Favourite B-Sides

Elbow's B-sides are generally better than most bands' A-sides... what are your favourites?

Here's mine, in no particular order.

Love Blown Down - should've been on an album, it's brilliant!
George Lassoes The Moon - I think it's the Noisebox version I prefer
Theme from Munroe Kelly 2004 - instrumental version - it's the Eastern-sounding strings I like on this
The Drunken Engineer - who was that heart-broken engineer?
Teardrop - the only decent version apart from the Massive Attack original

I've probably missed a couple off, so many to choose from!

I think the strings in One Day Like This sound quite eastern, actaully might be Mirroball. Cba to find out right now.

Edit: yeah, ODLT

Quote :

so many to choose from!

True - see "favourite child" comments from the favourite album thread. My favourites are George Lassoes the Moon, either version, abosultely gorgeous, and I'm glad to see someone else mention the Drunken Engineer - a haunting song, and I also like the Long War Shuffle from that single too. My personal favourite is Whsiper Grass - I think this was a track on the US version of COT but I know it as a B-side anyway, and it's one of my very favourite Elbow songs - so-o-o atmospheric and those wonderful musical contrasts they're so good at. I also love the Crow - would love to know what happened to the non-acoustic version, too!

On a more up-to-date note I love Hotel Istanbul and (dare I say it) wonder why it wasn't on the album...

Hotel Istanbul is definitely a new favourite, but I've always been a huge fan of McGreggor and Whisper Grass. Elbow's b-sides are often wonderful experiments that might not have fit the mood of the LP it missed out on. Doesn't mean they're any less great

Oops, I forgot MacGreggor - probably because I usually play it with the album (where it comes on the DVD) so don't think of it as a B-side. I love it and would have loved to see them do it live, they put it into the set just after the last time I saw them and had dropped it by the time of this tour.

yep, was going to say Whisper Grass, it's one of quite a few Elbow songs that sneaks up on you...

I love My Finger

Without the capital letters, that would be a bit weird....

[The Drunken Engineer - who was that heart-broken engineer?
[/quote]


That was probably me !

and not for the first time..........


I'll go with Hotel Istanbul, that's a crackin track. Definately should have been on the Album. Shades of Human League in there somewhere... or is it just me.

There's something about 'Snowball' that I still can't get enough of, even though it's been almost 3 years since its release.

Loss is a good B-Side. Lovely lyric "Loss took human form.....". Not a big fan of Hotel Istanbul. I've got all of the Grounds For Divorce singles but my record player hes paked in so I think I might be missing out on some new b-side material. Oh! Waving from Windows is good too.

Welcome to the forum Tinwal

Thank-you Dabamash!

curses, I forgot Brave New Shave... and I love the pedal steel guitar (or whatever it is) on The Long War Shuffle

Lucky With Disease. Probably one of my favourite Elbow tracks full stop.

George Lassoes the Moon
Hotel Istanbul
Strangeways to Holcombe Hill in 4.20
About Time
Brave New Shave

Fuzzy
The Wizard (more a cover than a b-side but...)
August and September

Isn't August and September a cover too?

Oh, and if we're mentioning covers, One Thing

Calum wrote:

Isn't August and September a cover too?

Oh, and if we're mentioning covers, One Thing

Yes it is, oops ah well, shit happends haha. It looks like it's originally a "The The" song from their album Mind Bomb

Adding a new song then to the list that's def a b-side:
Good Day

Does anyone have a decent recording of this? Don't think it was mentioned in the b-sides list on the powderblue forum..

It was a b'side of Forget Myself (the purple one, not green one).

Cheers mate, I'll check it out!

George Lassoes the Moon - hands down is my favorite song. We've BEGGED them to play it live (even went to the point of heckling them at the NY show two years ago) and it was a no go. My tiny little black heart has been broken!

I've managed to put together an impressive, 52 song Elbow B-side play list;

http://www.imeem.com/groups/RfB8ZbNj/playlist/pZavgKgZ/elbow_bsides_music_playlist/

Am I missing anything on it? Tell me what you think!

I know Craig heard 'George Lassoes the Moon' being called for yet (and not by me!) again at the Brixton Academy gig just gone. They did once, at Shepherd's Bush in 2004...not been played since so I dont know.....
They keep in the old favourites, plus the new songs are so strong live...there seems not enough room in a regular set. I asked couldn't they do something like a b-side tour or some concerts with bs? when the b-side album is released.

I could not see 'Loss' 'Kisses' or 'May you never' just on first looking of your playlist by the way...nice to see them all in one place .

Oh you're right! Thank you for pointing that out. I don't think I have May I Never.