Episode 19 – B-Sides that Were Better than the A-side

Mixtapes may be a moribund art form, but the B-side is well and truly dead. There are currently fully grown adults, human beings that you know and perhaps even respect, who are sufficiently young to have no idea what a B-side is.

These are your bus drivers, your chartered accountants and your compliance managers the world over who have never experienced the joy of preferring the throw-away freebie which used to come as a party favour when you purchased the physical media version of the latest pop banger.

This week on No Stairway we dive headlong into this oft-neglected box of audio delights in a search for B-sides which were inarguably better than their more successful and glamorous siblings.

Also this week, following a bumper edition of the Mail fun-bag, Bill fires a couple of well-aimed warning shots across the bow of Paul McCartney’s solo work, Carl exposes himself as a secret Eddie Vedder vowel-counter, and Tim doubles down on his hatred of The Smiths, causing a metaphysical debate about whether you can ever truly separate the artist from his haircut.

This Week’s Playlists:

Bill:

Carl:

Tim:

Don’t forget to check out The Golden Shuffle

Sophie B Hawkins

Listen to the previous podcasts here or on your preferred podcast provider.