and found that "Girl On the Moon" was the B-side to "Urgent". You have a pretty good memory. I just listened to a 30 second sample of "Girl On the Moon" and liked what I heard. I may eventually break down and buy it.
Susan: Shame on those Pittsburgh DJs from back in the day who didn't expose you guys to some of these B-sides.
Nicholas: As to whether "All You Need Is Love" was an anthem or a great song, I think it was both.
Busy91: It's hard to part with stuff like that isn't it? I don't know if you have looked into it, but you may be able to find a record player at a reasonable price.
Nap Warden: I'm not sure if iTunes singles out (no pun intended) B-sides for consumers. One thing you may want to consider is purchasing a record price guide. These will list the A and B-sides of singles. These guides vary in price and can be found in bookstores or online.
Impworks: Good call on the Beatles' B-sides. Some of them (such as "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Day Tripper") are just as famous as their B-sides. You make an interesting point about some younger people not understanding the importance of the 45 rpm single.
Pjazzy: As you probably know, a lot of artists didn't include B-sides on their albums. This was a shrewd move on the part of the record companies/artists... but sucked for consumers who mainly purchased LPs. By the way, that "What's Happening!" episode is one of my favorites.
Heather: Thanks for stopping by. I think it's cool that you are exposing your kids to the joys of vinyl!
Lori: Ah Lori. You gotta flip those 45s over because you never know what you might find. :-)
Lara Angelina: I'm glad I brought back some memories for you. I would love to see your vinyl collection... it sounds like you've got some goodies in there!
Candy Minx: Thanks for stopping by with the kind words. I'm always glad to meet up with another music fan.
Of all the ones to know, Sunshine by The O'Jays was the one I recognized.
I saw them in a street concert for Juneteenth day with my older cousin when I was a little. We left with the 45 of Sunshine.
~Xakara <----Please use this link
Oh yay, another music TT! What a great idea linking all the tracks to downloads. Great TT, and thank you for visiting me at Lives Less Ordinary :-)
Well, I guess you saw all my B-Side faves on my list! LOL! In any case, I only recognize Madonna's on your list. But I am so glad you left me a comment so I could discover your awesome blog! I've bookmarked you and I'll be back.
LOL! #6 is a hysterical title. I love it. I remember carting my old 45 player, basically a box with a handle, down the street to my friend's house. What fun!
Happy TT!
Great idea! I will have to check on some of those too:)
Mine is up here;
Thursday Thirteen
Happy TT!
Wooooooooohoooooooo!
Great B's!
Terrific Thursday Thirteen!
My TT is posted.
Have a wonderful day!
Happy TT'ing!
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Raggedy
Happy TT Malcolm! Those are great songs, especially the Monkees one, which is a huge favorite of mine :)
Wow -- I'm impressed! Although I have to laugh... I've never owned a record. Too bad CD's don't have two sides to them! ;0)
Hop on over to mine if you'd like to get added to my TT blogroll (and you can check out my 13 immunity-boosters for the cold and flu season).
Maria
www.jubileeonearth.com
I grew up with 45's and I always listened to the "B" side. I kind of miss those days.
Great list.
I totally know "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" although I have no idea where from. I didn't have this 45. I had "In a Different Light" on the other side of my "Manic Monday" 45, but I barely ever listened to it. And, for the life of me I can't remember "Shoo Bee Doo" by Madonna.....which bothers me. Great idea for this week! I used to like "Right Track Wrong Train" by Cyndi Lauper (which was the B side of She-Bop - I think).
I love B sides. It's amazing because I don't think they exist any more - right? There's no side to an Itune.
Another great list! Happy TT.
Xakara: How lucky you are to have seen the O'Jays in concert?!
Amy: Thanks for stopping by. I hope you took the opp to download some of the tunes.
Mommy Cracked: Thanks for the kind words! I look forward to any future visits you make to my blog.
Nicole: I can't help it... the title of #6 still cracks me up. Although I didn't have one, I remember those record players that you described.
Yen: Feel free to let me know what you think of any of the B-sides that you download from this TT.
Mistress of the D: I love the keyboard work on that Monkees track!
Maria: I seem to remember seeing a two-sided disc... but maybe I am thinking about DVDs.
Drilleraa: I kinda miss them too. One of things that I miss is the way radio used to be when I was growing up. I could go on and on... maybe I'll post about it someday.
Holly: I wonder if you know "The Girl I knew Somewhere" from an episode of "The Monkees". The one episode that I remember it from is the one where the Monkees were competing for the affections of April Conquest (played by Julie Newmar).
Although I didn't have the 45 that contained "Shoo Be Doo", I had the cassette version of the album "Like A Virgin", which also had it. I have seen "Right Track, Wrong Train" listed in one of my reference books. However, I have never heard it. When I get home, I will check to see if it's available on Napster.
Open Grove Claudia: I believe that the 45 has gone the way of the dodo bird. :(
I know that groups like Pearl Jam were still releasing albums on vinyl as late as the 90s. I'm not sure if anyone is still doing this though.
Okay you got me. I didn't listen to b-sides, or at least I didn't listen to any that left an impression, with Sly being the exception.
My T13 number #55 is up. This week’s 100% stolen idea is about 13 Favorite T.V. Theme Songs I’m betting there are a couple you never heard of. And you can listen to them all! Stop on by when you get a chance.
Hey, I have a small collection of 45's...I need to take a look at the flip side more seriously!
Happy TT!
Harris.
My goodness...I was only familiar with one of these..."Everybody is a Star." I never had very many 45s. Interesting list...your TT's often have a way of bringing back memories, Malcolm!
Dane Bramage: Since I can't resist a challenge, I checked out your TV theme-based TT. You are right about your eclectic tastes in music. There were a couple that I hadn't heard.
Harris Channing: Thanks for stopping by. You never know what you might find by flipping over the vinyl.
Cindy: I was hoping that there would be at least one song on this TT that people who stopped by would know. By the way, since I love when someone brings back a favorite memory of mine, I try to do the same thing with this blog. Thanks for letting me know.
These are some really great songs. No one pays enough attention to the B sides.
God bless you, Malcolm ;)
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