February 10, 201411 yr And of course both the biggest selling single of the 20th Century (Elton John's Something About The Way You Look Tonight/Candle In The Wind '97) and the 21st Century (Will Young's Evergreen/Anything Is Possible) are both double a-sides.
February 10, 201411 yr How to make people feel old part 2,301 - Ask "What is a double a-side?" :( My thoughts exactly!
February 10, 201411 yr OMG and the best... Victoria Beckham - This Groove/Let Your Head Go How did I forget this?? :drama: I think it's still second to Holler/ Let Love Lead the Way though.
February 10, 201411 yr Wasn't it a tactic used to compensate a re-release back in the day? Like Sophie Ellis Bextor released "Get Over You" and then "Move This Mountain", which never got any radio play, nor would it have been a hit by itself.
February 10, 201411 yr It's called Holler. It was their last number 1 single, and I think both songs almost their weakest. Only Headlines beat them. BTW it's by far not their successful and famous (and it's not even arguable). Much more successful was Mama/Who Do You think You Are. And both one of the girls' best! I know it's called Holler, I was usin slang! I think Holler is literally their best song, their most modern and people really ignored such a stellar track. What Spice song could you release in 2014? One word: Holler. Although Let Love Lead the Way, a belter track for 2000 and one of the best of the year, would stand a chance. It still is ARGUABLY as I'm arguing it one of the most famous examples of a double A-side!
February 10, 201411 yr It still is ARGUABLY as I'm arguing it one of the most famous examples of a double A-side! Well the success is not arguable, as Mama/Who do you think you are were more successful, had higher sales, were three weeks long number 1 so these are facts. If you prefer Holler to Mama/Who Do you... that's another thing ;)
February 10, 201411 yr Well the success is not arguable, as Mama/Who do you think you are were more successful, had higher sales, were three weeks long number 1 so these are facts. If you prefer Holler to Mama/Who Do you... that's another thing ;) Commercially they were bigger yeah, but if you ask someone what SPice double A-sides do they know (and if they knew what a double A-side was, of course...) then they;'d probably say Holla/ LLLTW because such a big deal was made about them being double A-sides at the time and are the most recent.
February 10, 201411 yr Always liked Holler. Far better than most of their 90s shite. Viva Forever excepted.
February 10, 201411 yr Commercially they were bigger yeah, but if you ask someone what SPice double A-sides do they know (and if they knew what a double A-side was, of course...) then they;'d probably say Holla/ LLLTW because such a big deal was made about them being double A-sides at the time and are the most recent. ?? There was just 3 years between them reaching number 1, and if pressed to name a Spice Girls AA then most would go for the 3 week number 1 with both A sides being well known against a 1 week limp effort from 2000 with a nondescript almost forgotten 'flip side'. There was no big deal made at the time about either being double A sides. ARGUABLY of course.
February 10, 201411 yr Wasn't it a tactic used to compensate a re-release back in the day? Like Sophie Ellis Bextor released "Get Over You" and then "Move This Mountain", which never got any radio play, nor would it have been a hit by itself. I think the reason why 'Move This Mountain' was tacked on is because it was her favourite song from that album but everyone probably knew it'd never be a hit, but she wanted it to get some attention.
February 11, 201411 yr I thought Michael! was being sarcastic at first lol I think if the general public were pressed to name any Spice Girls song - then both Holler and Let Love Lead the Way would be quite low down. They're probably the most forgotten tracks actually. Mama/Who Do You Think You Are are so much more popular - WDYTYA is best remembered with THAT Brits performance with THAT Union Jack dress, and as it was released around Mothers Day, Mama was quite popular too. Steps had a lot of double A-sides some I get confused whether they are double A-sides or not: Heartbeat/Tragedy (#1) (nearly 1.2million copies sold) Say You'll Be Mine/Better the Devil You Know (#4) (Gold) When I Said Goodbye/Summer of Love (#5) It's the Way You Make Me Feel/Too Busy Thinking About My Baby? (#2) Chain Reaction/One For Sorrow - US mix? (#2) (Silver) Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well (#5) The ones with ? are the ones I'm not sure about as I've seen some listings as double A-sides and some not.
February 11, 201411 yr I've got all the above as Double-As sides, plus "Here And Now"/"You'll Be Sorry" which reached number 4 and I can't remember how either song goes off the top of my head.
February 12, 201411 yr Commercially they were bigger yeah, but if you ask someone what SPice double A-sides do they know (and if they knew what a double A-side was, of course...) then they;'d probably say Holla/ LLLTW because such a big deal was made about them being double A-sides at the time and are the most recent. You know what I don't think a very high percentage of the general public would remember Holler/Let Love Lead The Way. By the time of this single they had just released their third album, which compared to the previous two was something of a flop, and overall the buzz and public interest in the Spice Girls was very much on the wane, hence no 4th studio album, and no more singles releases until Headlines, which was basically a passable bonus track from their greatest hits anyway. I have to agree with @Knightr634 that Who Do You Think You Are/Mama would be remembered by rather more people than Holler/LLTL, and in any case there are plenty of double-a side releases by other artists that would be even more famous still. Tbh the double A-side was already on the way out even in 2000, due to it being over used as a marketing tool by the big record labels, alongside the whole CD1 and CD2 racket, and people therefore becoming wary of them. P.S. @fchd I remember buying Here And Now/You'll Be Sorry when it was out, and still have the cassingle somewhere, and I think I still remember what it sounded like. I think the lyrics were something like "Here and now, I'm gonna be the one for you, and everything you want me to, so I'm saving all my love, here and now", but I'm just going to find the Steps greatest hits to see if my memory is serving me correctly.
February 12, 201411 yr And of course both the biggest selling single of the 20th Century (Elton John's Something About The Way You Look Tonight/Candle In The Wind '97) and the 21st Century (Will Young's Evergreen/Anything Is Possible) are both double a-sides. But in terms of double A sides where both tracks were about equally popular, I don't think Boney M's 'Rivers Of Babylon/Brown Girl In The Ring' has any significant challengers.
February 12, 201411 yr But in terms of double A sides where both tracks were about equally popular, I don't think Boney M's 'Rivers Of Babylon/Brown Girl In The Ring' has any significant challengers. I would say 'Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby' and 'Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever' both trump that. EDIT: I read this post as saying 'equally well-known'. Of course I have no idea how 'popular' The Beatles' (or indeed Boney M.'s) songs were at the time.
February 12, 201411 yr But in terms of double A sides where both tracks were about equally popular, I don't think Boney M's 'Rivers Of Babylon/Brown Girl In The Ring' has any significant challengers. Two Beatles double a-sides would be strong contenders - Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby and Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever. OK, so Yellow Submarine is a bit of nonsense but it is still a popular tune. Edit: I left the thread open while I went to get the paper and Bre beat me to it with the same examples :lol: At least I can speak with a little more authority about how popular they (and the Boney M songs) were at the time.
February 13, 201411 yr Try telling him what a maxi single was! When you had 2 tracks on one side & one on t'other, because BMRB would not allow EPs in the charts in the 1969 to 75 run. So, artists got around it by putting max singles out. Jethro Tull, Clodagh Rodgers, Family etc. Then came 1976 & bosh, in came the EPs again via Demis "The Singimg Tent" Rousos. Imagine EPs were still not allowed in 1976, then "Forever & Ever" would of been a lost number one. Some records were released as EPs, but were not recognised as such & only one or 2 songs were listed on the chart. Kiki Dee "Loving & Free" was one. "Paul Nicholas "Grandma's Party" another. Funny times. Bre (& others)....Boney M's record did not start out as a Double A side. DJs began to play the other side in July 1978 (fed up with "Babylon"). The public were not all aware that it was on the other side of "Babylon" & some people, actually bought it twice, as the A & B side were flipped. There is an equation of a split side. It sold 1.151 before it was flipped over. "Brown Girl" then took over as A side, until the end of it's run & got 476,200. Of course, as it was the same record, all these had to be added together for a en of year chart. "You're The One That I Want" was the most popular song of 1978, really. It achieve 1.6266m in Panel sales, by the end of 1978. The Beatles do win the equal amounts in popularity of Submarie/Eleanor Rigby. Though, they also had equal exposure on Top Of The Pops, as most of their "B" Sides were also feature on said programme, when they were not Double A sides. The equal amounts of Double A side via the 70s, would be Rod Stewarts "I Don't Want To Talk About It/First Cut Is The Deepest". "First Cut" was always featured on TOTPs, but the radio preferred "I Don't Want". BMRB messed up the year end sales of this in 1977 & placed it at #33, because they mixed up a 3 with a 2 in it's Panel sales. It really sold 619,000 & was a top 15 single of the year. Edited February 13, 201411 yr by davetaylor
February 13, 201411 yr The TOTP / radio split happened with other releases. For example, with The Stranglers double a-side Peaches / Go Buddy Go, Peaches was often played on the radio but TOTP producers clearly decided it was too rude so they used Go Buddy Go. There are also releases like Jasper Carrott's Funky Moped / Magic Roundabout. Funky Moped got all the airplay but all the people I knew who bought the single did so for Magic Roundabout.
Create an account or sign in to comment