Entertainment For Lively Minds
Outstanding non-album singles
First post from a long-time lurker who's finally decided to dip his toe in. Greetings one and all.
Recently, a mate and I were discussing non-album singles – occasional gems that your favourite bands would throw out, seemingly because they knew they were too good to sit on (or, more likely, for contractual reasons). I've always had a huge amount of respect for artists that do this; you just know that these songs could have helped shift a wagon load of albums, but instead they exist in their own little bubbles, returning only to liven up otherwise predictable greatest hits comps.
I'm thinking of nuggets like:
Soft Cell: Torch
Pet Shop Boys: Always On My Mind/Where The Streets...
Roxy Music – Pyjamarama
Human League: Mirror Man
Electronic: Getting Away With It
Does this still go on? Do the star turns of today care about this sort of thing or is one eye always on album sales? And remember: new songs to promote greatest hits collections don't count.
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Roxy's 'Virginia Plain'
The Pink Floyd's 'When The Tigers Broke Free'
Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane
Virginia Plain
That's in the middle of my copy of 'Roxy Music'. Can only assume it was added afterwards?
Yup. Wasn't on the original release.
Although...
...I did read in the NME letters page c.1977 from some fanclub-type chap that Virginia Plain appeared on the first 500 copies of the first Roxy Music album - last track, after Bitter's End.
However I've never seen one. All further enquiries to Fred Dellar-type know-alls have proved fruitless. I bet that it's not true. Or is it? C'mon, readers. Let's sort this one out.
According to Wikipedia (I know, I know...)
VP was recorded on 10-12 July 1972.
The first album was released on 16th June 1972 - three weeks before VP was even recorded.
When The Tigers Broke Free
similarly, is now on The Final Cut. Was added some time in the 90s I think. It's a fine song, nice little lyric. But it spoils the flow of that first side somewhat.
Suede - Stay Together.
Their finest work, and one of the great pop singles of all time.
The 12" version...
I think still "unavailable" - is their towering achievement. Even Anderson's pseudo rapping can't mar it's brilliance. To use a go-to journo phrase - sonic cathedral.
Blur - Popscene
The Smiths - Ask
REM - The Great Beyond
Nirvana - Sliver
Super Furry Animals - Ice Hockey Hair
As for Electronic, "Getting Away With It" was on their first album. "Disappointed", however, was a standalone single, and rather fine too.
Good shout on The Great Beyond.
The last thing they released which I unreservedly loved.
Strictly speaking...
...'Getting Away With It' was only added to first album on a subsequent reissue, but splendid call on 'Disappointed'.
Disappointed (7" Remix) - Electronic
Most played song on my iPod. And with thoroughly good cause too.
As you were.
I stand corrected
I didn't know that!
Super Furries
The Man Don't Give A Fuck was a stand alone until the rarities/ B sides album I believe.
Excellent song
"Atmosphere"
An obvious choice, maybe, but still very fine.
How about Love Will Tear Us Apart ?
And the 12 inch version of She´s Lost Control has always been better than the Unknown Pleasure version to my ears.
Atmosphere again
I know there were only 1500-odd copies produced, but the Licht Und Blindheit (Sordide Sentimentale) single with Atmosphere on one side and Dead Souls on the other was a pretty special piece of vinyl.
Transmission's not too shoddy a single either.
Not a bad choice...
... for an Ars*n*l fan. And the b side, 'Novelty' is brilliant
This one....
Am I allowed to mention
everything Belle and Sebastian put out as a single before 2003?
Yes
Especially as they were a pretty impressive set of songs (far better than some of their more recent albums). This being one of my faves - technically off an EP but still good
I'd agree
infact possibly there best work is there - LLPJ and I'm Waking Up to Us.
Would you like no. 23?
White Man (in Hammersmith Palais)
I know that not everyone on this board is a Clash fan, but this really was a top-notch single. Admittedly it appeared on the US version of the debut album, but ... erm ... I don't count that.
also
Clash City Rockers
I Fought The Law
Complete Control
Then there's the Jam:
When You're Young
Strange Town
The Bitterest Pill
Beat Surrender
etc
.....and this!
Beatles
From me to you
She Loves You
I Want to Hold your Hand
I Feel fine
We can Work it out/Day Tripper
Paperback Writer/Rain
Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane
All You need is Love
Hello goodbye
Lady Madonna
Hey Jude
Ballad of John and Yoko
You bastard!
:)
As a Beatle fundamentalist:
From Me To You/Thank You Girl
She Loves You/I´ll Get You
I Want To Hold Your Hand/This Boy
I Feel Fine/She´s A Woman
We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper
Paperback Writer/Rain
Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever*
All You Need Is Love/Baby You´re A Rich Man*
Hello Goodbye/I´m The Walrus*
Lady Madonna/The Inner Light
Hey Jude/Revolution
The Ballad Of John & Yoko/Old Brown Shoe
***Edit***
*Partly a Magical Mystery Tour technicality, but I´m doing original English editions.
Don't Forget...
Yes It Is (B side of Ticket To Ride)
I'm Down (B side of Help!)
Don't Let Me Down (B side of Get Back)*
You Know My Name (B side of Let It Be)
and the Long Tall Sally EP.
*included on Let It Be Naked but not on the original Let It Be album.
Oh yeah
I do have a soft spot for I´m Down and You Know My Name, especially the longer Anthology 3 version. I´m not joking. It´s great! Also, John´s singing on Don´t Let Me Down is one of the best vocals he did.
Two spring to mind
Blur - Popscene
Wonder Stuff - Cirlesquare
Stuffies
Would've gone with "Who Wants To Be The Disco King>?"
Circlesquare was their "we've always had a dance element to our music" number wasn't it?
Like The Cure's Never Enough.
Lovin'
the Disco King shout.
There wer two versions of Circlesquare and the one you are thinking of was their nod to/ pisstake of (delete as appropriate) dance music.
They made the video in a do it yourself recording booth in a shopping centre and made it as intentionally bad as possible.
I will always love the true version and watching the late great Gilsky's arms flailing:
The 2
A Celebration
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
The Roses in their prime
Talking Heads
"Love => Building on Fire"
Debut single. Good stuff.
Buzzcocks
Spiral Scratch ep
Orgasm Addict
What Do I Get?
Love You More
Promises
Eventiually collected on Singles Going Steady but originally stand-alone singles.
Oh, and welcome, Mr Cake. With a surname like that you'll do well here.
New Order
Ceremony
Procession
Everything's Gone Green
Temptation
Blue Monday
Confusion
Thieves Like Us/Lonesome Tonight
True Faith/1963
...I could go on, but you get the point
Good shout. Can anyone tell
Good shout. Can anyone tell us another band with a policy, and a great one at that, of deliberately releasing singles that never appeared on albums. Yes, I know they relented eventually but what a run, eh?
Liked Never Stop by Echo & The Bunnymen as well, mind.
It was commonplace in the 1960s
Maybe not a great band but
The Tom Robinson Band followed that policy and didn't put 2,4,6,8 Motorway on Power In The Darkness. I found the reissued CD with the added bonus of the Rising Free EP on the end last weekend. My son and I enjoyed the drive back from Brighton listening to it, sadly not in a grey Cortina.
Morrissey
the singles that were later collected on Bona Drag:
Last of the Famous International Playboys
Interesting Drug
Ouija Board, Ouija Board
Not sure if November Spawned a Monster and Picadilly Palare count, as apparently they were released after the idea of the album had been settled upon.
I've always had a soft spot for
Pregnant For The Last Time.
and also
I think Sunny and Boxers are brilliant (don't think they're on albums, just compilations?)
Morrissey / Nevin
Whereas I've always been fond of My Love Life.
Rolling Stones
No A sides (and only 3 B sides) featured on original UK albums before Brown Sugar.
Come On/I Want To Be Loved
I Wanna Be Your Man/Stoned
Not Fade Away
It's All Over Now/Good Times Bad Times
Little Red Rooster
The Last Time/Play With Fire
Satisfaction/Spider And The Fly
Get Off Of My Cloud/The Singer Not The Song
19th Nervous Breakdown/As Tears Go By
Paint It Black/A Long Long While
Have You Seen Your Mother Baby Standing In The Shadow?/Who's Driving Your Plane
Let's Spend The Night Together/Ruby Tuesday
We Love You/Dandelion
Jumping Jack Flash/Child Of The Moon
Honky Tonk Women
Plus 3 EPs (Rolling Stones, Five By Five, Got Live If You Want It)
Yep...
....this was going to be my shout.
And remember that the B of 'Honky' was the first issue, and completely different version (minus choir), of 'You Can't Always Get What You Want'.
A question for the industry as much as The Stones:
Where did it all go wrong?
Juke Box Dury
What A Waste!
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 3
New Order have already been mentioned, but I still remember the disappointment I felt when they first released a single from an album (The Perfect Kiss, wonderful as it is) as I thought they'd keep albums & singles separate forever...
Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
should also be added as it was tacked on to "New Boots and Panties" after its original release, iirc
Juke Box Dury
You got in before me on this one.
Off to see the Blockheads in Bilston in April. First time since about 1980 Southampton Gaumont :o)
Any excuse to post this video
(Aphex Twin, Windowlicker)
indies
The Fall-Rowche Rumble, How I Wrote Elastic Man, Totally Wired (or indeed any single release in their prime years)
My Bloody Valentine-You Made Me Realise
House of Love- Destroy the Heart
any excuse
My favourite cover of a Fall song
And there's not many to choose from.
Lie Dream of a Casino Soul
All the Fall non-album singles mentioned so far are indeed very fine. But my absolute favourite is this good 'un:
"Went home to my slum canyon
On my way i looked up
I saw turrets of victorian wealth"
I've beaten to a few already
Not including re-issues or cassette "bonus tracks"...
Gary Numan - We Are Glass
Gary Numan - I Die; You Die (I know it's on the original US vinyl issue)
Big Country - Wonderland
Red Guitars - Good Technology
Red Guitars - Fact
Red Guitars - Steeltown
Red Guitars - Be With Me (re-recorded for album, I prefer the single)
Red Guitars - America And Me
Red Guitars - Blue Caravan
James - Sit Down
How could I forget
The Special A.K.A - Gangsters
I could be wrong, but......
Wasnt "Ghost town" a stand alone single ?
Sisters
'Temple Of Love' - Sisters Of Mercy
'Kathleen' - Tindersticks
Ghost Town came out on its own too, didn't it?
And here's another (one of my favourites by this band - good clip too):
Staying with things Two Tone (ish)
The Specials - Rat Race
The Beat - Tears Of A Clown
The Beat - Too Nice To Talk To
The Selecter - On My Radio
I'll give you 'Too Nice to Talk To'
But didn't all the others appear on their respective debut albums?
Not on the original UK vinyl
As far as I remember for The Beat and The Selecter. I'm prepared to be corrected but I'll check when I get home.
Rat Race definitely wasn't on Specials or More Specials.
UPDATE: I'm not home yet, but I can confirm that On My Radio wasn't on the Too Much Pressure album http://2-tone.info/2tone.pl?show147& and Tears Of A Clown wasn't on I Just Can't Stop It http://www.thebeatofficial.com/discography.html#
A pedant points out
Rat Race was on More Specials. it was Track 2 on the US and Japanese versions.
Meanwhile, back at Waring Towers
I'll take your word for On My Radio.
Rat Race - You're absolutely right - just checked my copy and it's not there. Who Knew?
As for Tears of a Clown - I can only think I've got a later pressing or something...Side One, Track 5...
That would appear to be the case
No "Tears Of A Clown" or "Ranking Full Stop" on the first pressings.
It's still a great album
Cuban Chic
Manic Street Preachers-The Masses Against the Classes
Gotta love those quotes.
Also Motown Junk
revolution, revolution, revolution, revolution,
Jackson Browne's...
...Somebody's Baby.
The ever under appreciated Style Council
Speak Like A child
Money Go Round
Long Hot Summer
A Solid Bond
Ever Changing Moods*
All out before the first album was released. Amazing really.
Shout To the Top too, before the second album!
*LP version is totally different
Also this Weller solo tune is a favorite of mine, only added to Wild Wood later on...
Dance
Underworld - Born Slippy
Chemical Brothers - Loops of Fury
Massive Attack - Live With Me (technically a Greatest Hits bonus track, which probably deserves a thread all of its own.)
A lost era...
I used to love searching out and finding, during the early 80s (pre internet, pre widespread information on such things), non-album singles from seemingly far-distant early 70s bands I liked.
I was reminded of this thrill of finding a non-album goodie this morning, playing an expanded CD of Free's second album (just bought, for £3.99). The appended single version of 'Broad Daylight' is a souped-up delight, adding (I think) piano and backing vocals to the album arrangement and also being taken at a slightly faster speed, I think. Something similar happened with Quintessence's 'Notting Hill Gate' single version around the same period (both bands being on Island) - a sweetening up process for radio, with tempo upped and arrangement polished (and length chopped).
Almost all of Jethro Tull's early singles (yes, another Island act), were non-LP, and almost all charted! These included:
Love Story
Living In The Past
Sweet Dream
Witches Promise / Teacher [a double A side]
Life's A Long Song (EP)
I believe they took a conscious decision after this to ditch having any more hits/non LP singles (though there was one more - 'A Stitch In Time', not a hit - later in the 70s).
The Who's non-LP singles in the early 70s were terrific too:
The Seeker
Won't Get Fooled Again (single edit)
Let's see Action
Join Together
Relay
Oh, one could go on...
Let's add Traffic..
Paper Sun
Hole in my Shoe
Mulberry Bush (although it did appear on that soundtrack album)
And Pink Floyd..
Arnold Layne
See Emily Play
And.....
Apples and Oranges/Paintbox, It Would Be So Nice/Julia Dream and Point Me At The Sky!
Now, a Floyd singles comp with the 10 As and Bs and odds and ends from 67-69 t'would be a splendid thing.
Anyone at EMI, or better still Ace, listening?
They already did!
The Floyd "Early Singles" compilation was part of the "Shine On" box and later issued in various "Limited Edition" versions.
The mighty Dexys
The Beach Boys'
"The Little Girl I Once Knew" - one of their finest songs, one of their biggest 45-only flops released in their prime.
I seem to recall reading that "Sloop John B." was only on "Pet Sounds" because Capitol insisted it be on there as their latest single, thus creating that rarest of all beasts - a US pop LP of that era with more than 12 tracks on it.
Let's not forget Break Away
An ace Beach Boys non-album single . Carl and Al singing great. Denny yet to have gone to seed. Mike unveiling his "Old Testament prophet" look. Brian - having benn pressganged into knocking off the song -missing, presumed au lit, guzzling Squeezy Cream directly from the can between hits from the bong. Happy days.
Help Me Ronda became Help Me Rhonda as a remixed single
Album version from the album Today!
Single version:
How could I forget?
Although "Rhonda" wasn't so much remixed as completely re-recorded. I think of the two versions as the turning point - the album version sounding like The Beach Boys pre-1965, and the single (also on the album "Summer Days") sounding like them post-1965.
The B-side of "Break Away," Dennis Wilson's "Celebrate The News," is one of my favourite Beach Boys' tracks.
I also hold a soft spot for B-side "Susie Cincinatti," which wasn't on an album until they needed something to fill out "15 Big Ones" several years later. Together with "Had to Phone Ya" it's one of the strongest tracks on that otherwise pretty crap album.
You´re right
Re-recorded. So two versions of the same song on two consecutive albums. Was that a first? Guns n´ Roses did the same thing with Don´t Cry, where they changed the lyrics.
I haven´t heard Celebrate The News, but a do like Dennis. It seems like he´s slowly getting the recognition he deserves.
We agree on 15 Big Big, how do you feel about Love You?
First?
The Beach Boys themselves hold a precedent for the same song on consecutive albums, although they're the same recordings on both: "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Our Car Club" appear on both "Surfer Girl" and its follow-up, "Little Deuce Coupe." This has more to do with interference from Capitol Records, who wanted to get more product from Brian Wilson while they were the hottest thing in America, than an artistic decision, though. ("409" and "Shut Down" also appear on the latter, taken from the first two albums.)
"Love You" is an odd one. Around half of it ranks among their best (farty-sounding synths included), while the other half is among their worst, in my opinion!
Apologies for derailing the thread with all this talk of albums.
Indeed they do!
I don´t listen to the early albums too often. I think they work better in Greatest Hits format. Our Car Club and 409 don´t seem like the kind of songs you would want to use on two albums. But then I don´t work on Capitol, so what do I know?
My favourite era would be from Today! to Surf´s Up, but you can´t go wrong with those fart-sounds as far as I´m concerned. I even like the "their worst" ones. I think I know which songs you are referting to.
Child Of Winter (Christmas Song) was a song that didn´t appear on an album, wasn´t it? Not very good, but still.
I never understood the
I never understood the tendency to put "409" on practically every Beach Boys compilation. It's a bit like if they'd put "P.S. I Love You" on every Beatles compilation.
I've only ever heard "Child Of Winter" once, which gives you some idea of the impression it made on me.
Good question
Some research, well - I went to Wikipedia, reveals it only reached no 76 on the chart. So that doesn´t explain its presence on Best Of´s. Barbara Ann is awful, but it was a hit so they have to feature it, Kokomo likewise.
I´m gonna stick my neck out an say it´s possible to make a collection of more or less unknown Beach Boys songs that would be just as good as the average Greatest Hits.
Ten Little Indians made it to no 6 in Sweden. Not sure why I want to share this.
Ten Little Indians made it to no 6 in Sweden.
But the squaw didn't like it at all.
Sorry. One final thought on "409" - I had it on a European double-LP compilation, where it rubbed shoulders with "I Can Hear Music," "Heroes and Villains" and other late-1960s material. The compilation was NOT in chronological order. If I remember rightly after all this time, it came at the end of a side after "Friends," which wasn't at all jarring!
Burst into heaven
Let's have some...
...1973 televisual effects, courtesy of The Russell Harty Show...
Not only a non-LP classic...
...but a B-side too. I'd venture to suggest that this song has probably been a non-LP single for lots of people (being a de rigeur cover for any US garage band of the period, most of whom probably never got a chance to make an LP). It was also, of course, a non LP single for Jimi Hendrix (albeit a free single with a posthumous LP).
Gloria...
...last track on side 1 of the first album. No Baby Please Don't Go though.
Here Comes The Night is a non album single.
"I'm offering you the post of 'Wife'!"
4 from a certain epoch spring to mind :
Heaven 17 - I'm Your Money
John Foxx - Burning Car
Japan - Life In Tokyo
Kraftwerk - Tour De France
BR
FT
The Police
Fallout/ Nothing Achieving,
it all went downhill from here
A couple more
Leave Before The Lights Come On- Arctic Monkeys
Marblehead Johnson- The Bluetones
The Massive is full of XTC fans, isn't it?
Then we've got to have this little gem:
not to mention by the same chaps..
Are You Receiving Me?
More Jam
All Around The World
News Of The World
Absolute Beginners
Funeral Pyre
Other Nominations:
Oasis - Whatever
(even if the intro is nicked from 'How Sweet To Be An Idiot')
Quireboys - Mayfair
Marillion - Market Square Heroes
Carter USM - Rubbish
Madness - It Must Be Love & House Of Fun
(unless Complete Madness (the compilation) counts as an official release?)
Stiff Little Fingers - Back To Front
Whatever and How Sweet..
both nicked from Pachelbel's Canon in D.(and most of Let it Be as well).
Here's a nice version
Travis
Coming Around
Fairly sure that was an single sandwiched between 'The Man Who' and 'The Invisible Band'.
Give Me Everything by Magazine
Their finest couple of minutes. Fantastic bass line and John McGeoch playing massive power chords on the verses.
A very exciting record.
Oh, and I think XTC's finest non-album single was Are You Receiving Me? It didn't appear on Go2 until the reissues.
XTC's debut single
Science Friction wasn't on White Music, and lest we forget non album track, Life Begins at The Hop.
And how did I forget?!
Ice Hockey Hair by Super Furry Animals.
Just brilliant!
Eighties Madness
Following on from Rigid Digit's nutty nominations It Must Be Love and House Of Fun.
Don't forget:
Driving In My Car
Wings Of A Dove
The Sun And The Rain
Waiting For The Ghost Train
Not a bad clutch of non studio album hit singles!
Does a soundtrack single count?
There's a 'lost, Dan EP as well featuring
Dallas and Sail The Waterway.
Kraftwerk
This was a really old stand-alone track, I think, before they went back and constructed a whole album around it..?
Same here. Just read on YouTube that 'Expo' got resurrected on the live album with a new name, 'Planet of Visions'. (Oops, hadn't even bloody noticed.)
Let it go, Kraftwerk.
Moody greatness
Ooooo! let's not forget this.
I think Bring On The Dancing Horses
was specifically recorded to appear on Songs To Learn and Sing.
As is often the case
Depeche Mode have had a couple of stand-alones:
Dreaming of Me
Get the Balance Right!
I would also like to propose David Bowie's Baal, which I recall was a one-off EP of four songs. I don't think there was an album off the back of that. Incidentally, those annoyed by the low quality of the Tin Machine albums can't have listened to Baal. I remember buying it and pretending to like it.
I think the OP's request may expose itself to the one-off charity singles. In that vein, PSB's Absolutely Fabulous is another one.
I have mentioned this horrible single twice in as many weeks. I shan't refer to it again.
And wasn't Shake The Disease
And wasn't Shake The Disease another Mode one-off? It's Called A Heart (their worst single ever?) also came a bit later but I think that was to help shift their first greatest hits set.
I wondered about that
But I thought that Shake the Disease and It's Called a Heart were both released to usher in the 81-85 greatest hits.
Incidentally, It's Called a Heart was the last time Martin Gore agreed to record company pressure to release something.
john, i'm only
danciiiin
Television - "Little Johnny Jewel"
Vintage New York new wave stand-alone single.
I used to have this 12" version of it:
On the B-side was a live version of the same song which went on and on and on for about 30 minutes.
And Macca.
Post fabs stuff....hmmmm....apart from the superb run of non-LP sides like 'Country Dreamer', 'Little Woman Love', 'Mama's Little Girl', 'Zoo Gang', 'Oh Woman, Oh Why', 'My Carnival' etc.
Anniversary releases of 'Band On The Run' are all very well/very ho hum, but will Paul ever put out the forever mooted, and potentially wonderful, 'Kold Kuts' with all these Bs on it?
Do we have a ruling on
new songs recorded to go on "best of" albums? If we're allowing those...
James - Destiny Calling
What About This Piece Of Class
Bob Dylan
"Things Have Changed"
"Positively 4th Street"
"Watching The River Flow"
"George Jackson"
"Cross The Green Mountain"
Not sure if these count because they're on EPs
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
Match of the Day -Genesis
A few more recent ones
Not too popular in these parts but Don't Look Back into the Sun" by The Libertines was between albums and if we are allowing EPs then Zeus by British Sea Power last year was a cracking single and possibly the first song to namecheck Rick Stein! Although I am sure someone could prove me wrong on that!
The Stone Roses´ Fuu-uu-uuuls gold!
may I suggest ?
I suspect this will not be liked by many here, but I think
Bowie/ Queen "Under pressure" is a wonderful record.
Agree it's great
But isn't it on Queen's "Hot Space" though?
Hot space
I had forgotten Hot space, you are right, it was on that album, I stand corrected.
(I thought it wasnt much cop apart from under pressure & body language)
my tuppence
Elbow - Asleep In The Back
Portishead - Chase The Tear
Dead Prez - Politrikkks
Mos Def / Pharoahe Monch / Nate Dogg - Oh No
Kanye West / Nas / KRS One - Better Than I've Ever Seen
Beyonce - Why Don't You Love Me
Amiina / Lee Hazelwood - Hilli (At The Top of The World)
Bjork - The Comet Song / Natturra
Diana Vickers - My Wicked Heart
Gemma Hayes - I Worked Myself Into A Calm
Linkin Park - Not Alone / New Divide
Muse - Dead Star / In Your World
Quite a lot of fantastic things aren't on albums. I quite enjoy that. Who said that singles can only come from LPs? As shown above the Beatles didn't, and they seemed to do OK for themselves...
La Vickers
Well played sir
Australia's rock national anthem...
...was a stand-alone single back in 1972. I'm sure some of our Aussie brethren (and sistren) will confirm the track's status as an immortal classic a la 'All Right Now' and suchlike.
And I stand corrected (above) on 'Gloria'!
I saw Billy Thorpe sing this
supporting Deep Purple in Sydney a few years back. Great voice.
One of the greats, I reckon...
...simply not known/appreciated in the UK (although 'Most People' came out in the UK on RAK at the time - late 72/early 73 - during which Billy & the boys were domiciled in London and managed to get a measly ONE gig over several months, before returing to Oz and headlining the Woodstock-esque 1973 Sunbury festiva, having dominated the previous year's inaugural event). I think in retrospect they regretted not trying to break the US instead of the UK.
No mention of this?
(The Smiths, This Charming Man)
May have been on the cd and cassette but absent from the vinyl version for the first lp
Definitely not on my vinyl version
but does appear on the wea re-issued cd.
So used to hearing the original song sequence that it really threw me when it came on during the CD, even though I knew it was there.
Same with Elephant Stone on The Stone Roses. Not on the vinyl edition but appears on some CD versions.
Have I missed this ?
Teenage kicks (and Get over you....and you've got my number)
Aztec Camera ...
... deserve a mention. 'Mattress of Wire' and 'Just Like Gold'. Only available on Postcard 7 inch vinyl and not on any albums anywhere.
The Cribs are recent heroes
Of the sadly dying art-form of the non-album single, with no less than three corkers: You're Gonna Lose Us, Don't You Wanna Be Relevant? and Housewife from last year. Also, So Hot Now was a Record Store Day single. (YGLU and SHN did previously feature on b-sides but none of these have ever been on an album even now).
As an 80s Indie Kid at heart though, how about:
James - What's The World, Hymn From A Village/If Things Were Perfect, Chain Mail, Lose Control
The Soup Dragons (were great early on, honest!) - Whole Wide World, Hang-Ten!, Head Gone Astray, Can't Take No More
The Icicle Works - When It All Comes Down
The Woodentops - Plenty, Move Me, Well Well Well, It Will Come
The Lotus Eaters - You Don't Need Someone New, It Hurts
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Some Candy Talking, Sidewalking
The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine / Please Rain Fall, A Morning Odyssey, Cling Film, Untitled, Please Don't Cry
Primal Scream - All Fall Down, Crystal Crescent
The Smiths - apart from those mentioned, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, William It Was Really Nothing,
Shakespeare's Sister, Panic, Ask, Shoplifters Of The World Unite, Sheila Take A Bow
Prefab Sprout - Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
New Model Army - Bittersweet, The Price, Great Expectations, Brave New World, White Coats
Cocteau Twins - Peppermint Pig, Love's Easy Tears, Aikea-Guinea plus all those lovely EPs of course
Watching The Detectives
unless I've not been watching closely
anyway, jolly brill it is and not included in original versions of any album by Elvis Four Eyes as far I'm aware
Non-non-album single...
...for years this song had a mythical status among Jethro Tull fans. It was an otherwise unheard track from the Aqualung sessions (1971), known to have been scheduled for stand-alone single release and then shelved or withdrawn for some reason. Rumours had it that one or two copies of an actual vinyl pressing might have sneaked out in Germany, but either way it never even seemed to circulate on bootlegs (as was the case with a similarly misteriously shelved scheduled non-album B side, 'Beltane', in 1978).
'Lick Your Fingers Clean' finally surfaced on JT's 20 Years Of box set, and transpired to be a ribald and riotous early version of a track that later appeared on 'Warchild', their 1974 LP, as 'Two Fingers'.
Why it was pulled as a 1971 single in this pleasingly swaggering and concise form remains a mystery, unless it really was the case (as I mentioned above) that Jethro Tull or their management had consciously decided 'no more hit singles' and felt - yes, yes, I know, hard to believe these days - that this might be in danger of keeping their string of non-album hits going:
And while we're in the progressive-rock zone...
...this must qualify as a non-album great: Devil's Answer, 1971. The Rooster's other hit, 'Tomorrow Night', was on their LP 'Death Walks Behind You' and was, perhaps improbably, pushed into the charts over a number of weeks via constant radio play from Tony Blackburn. But this one was released in between their 2nd and 3rd LPs, and featured on neither. After their 3rd Lp ('In Hearing Of') - which saw singer John Cann summarily replaced by Pete French - 'Devil's Answer' was re-released a stand-alone single for the US market, on Elektra, but this time with John Cann's vocal mixed out and replaced by Pete French...
The Pretty Things
Must put in a word for the non-hit singles 'Defecting Grey' and 'Talkin' About the Good Times'; superb UK psych and arguably better than anything on the subsequent 'S.F. Sorrow' album.
Two of my favs
would be Billy Braggs Between the Wars, and Stone Roses Sally Cinnamon.
Two great singles.
The Damned
A bona fide national treasure, (35th anniversary tour this year). Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...
Not 'hit' singles.....
But Bauhaus released;
Bela lugosis dead
Terror couple kill colonel
Telegram Sam
Dark entries
Ziggy stardust (I think)
All as non album singles, although these have all reappeared on reissues.
The Charlatans
The Charlatans released 2 and did so "because New Order did";
The Only One I Know
Weirdo
Both are still included in their set list live.
You sure?
What about Over Rising?
Hang on
They were both on albums - Some Friendly and Between 10th and 11th. Wasn't Weirdo the first single from the second album?
I stand corrected on
I stand corrected on Weirdo.
The Only One I Know wasn't on the original LP release of Some Friendly in 1990; I've just checked my copy (dead dead good/Situation two/ situ 30) though it has been added to subsequent CD re-issues.
Cool!
You learn something new every day - thanks RS65.
Does beg the question though - what the fuck were they thinking?!
The Durutti Column - "Lips That Would Kiss"
I know there are a few Durutti Column fans on this board, so let's hear it for this classic early non-album single. Absolutely exquisite.
A No.1 non-album single (EP)
The best are:
Beatles:Day tripper/we can work it out
penny lane/strawberry fields
Rolling Stones: get off of my cloud
Roxy Music: Virginia plane
Bowie: john im only dancing
Small Faces: all or nothing
Bob Dylan: positively 4th street
Trex: hot love
Clash: white man (in hammersmith palais)
complete control
Joy Division: transmission
love will tear us apart
Jam: going underground
beat surrender
Smiths: This charming man
william, it was really nothing
panic
please, please, please let me get what i want
New Order: ceremony
temptation
blue monday
theieves like us
true faith
JAMC: some candy talking
Stone Roses: elephant stone
fools gold
Oasis: whatever
Libertines: don't look back into the sun