Best A/B side single of the 60's...

[Matinee Idyll]

Alright!

What is your favourite 'double sided' single of the 60's everyone?  I want you to only put up one.

Mine would be, at this moment "Look Through Any Window"/"So Lonely" by The Hollies...

Awesome uptempo rocker with a great guitar riff on Side 1,  Haunting ballad on the flip side... Those verses are so incredible.... "everytime I see you walking down the street with my girl"... that's a great melody right there.

[Boxer Monkey]

Do you maybe mean "best double A-side of the '60s"?

I think most singles of the '60s and in other eras were "double-sided." Correct me if I'm wrong on that point. Many, many singles had both an A and a B side.

[I. Spaceman]

I Get Around/Don't Worry Baby

His Latest Flame/Little Sister

SFF/Penny Lane

Ruby Tuesday/Let's Spend The Night Together

Down On The Corner/Fortunate Son

[Matinee Idyll]

Ahh yes, I wasn't sure what all this A/B stuff meant...

What made something a "double A-side"?  If both songs were good, or  if they were both hits?

[I. Spaceman]

If they were both hits, and wonderful.

[Boxer Monkey]

This is a pretty narrow field, but put me down for:

"God only Knows"/"Wouldn't It Be Nice"


Love the Sneetches' cover of "So Lonely" from the Hollies tribute album of a few years ago.

[the captain]

I don't collect old singles, and wasn't around at the time, so I really dont know (generally speaking) what songs were backed by what others.

I do know the Beatles Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were together, and therefore really, really among the best.

I Get Around and Don't Worry Baby would have to be right up there, too.

After that I don't know. Somebody please compile a list of my favorite 150 singles from the 60s, and their B-sides. Give me a few minutes to review the list and I'll get back to you. OK, I'll wait here, then...

[Wizard_Glick]

"Pleasant Valley Sunday"/"Words"

[Old Rake]

Agree with Pleasant Valley / Words and SFF / Penny Lane, and would like to add Jumpin Jack Flash / Child of the Moon.

I know the latter wasn't a hit or anything, but that's still a killer a/b!

[JRauch]

Definately "God Only Knows/Wouldn´t It Be Nice".

But I think "Good Vibrations/Surf´s Up" would have been THE killer-single.

[I. Spaceman]

Good Vibrations/Let's Go Away For A While is pretty nice, too.
As is Surfin' Safari/409.
Not to mention Surfin' USA/Shut Down.
But wait a minute, Surfer Girl/Little Deuce Coupe MUST be the best.
Then again, you can't beat Be True To Your School/In My Room!
But, DAMN!, Dance Dance Dance/The Warmth Of The Sun.
Help Me Rhonda/Kiss Me Baby?
California Girls/Let Him Run Wild?
Do It Again/Wake The World?
 
Yes sir, I think we have the champion. The BEACH BOYS were the all-time double-sided kings. Period.

[JRauch]

Agreed.

[HighOnLife]

I'd say that Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane was the greatest of the 60's if I had a gun to my head.

[SurferGirl7]

When I Grow Up/She Knows Me Too Well
Good Vibrations/Let's Go Away For A While
Paperback Writer/Rain
I Feel Fine/She's A Woman
Help Me Rhonda/Kiss Me Baby

[dude ll doo]

Walk Away, Re'nee/Pretty Ballerina

[the captain]

Walk Away, Re'nee/Pretty Ballerina

I didn't realize they were released together. That is a great double-sided single.

Eels did Pretty Ballerina as a part of their sets this past year on their "Eels With Strings" tour. It was great.

[Wizard_Glick]

My copy of Walk Away Renee isn't backed with Pretty Ballerina. Mine has I Haven't Got The Nerve on the flip side.

[I. Spaceman]

Just as great a single.

[forgetemarie]

What, no "Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out"?  For non-hit Beatles B-sides, I'd pick "I'm Down," the flip of "Help."

I'd second the vote for the Boys having the most numerous excellent B-sides. 

For best version of "So Lonely," I'll go with the Everly Bros.  Though I believe they were backed by the Hollies on their version.

If you have a version of "Walk Away, Renee" backed with "Pretty Ballerina," you probably don't have an original.  Back in the olden days when they still sold 45's, they'd often reissue oldies hits together.  If a band had a couple of hits, they'd put one hit on one side, the other hit on the other side.  If a band were truly a one-hit wonder, you'd sometimes get hit songs by two different acts on the A and B sides.   I have a few of these singles with some odd combinations, but can't think of them offhand.

[monkee knutz]

Someday Man / Listen To The Band- both of those should have charted MUCH higher!
Surfin' Bird / King Of The Surf by the Trashmen is a MOTHER as well.
PVS & Words- Nice choice Glick! I'm A Believer/ Steppin Stone ain't too shabby either.

[dogbreath]

Every choice so far is pretty much on the money, but I'd have to go with PL/SFF. Plus, it had the Added Integrity of not being on any album (at the time ...) And that, my friends, would not be an option today. The Marketing Department, the Accounts Department ... *sigh* ... and they used to say that home taping was killing music ...

[Wizard_Glick]

You're right monkee knutz, Someday Man/ Listen To The Band should've charted much higher....I remember when it came out way back when, I went out and bought it, always favored Listen To The Band, but the radio stations in my area ONLY played Someday Man. Wasn't until much later I'd learned Listen To The Band was the higher charting side, should've gone top 20 though, instead of 63.

Another great double-sided single, "Laughing"/"Undun" by the Guess Who

[trumpet sounds]

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction/The Under-Assistant West Coast Promotion Man


Get Off Of My Cloud/The Singer Not The Song


19th Nervous Breakdown/As Tears Go By


Mother's Little Helper/Lady Jane


Let's Spend The Night Together/Ruby Tuesday


Street Fighting Man/No Expectations


Honky Tonk Women/You Can't Always Get What You Want

[Jason]

Get Back/Don't Let Me Down
Surfin' USA/Shut Down
 

[Aum Bop Diddit]

Time to play B-sides....

Wow, you all are taking me back!  I owned a lot of those great singles by the BBs, Beatles, Stones, Monkees, CCR....or certainly remember them being played on the local Top 40 station(WQAM -- Tiger Team! -- Miami Fla!).  Anyway -- I guess the implication is two sided "hits" but I kinda go for the less played, off beat or very cool B sides like "Wake the World" or "Child of the Moon".

So I add, simply as pleasant memories of the greatest era of Rock and Roll:

The Turtles -- "Eleanore"/"Surfer Dan"

BBs -- "Heroes and Villains"/You're Welcome"

Thee Who -- "I Can See For Miles"/"Mary Ann with the Shaky Hands"

Cream -- "Sunshine of Your Love"/"SWABLR"

The Kinks -- "Sunny Afternoon"/"Dead End Street"

A nonhit in:

Buffalo Springfield -- "Bluebird'/"Mr. Soul"

And whichever Byrds' single had "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" on it.

Strangest BB single -- "Bluebirds over the Mountain"/"Never Learn Not to Love"!