I know I'm going back to another time, but for those of us who used to buy records, what were some of your favorite B-sides? They don't have to only be well-known or hit songs. Just any B-side that you liked.
And please list the A-side it was on.
I know I'm going back to another time, but for those of us who used to buy records, what were some of your favorite B-sides? They don't have to only be well-known or hit songs. Just any B-side that you liked.
And please list the A-side it was on.
Fleetwood Mac - Silver Springs
A-side = Go Your Own Way
Later a hit for Aswad (and even later, Ace of Base), Tina Turner had first recorded Don't Turn Around. B-Side of her hit Typical Male.
My faves from The Beatles:
A: "I Want to Hold Your Hand", B: "I Saw Her Standing There"
A: "Love Me Do", B: "P.S. I Love You"
A: "We Can Work It Out", B: "Day Tripper"
A: "Penny Lane", B: "Strawberry Fields Forever"
A: "Hey Jude", B: "Revolution"
A: "Come Together", B: "Something"
Avatar: Here's to the late, great Steve Dillon. Best. Punisher. Artist. EVER!
Queen:
A. We are The Champions
B. We Will Rock You
I was just about to mention that my very first single was the Yugoslavian release of the A: Bicycle Race and B: Fat Bottomed Girls with its notorious cover.
That was a birthday present from my cousin. This means he gave me his used copy, because my aunt, deemed it too raunchy for their household. My parents didn't care, and I certainly did not complain.
Also, this year (1980) the BD presents included my first record player (from my parents) + my first vinyl Srebrna Krila "Ja Sam Samo Jedan Od Mnogih S Gitarom" + my first double LP "Grease" Soundtrack from my grandparents. All in all, by far my most memorable BD, as far as presents go. No wonder I still fondly cherish those memories. To get back to the Queen single, I liked both sides. Played them equally, till the signals melted into one unreadable groove.
Once I started buying records, by default, I went for the Long Players. That worked out perfectly for the Rock/Metal genre I was most interested in, but 80s music was extremely diverse, and I did venture out of my comfort zone to purchase vinyls filed under other music styles. I learned quickly, that was a mistake. While I listened to every Rock/Metal album I bought systematically, I found small joy in the same approach for the other categories. Examples would be Thomas Dolby, and John Foxx (The Garden). LOL John Foxx! Does that name even ring a bell to anyone here? This is the reason I started buying singles. Where one song sufficiently piqued my interest, but not the whole album. I have to think back hard to remember which those singles were, and then see if any of those singles had a B side I fancied more than the charting side. These were the second wave of singles I was exposed to.
Which was the first wave?
I'm glad you asked. Those would be the singles my parents collected over the years. Interestingly, they never owned a record player. That did not pose a challenge to them. Every time they went to shop in Hungary, they bought a few new ones. My father owned a real-to-real magnetic tape player/recorder, which he used to tape the music from the singles he bought using a microphone and our neighbor's record player. Of course, this meant I was exposed to music they liked. I didn't mind it. In fact, I contribute my great taste in music to those humble early exposures to my parent's favorite Hungarian solo artists.
That being said, the story doesn't end here.
Oh yeah, there is the third wave as well. As of late, I dream of winning the lottery jackpot and imagine investing in a laser-read jukebox which I would only fill with singles containing music that previously never appeared on LPs. One can only dream of such magnitude, but I did start to buy singles that fit the bill. So, there is that.
links to my books:
"TWISTED HOLIDAY HORROR TALES"
@ comiXology
@ IndyPlanet
"Blues Ratz"
@ Amazon: Spec. BLUE Version Paperback
@ IndyPlanet: Collected Edition
As mentioned above the singles of my childhood were all about Hungarian solo artists. (My parents did not believe in groups. LOL).
One singer in particular left a huge impact on me. Her voice is incredible.
Kovács Kati.
Here is one of her "early" singles fitting the criteria outlined in the OP.
A: A Régi Ház Körül
B: Most Kéne Abbahagyni (Now Would Be The Time To Stop)
links to my books:
"TWISTED HOLIDAY HORROR TALES"
@ comiXology
@ IndyPlanet
"Blues Ratz"
@ Amazon: Spec. BLUE Version Paperback
@ IndyPlanet: Collected Edition
I haven't thought about this in years, but there was a little store in my grandmother's neighborhood that sold a hodgepodge of collectibles, including old 45s. One day my granny took me into the store and said I could buy any 45 I wanted. I was so excited! Don't ask me why, but I bought a Michele Lee 45, "L. David Sloane." I had no idea who Michele Lee was and I had never heard the song before. I think I was just intrigued by the name "L. David Sloane", it sounded so aristocratic. The B side was "Everybody Loves My Baby" ...so for purely nostalgic reasons that's my favorite B side.
The two sides of Kovács Kati.
(See what I did there?)
Some say the Hungarian language is the hardest to learn in the world.
Well, that probably means for Hungarians is harder to learn a second language, as well.
I have no idea why so many "international" songs were translated and covered by Hungarian artists, but Kovács Kati was a hot commodity when it came to performing these reworked versions of popular hits.
Here is another single to which I spun the "that" side slightly more often than the "this" side.
A: Ha Legközelebb Látlak
B: Indián Nyár (Indian Summer)
Note: this single came in two different packaging (there it is again, two), one had a picture, and the other (ours, included) was housed in a generic sleeve, as shown in the video.
In case you never heard the original and want to compare, here is the link:
https://youtu.be/cN-OCHlfRTU?si=evKeHzJvlLrajGd1
and even Joe Dassin recorded a "second" version of his hit, this time in English.
https://youtu.be/F3RZCN7Rd9E?si=1gjg50XBPcTIJp7W
links to my books:
"TWISTED HOLIDAY HORROR TALES"
@ comiXology
@ IndyPlanet
"Blues Ratz"
@ Amazon: Spec. BLUE Version Paperback
@ IndyPlanet: Collected Edition
I'd have to go back to confirm, but I think How Soon Is Now by The Smiths was a B-side. I loved that song.
RUN DMC - "Pause " from the 1989 Ghostbuster II a-side