Dark side of the vinyl: 10 psychedelic B-sides that should have been singles
Many people have criticised psychedelic music in the past. Some of Pink Floyd’s earlier songs and other offerings by bands such as Tame Impala, Spacemen 3, and The Idle Race are labelled as pieces of music that rely more on atmosphere than actual sound. People believed that so long as the crowd was high and the lights were flashing, they would go home satisfied; however, this wasn’t the case.
Psychedelic music remains one of the most exciting genres in the world. Bands can take a number of different approaches, including creating expansive soundscapes and exploring them or being chaotic in their approach to music and taking listeners on an unpredictable journey. It’s always exciting to put on a new psychedelic album and see the direction the band has decided to take.
This versatility within the genre makes for some of the best music of each decade. A song can always be approached in a new way or interpreted differently, which means that there are a lot of exciting tracks to explore within the genre. This is best reflected in the number of great B-sides that slipped under the radar.
Here is a comprehensive list of some of the greatest psychedelic B-sides from the ‘60s all the way to a couple of weeks ago that are so good they could have been their own singles.
Psychedelic B-sides that should have been singles:
Ramases & Selket – ‘In My Mind’s Eye’
The music of Ramases often gets overlooked because his story is fascinating and often dominates conversations. A retired Army Personal Trainer, he moved back to Sheffield and, when driving one day, was convinced he was stopped by the Egyptian pharaoh, Ramases, and told he was the reincarnation of them. As a result, he went on to make music inspired by his reincarnation.
One of his most celebrated works is the album Space Hymns, which has since achieved cult classic status. However, one of his tracks, which doesn’t get enough credit, is ‘In My Mind’s Eye’, which was the B-side to one of his leading singles. It slipped completely under the radar at the time of release but has managed to find a home on various psychedelic compilations. It remains one of his greatest tracks.
The Beatles – ‘The Inner Light’
Throughout the ‘60s, The Beatles tried their hand at a number of different styles of music. While their most championed songs might not fall in the realm of psychedelia, the times that they did dabble within the genre were triumphs. We hear this on their track ‘The Inner Light’, which, despite The Beatles’ catalogue of hits, could have been released as its own A-side.
The track represents the way the band embraced LSD and psychedelia towards the end of the ’60s, particularly George Harrison. It was shelved as a B-side because there wasn’t a record it could fit on, and it rivalled ‘Lady Madonna’ for release as a single. Naturally, the band decided to put it on the other side of the vinyl, but that doesn’t mean this is a Beatles track you should let pass you by.
Pink Floyd – ‘Julia Dream’
Much of the psychedelic music released towards the beginning of the ‘60s struggled to find a sound. Jimi Hendrix was notoriously against it, as he felt the bands relied more on lights than on music. “Here’s one thing I hate, man,” he said, “When these cats say, ‘Look at the band. They’re playing psychedelic music!’ All they’re doing is flashing lights on them and playing ‘Johnny B. Goode’ with the wrong chords. It’s terrible.”
However, while some bands struggled to get the sound right, some gems managed to slip through the cracks. One came from Pink Floyd and their B-side, ‘Julia Dream’. In the grand scheme of Pink Floyd, it doesn’t seem to get the praise it deserves, but this song deserves a listen.
The Yardbirds – ‘Mister, You’re A Better Man Than I’
The Yardbirds were arguably one of the most influential bands on the planet, especially when it came to shaping the behaviour of guitar players. By producing the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, the mannerisms and playing styles of many rock guitarists came from The Yardbirds. Despite their influence, some of their tracks fell through the cracks.
One of these tracks is their B-side ‘Mister, You’re A Better Man Than I’. This was the B-side to their single ‘Shapes of Things’ and addressed the gaps in attitude, style and behaviour between different generations. The band asked if you could really judge someone by their hair, clothes, and the way they wear their tie, all over the backdrop of great psychedelic instrumentation.
The Pretty Things – ‘LSD’
The Pretty Things are celebrated for their contributions to psychedelic music, particularly their album S F Sorrow; however, with the amount of musical talent they displayed, a number of their tracks unfortunately slipped off the radar, and one of these was the aptly named ‘LSD’.
The Pretty Things decided to veer on the more energetic side of psychedelic music with this song instead of the spaced-out soundscapes that bands often used. It made for one hell of a listen, and this song is one that should have been released as its very own single.
Tame Impala – ‘The Boat I Row’
It’s always been hard for psychedelic music to break into the mainstream. It rose in popularity in the ‘60s because it was during a period of political unrest. Following multiple assassinations and the generational gaps in society that had never been bigger, it was easier for labels to sell experimental music rather than driven music. Outside of this period, psychedelic music has never been a genre championed by the masses other than by a select few.
One of these select few is Tame Impala, one of the world’s biggest artists at the moment. One of the pivotal albums in their rise to fame was The Slow Rush, one of the easiest records to listen to ever produced. It won’t surprise you that the B-sides to this album are equally fantastic, and that can be heard in the stunning ‘The Boat I Row’.
Brian Jonestown Massacre – ‘Out of Body’
On their recent single, Brian Jonestown Massacre released two songs: ‘Makes Me Great’ and ‘Out of Body’. Both tracks represent various aspects of songwriting and psychedelic music. ‘Makes Me Great creates an expansive pocket of sound and lets you sit in it, whereas ‘Out of Body’ is much more experimental.
Filled with guitar solos, haphazard chord changes, different tempos and organ sounds, this is the busier side of psychedelia, but Brian Jonestown Massacre pull it off perfectly. The song could easily have been its own single, as it represents the outstanding musicianship of Anton Newcombe, decades after he initially started writing music.
Vanilla Fudge – ‘The Legacy of Tim Bogert’
The playing style of Vanilla Fudge was one of the craziest and psychedelic things to ever grace the music industry. A large part of that was Tim Bogert, who sadly passed away with cancer on January 13th 2021. The last song they ever recorded was a cover of ‘Stop In The Name Of Love’, which he managed to play bass on despite battling stage four cancer and being incredibly sick.
As a B-side with the single, the band released ‘The Legacy of Tim Bogert’, which consists of the rest of the band remembering him, telling stories about him and praising his musicianship. It’s an incredibly sweet tribute, and could have been its own single. While it’s more of a reading than a song, it’s one of the loveliest things ever committed to sound and needs to be heard by more people.
Spacemen 3 – ‘Feel So Good’
When Spacemen 3 first started making music, there wasn’t a huge vision. They just wanted to play around with music and attempt to make something expansive in the process. Some of their songs are masterpieces because of this, while others fall slightly through the cracks. One of the former is the B-side to their song ‘Walkin’ with Jesus’, ‘Feel so Good’.
The song is slow, ascending, and drone-like. It creates an atmosphere and then surrounds you with it in a truly all-encompassing way. This is a song that requires you to put on earphones and sink into.
The Idle Race – ‘Morning Sunshine’
The Idle Race are one of the most underrated psychedelic bands from the ‘60s. A lot of bands during this period, when labels were championing the genre, were drowned in the concentration of psychedelia, but now with the power of hindsight, it’s clear that The Idle Race are one of the best bands from that period.
Because of their obscure nature, many of their songs, especially their B-sides, managed to slip through the cracks. One of their best was ‘Morning Sunshine’, which really set the foundation for the band and other bands that would prove to be more successful.
