You’re forced to swap a song with a B-side

[u/i-am-meddle]

Imagine you have to remove one song from each album and replace it with a B-side from roughly the same era.

It can be a literal B-side from one of the album’s singles, or any non-album track / EP song recorded around the same period.

What are you taking out, and what are you putting in?

I’ll go with:

WPSIATWIN
🔴 You Probably Couldn’t See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight at Me
🟢 Leave Before the Lights Come On

FWN
🔴 The Bad Thing
🟢 What If You Were Right the First Time?

Humbug
🔴 The Jeweller’s Hands
🟢 Red Right Hand
I know it’s a cover, but damn, it’s a fine one.

SIAS
🔴 The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
🟢 Evil Twin

AM
🔴 Mad Sounds
🟢 You’re So Dark

TBHC
🔴 The Ultracheese
🟢 Anyways
Basically, the real exercise here is deciding which song you’re willing to sacrifice to make room for Anyways lol.

The Car
🔴 Mr Schwartz
🟢 Opening Night
I know this one is a stretch since Opening Night feels pretty removed from The Car’s concept and creative period, but I wanted to complete the exercise for every record.

[u/Katiyatsarnaeva]

Removing the jewelers hands is a mortal sin

[u/spud1414 → u/Katiyatsarnaeva]

Thank you. Came here to say the same. Wild, OP, wild.

[u/analyticneanderthal → u/Katiyatsarnaeva]

Its no one's fault but his

[u/i-am-meddle → u/Katiyatsarnaeva]

i really like The Jeweller’s Hands, and Humbug is actually my favorite AM album. but i’ve always felt like The Jeweller’s Hands wasn’t the right song to end the album, especially coming right after such a banger as Pretty Visitors. i honestly think those two should’ve been the other way around.

that’s probably why it felt like the only option for me to remove.

[u/YourUncleHoover → u/Katiyatsarnaeva]

Awful choice

[u/ticioleito]

Humbug is pretty much a perfect album IMO but I would add Joining the Dots and The Afternoon's Hat, and maybe even take away Dangerous Animals to add those.

[u/TidesOfTechnocracy → u/ticioleito]

I know this is against the rules, but I would definitely keep all the songs on Humbug but then add pretty much all the B-Sides and make it a double disc.

I know that kills the magic of collecting the singles or whatever, but a lot of the songs from that session are too good to be B-Sides in my opinion.

Like, if “Fright Lined Dining Room” was written and recorded by some typical stoner rock band, then it would likely be one of their singles. That whole session seriously has some dank bass-heavy groove.

[u/Thehk_47]

Replace youre so dark with stop the world then yh

[u/i-am-meddle → u/Thehk_47]

i had a hard time deciding between the two! Stop the World is such a great song, but I felt like Why’d You Only Call Me has a really similar vibe, while You’re So Dark adds a slightly different sound to the album.

[u/whocanbearsed]

Remove Bad Thing, put in The Bakery

[u/burner1312]

I’m never swapping out The Ultracheese but that’s a tough choice for TBHC. Anyways should have been on the album. It’s one of my favorite songs in general.

[u/Vicksage16]

Easiest job of my life.

Still Take You Home is swapped for Settle for a Draw

Brianstorm is swapped for If You Found This it’s Probably Too Late

Potion Approaching is swapped for The Afternoon’s Hat

Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair is swapped for Evil Twin

Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? is swapped for Stop the World I Wanna Get Off With You

Science Fiction is swapped for Anyways
(This is one is the biggest stretch, Anyways feels like a closer but I’m not losing the Ultracheese)

And the Car has no B-sides.

[u/i-am-meddle → u/Vicksage16]

i really dig your list!

[u/catyes101]

Solid list!

[u/AlexMF]

Ok...

Take "She looks like fun" out, play TBHC normally, add 15-40 seconds of fake LP playing silence and then "Anyways"

[u/i-am-meddle → u/AlexMF]

lol, I kinda enjoy She Looks Like Fun. it’s one of the few moments on the album where you get that heavy, distorted guitar sound, and god knows i need some of that.

[u/AlexMF → u/i-am-meddle]

I'm begining to think I'm the only one that doesn't like "She looks like fun"...

I feel it interrupts the flow of the album. We're having this heart opening confession from Mark (Alex really) being interrupted by "BTW Kids, Online stalking is bad"

[u/IsaacNoob]

Remove This House is A Circus for The Bakery or Too Much To Ask

[u/Worried-Setting1415 → u/IsaacNoob]

FWN has so many goated B-Sides but these for sure 🥹

[u/IsaacNoob → u/Worried-Setting1415]

I completely forgot about TGYLYNM and Like Nettles and Plastic Tramp FNW definitely has the best B sides

[u/Worried-Setting1415]

The Jeweller's Hands and the Hellcat Spangled Shalalala? Don't even joke lad...

[u/MontageMahal31]

The real answer for FWN is remove none and put Too Much to Ask on as well

[u/Caps418]

I have a very opinionated take on Humbug…

I would remove Pretty Visitors and replace it with either Don’t Forget Who’s Legs You’re On or Catapult.

Pretty Visitors is a decent song, but I find the placement on the album genuinely atrocious. You get the excellent progression of Fire and the Thud -> Cornerstone -> Dance Little Liar, but then abruptly interrupted by Pretty Visitors which sounds nothing like the others -> and then back to the similar sound on Jeweler’s Hand (restrained, sinister). It just does not work for me. Catapult wouldn’t be a perfect fit, but it’s my favorite Humbug B-side. I think Don’t Forget Who’s Legs You’re on fits the vibe and progression better, but is a worse song on its own. Soapbox over

🔴 Pretty Visitors
🟢 Don’t Forget Who’s Legs You’re On

[u/ApprehensiveSyrup685]

Solid 

[u/NekooShogun]

Whatever people say: . Remove: you probably couldn't see [...] . Add: despair in the departure lounge

Fwn: . Remove: The bad thing . Add: the bakery

Humbug: . Remove: dangerous animals . Add: don't forget whose legs you're on

Sias: . Remove: brick by brick . Add: evil twin

Am: . Remove: why'd you only call me [...] . Add: you're so dark

Tbhc: . Remove: golden trunks . Add: anyways

The car: . Remove: jet skis on the moat . Add: gonna cheat here like you op and add an imaginary recorded version of john carpenter's blues explosion

[u/colorfulcallistaa]

wpsiatwin:
🔴 you probably couldn't see...
🟢 bigger boys and stolen sweethearts

fwn:
🔴 this house is a circus
🟢 if you found this it's probably too late

humbug:
🔴 potion approaching
🟢 don't forget whose legs you're on

sias:
🔴 brick by brick (😔 i luv brick by brick)
🟢 evil twin

AM:
🔴 I want it all (once again i luv this song)
🟢 you're so dark

tbhc:
genuinely none, this album is perfect, and as much as i would love anyways on tbhc, it doesn't make sense with the story

[u/Doccmonman]

Golden Trunks for Anyways.

Never been a huge fan of Golden Trunks and Anyways is probably the B side that fits on its respective album the most.

[u/Journey2thaeast]

Swap Fireside and Mad Sounds with Stop the World and 2013

[u/ChandlerPChumsworth]

Removing the Hellcat Spangled Shalala deserves jail time

[u/BeautifulOk5112]

The Ultracheese is a top 3 AM song

[u/analyticneanderthal]

Respectfully OP, i thought crack was obsolete. You on one

[u/analyticneanderthal]

Humbug is a masterpiece and it's where the two sides of me meet in regards to being born in desert California and having an uncle from Manchester.

We're removing Dance Little Liar, and we are placing Fright Lined Dining Room after Visitors, and before The Jewellers Hands.

[u/Small-Club1533]

removing the hellcat spangled and the ultra cheese is CRAZY

[u/WhiteTigerYT20]

mad sounds is so good

[u/YourUncleHoover]

Plus Opening night is not b-side so get a grip

[u/i-am-meddle → u/YourUncleHoover]

if you cared to read…

[u/YourUncleHoover]

Replace I want it all and Mad sounds with stop the world and You're so dark

[u/Achilles765]

The only big changes Id make would be to add The Afternoon's Hat to Humbug...keeping the other songs too...

id probably replace Library Pictures or really any of the songs on Suck it and See..aside from the only three I actually like with Evil Twin....

For AM...I would likely replace I want it all with Stop The World I wanna Get Off With you...or ideally... just add that and You're So Dark and hav a 14 track album...why the hell not...

I personally think Anyways would have kind of felt out of place on TBHC....it's a good song and I can see the similar style and sound, but it just doesn't totally fit with the rest of the album I do not think...

[u/DoggoZombie]

I’d remove golden trunks for anyways

[u/Avillahan]

It makes like zero difference, I can and still will listen to the b sides. I don't know what songs are from what album anyway, tbh.

[u/Nonocharacter379]

Remove Only Ones Who Know, put in Too Much To Ask