Most FAMOUS B Sides!
While the excitement of owning music on vinyl is the cool new thing, young people may not be aware of the best kept secrets of the original vinyl music age….
This is definitely one of the most graphic rock myths, and there’s no subtle way to explain it. Simply put, the rumor was Stewart had to go to an emergency room to have his stomach pumped after performing oral sex on a number of sailors at a gay bar, and a large amount of semen was removed. In his 2012 autobiography, Stewart said the rumor was started by his former publicist Tony Toon after he was fired. He wrote, “Toon’s revenge was absolutely inspired…I have never orally pleasured even a solitary sailor, let alone a ship’s worth in one evening. And I have never had my stomach pumped, either of naval-issue semen or of any other kind of semen…This story has stayed with me ever since. Say what you like about Tony Toon — and God rest his soul — but he was good at his job.”
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesWhile the excitement of owning music on vinyl is the cool new thing, young people may not be aware of the best kept secrets of the original vinyl music age. Let's investigate how the world discovered the most famous B sides, ever!
Most FAMOUS B Sides!
One of the most treasured gifts from vinyl music, is the B-side. It's the secret, free, hidden gem that came with every 45. Wait, what's a 45? There was a time, not THAT long ago, that we could hold our favorite songs, in our hand. Not on a thumb drive. Imagine that! For under a buck, you would rush downtown to a locally owned Mom and Pop record store, to actually buy ONE song. You'd then speed back home to pop it on your record player. But, MUCH better than the surprise in Crackerjacks (how old am I?) was what was on the other side of the 45.
Thank You Radio!
You can thank your local radio personality for discovering some of the biggest hits we grew up with. It was a local DJ that decided to play the B side of Rod Stewart's Reason To Believe which was the A side. That DJ discovered Maggie May, and began to play it. That decision gave Rod his biggest hit ever, which was more popular than Reason. Sometimes the record company experts have more control than they should and put the wrong song on the A side. Maggie May is a great example of this.
Iconic Artists
Some of the biggest hits we know today, were NEVER intended to be released as a single! Songs you love from Queen, U-2, Greenday, Elvis, The Beatles The Beach Boys and more where originally considered B sides!
With some help from yardbarker.com, enjoy the most FAMOUS B sides ever!
Beach Boys-God Only Knows
What would the end of Love Actually be like if it didn't feature this B -side? Included on The Beach Boys' most ambitious and progressive LP, "Pet Sounds,"
"God Only Knows" is considered one of the greatest songs of all time. As a single, it was released as the B-side to the super popular "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and featured Carl Wilson on lead vocals.
Green Day-Good Riddance-(Time Of My Life)
For better or worse, it's Green Day's most popular song from 1997's "Nimrod." However, the original acoustic version — minus the strings — appeared as the B-side (or addition on a CD single in this case) to "Brain Stew/Jaded" in 1996. The original is faster, with a somewhat country twang to it, and maybe not the one that would play at high school proms throughout the country.
Rod Stewart-Maggie May
This is perhaps the textbook case of when a B-side became more popular than the A-side. In all fairness to the flipside of Stewart's breakout solo smash, "Reason to Believe" was a fine track and enjoyed success of its own — just not to the degree of "Maggie May," which became an international chart-topper and a song that still receives regular classic rock airplay.
Queen-We Will Rock You
In the U.K., one of the great rock anthems of all time was released as the B-side to companion "We Are the Champions." The two songs were always meant to go together and earned fame as a pair. However, "We Will Rock You" has become a staple at sporting events and in motivational arenas. Plus, John Deacon looks good sporting a Blackhawks jacket in the video.
U-2-The Sweetest Thing
Madonna-Into The Groove
The Madonna dance favorite became popular because of its inclusion in the film "Desperately Seeking Susan," which she starred in. But it was not on the film's soundtrack and was the B-side to U.S. release of Madonna's single "Angel." Needless to say, this achieved much more success than its flipside.
