On The Other Side Of The Cassette

The release of the B-sides collection is a phenomenon that has long been consistent with the gimmick-ridden business practices of the music industry. The historical reference in the name was the designation of a vinyl’s two sides as the A-side and the B-side. Early on, record companies made no true distinction between the relative “importance” of each side—a single was randomly assigned to either side. But by the early ’60s, record companies began to toy with the idea of distinguishing between the vinyl’s tracks. It became practice for the A-side to be imprinted with the record company’s intended hit, while the B-side was meant for the inferior song. After the advent of multitrack cassettes and compact discs, this traditional distinction became far less significant. The notion of the B-side and the term itself, however, evolved and was retained to indicate a “bonus” track—one that might be a different version of a song, a cover, or a piece otherwise unsuitable for inclusion in a past release.
Whether in the effort to combat bootlegging, to expand profitability, or simply to release more tracks for fans, B-sides collections have been a historical presence. Classic sets include The Who’s Odds & Sods (1974), Pink Floyd’s Relics (1971), and Oasis’ The Masterplan (1998)—solid collections by major bands. The weight and value of these sets lie wholly in the deep history and strong successes that underlined these bands’ careers leading up to their releases. Of course it made sense for The Who’s Pete Townshend and company, or the self-proclaimed stratospheric greats of Oasis, to let the people experience some jazzy stuff with which the bands had toyed. With such rich backlogs of tracks and such overwhelming demand from their fans for, well, anything, why not send some experimental old material to the presses?
What, then, explains the release of such recent collections as The Killers’ Sawdust and the Gorillaz’ output D-Sides (their second B-sides collection)? Neither band has a particularly deep recording history—each has only released two studio albums. And don’t base a counterargument on the fact that Oasis had only released three albums before The Masterplan—it is safe to say that Oasis’ first three albums far outweigh the work of these two ensembles in terms of commercial and cultural significance. So to what end were these collections released? Is the music good, or just a reckless expression of past refuse on behalf of the almighty dollar? Does the demand of the fan base of either The Killers or Gorillaz call so strongly for new albums?
Suspending judgment of the reasons why these sets may have been released, let’s move on to the music. A look at the songs provides the expected—a hit-or-miss amalgam of spin-off sounds, less catchy tunes, and otherwise unworthy offspring. Harsh? Maybe. But this is not to say that after wading through the undesirables, one cannot find a fair number of gems. Notables from Sawdust, for example, include “Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf” and the interesting Lou Reed collaboration “Tranquilize.” Likewise, D-Sides has a bunch of standout successes, such as “Highway (Under Construction)” and “Murdoc is God.”
All in all, the albums serve their role as not-quite-amazing collections of leftovers offered to fans. Supporters of either band would be wise to take a further look. Otherwise, be wary of the inconsistency and spottiness that naturally tends to plague such commercial afterthoughts.