For anyone who grew up with the singles market from the 1970s onwards, B-sides have probably come to represent either a track from a band's latest (or previous) LP, a version of the A-side or a piece of forgettable pap. In the 1950s and for most of the '60s, though, the B-side of the single often harboured music of epic proportions. Companies frequently grafted two terrific tracks together back-to-back, in an effort to get one side of the single in to the charts (DJs might well "flip" the disc). Perhaps the record companies of the time were not as sure of their teenage market as now (?!) but, whatever the reason, flipping a single over and finding a gem like Link Wray's The Swag. was one of the real pleasures of early pop cultural life. Fabulous Flips is an aptly-named, brilliant series, containing some of the greatest and rockingest B-sides from the 1950s and 1960s. All were issued in the UK on London-American.
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