Talk:A-side and B-side

Two questions

Two questions: firstly, shouldn't this page really live at B-side, with the redirect going the other way - it's not like they only ever exist in the plural. Secondly, should it exist at all, or should it be merged with flipside, which seems to mean the same thing (I'm guessing this is a US/UK issue, cos I've only ever heard them called B-sides myself.) I may come back and sort this out sometime, seeing as neither article is very good at the moment, but I thought I'd try and bring it to the attention of anyone looking for something to do. - IMSoP 02:26, 19 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Well, I've gone ahead and moved this (from B-sides), because I really don't see why it should have to be plural. I haven't got time to deal with the flipside issue at the minute though. - IMSoP 19:41, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Unclear

Where it says: "These songs are normally songs which did not make it onto the album, either because they were not considered good enough or because they did not fit in with the overall sound of the album tracks, or remixes." Should that last part be "or because they are remixes," or is it saying something else? --LostLeviathan 21:58, 5 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Double A-side...

redirects here. I don't think that's right.

As does A-side, which I also think isn't right, and is why I checked the talk page in the first place. The A-side != the B-side, and a Double A-side is something completely different - it hasn't got a B-side. --Kiand 03:51, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

Well usage wise I think it's appropriate because you really only use the term "A-Side" when contrasting it to the B-Side of an album. -- 03:51, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

7"

I think it's highly unfortunate that this article claims that only 7" singles feature B-sides, since obviously other formats such as 12" singles do that and they are not even mentioned in the article. I think the language in the article also is a bit biased towards the impression that the 7" vinyl single is a superior format, just because something is not on a 7" single and/or the media does not have sides does not mean those songs cannot qualify as B-sides. --chsf 20:22, 2006/01/24

Two hits on the same record?

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

I think this needs more explanation, as I don't quite understand how two recordings on the same physical medium can become separate chart hits in their own right.

Put it this way: when I buy the record I automatically get both songs, regardless of which song I really want to listen to, so how can one song get to number 31 in the charts (sales figure: X) whereas the other song gets to number 7 (sales figure: some number other than X)? 220.157.85.81 04:31, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

well, both tracks can't become chart hits off sales, but both songs could become club/radio play hits (which actually count towards at least dance chart positions in the US, if nowhere else), and become seperately well-known. Although I know of no examples personally where that has happened. Hits doesn't solely mean Top 40/Hot 100/Top 30/whatever your country has. --Kiand 05:04, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

And, seriously, the best examples of double A-sides you can come up with are Oasis & The Smiths? LOL I suppose The Quarrymen or The Stones or Ded Lizards never did it... TREKphiler ^{hit me ♠} 09:38, 23 November 2008 (UTC)

There is a terrible amount of confusion in this article regarding Double A sides and double sided hit singles; they are not the same thing. To clarify, a Double A sided record is different from one that has two sides which charted as a hit. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Billboard in the United States would also track a b-side as a separate hit from its A-side by whatever methodology it used to differentiate the sale points of what is, physically, the same sale item. That means that a record such as "Don't Be Cruel" backed with "Hound Dog" was a double-sided hit. It was not a Double A side, however, as "Hound Dog" was designated a b-side upon release in 1956. The Beatles invented the Double A-side in 1965 with "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out," where both sides are designated as an A-side and there is no b-side, as they wanted disc jockeys and radio stations to view each side as potentially the hit side. Both sides were tracked and considered hits, and this caused other recording artists and record companies to begin issuing Double A sided singles as a promotional tool. The Rolling Stones issued "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" as a Double A side in 1967, for example. Companies reissued earlier singles as Double A sides, such as RCA re-releasing "Don't Be Cruel' and "Hound Dog" post-1965 as a Double A side. I have discovered no evidence that Double A sides existed prior to "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out," although plenty of singles such as those mentioned in the body of this article had the b-side also chart as a hit before that time. Any 1950s or early 1960s single designated a "Double A side" single is a reissue after 1965, and not the original record, unless anyone has evidence to the contrary.PJtP (talk) 00:29, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Very cool. Is there a source, so we can add clarify the article? - DavidWBrooks (talk) 00:49, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

This subject has been a problem in this article for a long time. PJtP is correct, in the US such records were referred to as a two-sided hit, before and after 1965. There were very few true double A sides. The distinction was more significant in the UK where the charts were based on sales only and popular B-sides were not listed unless the record was specifically marketed as a double A side. As for sources, it should be noted that the text in this section of the article is completely unreferenced.

Here is a 1961 Billboard article on two-sided hits that may shed some light on the subject, and another noting the "double-side promotion campaign—unique in Britain" for Day Tripper.

Not quite true..

very few vinyl singles are still released
Well, I still see a lot of new singles released on both CD and vinyl. Admittedly more are released on CD than vinyl, but to say that there are very few released at all is somewhat incorrect.

even the CD single has become virtually non-existent
That's even worse. There are hundreds of new singles released every month, to say CD singles are "virtually non-existent" is really incorrect.

What would be better ways of phrasing these? Korinkami 15:48, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

Endless Lists

Shouldn't those B-Side collections and A-Side single lists be put in a separate article? --201.66.173.224 22:59, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Wrong decade?

In the "history" section, isn't wrong the 1990s in this paragraph??

By the early 1990s, double-sided hits had become rare. Album sales had increased, and B-sides had become the side of the record where non-album, non-radio-friendly, instrumental versions or simply inferior recordings were placed.

I think it should be 1970s because the continuousness of the section. 190.1.211.196 04:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

"Yellow Balloon"

Do I remember right that "Yellow Balloon" (artist forgotten) was backed with the same song backward? —Tamfang 06:00, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

you are correct.--Greenday21 (talk) 18:27, 1 June 2008 (UTC)Greenday21

Other types of non-primary sound recording

The "Other types of non-primary sound recording" seems a bit out of place. Unless it is mentioned at the end of the "B-sides" or the end of "Significane" section that these types of sound recording are occasionally included in album or on compilations, they have their own articles. This section is almost as big as the articles themselves. James Who (talk) 02:36, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

All about B-Sides

The article is called "A-side and B-side" but the entire article appears to be just about b-side or just a general discussion on singles. Perhaps some of this should be integrated into just a "singles" article, or the two sections should be divided up as some have suggested regarding the redirection funtion of this article. James Who (talk) 02:39, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

confusing double A/B side sections

From the current text, it is not clear how many tracks are on the A side and B side respectively as far as a "double A side" and "double B side" is concerned. 85.127.135.188 (talk) 13:59, 18 June 2008 (UTC) boardrider

There is no such thing as a "double B side." A seven-inch single record can either have an A side and a B side, or a Double A side, but not a Double B side. PJtP (talk) 00:29, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Double A Side

This section has been marked as "unclear", and I suspect much of the problem arises from the inclusion of the paragraph on Japanese "multiple A sides". The fact is that neither of the examples cited really represent singles releases, but are rather EPs: a single recording with multiple tracks but not quite adding up to an entire album. With concensus, I would like to delete that paragraph. WikiDan61^ChatMe!_ReadMe!! 14:15, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

Multiple A-sides

What about triple A-sides and other multiple A-sides greater than 2? (Especially on cassette and CD. I know there are a few, but exact examples escape me just now.) --Champaign (talk) 05:12, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

If a short release has multiple A-sides (more than two) and no songs designated as "b-sides", then it'd be an EP, not a single. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.72.240.105 (talk) 21:53, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

List of examples necessary?

Does anyone else find a list of examples to be unnecessary? It's obvious just by reading the article that such albums and songs exist, so it seems redundant to include an ever-growing "list of examples" to this article. Perhaps a [[Category:Albums containing B-sides]] and/or [[Category:B-sides]] for songs would be better? mheart (talk) 23:27, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Can we add some reference to...

The fact that people often use b-side in place of those other words (like "unreleased tracks" or "bonus tracks" whether it is "proper usage" or not?) I'm sure there must be some examples of it to cite, but I think it should be noted that the term B-Side is not always used to denote a song off a single anymore. TheHYPO (talk) 21:06, 11 February 2010 (UTC)

Way too many examples

I have removed a number of examples from a number of places - this article has a common pop-culture-wikipedia-article problem: everybody adding every example they can think of, for some phenomenon. For example, we don't need more than a couple examples of bands that had two-song B sides to illustrate that concept, and it isn't a rare enough phenomenon that there is any value in compiling all the examples. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 19:05, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

I'm surprised there's no references to Steam's song Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, one of the examples of a song that was supposed to be so bad that no one would play it but went on to be a big hit. Ericgoldman (talk) 17:16, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

Removed confusing text and requesting clarification

From the "Significance" section, I have removed some text, as it appears to be WP:OR as well as being very confusing. If anyone knows what was trying to be stated, please feel free to add it! Removed text (in itallics) below:

More rarely, both sides of the single would become hits, such as Queen's "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You". The reason probably being that US radio stations played them together in a double A-side fashion, which was appropriate since the single itself was a double A-side, contrary to what people think (We Are the Champions being the A-side and being such on its own).

I have also requested clarification in the Double A side section, as it is not clear what b/w means. I'm guessing that it isn't "black and white". Stephen! ^Coming... 13:37, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Mull of Kintyre not the only Christmas double-A.

Queen's "These Are The Days of Our Lives/Bohemian Rhapsody" was UK Christmas No.1 in 1991/92, so the comment on the Paul McCartney song is false. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.72.240.105 (talk) 21:54, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

Alternate Use of the Term?

This article pretty much describes what I understand the terms A-side and B-side to mean. However, the article on Strawberry Switchblade has more B-sides listed than there are singles, which is obviously impossible. What I guess the article means are non-LP sides, but I have never thought of that as having anything to do with B-sides. Shocking Blue (talk) 13:11, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

33 vs 45 Fallacy

"In 1948, Columbia Records introduced the ten- and twelve-inch long-playing (LP) vinyl record for commercial sales, and its rival RCA-Victor responded the next year with the seven-inch 45 rpm vinyl record..." The claim that the 45 was a "reaction" to the LP is often made (some even say that the 45 speed was arbitrarily selected by subtracting 33 from 78) but it is just plain wrong. RCA had been working on a replacement for the 78 single since before WWII. Columbia was working on a replacement for the 78 album for a much shorter time. A copy of RCA's "white paper" on the development of the 45 is here: http://tildebang.com/jukebox/rec_and_changer_comp_design_45.pdf"

Same on both sides

Sometimes the record companies made singles which were the same on both sides. Not a disco version and a country version, but identical tracks. These were sent to radio stations so they couldn't play the B-side. Aren't these called double A-sides?  Randall Bart   Talk  01:56, 7 August 2016 (UTC)

I've never heard of a promo referred to as a double A-side. Piriczki (talk) 16:49, 7 August 2016 (UTC)

Sources discussing A- and B-sides

For those researching the topic, here are books:

• Vinyl: A History of the Analogue Record by Richard Osborne
• Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shape Our Culture by Jacqueline Edmondson
• My Old Man's A Busman by Peter Gilbert
• Billboard, October 16, 1971, pg. MOA-6
• Vinyl: The Analogue Record in the Digital Age by Dominik Bartmanski and Ian Woodward
• The Flipside: Tuning in to the Joy Within by Margaret A. Lashley
• Vinyl Highway: A Memoir by Dee Dee Phelps
• From Small Screen to Vinyl: A Guide to Television Stars Who Made Records, 1950-2000 by Bob Leszczak
• B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular in Music, 1960 to the Present by George Plasketes
• The Vinyl Dialogues: Stories Behind Memorable Albums of the 1970s as Told by the Artists by Mike Morsch
• Post Punk Diary: 1980-1982 by George Gimarc
• Out of the Vinyl Deeps: Ellen Willis on Rock Music by Ellen Willis
• Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories
• I Love It When You Talk Retro by Ralph Keyes
• Billboard, June 10, 1967
• 45 Rpm: The History, Heroes and Villains of a Pop Music Revolution by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes
• The Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson

They are all that I can find about flipsides or vinyl sides. I can provide more if I miss any. George Ho (talk) 03:13, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

Terminology of the topic

Pinging Moscow Connection and Piriczki about this. Moscow Connection and I have been editing Spinout (song), All That I Am (Elvis Presley song), Fool (Elvis Presley song), and Steamroller Blues. We are wondering our research on single releases. Sources can consider one song an A-side and make the other a flipside (B-side typically). Is "Spinout" a B-side or an A-side? What about "Fool"? --George Ho (talk) 03:26, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

More information here: User talk:George Ho&oldid=756825192#Spinout. --Moscow Connection (talk) 13:45, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

I'm not completely familiar with Presley's catalog but I thought his records didn't necessarily have a designated A and B side with the expectation that they could and would become two-sided hits, and the more popular side came to be considered the "A-side." Goldmine's Standard Catalog of American Records and Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles list "Spinout" and "Steamroller Blues" as the A-sides. Jerry Osborne's Price Guide would be another good source. I'll check it later today. Piriczki (talk) 14:53, 27 December 2016 (UTC)

I rephrased the articles "Spinout (song)", "All That I Am (Elvis Presley song)" like this: [1], [2].
I think if there weren't designated A- and B-sides, then it's incorrect to say something like «"Fool" was released as a B-side to "Steamroller Blues"» even if contemporary record catalogues list "Fool" as the B-side.
I think it would be a good idea to come up with a universal phrasing that we can use everywhere, in all or most of the articles about Elvis' singles. Or maybe we can add it as a comment, a note explaining that "Elvis' records didn't necessarily have a designated A and B-side." --Moscow Connection (talk) 13:27, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Looking at Billboard, Cash Box and Record World from the 1950s and 1960s, I don't see the terms "A-side" and "B-side" used much at all, whereas "flip side" is very prevalent. In the 1970s, yes. By then 45s were used to sell LPs and there were definite A-sides (the most popular tracks) and B-sides (usually an LP filler track). In the '50s and '60s jukeboxes were a more important part of the music industry and with 50 records (100 plays) per machine, you wanted hits on both sides. Maybe the infobox could have a parameter "flip side" added to use instead of A-side or B-side for older records. Piriczki (talk) 19:34, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Shall we take this to template talk:infobox song and template talk:infobox single then? George Ho (talk) 00:15, 31 December 2016 (UTC)

I think that is the next logical step. Piriczki (talk) 16:27, 31 December 2016 (UTC)

Uncited material in need of citations

I am moving the following uncited material here until it can be properly supported with inline citations of reliable, secondary sources, per WP:V, WP:CS, WP:IRS, WP:PSTS, WP:BLP, WP:NOR, et al. This diff shows where it was in the article. Nightscream (talk) 14:20, 4 July 2022 (UTC)

Extended content

History The first sound recordings were produced in the late 19th century using cylinder records, which held approximately two minutes of audio stored upon a single round surface. One-sided disc records made of shellac co-existed with cylinders and had a similar capacity. In 1908, Columbia Records introduced double-sided recordings with one selection on each side in European markets. Although cylinders and discs remained comparable and competitive for a time (by 1910, both media were able to hold between three and four minutes of sound), discs ultimately superseded the cylinder format, rendering it obsolete by 1912, largely due to its shorter play times. By the mid-1920s, double-sided shellac discs playing at 78 rpm (and known as "78s") had become an industry standard. Record producers did not initially have reason to value either side of double-sided records as being more important than the other. There were no record charts until the 1930s, and most radio stations did not broadcast recorded music until the 1950s, when the Top 40 radio format overtook full-service network radio. In June 1948, Columbia Records introduced the modern 331⁄3 rpm long-playing (LP) microgroove vinyl record for commercial sales, and its rival RCA Victor responded the next year with the seven-inch 45 rpm vinylite record, which would quickly replace the 78 for single record releases. The term "single" came into popular use with the advent of vinyl records in the early 1950s. During this period, most record labels would designate one song an A-side and the other a B-side at random. (All records have specific identifiers for each side in addition to the catalog number for the record itself; the "A" side would typically be assigned a sequentially lower number.) Under this random system, many artists had so-called "double-sided hits", where both songs on a record made one of the national sales charts (in Billboard, Cashbox, or other magazines), or would be featured on jukeboxes in public places. In the late 1960s, stereo versions of pop and rock songs began appearing on 45s. However, since the majority of the 45s were played on AM radio stations that were not yet equipped for stereo broadcast, stereo was not a priority. Nevertheless, FM rock stations did not like to play monaural content, so the record companies adopted a protocol for promotional recordings for disc jockeys with the mono version of a song on one side and a stereo version of the same song on the other. By the early 1970s, album sales had increased and double-sided hit singles had become rare. Record companies started to use singles as a means of promoting albums; they frequently placed album tracks that they wished to promote on side A and less accessible, non-album, instrumental songs on side B. In order to ensure that radio stations played the side that the record companies wanted to promote, they often marked one side of a record's label as a "plug side". The distinction between the two sides became less meaningful after the introduction of cassettes and compact disc singles in the late 1980s when 45 rpm vinyl records began to decline. At first, cassette singles would often have one song on each side, matching the arrangement of vinyl records. Eventually though, cassette maxi-singles containing more than two songs became more popular. As the one-sided audio compact disc became the dominant recording medium in the late 1990s, cassettes began vanishing and the A-side/B-side dichotomy became virtually extinct. The term "B-side" continued to enjoy varying levels of use in reference to the "bonus" tracks or "coupling" tracks on a CD single. In the following decades, the industry largely shifted away from physical media towards digital music distribution formats, further diminishing the relevance of terminology or marketing strategies based on "sides". Today, companies label non-album songs and tracks deemed less desirable or marketable using terms such as "unreleased", "bonus", "non-album", "rare", "outtakes", or "exclusive". Such material is sometimes grouped for downloading or streaming together into "bonus" or "extended" versions of an artist's albums on digital music platforms. Significance B-side songs may be released on the same record as a single to provide extra "value for money". There are several types of material commonly released in this way, including a different version (e.g., instrumental, a cappella, live, acoustic, remixed version or in another language), or, in a concept record, a song that does not fit into the story line. Additionally, it was common in the 1960s and 1970s for longer songs, especially by soul, funk, and R&B acts, to be broken into two parts for single release. Examples of this include Ray Charles's "What'd I Say", the Isley Brothers' "Shout", and a number of records by James Brown, including "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". Typically, "part one" would be the chart hit, while "part two" would be a continuation of the same performance. A notable example of a non-R&B hit with two parts was the single release of Don McLean's "American Pie". With the advent of the 12-inch single in the late 1970s, the part one/part two method of recording was largely abandoned. Modern-day examples include Fall Out Boy's EP My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue and My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade: The B-Sides. Double A-side 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. This became known as the "flipside racket". Similarly, it has also been alleged that owners of pirate radio stations operating off the British coast in the 1960s would buy the publishing rights to the B-sides of records they expected to be hits, and then plug the A-sides in the hope of driving up sales and increasing their share of the royalties. Occasionally, the B-side of a single would become the more popular song. This sometimes occurred because a DJ preferred the B-side to its A-side and played it instead. Some examples include "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor (originally the B-side of "Substitute"), "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice (originally the B-side of "Play That Funky Music"), "I'll Be Around" by the Spinners (originally the B-side of "How Could I Let You Get Away") and "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart (originally the B-side of "Reason to Believe"). Probably the most well-known of these, however, is "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets (originally the B-side of "Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town))". The song "How Soon Is Now?" by the Smiths started out as the extra track on the 12-inch of "William, It Was Really Nothing" but later gained a separate release as an A-side in its own right, as did Oasis's "Acquiesce", which originally appeared as a B-side of "Some Might Say" in 1995, but gained subsequent release in 2006 as part of an EP to promote their forthcoming compilation album Stop the Clocks. Feeder in 2001 and 2005 had the B-sides "Just a Day" from "Seven Days in the Sun", and "Shatter" from "Tumble and Fall", released as A-sides after fan petitions and official website and fansite message board hype; they charted at No. 12 and No. 11 in the UK. In 1986, "Grass", the first single from XTC's album Skylarking, was eclipsed in the U.S. by its B-side, "Dear God" – so much so that the record was almost immediately re-released with one song ("Mermaid Smiled") removed and "Dear God" put in its place, the replacement becoming one of the band's better-known hits. On many reissued singles, the A- and B-sides are two hit songs from different albums that were not originally released together, or even that are by entirely different artists. These were often made for the jukebox – for one record with two popular songs on it would make more money – or to promote one artist to the fans of another. It has even come about that new songs have been relegated to B-side status: for example, in 1981 Kraftwerk released their new single "Computer Love", its B-side being "The Model", from the band's 1978 album The Man-Machine. With synthpop increasingly dominating the UK charts, the single was re-released with the sides reversed. In early 1982 "The Model" reached number one. They continued to use the format for the release of the singles "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine" in 1966, followed by "Strawberry Fields Forever" / "Penny Lane" in 1967 and "Something" / "Come Together" in 1969. Other groups followed suit, notably the Rolling Stones in early 1967 with "Let's Spend the Night Together" / "Ruby Tuesday" as a double-A single. A double-A-sided single is often confused with a single where both sides, the A and the B, became hits. Although many artists in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson, the Beach Boys, Brenda Lee, and Pat Boone, routinely had hit singles where both sides of the 45 received airplay, these were not double A-sides. The charts below tally the instances for artists' singles where both sides were hits, not where both sides were designated an A-side upon manufacture and release. For instance "Don't Be Cruel", the B-side of "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley, became as big a hit as its A-side even though "Don't Be Cruel" was not the intended A-side when released in 1956. Reissues later in the 1960s (and after the Beatles' "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out") listed the single with both songs as the A-side. Also, for Cliff Richard's 1962 "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy", both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential, albeit with "Bachelor Boy" pressed as the B-side. Occasionally double-A-sided singles were released with each side targeting a different market. During the late 1970s, for example, Dolly Parton released a number of double-A-sided singles, in which one side was released to pop radio, and the other side to country, including "Two Doors Down"/"It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" and "Baby I'm Burnin'"/"I Really Got the Feeling". In 1978, the Bee Gees also used this method when they released "Too Much Heaven" for the pop market and the flip side, "Rest Your Love on Me", which was aimed toward country stations. Last double-sided hits In the US: Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" was the last double-sided single to reach the Number 1 spot and the Top 10 as well. In the UK: McFly's "Baby's Coming Back/Transylvania" was the last double-sided single to reach the Number 1 spot, and Leona Lewis's "Better in Time" / "Footprints in the Sand" was the last one to reach the top 10. Artists with the most Top 100 double-side singles Artist Number Elvis Presley 51 The Beatles 26 Fats Domino 24 Pat Boone 21 Ricky Nelson 19 Nat King Cole 19 Brenda Lee 16 Ray Charles 16 Connie Francis 13 The Everly Brothers 13 Perry Como 12 Brook Benton 12 Aretha Franklin 11 Sam Cooke 11 The Platters 10 Jackie Wilson 10 The Beach Boys 8 Creedence Clearwater Revival 7 Bill Haley & His Comets 6 Johnny Mathis 6 The Rolling Stones 6 The Monkees 6 Humorous implementations The concept of the B-side is so well known that many performers have released humorous versions or commentary on the phenomenon, such as Paul and Linda McCartney's B-side to Linda McCartney's "Seaside Woman" (released under the alias Suzy and the Red Stripes) which is titled "B-Side to Seaside"; Blotto's 1981 single "When the Second Feature Starts" that features "The B-Side", a song about how bad B-sides are compared to A-sides; Three Dog Night's 1973 single "Shambala" with "Our 'B' Side", about the group wishing they could be trusted to write their own songs for single release; and George Harrison's B-side "I Don't Care Any More", which starts with Harrison saying, "We got a B-side to make, ladies and gentlemen so we better get on with it." During the 1970s, Barry White devoted many of his B-sides to instrumentals in which the titles were variations of those for songs done in vocal form on the A-side, including "Just a Little More Baby" (B-side of "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby"), "No, I'm Never Gonna Give Ya Up" (B-side of "Never Never Gonna Give Ya Up"), "Just Not Enough" (B-side of "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe"), "What Am I Gonna Do With You Baby" (B-side of "What Am I Gonna Do With You"), "More Than Anything, You're My Everything" (B-side of "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"), "Anything You Want Me To" (B-side of "I'll Do for You Anything You Want Me To"), and "Can't You See It's Only You I Want" (B-side of "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long"). The original cassette version of Dead Kennedys' In God We Trust, Inc. compiled all 8 songs on Side A and left Side B intentionally devoid of any sound. Printed on the cassette's second side was the explanation, "Home taping is killing record industry profits! We left this side blank so you can help."

cassettes?

Firstly the lede in the article fails to mention a fairly obvious point that the notion of a/b sides pertains to media where there is one song on each side. At least I never head of an LP having a "b" side. Now no doubt somebody somewhere put out a cassette "single", but i expect that was sufficiently rare to not be called out in the lede. Gjxj (talk) Gjxj (talk) 15:57, 3 September 2022 (UTC)