It's all about the B-sides

As the band may well be out recording for a while, i think it's as good a time as any to encourage people to explore the b-sides.
I'm almost certain that the band have never released a dud track and there is a B-side for every occasion, from Baby Jesus to Whisper Grass!
So here's the place for you to talk about your favorite B-sides and recommend things for people to check out!
So here's my pitch -
Drunken Engineer
I can never narrow down my favorite Elbow song, and i constantly change my mind but this is definitely up there.
It dawned on me that as a B-side people may have missed it and this is a tragedy! Who needs a self help book when you have a song like this, it breaks down what you need to do after heart break into simple steps (Apart from maybe fucking off around the world, it's not THAT easy when you're not a rock star!) and ends in the recommendation to meet at the pub for a beeeeeeer.

im currently listening to some b-sides, covers and live stuff.right now the crow

Between you you've named three of my favourites - Whisper Grass has to be right there among my top songs of all time, and I love Drunken Engineer and The Crow. I also love Long War Shuffle and the other that's right up there too is George Lassoes the Moon. Does MacGreggor count as a b-side? Well, it's a non-mainstream album track anyway, also a firm favourite and I'm so pissed off I never saw that one live.

Hey Glendarian,
Did I ever tell you... I did try for Mcgreggor for you on last tour...a long shot, but I wrote a special request card explaining how you had come to miss it on the leg when they did play it.
I put it in with a present I sent Craig, but its easily overlooked in those circumstances, was just worth a try though.
I was pushing my luck really as Powderblue forumers did get a wish granted all those years ago for 'George Lassoes the Moon' at Shepherd's Bush and the 'I've got you Number' dedication at Liverpool Barfly so I've had my quota, but as I was asking for you, and not for myself as I have been lucky enough to last have it at Porchester Hall ... thought it just may have happened the last couple of years.

I think it would have worked as a Stadium song, but Guy's drum banging is for 'Grounds for Divorce now'

That is so sweet of you, thanks. I'd even been allowing myself to harbour hopes they might resurrect it on Friday night as I thought it could really work.

Never mind we did get Bitten By The Tailfly and that was good enough for me.

ooh, there's too many... I had nothing but B-sides on my ipod for the two months before TSSK came out.

Love Blown Down is one of my favourites... it's that classic Elbow melancholy-yet-uplifting melody and the way the piano riff "stalks" Guy's vocals in places that does it for me.

Glendarian wrote:

I'd even been allowing myself to harbour hopes they might resurrect it on Friday night as I thought it could really work.

Have to admit I'd wondered about the likelihood of McGreggor on Friday too, but - aye - BBTF was another welcome surprise.

What with the AITB deluxe release upcoming, a one-off gig just with early lesser-heard stuff would be something, wouldn't it? OK, dream on!

Oh, wow what a thought... Don't get me over-excited MrsW!

My fave B-Side is "Whisper Grass"

Ooh, The Crow, Suffer, Loss ('mon the craig), but I think my favourite is Waving from Windows. It's their own fault for having so many bloody good ones...

Dunno why, but even though it's a cover, I absoultely adore "My Finger"

ooh, ooh, forgot Snowball. I bloody LOVE Snowball. Think that's a cover too although to me it could easily be an Elbow original.

Drunken Engineer is aces, obviously. I like Gentle As and Loss, as you get a sense that they were recorded live rather than multitracked. And the pedal steel guitar on Long War Shuffle. And the guitar solo on Brave New Shave. And and and...

Have they done a duff B-side? Apart from that one with the bloke wittering on about trade unions or whatever...

(never heard 'Baby Jesus' though)

When a couple of us were lucky enough to have a little chat with Craig after the Brixton gig, way early on in the TSSK touring, when they were planning for the Massive Attack's Meltdown concert at the Festival Hall, I mentioned about rarities/b-sides and Craig was saying about the limited rehearsal time etc.
We mentioned how great something like that would be for the future... having a rarities/b-sides concert, of the tracks they can do live...with some acoustic.
Thing is a lot of these wonderful, get lost in, songs wouldn't work in the loud Stadium setting, it would have had to be a different setting, maybe like with the Halle at Bridgewater Hall, or something like a future Electric Proms, or a secret gig at Blueprint Studios or residency at a venue with an atmosphere like the Deaf Institute, or Porchester Hall, or even if slightly bigger, Ritz Manchester or Koko Camden venues.

That would be amazing (though I hope there'd be pre-sales for fans )

On a slightly different tack, do you think the ATIB collection has taken the place of the much-talked-about overall b-sides/rareties album?

MagicalTrevor wrote:

Dunno why, but even though it's a cover, I absoultely adore "My Finger"

Yes yes yes!

Not sure if this qualifies as a 'B-Side' but I sooo love Theme from Munroe Kelly.
Glad to see Long War Shuffle getting a shout here too. Oh man, the guitarrr!!!
Also very much taken with Lay Down Your Cross.
Actually they're all great aren't they?
And the Spanish version of Mexican Standoff always makes me laugh!

Oh and of course 'August and September'.
I know it's not a B-Side but if MT can pick 'My Finger', then I can pick this one!

Fine by me.
Perhaps we ought to start a separate "covers" thread, but anyway I think their version of the Bewlay Brothers is awesome.

Jones wrote:

Oh and of course 'August and September'.
I know it's not a B-Side but if MT can pick 'My Finger', then I can pick this one!

I always loved the original version of this song anyway, so I was stoked when I discovered this cover.

Same goes for "May You Never".

Jones wrote:

Not sure if this qualifies as a 'B-Side' but I sooo love Theme from Munroe Kelly.

...as I used to great effect on the video of me and MMT snowboarding...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvIUnpg6YmE

Jones wrote:

And the Spanish version of Mexican Standoff always makes me laugh!

I was so confused when they played it at the MEN, I'm so used to singing Si instead of Yeah!

Good stuff MT and you're right, it works really well on that video!

Anyone have any opinions on 'Strangeways to Holcombe Hill in 4:20' ?
I for one thinks it's amazing!

Me too - they opened the show with it on one tour (building up atmosphere just before the band came on stage) - it really worked.

Jones wrote:

Anyone have any opinions on 'Strangeways to Holcombe Hill in 4:20' ?
I for one thinks it's amazing!

Yeah I love that - very atmospheric! Although my cheeky bootleg of it with Dizzee Rascal's 'Sirens' may have tainted it for some

Glendarian wrote:

Me too - they opened the show with it on one tour (building up atmosphere just before the band came on stage) - it really worked.

I remember them doing that with Vum Garda too, really spine-tingling. I absolutely loved it, when they used to have a B-side instrumental on just as they were due to come on stage, do you remember 'Cariad' was played just before Guy's audience with in Manchester?... but in a (fan) discussion once it was said that this was apparently major creative faux pas and contrived to put one of your own tracks in your intermission music, even if it was just as they were about to go on stage.
I don't agree.