"Time everlasting, time to play b-sides, time ain't on my side" sang Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser on Blue Öyster Cult's "Burnin' For You"...yeah, time to play b-sides, but sometimes that's harder than necessary. Technically I should probably say 'play side two's', but that doesn't sound as cool. And b-sides, whatever the preferred nomenclature, we're talking about a problem all of us music lovers know: The album that is front-charged with hit singles or its biggest, more memorable songs on side one, and then presents more or less well done filler and 'the rest' on the second side.
Why am I thinking and now talking about this? Listening purely by accident in the last two weeks to three albums that are suffering from this problem, that's why. The albums in question: Tracy Chapman's debut album of the same name, which has its three big and memorable singles, plus the oppressive, a cappella "Behind The Wall" and the equally memorable race fable "Across The Lines". Five great songs in a row that I can more or less sing from memory. And then? Well, then there's side two, with songs that to me are much less memorable, and sometimes with a more cluttered production.
Next candidate: Nirvana's Nevermind, of course opening with a killer one-two-three punch in "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "In Bloom" and "Comes As You Are". Plus "Breed", "Lithium" and "Polly". There's some good stuff in the half dozen songs on side two, but there's no way it can compete with that opening salvo. And while I'm willing to hear opposing voices that defend the b-sides of those albums, I don't for Blue Öyster Cult's Agents Of Fortune, where all the memorable songs parade through the first five tracks, while the second side has unmemorable hard rock in diverse varieties.
So, folks. These are just some examples for front-loaded albums, what are some examples that come to your mind ... ?
What are some of your favorite supercharged a-sides ?
What are some underrated b-sides ?
Folks, it has been awfully quiet in the comment section recently, but I'm sure you have something to say about favorite a-sides, b-sides, favorite front charged albums, least favorite front charged albums and the rest ...
ReplyDeleteSo Folks, let the comments fly ...
interesting concept. It's been quite a while since i've considered a side or b side of albums. I download a lot and sometimes judge the download quickly, often not getting as far as what might be the b side if it were an album.
ReplyDeleteThe first album I thought of was Love’s 2nd album Da Capo, which has a very solid 1st side, but the 2nd side is an unmitigated bore.
ReplyDeleteGbrand
Yup. No better example.
DeleteThis is an excellent concept for discussion, and I'll check back (I check here every day anyway!) to see contributions to it. I wish I could help, but off the top of my head I have trouble answering, besides one example from the LP days, where your concept doesn't hold (since frontloading a CD wasn't a thing). This is Savoy Brown's Blue Matter. 'Favorite album sides' is a question I could more readily answer. I do remember, in my CD-buying days, CDs that were front-loaded, but they don't spring to mind lo these many years later.
ReplyDeleteC in California
C in California
OBG, you mind reader! This past week I've been listening to one of my favorite "front-loaded" rock albums from the Nirvana era, "Saturation" by Urge Overkill. I've had it on (orange) vinyl for years, but recently picked it up on CD for 2 bucks so that I could blast it in the car. One of the best produced rock records (to my ears). The band used their Geffen deal to hire the Butcher Brothers, a production team from Philly that was better known for hip hop. The drum sound is punchy, and the guitars are crunchy.
ReplyDeleteBeing familiar with it as an LP, the songs on side 1 seem so much stronger than side 2. Right out of the gate, you've got the explosive "Sister Havana", followed by two equally hard-rocking and catchy tracks ("Tequila Sundae" and "Positive Bleeding"). The band dials it down for the self-pitying "Back On Me", and then it's amps on 11 again for "Woman 2 Woman" and the terrific "Bottle Of Fur" (a great vocal performance).
In the middle of side 2, there's another raveup ("Erica Kane"), but nothing else grabs me as much as the first side. If they had swapped "Back On Me" with "Erica Kane" it would have been nonstop balls-out wall to wall action in the first half. After that, the whole album would collapse like the Falcons did against the Patriots in the 2017 Super Bowl.
i love side 2. "Dropout", "Nite and Grey" and "Heaven 90210" are all 3 great
DeleteYou always posit interesting questions. Usually my brain draws a blank lol
ReplyDeleteSide two of Nevermind rules
ReplyDelete