# Why did some music producers in the 1960s not want double-sided hits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 10, 2023, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963 "2023-01-10T10:11:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/21 "2023-01-10T17:29:53Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > This is unclear to me. You say it was released in 1977, but then wonder what would’ve happened if it had been released then? It was a B-side in 1977; I think that @doreen is wondering what would have happened if “Silver Springs” was released as a single (i.e., an “A-side”) back then. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/22 "2023-01-10T17:34:59Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Back in the day, sometimes a B side would catch on “accidentally” and be a bigger hit. But how did they determine which side was being bought? In 1970, Led Zepplin released a single of _The Immigrant Song_, which appeared also on LZ III. The B-side of that single was a song called _Hey, Hey, What Can I Do_, which did not appear on the album, nor on any subsequent album. It did get a substantial amount of airplay over the years (possibly more than the A-side) and stands as an unusual example of a single that remained obtainable for much longer than most usually do (I recall seeing a Japanese pressing in a record store at least 15 years on). That is a very obvious case of a B-side driving sales, because why would you buy the single when you could get all the great songs on the album? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/23 "2023-01-10T17:36:20Z")
ISTR that Paul Revere and the Raiders, whose biggest hits were all written by someone else, has a deal with Columbia Records to use their own compositions as B-side material so they could get royalties. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/24 "2023-01-10T17:36:40Z")
From Wikipedia, regarding “Strawberry Fields Forever” / “Penny Lane”: > [@](#): > > In Britain, “Strawberry Fields Forever” / “Penny Lane” was the first Beatles single since “Please Please Me” in 1963 to fail to reach number 1 on Record Retailer’s chart (later the UK Singles Chart). The single was held at number 2 behind Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Release Me”, even though the Beatles record sold considerably more. This was due to chart protocol whereby only the sales of the best-selling side of a double A-side were eligible, and the record’s overall sales were effectively halved. Following the speculation that the Beatles were due to disband, their failure to secure the number 1 spot was trumpeted in the UK press as a sign that the group’s popularity was declining. I’m not sure how it was determined which side of a double A-side single was selling better. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/25 "2023-01-10T17:38:48Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > _Hey, Hey, What Can I Do_, which did not appear on the album, nor on any subsequent album. I have always said, they should have put it on Coda. At least one good song would have been in that crap pile. I would have bought a copy. I actually have a 45 of it, but am so glad it finally was released on a CD. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/26 "2023-01-10T17:43:21Z")
Yes, that’s what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/27 "2023-01-10T17:56:35Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I had the 45 of Wipe Out when I was a kid. I believe the B side was an absolutely forgettable song called something like “I’m a Hog For You Baby” Here’s the original. It is, in fact, a pretty great song. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZGn9TNsXECQ/hqdefault.jpg "The Coasters - I'm A Hog For You Baby") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGn9TNsXECQ) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/28 "2023-01-10T19:13:13Z")
People have hit the multiple reasons for why double-sided hits made no sense except for super-superstars like Elvis and the Beatles in their wildest heights. Not much to add, but I want to stress one point that’s been implied. _Nobody knows if a song is going to be a hit._ The record business is full of promising songs that never made it big, songs pulled off albums that became gold, songs that producers pushed on artists that the artists hated, songs that were recorded to fill out the last ten minutes of a session, and [b-sides that listeners demanded over the a-side](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense_and_Peppermints_(song)). > “Incense and Peppermints” initially appeared on the B-side of Thee Sixpence’s fifth single, “The Birdman of Alkatrash,” released on All-American Records in April 1967. However, local radio stations began playing “Incense and Peppermints” instead of the A-side, and the song began to gain in popularity in and around Los Angeles. Sensing the possibility of a national hit, the Uni Records subsidiary of MCA (now called Universal Music Group) picked up the record for national distribution and the single was re-released in May 1967: this time with “Incense and Peppermints” on the A-side and “The Birdman of Alkatrash” as the B-side. By the time of this second pressing, the band had changed its name to “The Strawberry Alarm Clock” due to the existence of a local group with a name somewhat similar to Thee Sixpence. Hits are rare and precious. You can’t predict hits. Somebody honestly thought _The Birdman of Alkatrash_ could be a hit. Even superstars have off days and often become yesterday’s news. From 1964 through 1968 Elvis failed to chart any top ten singles. (His previous top ten song in 1963 was a cover of the 1962 flop _Bossa Nova Baby_.) What everybody wants is a string of consecutive hits, but they find those only by looking in the rear-view mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/29 "2023-01-10T22:56:14Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > _Nobody knows if a song is going to be a hit._ In the 60s, it was a foregone conclusion that a new Beatles single would be a hit. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/30 "2023-01-10T23:12:59Z")
True, but the people at Decca records didn’t think they’d amount to much. They thought Brian Poole and the Tremolos were a better bet. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/31 "2023-01-10T23:53:46Z")
But granted, the Decca guy who refused the Beatles later somehow made up for it by eagerly signing the Stones. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/32 "2023-01-11T00:03:55Z")
I like the Coasters version better than the Surfaris’ ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/33 "2023-01-11T00:22:11Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > ISTR that Paul Revere and the Raiders, whose biggest hits were all written by someone else, has a deal with Columbia Records to use their own compositions as B-side material so they could get royalties. Well, they did modify the original composition for what was arguably their best known piece. [Previous](https://youtu.be/aIpRJlWV0AM) [versions](https://youtu.be/sTTcnh5vPKU) sound quite different from what I am familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/34 "2023-01-11T00:56:55Z")
Dude, I literally excepted the Beatles in my post. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/35 "2023-01-11T01:19:04Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > But granted, the Decca guy who refused the Beatles later somehow made up for it by eagerly signing the Stones. On George Harrison’s recommendation. The fact is that no one knows what’s going to be a success. The Tremolos were successful, with a few hits, so it wasn’t wrong choosing them, but they weren’t the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/36 "2023-01-11T03:12:01Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Dude, I literally excepted the Beatles in my post. Dude, I am so sorry. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/37 "2023-01-11T05:29:22Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Very few people recognize “Surfer Joe”. I wish I was one of them. Back in the '90s I worked for a restaurant with a surf motif. We had a 400 CD changer with lots of surf music mixed in with pop. That goddamn song played ALL. THE. TIME. I eventually became the manager. Around that time, purely by coincidence, the CDs that contained that song began to mysteriously vanish. But that fuckin’ song was like a virus. Just when I thought it was stamped out, it would suddenly play again. Eventually the song was eradicated from the CD player. The years went by, and I was successful in forgetting “Surfer Joe” ever existed. Until yesterday, when I read this thread. Now it’s come roaring back to the front of my memory. I’m going to go cry myself to sleep now. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963/38 "2023-01-11T05:41:48Z")
In my teens, I had a 45 of “Wipe Out” pressed in the 1970s that had “Surfer Joe” on the flip with just three verses. I gained some appreciation for it when I discovered the original with all five verses. It’s got a really nice story arc in the longer version, loading up his woodie with 26 boards, sneaking off base to surf Trestles, doing KP as the result… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-music-producers-in-the-1960s-not-want-double-sided-hits/977963.md?page=1)