Best B Sides/Rarities Album?

Xavi6

Ok there's threads for best albums, best bands etc but I haven't seen one for this.

B sides and rarities albums are becoming pretty fashionable with a lot of bands now either including them as a second cd with the main album or releasing them as a seperate album altogether.

So which band do you think has the best 'second level' of material?

For me it has to be 'The Masterplan' by Oasis. Every song is brilliant and would be at home on either of their first two proper albums albums. It also pisses all over everything they've released since. Songs like 'Acquiesce', 'Talk Tonight', 'Listen Up', 'Half The World Away', 'Rockin' Chair' and 'The Masterplan' are just fantastic.

I'm also a huge fan of the album Placebo released along with 'Sleeping With Ghosts'. I know it's a covers album but the standard of those covers is phenomenal.

Peyton Manning

I quite like the whole "With The Lights Out" box set for Nirvana. A fantastic release and a must have for any fan.

Pighead

Sci Fi Lullabies by Suede. No contest. Disc 1 especially. Suede at their peak casually throwing out b-sides that most bands would kill to use as singles. The cocky bastards!

cathald

Talk Show Host - Radiohead

Batesy

B Sides, Seasides and Freerides by Ocean Colour Scene = Quality

loyatemu

Hatful of Hollow by the Smiths

not just their best compilation (and they were fond of recycling their material) but probably their best album overall.

also Outspaced by Super Furry Animals

Bubs101

The Masterplan by a mile. The Wilco demos are the closest thing to them in terms of quality

_The Cures, "Standing on a Beach" (ON CASSETTE!!!!) As far as I know they never released the b-sides on cd or vinyl?

noby

Papa Smut wrote: »

_The Cures, "Standing on a Beach" (ON CASSETTE!!!!) As far as I know they never released the b-sides on cd or vinyl?

Funnily enough it's coming out on CD this month. I'm pretty sure there was a vinyl release (Seems there was, but not with all the b-sides)

BaZmO*

When I saw the title of the thread I automatically thought "The Masterplan"
Amazing album.

For a band that gets so much stick there's not too many bands that can produce an album of B-sides of such quality. Actually, Noel has said that it should've been their 3rd album.

fillmore jive

lost dogs- pearl jam

i hadnt listened to them in years when i picked up that album, made me realize how good they are. genius!

DerekD Goldfish

loyatemu wrote: »

Hatful of Hollow by the Smiths

not just their best compilation (and they were fond of recycling their material) but probably their best album overall.

also Outspaced by Super Furry Animals

Hatful of Hallow is indeed great and outspaced isnt half bad either

Funnily enough it's coming out on CD this month.

Cure 4CD B sides comp Join the dots has been out for a few months now

Nick Caves B-Bides comp is pretty damn good and while not a b-side album as such Cocteau Twins Lullabies to Violane 4cd comp feathuring all CD/Eps the band every released includes loads of great singles/b-sides/ep tracks that were better than most stuff on thier studio album in fact the first 2 cds of the compilation are near perfection

Wook

'Prince live at the paard van troje' after concert..best album ever..

IanCurtis

Pighead wrote: »

Sci Fi Lullabies by Suede. No contest. Disc 1 especially. Suede at their peak casually throwing out b-sides that most bands would kill to use as singles. The cocky bastards!

My favourite album, full stop.

Dudess

Xavi6, New Order's Substance (1987). The first of MANY New Order compilations but the best by far. Ok, one of its chief attractions before the the collection released in 2005, the collection released in 2002 (three years of a gap between best-ofs?!), I think there may have been one released in 1998 and there was a very poor one released in 1995, was the presence of several singles that were unavailable on any of their albums. So Substance was kinda an album in its own right rather than just a collection.
Ceremony, Everything's Gone Green, Temptation, Blue Monday, Confusion (1987 - in my opinion a better version than the 1983 original), Thieves Like Us, True Faith. All utterly sensational songs that can't be found on any of their albums. Also, these are the long versions, and I'd be willing to bet that the later compilations feature shortened versions of these songs (apart from Blue Monday, although some of the later ones feature Blue Monday '88 - awful remix). The longer versions are so much more worth having.
Then there are singles featured that are to be found on original albums but again, the ones on Substance are the longer and better mixes - namely Perfect Kiss (the longer version of that is so, SO much better than the short version on the album Lowlife) and Bizarre Love Triangle (the version of that on the album Brotherhood is actually crap compared to the heavenly 12" remix on Substance).
So that's disc 1.

Disc 2 is far more straightforward: B-sides from start to finish. The odd remix or instrumental but plenty of original numbers. The first few songs are particularly excellent. This was when they hadn't lost the Joy Division-y sound yet and there are some really remarkable numbers that deserve more recognition - e.g. In A Lonely Place, Mesh, Hurt and Procession.

So... buy it!

And also, Joy Division's Substance (1988). Seriously, don't bother with any Joy Division compilation since. For the best versions of songs and for the rarer stuff, Substance is the one.

Kold

cathald wrote: »

Talk Show Host - Radiohead

Man, ALL the Radiohead B Sides are awesome. 'Com Lag' and 'Airbag/How am I driving' are the best though. 'Meeting in the Aisle' and 'Polyethalene' are such fantastic tracks but would have never fit on OK Computer.

kinaldo

Wook wrote: »

'Prince live at the paard van troje' after concert..best album ever..

If we're counting bootlegs then Prince has millions, literally. The Ultimate Prince collection released by WB last year contains some good rare extended tracks, and the B-Sides from his 3cd Hits/B-Sides collection released in 93 is essential. His piano album 'One Nite Alone' released as a limited edition bonus album from his One Nite Alone...Live! boxset is gold. And his triple album of unreleased material, Crystal Ball, which also contains a bonus Prince acoustic guitar album (The Truth).

Substance by New Order is probably the standout. Considering tracks like True Faith and Bizarre Love Triangle weren't on any of their albums. Joy Division's Substance is also arguably their best work.

I agree that The Masterplan is probably the best /only worthwhile thing Oasis have released outside their first two albums.

The Velvet Underground VU would be another. And The Rolling Stones' More Hot Rocks (Big Hits and Fazed Cookies). Although that was more of a secondary hits compilation album I suppose.

Dudess

kinaldo wrote: »

Substance by New Order is probably the standout. Considering tracks like True Faith and Bizarre Love Triangle weren't on any of their albums. Joy Division's Substance is also arguably their best work.

There is a version of Bizarre Love Triangle on New Order's 1986 album Brotherhood but it's very poor compared to the utterly magnificent one on Substance. A different song really.

Karlusss

kinaldo wrote: »

If we're counting bootlegs then Prince has millions, literally.

I enjoyed this statement.

Still by Joy Division was pretty good, and most Smiths b-sides stand up with the singles, so Hatful of Hollow or Louder Than Bombs would be the best if they count. Have to disagree about HOH being the best overall Smiths album though.

Radiohead could put out a b-sides Best Of as good as a lot of other people's albums.

BurnsCarpenter

Palace Brothers - Lost Blues & Other Songs.
Better than any of the Palace/Bonnie Prince Billy studio albums I reckon.

Nailz

Xavi6 wrote: »

Ok there's threads for best albums, best bands etc but I haven't seen one for this.

B sides and rarities albums are becoming pretty fashionable with a lot of bands now either including them as a second cd with the main album or releasing them as a seperate album altogether.

So which band do you think has the best 'second level' of material?

For me it has to be 'The Masterplan' by Oasis. Every song is brilliant and would be at home on either of their first two proper albums albums. It also pisses all over everything they've released since. Songs like 'Acquiesce', 'Talk Tonight', 'Listen Up', 'Half The World Away', 'Rockin' Chair' and 'The Masterplan' are just fantastic.

I'm also a huge fan of the album Placebo released along with 'Sleeping With Ghosts'. I know it's a covers album but the standard of those covers is phenomenal.

Does that have anything to do with them being Divs??? Okay lets look for United supporters, ah!! Stone Roses "Turns into Stone"! Ha! How do you like them apples!? What about CD2 of the new `Bummed` Collectors Editon? It's packed with B-Sides, they're Mancs (United supporters on top of that) and are my favorite band! The Mondays Rule! *looks down at sig... Rave On!* :cool:

Fuzzy_Dunlop

Lost dogs ftw! Some of Pearl Jams greatest stuff has been amongst the b-sides: fatal, sad, down, alone, footsteps, hard to imagine, Yellow ledbetter are all classics

Darren R

B sides sea sides and free rides by Ocean Colour Scene
A great album I especially like the acoustic version of the circle

Creature

playa3 wrote: »

Lost dogs ftw! Some of Pearl Jams greatest stuff has been amongst the b-sides: fatal, sad, down, alone, footsteps, hard to imagine, Yellow ledbetter are all classics

+1

I'll never understand why they left Dead Man off No Code.

DominoDub

"Barbed Wire Kisses" by The Jesus and Mary Chain

Fav album a mine back in the day ,,had the track "Sidewalking" on all the time ,,loved the attitude I got of it !

Doctor J

Xavi6 wrote: »

For me it has to be 'The Masterplan' by Oasis.

Gotta agree, much and all as it kills me.

Creamy Goodness

Alone: the home recording of Rivers Cuomo although it pisses me off to listen to it because of the tripe he has released as weezer since 1996.

Jay P

Lost Dogs from Pearl Jam. Amazing!