B4 I get in2 this, I see from the news that photographer & album-cover designer Storm Thorgerson has died at age 69 after a battle against cancer. Along with the many album covers he & his mates at Hipgnosis did 4 bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin & MANY others, Storm also wrote almost the entire text 4 Hipgnosis's 1st collection of cover artwork, WALK AWAY RENE -- see if you can track down a copy, the STORIES in it R hilarious, & of course the photos & artwork R amazing. It's 1 of my favorite books ever....
Now then, here's some more great B-sides, including a handful I forgot the 1st time around & a coupla OBVIOUS 1's I shoulda remembered....
* Beach Boys: "God Only Knows" -- The B-side 2 the nice but kinda average "Wouldn't it be Nice," "God Only Knows" is the BB's at their absolute best, 1 of the most beautiful songs in all of creation. Check out Carl Wilson's perfect lead vocal, & the gorgeous choir-vocal finish. In "cool" mid-'60s LA, THIS was the A-side. Course the album it's from ain't no slouch neither: PET SOUNDS.
* Boston: "Used to Bad News" -- B-side 2 the lame non-hit "Feeling Satisfied." Buried near the end of the 1/2-finished 2nd side of DON'T LOOK BACK, this downbeat lost-love lament written by lead singer Brad Delp is a perfect modest miniature, 1 of the best things they ever did. Great organ & guitar work, & a superb hurt lead vocal from Brad. It had "hit" written all over it. Shoulda sold millions & otta B played every day by Classic Rock stations.
* Byrds: "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" -- B-side 2 the lame Dylan song "All I Really Want to Do." From that rousing electric lead 2 the great group-vocal choruses, this Gene Clark composition beats the heck outta "All I Really Want to Do" -- jeez, even Sonny & Cher beat the Byrds on THAT 1. Couldn't the folks at CBS HEAR? Or did they just wanna go with another safe Dylan-song sure-thing 4 the A-side? Tom Petty covered this song a few years back, but he should just give up....
* Kansas: "Questions of My Childhood" -- B-side 2 "Carry On Wayward Son." What really sucked me in on this is that loopy keyboard hook that's the 1st thing you hear. & it picks back up again at the end. The lyrics R kinda cute & silly. Fake-Meaningful, lighter than air, & WAY better than "Dust in the Wind," 4 Xample....
* Journey: "Daydream" & "People and Places." "Daydream" was the B-side 2 "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin';" "People and Places" was the B-side 2 some lame minor hit offa DEPARTURE. "Daydream" shoulda kept me from buying EVOLUTION, but I eventually caved-in anyway & was disappointed. "People and Places" DID keep me from buying DEPARTURE, cos "People" was by far the best thing on it. "Daydream" is a moody dream-piece with some nice Neal Schon guitar work; "People and Places" is an arty, airy vocal piece with rockin' choruses. Both songs R throwbacks 2 Journey's progressive-rock beginnings. They shoulda done WAY more stuff like this ... or at least this good.... But of course there was no $$$ in this arty, impressionistic stuff....
* Jefferson Starship: "Freedom at Point Zero." B-side 2 "Jane." I was always a sucker 4 Paul Kantner's science-fiction chorale pieces, & this rocker is 1 of the best Xamples. So's the album it came from, 4 which this was the title track. Most of the better songs on FREEDOM came out as B-sides -- "Fading Lady Light," "Just the Same"....
* Johnny Rivers: "It Wouldn't Happen With Me" -- B-side 2 the Top 3 hit "Memphis." Good as "Memphis" is, this is a comedy classic, all about how all those female fans out there will never get the chance 2 marry (or even date!) the Beatles or Elvis or Ricky Nelson ... but Johnny's Available! Some of the lines R just priceless, & it rocks!
* Neil Diamond: "Crunchy Granola Suite," "Done Too Soon," "Broad Old Woman (6 A.M. Insanity)." The insanely silly & catchy "Crunchy Granola" was the B-side 2 "Stones." After all these years, I'm still not sure if it's a celebration of Regularity or really about smoking pot. The brief history-lesson "Done Too Soon" was the B-side 2 "I Am, I Said." Wonder if Billy Joel heard this B4 he wrote "We Didn't Start the Fire"? "Broad Old Woman (6 A.M. Insanity)" was the B-side 2 the non-hit "Two-Bit Manchild." It really does sound like Neil & band in the studio at 6 am, working on a lame blues number that really HAS been cooking 2 long. See if you can track it down if you feel brave -- I coulda taken a whole album of this kinda stuff, back in the day....
* Ringo Starr: "Early 1970" -- B-side to "It Don't Come Easy." The world's biggest Beatles fan finally gets his say. Featuring brief, hilarious portraits of his mates in the Fabs, it's simple & modest enuf that Mr. Starkey didn't need any production help from heavyweights like Phil Spector. 1 of a kind, it finally got on an album with Ringo's BLAST FROM THE PAST best-of....
...Possibly more coming soon....
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1 comment:
Hey Tad
I Feel A Lot Better should have been released as a A side although All I Really Want To Do is okay but it feels more like a throwaway than actual hit single which it wasn't
I wasn't much of a fan of Journey's Day Dream but it has aged better over time and sounds a bit prog rockish. What pissed me off about Loving Touching Squeezing was that the single version faded out. Departure the next album is lot like Evolution, geared for the classic rock radio format but at the time it came out I was a Journey fan, not so much today, I quit caring after Escape and the sufferable Open Arms.
AM radio actually played Crunchy Granola Suite which is weird Neil but it does rock, Done Too Soon is over too soon and Broad Minded Woman is weird Neil that i keep forgetting till you bring it up ;)
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