Mixtape: Best of B-Sides

Hey there. Here's another one of my Mixtapes. This one celebrates the art of the B-Side. The B-Side is an underrated tool in music. Always initially considered inferior to its A-Side, it has to hope that some people like the A-Side enough for it to be listened, and then hope that its greatness some how outshines the song it's actually supporting. It's a bit like a support act for a gig really. There have been some fantastic B-Sides in music and I'm here to celebrate my favourites. I have a few from all sorts of different eras here so there's a decent selection. Not familiar with my Mixtapes? Here are the rules.

A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids, downloading is wrong!

Before I get into the Mixtape, I have to set some caps. First and foremost, the B-Sides in this list were not released as singles, not before, not afterwards. They are not to appear on an album before or after either, unless it was a bonus track or on a bonus CD, or released on the album as part of a re-issue at a later date. EPs don't count either, but it can however, appear on an album full of B-sides, rarities, a mixture with live tracks and compilations. It can also appear on soundtracks. Another rule, is that Double A-Sides don't count. I know there's a stringent criteria here but it gets messy easily if you let lose all these criterias.

Anyway, let's get to it! My favourite B-Sides!

1. I Am the Walrus - The Beatles (A-Side: Hello, Goodbye) [Also appears on: Magical Mystery Tour (Soundtrack)]
2. Everyday - Buddy Holly (A-Side: Peggy Sue)
3. There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards - Ian Dury and the Blockheads (A-Side: Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick) [Also appears on: Do It Yourself (Re-issued Album)]
4. I Heard it Through the Grapevine - The Slits (A-Side: Typical Girls)
5. Did You No Wrong - Sex Pistols (A-Side: God Save the Queen)
6. Turn Around - Devo (A-Side: Whip It)
7. Rosegarden Funeral of Sores - Bauhaus (A-Side: Telegram Sam) [Also appears on: In the Flat Field (Re-issue)]
8. Dead Beat Descendant - The Fall (A-Side: Cab It Up!) [Also appears on: Seminal Live (Live Album)]
9. Espionage - Green Day (A-Side: Hitchin' a Ride) [Also appears on: Shenanigans (B-sides Album)]
10. Van Tango - Franz Ferdinand (A-Side: Darts of Pleasure) [Also appears on: Franz Ferdinand (Limited Edition Bonus Disk)]
11. Map of Your Head - Muse (A-Side: New Born) [Also appears on: Hullabaloo (B-sides Album)]
12. 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) - Gorillaz (A-Side: 19-2000) [Also appears on: G-Sides (B-sides Album)]
13. Sex Never Goes Out of Fashion - Garbage (A-Side: Shut Your Mouth)
14. Aneurysm - Nirvana (A-Side: Smells Like Teen Spirit) [Also appears on: Incesticide (Rarities Album)]
15. Rock Star (Jason Nevins Mix) - N.E.R.D. (A-Side: Rock Star) [Also appears on: SSX3 (video game soundtrack)]
16. Jolene - The White Stripes (A-Side: Hello Operator) [Not to be confused with the live recording that was released as a single many years later]
17. Professionalism - The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster (A-Side: Mister Mental)
18. I Love to Say Fuck - The Murderdolls (A-Side: White Wedding) [Also appears on: Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (Re-issue)]
19. Memorabilia - Nine Inch Nails (A-Side: Closer) [Also appears on: The Downward Spiral (Re-issue Bonus Disk)]
20. Johnny - System of a Down (A-Side: Chop Suey!) [Also appears on: Toxicity (Special Edition Bonus Disk)]
21. Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes - Marilyn Manson (A-Side: Disposable Teens) [Also appears on: The Last Tour on Earth (Live Album)]

Want some alternatives? Here you go!

1. Dead Souls - Joy Division (A-Side: Atmosphere)
2. Paperbag Writer - Radiohead (A-Side: There There)
3. Guacamole - Super Furry Animals (A-Side: If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You) [Also appears on: Out Spaced (B-Sides Album)
4. Beat My Guest - Adam and the Ants (A-Side: Stand and Deliver) [Also appears on: Antics in the Forbidden Zone (Rarities Album)]
5. Rock and Roll Part 2 - Gary Glitter (A-Side Rock and Roll)

And that's it! If you like some of the artists above but have never heard these great B-Sides give them a whirl. Do you have any ideas about what other Mixtapes I can make? Have you got any other B-Sides you want to mention? Comment below if you do. That's it from me today to take care and spike your hair. Have a good night.