Completely Conspicuous 684: Dark Side of the Tune

Part 1 of my conversation with Phil Stacey about our favorite non-album tracks

Show notes:

• Back after a few months away
• The definition of "B-side" has changed over the decades
• Now a more accurate term is "non-album tracks"
• Sometimes B-sides were more popular than the A-side
• Got more airplay back when FM stations were new and adventurous
• You had to hunt them down because they weren't on the proper albums
• Some bands like U2 would regularly put non-album tracks on B-sides singles
• Sometimes covers, sometimes original songs that didn't make the album
• When CDs became popular, you had longer albums and more of those songs would be included
• Eventually bands released B-side collections; the Who was one of the first with Odds and Sods in the '70s
• So many Beatles classics weren't included on albums
• Phil's honorable mentions: Beatles, Who, Grateful Dead, Matthew Sweet, Phish, R.E.M., The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, U2, Goose, Prince, Pearl Jam, Talking Heads, Neil Young, Nirvana
• Pavement's "Harness Your Hopes" became their most-streamed song courtesy of Tik Tok
• Jay's HMs: Who, Motorhead, Chris Cornell, Rolling Stones, Dylan, Nirvana, Bowie, Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Sloan, Tragically Hip, Radiohead, Simple Minds, Beatles, Iron Maiden, Gang of Four, Mission of Burma, Beck, Beach Boys, Police, New Order, Cure, Clash, Soundgarden, AIC, Sugar, Joe Jackson, Hendrix, PJ Harvey, Robert Plant, Iggy Pop
• Prince vs. Neil Young for most unreleased material
• Phil's #10
• Jay's #10
• Phil's #9
• Jay's #9
• U2 just announced a stadium tour of South America
• Probably couldn't do that in North America anymore
• Phil's #8
• Jay's #8
• YouTube comments are the worst
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• The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.