The joy of B-sides

Paul Weller releasing a collection of solo B-sides is cause for mild celebration. After all, the Jam were one of the great B-side bands. ‘Tales From The Riverbank’, ‘The Butterfly Collector’, ‘Liza Radley’ – all A-list songs, relegated to the subs’ bench.

Remember the B-side? That bijou, creative safe space which didn’t merely permit but positively encouraged artists to write parallel narratives of exploration, experimentation and extemporisation.

I still remember the first B-side I fell in fascination with. It was called ‘Christ Versus Warhol’, a queasily psychedelic, wilfully odd indulgence on the wrong side of the Teardrop Explodes’ determinedly poppy ‘Passionate Friend’. I felt like the protagonist in Gregory’s Girl. Which to love: the athletic blonde in the shorts or the arty brunette in the beret? No need to decide, of course. I could swoon over both.

For the artist, the B-side was the second date where you could casually drop a couple of French novels into the conversation. It was an invitation for the unveiling of a hinterland. ‘Moi? Not just a pretty face, darling.’ Extras and hidden ‘Easter eggs’ in a DVD; a new prologue; that hastily rewritten first act – none match the perfect charm and functionality of the B-side. A prime example of the medium creating the message, its existence was solely due to the physical requirements of the 45rpm single and the inarguable logic that a disc with two sides needed coverage on both. Like a coin. Heads you win; tails is anybody’s guess.