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Our “25 Best B-sides in Classic Rock History” article presents a list of songs that stand as some of our favorite B-sides we have ever collected. Many artists have been surprised when a song, sometimes one that almost didn’t make it onto the album, turns into the biggest hit of their career. This list showcases 25 favorites, not necessarily B-sides that became more popular than the A-sides—that would be a different type of article. This one is simply about the joy of discovery. We’ve always been drawn to B-sides, particularly non-album tracks, which are often the most exciting for collectors. Some of these are non-album tracks, while others are just songs that we liked better than the A-Sides
# 25 – “Keep On Growing” – B-Side to “If It Makes You Happy” – (Sheryl Crow)
This is a cover of the legendary Derek & The Dominoes song.
# 24 – “Harmony” – B-Side to “Bennie & The Jets” – (Elton John)
What a b-side this was.
# 23 – “We’re All Alone” – B-Side to “It’s Over” – (Boz Scaggs)
This B-Side became bigger than the A-Side
# 22 – “Colour My World” – B-Side to “Beginnings” – (Chicago)
# 21 – “The 59th Street Bridge Song” – B-Side to “At The Zoo” – (Simon & Garfunkel)
# 20 – “Silver Springs” – B-Side To “Go Your Own Way” – (Fleetwood Mac)
# 19 – “You Can’t Do That” – B-Side To “Can’t Buy Me Love” – (The Beatles)
We could do an entire book on Beatles’ B-Sides
# 18 – “Janey Dont You Lose Your Heart” – B-Side to ‘I’m Going Down” – (Bruce Springsteen)
# 17 – “Bad Company” – B-Side To “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love” – (Bad Company)
# 16 – “Sugar Mountain” – B-Side To “Loner” (Neil Young)
# 15 – “My City Was Gone” B-Side to “Back On The Chain Gang” (The Pretenders)
How do you release a song like this as a B Side? It’s so much cooler than the A-Side
# 14 – “Pink Caddilac” – B-Side To “Dancing In The Dark” (Bruce Springsteen)
Most Bruce fans hated Dancing In The Dark. They were all like WTF. The B-Side was more like it.
# 13 – “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” – B-Side to “1999” (Prince)
This is just amazing that it was a throw away b-side. What a vocal he delivers on this one.
# 12 – “Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five” – B-Side to “Band On The Run” – (Paul McCartney & Wings)
# 11 – “Bad Side of The Moon” – B-Side to “Border Song” – (Elton John)
# 10 – “Be True” – B-Side to “Fade Away” (Bruce Springsteen)
# 9 – “Long Distance Runaround” – B-Side To “Roundabout” (Yes)
# 8 – “Born On The Bayou” – B-Side to “Proud Mary” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
# 7 – “Roadhouse Blues” – B-Side to “You Make Me Real” (The Doors)
# 6 – “O’l 55” – B-Side to “Best Of My Love” (The Eagles)
# 5 – “I’ll Cry Instead” – B-Side to “An Innocent Man” (Billy Joel)
# 4 – “One Day At A Time” – B-Side to “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” (Elton John)
This was a double-sided cover single, as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was a cover of The Beatles’ track. However, the song “One Day at a Time” was Elton John’s cover of a John Lennon song that had been originally released on Lennon’s Mind Games album.
# 3 – “I’ll Get You” – B-Side to “She Loves You” (The Beatles)
# 2 – Roulette
I had a bootleg copy of the song “Roulette” on a 45 single. The sound quality was horrible. I was thrilled when I finally got a quality recording of this song when Springsteen released “Roulette” as the B-side to “One Step Up,” which was a single from the Tunnel of Love album.
# 1 – Hey Hey What Can I Do
“Hey, Hey, What Can I Do” was the flip side to Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” It’s the only non-album track B-side that Led Zeppelin ever released. This song blew everybody’s mind. I remember the first time I heard this song when I flipped the single over. I put it in a blank 8-track and played it for my friends in the car, and they were blown away, wondering where the hell I got it.
25 Best B-Sides In Classic Rock History article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2024
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