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Record Label Blunders: "B-Sides Or Album Cuts That Became Hits"
Posted on 5/21/22 at 11:40 am
Posted on 5/21/22 at 11:40 am
The latest Professor of Rock video is on the Rod Stewart song "Maggie May" and he told a great story about how the record company hated it and relegated to the B-side, only to have DJs go rogue and start playing it and turning it into a #1 hit.
What other songs were discovered by DJs turning the 45 over or playing album cuts until it became popular?
Posted on 5/21/22 at 11:45 am to Mizz-SEC
How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths was a B-side single before becoming one of the most recognizable songs of the 80s.
Posted on 5/21/22 at 12:07 pm to Mizz-SEC
Off the top of my head:
Elvis - "Don't Be Cruel". "Hound Dog" was the actual A side, but "DBC" became even more popular, and ended up the #1 song of the year.
Conway Twitty - "It's Only Make Believe"
Righteous Bros - "Unchained Melody"
Stones - "Ruby Tuesday". Intended A side was "Let's Spend The Night Together", which many radio stations refused to play
Steam - "Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye" - This was released at over 4m long to make sure it was not played instead of the A side. DJs played it anyway.
Stones - "Under My Thumb". Notable as a "turntable hit", discovered by listeners as an album cut. It became so popular that it got top 40 airplay, yet inexplicably still was not released as a single.
Doors - "Light My Fire". The single "Break On Through" flopped, but the 6m+ album track "Light My Fire" created buzz, inspiring the label to delete the instrumental break and cut it down to less than 3m to get airplay. As a single it went on to reach #1.
I refuse to mention "Stairway To Heaven"
Elvis - "Don't Be Cruel". "Hound Dog" was the actual A side, but "DBC" became even more popular, and ended up the #1 song of the year.
Conway Twitty - "It's Only Make Believe"
Righteous Bros - "Unchained Melody"
Stones - "Ruby Tuesday". Intended A side was "Let's Spend The Night Together", which many radio stations refused to play
Steam - "Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye" - This was released at over 4m long to make sure it was not played instead of the A side. DJs played it anyway.
Stones - "Under My Thumb". Notable as a "turntable hit", discovered by listeners as an album cut. It became so popular that it got top 40 airplay, yet inexplicably still was not released as a single.
Doors - "Light My Fire". The single "Break On Through" flopped, but the 6m+ album track "Light My Fire" created buzz, inspiring the label to delete the instrumental break and cut it down to less than 3m to get airplay. As a single it went on to reach #1.
I refuse to mention "Stairway To Heaven"
Posted on 5/21/22 at 12:10 pm to Mizz-SEC
Not a big hit but Yellow Ledbetter should have gone on Ten.
Posted on 5/21/22 at 1:26 pm to Mizz-SEC
I Am The Walrus B-Side to Hello, Goodbye from Magical Mystery Tour.
Revolution B-Side to Hey Jude from The White Album.
Revolution B-Side to Hey Jude from The White Album.
Posted on 5/21/22 at 2:21 pm to rebelrouser
"Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" was the B side to Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song"
not sure if this song was ever in the top 40, but it was a staple on rock radio
"Beth" by KISS was the b side to "Detroit Rock City" This song hit the top ten in the top 40
not sure if this song was ever in the top 40, but it was a staple on rock radio
"Beth" by KISS was the b side to "Detroit Rock City" This song hit the top ten in the top 40
Posted on 5/23/22 at 3:46 am to Mizz-SEC
Unfortunately..
"Ice Ice Baby" was first released as the B-side to Vanilla Ice's cover of "Play That Funky Music", but the single was not initially successful. When a DJ played "Ice Ice Baby" instead, it began to gain success.
"Ice Ice Baby" was first released as the B-side to Vanilla Ice's cover of "Play That Funky Music", but the single was not initially successful. When a DJ played "Ice Ice Baby" instead, it began to gain success.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 11:19 am to Mizz-SEC
Silver Springs was left off of Rumours, but was the B to Go Your Own Way.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 9:42 pm to Mizz-SEC
Stairway to Heaven was released on November 8, 1971, on the album Led Zeppelin IV. The eight-minute-long song was never released as a single, but has been a mainstay of rock radio for the past 50 years. Led Zeppelin IV is one of the biggest selling albums of all time.
Posted on 5/23/22 at 10:57 pm to Mizz-SEC
Even though it ended up on The Coneheads Soundtrack Soul To Squeeze started off as a B-side. Chili Peppers have some great B-Sides.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 3:02 pm to Mizz-SEC
Initially Asylum released Jackson Browne's version of Stay as a single with a B-side of Rosie. It wasn't until The Load Out started getting airplay as a medley with Stay (as it is on the Running On Empty album) that the single was re-released with Stay as the A and Load-out as the B.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 3:38 pm to Mizz-SEC
Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" was discovered by a Philadelphia DJ in 1973 off the album Piano Man. The song was not released as a single, the DJ played it once and he had numerous requests to play it over and over. It went far from being a #1 hit but it made Joel very popular among the Philly crowd.
According to Wiki:
The 2011 Piano Man album re-release "included a slightly truncated live 1972 Philadelphia 93.3 WMMR FM radio broadcast of early songs that Joel performed and recorded at the Philadelphia-based Sigma Sound Studios. This radio broadcast was extremely important to the success of Joel's music career because, after the show was recorded, the live recording of "Captain Jack" was played by the station and quickly became "the most requested song in the station's history". Once the popularity of this live recording was known, people working for Columbia Records heard the recording and signed Joel to the label".
According to Wiki:
The 2011 Piano Man album re-release "included a slightly truncated live 1972 Philadelphia 93.3 WMMR FM radio broadcast of early songs that Joel performed and recorded at the Philadelphia-based Sigma Sound Studios. This radio broadcast was extremely important to the success of Joel's music career because, after the show was recorded, the live recording of "Captain Jack" was played by the station and quickly became "the most requested song in the station's history". Once the popularity of this live recording was known, people working for Columbia Records heard the recording and signed Joel to the label".
Posted on 5/26/22 at 2:12 am to Palomitz
quote:
he had numerous requests to play it over and over. It went far from being a #1 hit but it made Joel very popular among the Philly crowd.
Probably a bunch of kids who just liked hearing the word "masturbate" on the radio.
Posted on 5/27/22 at 12:41 pm to Vandyrone
quote:
How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths was a B-side single before becoming one of the most recognizable songs of the 80s.
Nothing by The Smiths was ever one of the most recognizable songs of the 80s. The only radio stations that ever played anything by the Smiths were college radio stations. That's like calling anything by the Replacements one of the most recognizable songs of the 80s.
Posted on 5/27/22 at 1:09 pm to 88Wildcat
quote:How Soon Is Now was. A cover of it was the into song for Charmed. Everyone who hears it knows it.
Nothing by The Smiths was ever one of the most recognizable songs of the 80s
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