This week, the week of January 11-15, 2016, we will be reviewing "B" sides that were bigger hits than their "A" side counterparts!

We call it:  "See you on the flip side!"

January 15, 2016

I am not naive enough to believe that anyone who is reading this isn't old enough to remember when you could buy a 45 rpm record...or that they don't know what a "B" side is.  But lets review anyway!

In the history of recorded music the various formats have all held time as the most popular.  Today a generation of people would rather buy a digital copy that never wears out than invest in a solid piece of vinyl with a groove it that you have to physically restart every time it ends!

But the 45 was an integral part of the music scene for decades.

The beauty of the 45 was you got two songs (usually) for the price of one...without buying the entire album.

Many times the "B" side was a throw away song or a novelty or even just an instrumental version of the "A" side.

On occasion, however, the second song actually became more popular than the song everyone was trying to push on the other side!  And that could happen for a variety of reasons.

As we have already discussed having a number one is hard.  And sometimes it takes a bit of luck along with all the hard work and planning.

Gloria Gaynor has had some success as a member of a group called the Soul Satisfiers and as a solo artist was essential in introduction the "disco sound" to mainstream audiences with her first few albums. Including a top 10 hit in 1974.

In October of 1978 Gaynor released a remake of a Righteous Brothers song called "Substitute".

As an "A" side "Substitute" didn't crack the Hot 100 and only reached #78 on the US R&B chart.

However the "B" side started getting heavy airplay and was re-released as an "A" side of its own Gaynor garnered her first and US Hot 100 #1 hit.

Gaynor continued to chart on the R&B and dance charts up until the 2000's.

And that is it for this week!

Next week there will be a new theme and more music to break up your work day!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Glenn