Crazy song, I forgot about this...I bought "Mighty Quinn" in 1971 and I think I may have played "Edwin Garvey" once or so...reminds me of the Bonzo Dog Band.
I hear you...I bought "My Sweet Lord" in December 1970 and it was one of my first records I ever bought...because it was a huge hit I always assumed it was an A-side/B-side thing, but I wound up playing "Isn't It A Pity" more.
Neat thread concept. Similar contrast as between the sides of the "Build Me Up Buttercup" single by The Foundations. The A-side is candyfloss pop, the B-side is sinister psychedelic Seems like in the late 60s pop artists would occasionally spike 45s with acid music on the flipside. "New Direction" The Foundations B-side of "Build Me Up Buttercup"
I haven't really thought about it, but yeah, he probably wanted to keep the Beatles' "variety" component alive, where the single sides were usually written and sung by a different band member, so with Wings he made singles that *sounded* like they weren't both coming from the same person (even though they were). Also I'm reminded of something I read a long time ago, that the 'Goodnight Tonight' single's release was delayed (and almost cancelled) because though he had the two songs for the single chosen, he was struggling to decide on which of the two songs to make the A-Side.
Dave Edmunds' Born to Be with You - solid pop. Flip, Pick Axe Rag (with Micky Gee) - jaunty country instrumental, along the lines of Dylan's Nashville Skyline Rag. Jet Harris' first four singles (two solo, two with Tony Meehan) featured instrumental A-sides, vocal flips. Best pairing for me is Harris' Main Title Theme from The Man with the Golden Arm/Some People. After the moody, dramatic Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean, I won't Go Hunting with You Jake (but I'll go chasing women) certainly comes as a surprise.
Yes - I didnt like Bailing Man, but the first album with Mayo Thompson, Art Of Walking is really much more my thing.
How about a double-contrary one? On a 1992 non-album single, Faith No More backed their surprisingly faithful cover of The Commodores classic song Easy with a bizarre, German-language ooom-pah band-style Das Schutzenfest. If you know German, it gets even weirder.
The Who - "Dogs Part 2" It should have been the B-side to "Dogs" (their strangest, most contrary choice for an A-side), but instead it was the B-side to "Pinball Wizard."
Elton John Fat Boys and Ugly Girls. B side from The One era. Sounds like a throwback to Sleeping With The Past both in theme and execution.
Yoko's "Why" was the flip side of John's "Mother". It was quite shocking the first time I played it. I grew to love it. Plus, I could drive folks crazy with it.
Was (Not Was)' song "Spy in the House of Love" was one of those slickly thickly produced 1980s tracks, and a Top 20 single. Flip it over, and there's this.
Gary Lewis & the Playboys began their career with seven consecutive perky pop singles, each of which made the Top 10 on the Billboard chart. The flip side to their #4 hit "Everybody Loves a Clown" starts off as a loping cowboy pace with twinkling effects. Then there's a bit of narration. Then, it gets peculiar.
Here's the B-Side to 'Gypsy' by Fleetwood Mac - a very odd choice of a song to cover, and also odd because it includes a rare (perhaps the only AFAIK) vocal performance on record by John McVie:
This was the British B-side of "Massachusetts." The American B-side, "Sir Geoffrey Saved The World," wasn't quite as out-there as this one: The Bee Gees / Barker Of The U.F.O.
ABBA - „Waterloo“ was their first international hit in 1974. I guess the single b-side was not what people expected…
I appreciate that they were intended as "throwaway". My questionmark was to suggest that some were actually quite good tunes and have endured.
