Several years ago we put together two lists ... one, the definitive list of The Top 200 Biggest Two-Sided Hits Of All Time, based on the actual chart performances of both sides of the same record ...
And the other a poll of our readers that generated over 65,000 votes in order to determine your Top 200 Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides.
Over the years, several radio stations have aired special programming salutes based on these lists ... in fact, one year we actually flew out to New Jersey and did a seven hour stint on Dave The Rave's Relics and Rarities radio program where we not only counted down Your Top 20 Favorites but also took phone calls from many of the artists whose B-Sides made our Top 200 List. (Scott Shannon has run specialty weekend programming airing selections from our Two-Sided Hits results on The True Oldies Channels and deejays like Mr. C's Flip Side Show and Citizen Bill have run weekly features highlighting twin-spins from the list, to name just a few. Several other Internet only stations have also picked up on the buzz.)
That's why we couldn't be happier that Me-TV-FM is running a very special A Sides / B Sides Weekend, kicking off at 7 pm this evening locally on 87.7 FM (or streaming thru Radio.com, available thru the link below):
https://www.radio.com/metvfmmke/listen
Now their format isn't going to allow for several of the songs that made the list to get played ... (you're not going to hear Led Zeppelin B-Sides like "Livin' Lovin' Maid" or "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do," for example anytime soon ... or EVER on this station!) ... but Program Director Rick O'Dell tells me that Me-TV-FM WILL be featuring several songs never before aired on the radio station to accommodate this weekend special. (And, I have to admit that I'm also more than a little encouraged that they're referring to this as "The First Annual A Side / B Side Weekend" ... which is a WHOLE lot more promising than calling it "The LAST Annual A Side / B Side Weekend"!!!)
Of course, a lot of this depends on listener reaction. (I remember a couple of years ago when I first pitched this idea to the station as being the PERFECT fit for their format they expressed a concern that too many of their listeners may not even know what a B-Side was!!! I had to explain to them that THEIR audience is probably the ONLY demographic out there who know EXACTLY what a B-Side is ... because ALL of us bought those "little records with the big holes" and and then rushed home to play BOTH sides when we brought them home from something called "the record store." THAT'S what made this such a perfect fit.
The truth his, this concept truly has endless possibilities ... it'll work in virtually ANY format and offers up the "excuse" (I prefer "opportunity") to play some chestnuts that just don't get aired that often anymore. And look at some of the Two-Sided Hits to choose from for back-to-back airplay: "And I Love Her" / "If I Fell" ... "Little Children" / "Bad To Me" ... "There's A Kind Of Hush" / "No Milk Today" ... "Travelin' Man" / "Hello, Mary Lou" ... the list just goes on and on! (And Me-TV-FM is promising to play over a hundred different Two-Fers throughout the weekend!)
Meanwhile, today and tomorrow we're going to post some Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides that Me-TV-FM most likely WON'T be playing in an effort to give you even MORE variety! (With a little creativity bouncing back and forth between their website and ours, we're guessing that you'll be B-Sides yourself with joy and anticipation over this very special feature!)
So tune in and listen via the link above ... and then be sure to stop back here and check our website, too ...
And if you'd like to see the COMPLETE Top 200 List for both The Biggest Two-Sided Hits Of All Time and Your Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides, be sure to check out THESE links as well!
http://forgottenhits.com/the_top_200_two-sided_hits_of_all-time
http://forgottenhits.com/your_top_200_favorite_forgotten_b-sides
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Both sides of nearly ALL of The Beatles' US Singles charted here in The States ... but inexplicably, this one didn't ... and it has NEVER made sense to me.
Released at the height of Beatlemania in America, "I'll Get You" was on the B-Side of The Beatles' second US #1 Record, "She Loves You" ... and, it was a GREAT track to boot! (All of the "yeahs" on both sides of the record was just one more stroke of genius on Lennon and McCartney's part!)
It topped our chart of Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides ... and is well-loved by Beatles fans all over the world ... yet good as it is, it rarely gets played. (My God, Ringo's God-Awful "What Goes On" even charted for a couple of weeks! How on earth was THIS one overlooked?!?!)
Fortunately, Me-TV-FM WILL be playing this one this weekend!
This one JUST missed topping our Favorite B-Sides Poll (and actually led the pack for a good stretch of the way).
The Music Explosion NEVER would have been One Hit Wonders had this song had been released as the follow up to their #2 smash hit "Little Bit O'Soul" in 1967 instead of being stuck on the B-Side of that same record. (In actuality, several radio stations across the country played THIS song as the A-Side ... but not enough to cause it to ever make the charts.)
What a shame ... it's a great record, very much "of the time" ... and I'm willing to bet you that ANYBODY who ever bought a copy of the "Little Bit O'Soul" 45 played the heck out of BOTH sides!
Here's another one of those tracks that was the intended A-Side ... Neil Diamond was hot at the time ... his own career was on the rise and he just had two of the songs he'd written recorded by The Monkees go all the way to #1 ... so of COURSE the record company thought that this Neil Diamond-penned track would be the perfect song to launch Lulu's career in America.
But radio stations and fans seemed to prefer the OTHER side a little bit more ... go figure ... and "To Sir, With Love" became the #1 Record of the Year on more than a few charts before 1967 was over!
Me-TV-FM is promising to play a few Creedence Clearwater Revival tracks this weekend that they've never played before. However, this likely won't be one of them ...
Yet it's one of their signature tunes, stuck on the B-Side of "Proud Mary" ... it's incredible to me that this side didn't chart as it sure got played a lot back in 1969 ... and STILL does some 50 years later.
Don't shed a tear for CCR however ... both sides of SEVEN of their Top 40 Hits made the charts, including GREAT B-Side tracks like "Lodi," "Commotion" and "Run Through The Jungle."
And how do you even pick an A-Side vs. B-Side when the same record contains tracks like "Fortunate Son" / "Down On The Corner" or "Who'll Stop The Rain" / "Travelin' Band"???
Truth be told, Me-TV-FM doesn't play a lot of music by The Rolling Stones ... it just doesn't fit their niche ...
Which is a shame because that means that great two-sided hits like "Ruby Tuesday" / "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Honky Tonk Women" / "You Can't Always Get What You Want" will likely be ignored.
That being said, I can absolutely, positively guarantee you that you WON'T be hearing "Bitch," the flipside of "Brown Sugar" either!
Check back tomorrow for a few more B-Side Favorites!
