A-side and B-side: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Two sides of phonograph records and cassettes}}

In recorded music, the terms '''A-side''' and '''B-side''' refer to the two sides of 7 inch [[vinyl record]]s on which [[single (music)|single]]s have been released since the [[1950s]]. The terms have come to refer to the types of [[song]] conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song (the one that the record producer hopes will receive radio airplay and become a "hit"), while the B-side, or "flipside," is secondary.

{{Redirect-several|dab=no|A-Sides (disambiguation)|B-Sides (disambiguation)}}

{{About||Filipino pop band|Side A (group)|the Christian theological positions|Side A, Side B, Side X, Side Y (theological views)}}

{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}

==History==

{{Multiple image|caption_align=center|header_align=center

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| image1 = 17929A-Lucia di Lammermoor.jpg

| alt1 = A-side

| image2 = 17929B-Fantasia.jpg

| alt2 = B-side

| footer = [[Victor Talking Machine Company|Victor]] 17929-A and 17929-B

}}

[[File:Compactcassette.jpg|thumb|A [[cassette tape]]]]

The '''A-side''' and '''B-side''' are the two sides of [[phonograph record|vinyl record]]s and [[Compact cassette|cassettes]], and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a [[Single (music)|single]] usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company intends to be the initial focus of promotional efforts and radio airplay, with the aim of it becoming a [[hit record]]. The B-side (or "flip-side") is a secondary recording that typically receives less attention, although some B-sides have been as successful as, or more so than, their A-sides.

In the era of the 78 [[revolutions per minute|rpm]] [[shellac]] records A-sides and B-sides existed, but for the most part [[radio station]]s would play either side of the record, and records often had more than one track per side. The "side" did not convey anything about the content of the record.

Use of this language has largely declined in the 21st century as the music industry has transitioned away from analog recordings towards [[Digital audio|digital formats]] without physical sides, such as [[music download|downloads]] and [[Music streaming|streaming]]. Nevertheless, some artists and labels continue to employ the terms ''A-side'' and ''B-side'' metaphorically to describe the type of content a particular release features, with ''B-side'' sometimes representing a "bonus" track or other material.<ref>{{cite book |last=Plasketes |first=George |title=B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular in Music, 1960 to the Present |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |date=28 January 2013 }}</ref>

The terms came into popular use with the advent of 45 rpm vinyl records in the early 1950s. It became conventional to release "singles" containing two songs, one on each side of the record. At first, most [[record label]]s would randomly assign which song would be an A-side and which would be a B-side. Because of this, many artists had so-called "double-sided hits", where both songs on a record made one of the national sales charts (in [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]], [[Cashbox]] or other magazines), or would be featured on [[jukebox]]es in public places.

==History==

As time wore on, however, the convention for assigning songs to sides of the record changed. Generally, the song on the A-side was the song that the record company wanted radio stations to play. By the mid-[[1970s]] double-sided singles had become rare. Album sales had increased, and B-sides had become the side of the record where non-album tracks or inferior recordings were placed.

Conventions shifted in the early 1960s, at which point record companies started assigning the song they wanted radio stations to play to side A, as 45 rpm single records ("45s") dominated most markets in terms of cash sales in comparison to [[album]]s, which did not fare as well financially. Throughout the decade the industry would slowly shift to an album-driven paradigm for releasing new music; it was not until 1968 that the total production of albums on a unit basis finally surpassed that of singles in the United Kingdom.<ref>MacDonald, p. 296</ref>

Today, with the vast majority of music released and accessed digitally on [[Music streaming service|streaming services]], the traditional A-side/B-side is obsolete as a technological necessity. Nonetheless, some contemporary artists have added on a second track to a single release as a nominal B-side, which can serve as an aesthetic choice as well as a promotional tool.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Return Of The B-Side Single |url=https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/magazine/return-b-side-single?srsltid=AfmBOoqgMsnJn0beBUffQaaD_R2HggPQpxNL-1yaUdC5kmy3bqOouKlb |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=Vinyl Me, Please |language=en}}</ref>

With the advent of [[cassette]] and [[compact disc]] singles in the late [[1980s]], the A side/B side differentiation became much less meaningful. At first cassette singles would often have one song on each side of the cassette, matching the arrangement of vinyl records, but eventually cassette [[maxi-single]]s, containing more than two songs, became more popular. With the decline of cassette singles in the [[1990s]], the A-side/B-side dichotomy became virtually extinct, as the remaining dominant medium, the compact disc, lacks an equivalent physical distinction. However, the term B-side is still frequently used, figuratively of course, to refer to the "bonus" tracks on a CD single.

==SignificanceDouble A-side==

A ''double A-side'', ''AA-side'', or ''dual single'' is a [[Single (music)|single]] where both sides are designated the A-side, with no designated B-side; that is, both sides are prospective hit songs and neither side will be promoted over the other. In 1949, [[Savoy Records]] promoted a new pair of singles by one of its artists, [[Paul Williams (saxophonist)|Paul Williams]]' "House Rocker" and "He Knows How to Hucklebuck", as "The New Double Side Hit – Both Sides 'A' Sides".<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Billboard |title=Rhythm & Blues Records |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |volume=61 |issue=26 |page=30 |date=25 June 1949 |quote="Savoy and Paul Williams Lead Again with{{nbsp}}... The New Double Side Hit – Both Sides 'A' Sides" |issn=0006-2510 }}</ref> In 1965, ''Billboard'' reported that due to a disagreement between [[EMI Records|EMI]] and [[John Lennon]] about which side of [[the Beatles]]' "[[We Can Work It Out]]" and "[[Day Tripper]]" single should be considered the A-side and receive the plugging, "EMI settled for a double-side promotion campaign—unique in Britain."<ref>Hutchins, Chris. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=OykEAAAAMBAJ&dq=double+side+campaign+unique+britain+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA26 Music Capitals of the World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320140044/https://books.google.com/books?id=OykEAAAAMBAJ&dq=double+side+campaign+unique+britain+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA26 |date=20 March 2023 }}" ''Billboard'' 4 December 1965: 26</ref>

In the UK, before the advent of digital downloads, both A-sides were accredited with the same chart position, for the singles chart was compiled entirely from physical sales. In the UK, the biggest-selling non-charity single of all time was a double A-side, [[Wings (band)|Wings]]' 1977 release "[[Mull of Kintyre (song)|Mull of Kintyre]]"/"[[Girls' School (song)|Girls' School]]", which sold over two million copies. It was also the [[List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones|UK Christmas No. 1]] that year.<ref name="UK Official Chart 2011">{{Cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19771218/7501/ |title=1977-12-24 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive {{!}} Official Charts<!-- Bot generated title --> |website=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=6 May 2020 |archive-date=3 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603234329/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19771218/7501/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 December 2020 |title=Every Official Christmas Number 1 ever |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/every-official-christmas-number-1-ever-__3618/ |url-status=live |website= |publisher=Official Charts Company |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403030036/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/every-official-christmas-number-1-ever-__3618/ |archive-date=3 April 2015 |access-date= }}</ref> [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] released "[[All Apologies]]" and "[[Rape Me]]" as a double A-side in 1993, and both songs are accredited as a hit on both the UK Singles Chart<ref>[http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/nirvana/ Nirvana – UK Singles Chart Archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002162723/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/nirvana/ |date=2 October 2013 }} officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 October 2013.</ref> and the [[Irish Singles Chart]].<ref>[http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement User needs to do an artist search for "Nirvana"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120524211911/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |date=24 May 2012 }} irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 23 October 2013.</ref>

B-side songs are released on the same record as a [[single (music)|single]] to provide extra "value for money". There are several types of material commonly released in this way:

*a different (e.g., instrumental, [[a capella]], [[acoustic]], or [[remix]]ed) version of the A-side

*another song from the same [[album (music)|album]], which the record company does not want to release on its own

*a song not considered good enough for the album

*a song that was stylistically unsuitable for the album

== {{anchor|backed_with}} B/W ==

Since both sides of a single received equal [[royalties]] some composers deliberately arranged for their songs to be used as the B-sides of singles by popular artists, thereby making a fortune literally off the back of the A-side. This became known as the "flipside racket".

{{Redirect|b/w|the shortened form of "black and white"|black-and-white|other uses|B&W (disambiguation){{!}}B&W}}

The term "b/w", an abbreviation of "backed with", is often used in listings to indicate the B-side of a record. The term "c/w", for "coupled with", is used similarly.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Straight Dope: In the record business, what do "b/w" and "c/w" mean? |date=15 October 1999 |url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1352/in-the-record-business-what-do-b-w-and-c-w-mean |access-date=12 January 2009 |archive-date=4 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004001903/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1352/in-the-record-business-what-do-b-w-and-c-w-mean |url-status=live }}</ref>

On a few occasions, the B-side became the more popular song. This was usually because a [[disc jockey|DJ]] preferred the B-side to its A-side and played it instead. Then the B-side would in a sense become the A-side, by virtue of being the preferred side. Examples:

* [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] - Some Might Say/Acqueisce

* [[Gary Glitter]] - Rock and Roll Part 1/Rock and Roll Part 2

* [[Salt-N-Pepa]] - Tramp/Push It

* [[Gene Vincent]] - Woman Love/Be-Bop-A-Lula

* [[Cliff Richard]] - Schoolboy Crush/Move It

* [[Kylie Minogue]] - Giving You Up / Made Of Glass (became a massive hit in Australia)

* [[Kraftwerk]] - Computer Love/The Model

* [[Garbage (band)|Garbage]] - Subhuman / #1 Crush (became a Modern Rock #1 when remixed later)

* [[Rod Stewart]] - Reason To Believe/Maggie May

* [[The Living End]] - Second Solution/ Prisoner of Society

* [[XTC]] - Grass/Dear God

* [[Feeder (band)|Feeder]] - Seven Days In The Sun/[[Just A Day]] and Tumble And Fall/Shatter

* [[The Smiths]] - William It Was Really Nothing/ Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want & [[How Soon Is Now?]] (Also, in the case of How Soon Is Now", it was later released as its very own single)

==Characteristics==

Even more rarely, both sides of the single would become hits. This feat was done repeatedly by some artists. Examples:

B-sides are often considered to be [[Filler (media)|filler]] material: songs of lower quality. However, some pop artists such as [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[New Order (band)|New Order]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], [[Def Leppard]], [[The Cure (band)|the Cure]], [[Tori Amos]], [[Bon Jovi]], [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], and [[the Beatles]] have been particularly known for releasing strong material on B-sides.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beaumont |first1=Mark |author1-link=Mark Beaumont (journalist) |title=It's time for a return of the good, old-fashioned B-side – and Sam Fender's leading the charge |url=https://www.nme.com/features/opinion/time-for-a-return-of-the-b-side-and-sam-fender-2996652 |website=NME |access-date=24 May 2023 |date=19 July 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309005906/https://www.nme.com/features/opinion/time-for-a-return-of-the-b-side-and-sam-fender-2996652 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Petridis |first1=Alexis |author1-link=Alexis Petridis |title=Oasis's greatest songs – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/05/oasis-greatest-songs-ranked |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=24 May 2023 |date=5 March 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517170322/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/05/oasis-greatest-songs-ranked |url-status=live }}</ref> B-sides have often been compiled on [[Special edition|expanded or "deluxe" editions of albums]] or may be compiled into a "B-side compilation album" across multiple periods of an artist's career.<ref>{{cite web |last=Evanson |first=Keith |title=The Return Of The B-Side Single |url=https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/magazine/return-b-side-single |website=Vinyl Me, Please |access-date=24 May 2023 |archive-date=24 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524191354/https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/magazine/return-b-side-single |url-status=live }}</ref>

* [[Elvis Presley]] - Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog

* [[The Beatles]] - Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever

* [[Fats Domino]] - I Wanna Walk You Home/Walking To New Orleans

* [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]] - Down On The Corner/Fortunate Son

* [[Richie Valens]] - Donna/La Bamba

* [[Queen_(band)|Queen]] - We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You

* [[Queen_(band)|Queen]] - Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls

* [[Feeder (band)|Feeder]] - Seven Days In The Sun/[[Just A Day]] and Tumble And Fall/Shatter

==B-side compilations==

The [[flip side]] of a single does not necessarily contain B-side material. A single containing two songs of normal quality is referred to as a "[[double A-side]]". In reference to this convention, [[Marvin the Paranoid Android]] released a "double B-side" single in [[1981]]. In rare occasions there are even triple A-side singles, such as "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted"/"You'll Never Walk Alone"/"Saturday Night At The Movies", the [[1996]] triple A-side #1 UK single by [[Robson and Jerome]].

{{Main|List of B-side compilation albums}}

==See also==

On some reissued singles the A- and B-sides are by completely different artists, or two songs from different albums that would not normally have been released together. These were sometimes made for [[jukebox]]es, as one record with two popular songs on it would make more money.

* [[B movie]]

==Notes==

==Other types of non-primary sound recording==

{{Reflist}}

===References===

B-sides are different from unreleased material, outtakes and demos. '''Unreleased material''', for obvious reasons, usually doesn't see the light of day. On rare occasions, particularly for reissues, these songs are in fact placed on albums, often with that description after it. In an extreme case, singer [[Moby]]'s [[DVD]] titled "18 B-Sides and DVD" featured 21 of them.

{{Refbegin}}

* MacDonald, Ian. ''[[Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties]]'' – {{ISBN|1-84413-828-3}}

* "A History of the 45rpm record" Martland, Peter. ''EMI: The First 100 Years'' – {{ISBN|0-7134-6207-8}}

{{Refend}}

{{Music topics}}

'''Outtakes''' are songs recorded for an album but, either for technical or artistic purposes, not included in the released album. They occasionally appear on reissues of albums, billed as "bonus tracks". Georgia group [[R.E.M. (band)|REM]]'s album titled "Dead Letter Office", for example, is largely a collection of outtakes from their previous albums.

'''Demos''' are early versions of songs which, like "unreleased material", seldom see the light of day. Demos of songs often have additional or alternative verses. Often more demos than full songs are recorded, as an artist goes back and retools what is already present. Singers [[Moby]], [[Prince (artist)|Prince]], and [[Billy Corgan]] of now-defunct group [[Smashing Pumpkins]] are rumored to have large personal collections of demos.

On occasion, artists release albums of compiled B-sides and rare tracks, making it easier for fans to listen to new and unheard material from discontinued singles. [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]'s [[Incesticide]] and The [[Smashing Pumpkins]]' [[Pisces Iscariot]] are examples, as are the "Switched-On" series of compilations by [[Stereolab]]. In [[2004]], [[Feeder (band)|Feeder]] released [[Picture Of Perfect Youth]], a limited edition album which contained 36 b-sides across two [[Compact Disc|CD]]s.

==B-side collections==

* [[Anthrax (band)|Anthrax]] - ''[[Attack of the Killer B's]]'' ([[1991]])

* [[Broken Social Scene]] - ''[[Bee Hives (Broken Social Scene album)|Bee Hives]]'' ([[2003]])

* [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]] - <i>B-Sides and Rarities</i> ([[2005]])

* [[The Cure]] - ''[[Join the Dots: B-Sides and Rarities, 1978-2001 (The Fiction Years)|Join the Dots: B-Sides and Rarities, 1978-2001]]'' [Boxset] ([[2004]])

* [[Def Leppard]] - ''[[Retro Active]]'' ([[1993]])

* [[Feeder (band)|Feeder]] - ''[[Picture Of Perfect Youth]]'' ([[2004]])

* [[Five Iron Frenzy]] - ''[[Cheeses...(of Nazareth)]]'' ([[2003]])

* [[Fountains of Wayne]] - ''[[Out of State Plates]]'' ([[2005]])

* [[Gorillaz]] - ''[[G-Sides]]'' ([[2001]])

* [[Green Day]] - ''[[Shenanigans]]'' ([[2002]])

* [[James (band)|James]] - ''Ultra'' ([[2001]])

* [[Kent (band)|Kent]] - ''B-Sidor 95-00'' ([[2000]])

* [[Less Than Jake]] - ''B is for B-Sides'' ([[2004]])

* [[Manic Street Preachers]] - [[Lipstick_Traces_%28A_Secret_History_Of_The_Manic_Street_Preachers%29|Lipstick Traces]] ([[2003]])

* [[Moby]] - ''[[Play: The B Sides]]'' ([[2001]])

* [[Moby]] - ''18 B-Sides'' ([[2004]]) (most of the b-sides from album <i>18</i>)

* [[Morphine (band)|Morphine]] - [[B-Sides and Otherwise]] ([[1997]])

* [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] - ''[[Incesticide]]'' ([[1992]])

* [[NoFX]] - ''[[45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records]]'' ([[2002]])

* [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] - ''[[The Masterplan]]'' ([[1998]])

* [[Ocean Colour Scene]] - ''[[B-sides, Seasides and Freerides]]'' ([[1997]])

* [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|OMD]] - ''Navigation - The B-Sides'' ([[2001]])

* [[Pearl Jam]] - ''[[Lost Dogs (album)|Lost Dogs]]'' ([[2003]])

* [[Pet Shop Boys]] - ''[[Alternative (album)|Alternative]]'' ([[1995]])

* [[The Pixies|Pixies]] - ''Complete B-Sides'' ([[2001]])

* [[Shihad]] - ''B-Sides'' ([[1996]])

* [[Skinny Puppy]] - ''B-Sides Collect'' ([[1999]])

* [[Smashing Pumpkins]] - ''[[Pisces Iscariot]]'' ([[1994]])

* [[Smashing Pumpkins]] - ''[[Judas O]]'' ([[2001]]) (limited edition bonus CD to ''[[Rotten Apples]]''; a collection of B-sides meant to "sequel" ''Pisces Iscariot'')

* [[Something for Kate]] - ''Phantom Limbs - Selected B Sides'' ([[2004]])

* [[Suede (band)|Suede]] - ''[[Sci-Fi Lullabies]]'' ([[1997]])

* [[Tears for Fears|Tears for Fears]] - ''Saturnine Martial & Lunatic'' ([[1996]])

* [[They Might Be Giants]] - ''[[Miscellaneous T]]'' ([[1991]])

* [[They Might Be Giants]] - ''[[They Got Lost]]'' ([[2002]])

* [[XTC]] - ''[[Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977-1982]]'' ([[1982]])

==Albums featuring extensive b-sides==

* [[New Order]] - ''[[Substance_1987|Substance]]'' ([[1987]])

* [[The Smiths]] - ''[[The World Won't Listen]]'' ([[1987]])

* [[The Smiths]] - ''[[Louder Than Bombs]]'' ([[1987]])

* [[Prince (artist)|Prince]] - ''[[The Hits/The B-Sides]]'' ([[1993]])

* [[Sarah McLachlan]] - ''[[Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff]]'' ([[1996]])

* [[U2 (band)|U2]] - ''[[The Best of 1980-1990]]: Limited Edition'' ([[1998]])

* [[Cowboy Junkies]] - ''Rarities, B-Sides and Slow, Sad Waltzes'' ([[1999]])

* [[U2 (band)|U2]] - ''[[The Best of 1990-2000]]: Limited Edition'' ([[2002]])

* [[Ash (band)|Ash]] - ''Intergalactic Sonic 7s (incl Bonus CD Cosmic Debris)'' ([[2002]])

* [[Mansun]] - ''Kleptomania'' ([[2004]])

* [[Morrissey]] - ''[[You Are the Quarry]]: Deluxe Edition'' ([[2004]])

* [[Nine Inch Nails]] - ''The Downward Spiral: Deluxe Edition'' ([[2004]])

* [[Weezer]] - ''Weezer Deluxe Edition''

* [[Korn]] - "See You On The Other Side (Special Edition)" ([[2005]])

* [[Slipknot]] - "Slipknot (Digipak)" ([[2000]])

* [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]] - ''[[Playback (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers box set)|Playback]]'' ([[1995]])

[[Category:Audio storage]]

[[Category:Music industry]]

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