Turning now to vinyl… As much as I dig CDs, one of the great things I love about the vinyl LP is the running order, or sequencing, of songs. Sequencing is one of the underappreciated components of an album; to me it’s as important as selecting the track to be featured as the single. With the vinyl LP you get the added bonus of essentially a second lead track on your record. We have lost this feature in the CD, MP3, and now streaming eras. I actually like getting up to flip the record, and there are some side-two lead tracks that are so great they inspire me to start with side two.
Throughout the rock era, there have been a number of legendary recording artists and their production teams who are indeed practiced in the art of sequencing. Here are 10 of my favorite side-two lead tracks.
“Street Fighting Man” – Rolling Stones
from the album Beggars Banquet (1968)
Here are a case where the lead track on side two was also the lead single for the album. (It was surprisingly the only single released from Beggars.) This is the first song I learned on electric guitar and I still get my Keith Richards shrug and stab going as soon as I hear the opening chords. With side one’s “Sympathy for the Devil,” this record has two of the best side-opening tracks of all time. What can a poor boy do?
“Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles
from the album Abbey Road (1969)
George finally got the single (“Something” was a double A-side with “Come Together”) and he also got the second lead track. This was the very first tune I learned to play on guitar, so I have a special affinity for it. Not long after the Beatles disbanded George released All Things Must Pass, arguably the best post-break-up release by any band member (with apologies to Ringo’s Ringo). So George obviously had a lot of great material that the Beatle machine was ignoring. His lone contribution to Sgt Pepper, “Within You Without You,” gets an honorable mention in this category. It’s all right
“Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
from the album Talking Book (1972)
This one was the lead single from (muthafuggen) Talking Book. Stevie concocted the signature riff on clavinet through an Auto-wah effect box. I also learned that Jeff Beck was involved in the sessions. This is a groovy-as-hell live clip and you simply must watch into the latter part of the tune when the backing vocalists start singing the iconic horn parts. Superstition ain’t the way
“Somebody to Love” – Queen
from the album Day at the Races (1976)
Leading off side two, this was the hit single off their follow up to the smash album Night at the Opera. It went to #2 in the UK charts, but couldn’t quite get past “Under the Moon of Love” by Showaddywaddy for the top spot. In Queen’s defense, no one was taking down Showaddywaddy in ’76. Coincidentally, they, like Queen, are still active after almost 50 years. One day I’m gonna be free, Lord!
“You Got That Right” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
from the album Street Survivors (1977)
The infamous plane crash that claimed the lives of Ronnie Van Zandt and Steve Gaines occurred three days after this record was released (look for the original “flame” cover). Gaines was new to the band and shared lead vocal and writing credit with Ronnie on this sing-along, air-guitar classic. Overshadowed by side one’s AOR hits “What’s Your Name” and “That Smell,” it was released as a single and also received solid airplay. Great b&w live clip from the summer before the record came out. Things I liked I tried ‘em twice
“You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” – The Cars
from the album The Cars (1978)
From their first and quintessential record, this track gets overshadowed by side one’s “Best Friend’s Girl” and “Just What I Needed,” and even the album closer, “Moving in Stereo” (with a super-fine assist from Phoebe Cates’s boobs). A great new-wave vocal by spectral Ric Ocasek, who masterminded The Cars’ trend-setting style. Here’s a live clip from the BBC series Rock Goes to College in ’78. I don’t care if you hurt me some more
“My Sharona” –The Knack
from the album Get the Knack (1979)
The Knack and their salacious, teen-theme hits dominated the summer of ’79. “My Sharona” was the lead single from their debut, and that’s why I thought side two was the lead side. This mega-smash was penned by Oak Park, Michigan’s own Doug Fieger along with the pride of Van Nuys, guitarist Berton Averre. Well done, boys! Ooh, my little pretty one
“Don’t Do Me Like That” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
from the album Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
Apparently, this was written back in the Mudcrutch days, and TP at one point considered giving it to the J. Geils Band. Thanks to producer Jimmy Iovine, it was the lead single and became their only Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hit. A stone-cold classic from The Heartbreakers’ strongest album. What if I love you baby?
“Once in a Lifetime” – Talking Heads
from the album Remain in Light (1980)
Video may have killed the radio star, but it also propelled some artists to success they might not have enjoyed without videos. Talking Heads were a cult band that had managed to get in the AOR rotation, but the video for this track, featuring David Byrne’s “same as it ever was” forearm chops, opened the band up to a much broader audience. I love that people who bought the record just for this song also got exposed to stellar Brian Eno-infused tracks like “Houses in Motion” and “Cross-Eyed and Painless.” You may ask yourself…
“Detox Mansion” – Warren Zevon
from the album Sentimental Hygiene (1987)
This was an inspired comeback record for Warren Zevon. Maybe not a comeback per se, because he never really went that far that he had to come back from (but it had been five years since The Envoy). Overshadowed a bit by the ballad “Reconsider Me” that closes side one, this track kicks off side two with a massive rock groove fueled by David Lindley’s unmistakable lap-steel guitar and punctuated by Bill Berry’s knee-capping snare. Sends me to the volume knob to crank it every time. It’s hard to be somebody…
Lifetime Achievement Award
I want to bring special attention to REM, whose first seven records were released primarily in the vinyl format. These guys definitely understood sequencing and took full advantage of the side-2 lead track. Early REM records were so welled sequenced that they didn’t even call them “side 1” and “side 2,” preferring such nomenclature as “Page side” and “Leaf side.” Frankly, I often forget which was the lead side. Here are the highlights:
“Second Guessing” – Reckoning, 1984
“Can’t Get There from Here” – Fables, 1985 (lead single)
“The One I Love” – Document, 1987 (lead single)
“Orange Crush” – Green, 1988 (lead single)
“Shiny Happy People” – Out of Time, 1991 (second single)
“Orange Crush” – REM
from the album Green (1988)
Here’s a live clip from T in the Park in Scotland in aught-9. Looks like the late Mr. William Rieflin filling in for the retired Bill Berry on drums.
