Topic: No. 1s Where The B-Side Was Better

[Gulftastic]

"I've never met a nice South African' is better than 'The Chicken Song'.

[Jockice]

The Fall, C N C - Stop Mithering would be one.

Did Squeeze ever record a song called Pulling Bushells from the Shell?

It is.

But no. They didn't.

[McChesney Duntz]

Crass' "Hurry Up Garry" has to be one of the other two.

[Jockice]

Crass' "Hurry Up Garry" has to be one of the other two.

It is. And the other is Garry Bushell's Band Of The Week by the Notsensibles.

That's one of my top trivia questions if Bushell's name ever comes up in conversation. Which it does probably about on average every 15 years or so

[Phil_A]

Suede: Implement Yeah! > Electricity, Have You Ever Been This Low > Trash, Digging A Hole > Lazy

Edit: forgot the most obvious one, Simon > Positivity. In that case I don't know why you'd even bother listening to the A-Side at all, the difference in quality is so stark.

[purlieu]

Ooh yeah, Suede. I prefer both The Living Dead and My Dark Star to Stay Together (although all three are stunning and make one of the all-time great single packages). I'd take Killing of a Flashboy over We Are the Pigs as well.

[non capisco]

Erotic City is better than Let's Go Crazy (it got to number 1 in America so do one, pedants)

[McChesney Duntz]

Suede was a pretty great b-side band, I daresay. Sci-Fi Lullabies is an unusually strong collection.

[purlieu]

Never was too taken by much on the second disc of Sci-Fi Lullabies, but the first disc is about as good as any of their albums. Pretty astonishing going.

[buzby]

I've heard that Moskow Diskow was meant to be the A-side (and was in other countries), but someone somewhere decided that the B-side would get more attention from radio in the UK. Can Buzby confirm / deny?

On their French label Disques Vogue (they were nominally signed to RKM in Belgium, but Vogue did most of their promotion), Moscow Discow was issued as the second single from their debut album Looking For Saint Tropez, with a different B-side.

Rock Around The Clock was released as the follow-up. Their debut single was Twist A Saint Tropez

In the UK, their licensor Sire followed suit. They issued Twist A Saint Tropez first in November 1978, but it did not chart. They then issued Moscow Disco as the second single in April 1979, but replaced the B-side from the Vogue release with the previous A-side Twist A Saint Tropez.

This single also did not chart, Sire then issued Rock Around The Clock as the third single in June 1979, and again replaced the Vogue B-side with the previous A-side Moscow Disco. This finally became a minor hit, reaching #34 in August (the UK 12" version of Rock Around The Clock was remixed by Pete Waterman).

I dunno about inventing trance though, it was pretty obviously 'inspired' by Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express, released the previous year.

[Funcrusher]

Definitely has its admirers. Carl Craig did a remix, which is a sizeable vote of approval.

[Brundle-Fly]

I dunno about inventing trance though, it was pretty obviously 'inspired' by Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express, released the previous year.

Who cares? Marry me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USa0zUMmqI

[Bobtoo]

Wings: Girls School is better than Mull of Kintyre

That's the one that came to mind when I saw the thread title. It's supposed to be a double A side but I don't think I've ever heard Girls School being played on the radio, and certainly not when the record was current.

[phantom_power]

Double A side I think but She's Leaving Home by Billy Bragg is obviously better than that Wet Wet Wet wet shit

[TheMonk]

Feeding The Fire > Land Of Confusion

I see Phil Collins has just put up an album of old B sides on Apple Music and it’s absolute bollocks. The lint in the bottom drawer.

[TheMonk]

'Lady in Red' (Extended Mix)




I joke it was this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj9Pakd384k
Its called Borderline.

Was that really the B side to Lady In Red? Easily his best song that I’ve heard.

[Norton Canes]

I think I've only got one no.1 single, Prince Charming. Fortunately for this thread, the B-side is better (and not based on a song by Rolf Harris): Christian D'or

[SteveDave]

Daytime Nighttime Suffering > Goodnight Tonight

Even though that's quite a close run thing. Not sure if it was number one though. Probably not.

[Delete Delete Delete]

Was that really the B side to Lady In Red? Easily his best song that I’ve heard.

It was a non charting single he released in 1982 off his 6th ablum, being the fouth off it. So I don't know if it was re-recorded for this or just shoved on because of lazyness.

[Better Midlands]

Definitely has its admirers. Carl Craig did a remix, which is a sizeable vote of approval.

It was a big Ron Hardy tune at the Music Box, Chicago in the mid 80s.

[Petey Pate]

Not a no. 1 single (unless you count the Jason Nevins remix released years later) but the B-side to Run DMC's It's Like That was the far superior, less poppy and ultimately more influential Sucker MC's. The difference in quality even inspired the lyrics to Public Enemy's B-Side Wins Again.

[thecuriousorange]

This thread has drifted to become a generic "Name good B-sides" thread.

[DrGreggles]

Not a no. 1 single (unless you count the Jason Nevins remix released years later) but the B-side to Run DMC's It's Like That was the far superior, less poppy and ultimately more influential Sucker MC's. The difference in quality even inspired the lyrics to Public Enemy's B-Side Wins Again.

I think the original version of It's Like That was one of the extra tracks on the Nevins mix, so definitely qualifies for this thread.

Same goes for Cornershop's Brimful of Asha.

[Satchmo Distel]

Working Class Hero > Imagine (the 1975 UK version that reached #1 in 1981). The US B-side "It's So Hard" is also probably better.

[Bobby Treetops]

This thread has drifted to become a generic "Name good B-sides" thread.

Well this got to Number 1 in Canada if this counts but if you turn over the wet hippy nonsense of Dion's - Abraham, Martin and John, you find this banger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmt30n2CNfc

[Jockice]

Suede was a pretty great b-side band, I daresay. Sci-Fi Lullabies is an unusually strong collection.

Jumble Sale Mums. Great song.

[MiddleRabbit]

Acquiesce and Talk Tonight are probably better than Some Might Say.

Stay Young is way better than D'You Know What I Mean?

Prologue To History is probably better than If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next.

I always thought that was more bollocks from Noel Gallagher that people just lapped up and repeated, myself.  Like him saying they were ripping The Beatles off.  Yeah, alright, if you like.  Same thing for the 'Our b sides are brilliant.'  No, they weren't, they were shit.  In addition to the three above, The Masterplan is always brought up as evidence.  I don't hear it myself.  Over earnest, nunty bollocks.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Same goes for Cornershop's Brimful of Asha.

There was a norman cook vinyl release, but the standard cd single was this:

[non capisco]

Well this got to Number 1 in Canada if this counts but if you turn over the wet hippy nonsense of Dion's - Abraham, Martin and John, you find this banger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmt30n2CNfc

Yeah, this is possibly my favourite b-side of all time. Also towards the top of the 'songs about smack' pantheon.