B-side

In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles 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.

Other types of non-primary sound recording

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.

Related Topics:
Moby - DVD

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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 REM's album titled "Dead Letter Office", for example, is largely a collection of outtakes from their previous albums.

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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, and Billy Corgan of now-defunct group Smashing Pumpkins are rumored to have large personal collections of demos.

Related Topics:
Moby - Prince - Billy Corgan - Smashing Pumpkins

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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's Incesticide and The Smashing Pumpkins' Pisces Iscariot are examples, as are the "Switched-On" series of compilations by Stereolab. In 2004, Feeder released Picture Of Perfect Youth, a limited edition album which contained 36 b-sides across two CDs.

Related Topics:
Nirvana - Incesticide - Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot - Stereolab - 2004 - Feeder - Picture Of Perfect Youth - CD

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