Hi everyone,
It's very old-school to talk about 45 RPM records and A-sides and B-sides. But I think the decisions as to what to promote as the radio song and what to put on the flip went far in shaping public perception of the group and, ultimately, its creative direction. In some cases, I think they should have reversed the side designation. What are some of the B-sides you think would have made better A-sides? I think one example would be "Forever" over "Cool, Cool Water." As much as I love "Water," the single edit is awkward, and it just would have sounded weird on the radio. "Forever," on the other hand, was a ready-made classic ballad. Looking forward to hearing your choices.
This is the kind of thing Phil Miglioratti and I discuss in the latest episode of
Surf's Up: A Beach Boys Podcast Safari, titled "The Beach Boys' Brilliant B-sides and What Is a B-side Anyway?" Now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and here on Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-93394161/the-beach-boys-brilliant-b-sides-and-what-is-a-b-side-anywayWe now have 17 episodes in total. You can access the complete selection here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-93394161