Nick Cave has had a number of cool b-sides. A couple of notable ones are: Willow Garden (from the Where The Wild Roses Grow single) The Train Song (flip to The Ship Song)
I’m also a sucker for the eighties era Iron Maiden b-sides, particularly Total Eclipse, which from memory was meant to be on the Number of the Beast album, but was left off for some reason - it’s been put on the latest CD version, though.
I’ll second or third Wash from Pearl Jam’sAlive single, as well as Footsteps from Jeremy. Nirvana’sEven In His Youth isn’t too shabby either (from both the Hormoaning EP and Smells Like Teen Spirit single).
If I recall correctly “Get Down Make Love” by Nine Inch Nails is the B-side to “Head Like a Hole”. It was definately a B-side, just not positive of which single. Anyway, I love that version of the song,(anyone remember if that was a remake , I seem to recall hearing that it was)
So far, lots of good stuff mentioned. There is one great b-sider that hasn’t been mentioned yet: Prince. Some of his best songs have been b-sides. God, Erotic City, Pop Life - all amazing. But two of is all time best, and two of the best pop songs, IMHO, period are:
She’s Always in My Hair and How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore
If you haven’t heard his original version of How Come (as opposed to the version Alicia Keys did on her CD), you haven’t experienced an amazing artist doing an amazing song. For the most part, it is just Prince by himself playing piano - there are little effects or backing voices here and there, but it is “unplugged” for the most part. And it just gets you right…there.
I bought his 3 CD set The Hits and the B-Sides just for that song.
Bjork’s “Play Dead” was a longtime B-side that was a little gem.
Tori Amos has had lots of B-sides that, at times, have been superior to her A sides. Take to the Sky, Upside Down, Flying Ducthman, Sweet Dreams, Mary, Black Swan, Merman, Sugar, Purple People, and a host of great covers (prior to her entire cover album, which wasn’t anywhere near as good a choice of songs)
One of my favorite B-Sides of all time is also one of my favorite Peter Gabriel songs. As a B-Side on the CD-single for “Digging on the Dirt,” he made a softer version of the song “Steam.” The B-Side version is called “Quiet Steam,” and as a great improvement over a song that’s already pretty good. I love that one.
Tori Amos also used to do some great B-Sides, including a lot of covers. Her versions of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” all started out as B-Sides, as I recall. They’re all classic in my book. I agree with Apos that her cover album “Strange Little Girls” was a disappointment after some of these great songs.
And adding these…
Opus III’s a capella version of “It’s a Fine Day” on the CD single for that song is pretty cool.
U2’s “The Lady With the Spinning Head”, a B-side for their CD single of “One,” is a great song.