Belle & Sebastian are quite possibly the best British melodists since the Beatles, but more about B&S later. Let's talk about the Beatles. Among their many musical accomplishments, the Beatles released more hit B-sides than any other musical act in history, so many that some historians began (subsequently) calling them "Double A"-side singles. Okay...that's enough about the Beatles, 'cause they're done. The 45" single is, too...in a way.
For all intents and purposes, the 45" single died sometime in the mid-80s. The Walkman and boom boxes and tapedeck car components became affordable to the masses, and since these were much easier to transport than a record player, vinyl took a huge hit, so much so that were it not for a few recording artists and a cult of aestheticists and club DJs, it would have--like the eight-track tape--died completely.
Still, the "single" did not completely disappear when wax did, though, as cassette singles (cassingles) were produced. These cassingles, though, didn't last long. Retailer profit margin wasn't anywhere near as great as it was for an album-length cassette, and--in order to sustain production viability--prices for cassingles rose, and the audience for cassingles shrunk, as consumers couldn't see spending four dollars for two songs, only one of which they wanted; therefore, rather than tie up limited shelf space with low profit-margin product that didn't sell well, retailers stopped ordering cassingles, and then record companies stopped producing them, and then CDs came along, and then the mp3, and then Napster, and then iTunes, and then we get what we have now: afforable single recordings. It took about twenty years for them to return, but return they did, and I'm glad, as without them, I wouldn't have this list.
The one thing missing from most singles these days, though, is the B-side. It's not completely gone, as artists/record companies will often release B-side type material in a digital EP (extended play single) format, but these B releases don't sell well because the audience doesn't have to get them in order to get the A side; thus, most B-side material isn't heard except by artists' hardcore fans. Mostly, this is regrettable, as though--typically--B sides weren't as catchy as A sides, they were usually quirkier, more experimental, and every now and then a real gem appeared.
This is the case with these two songs by Belle & Sebastian. "The Blues Are Still Blue" is an insanely catchy tune, a ditty that's as hook-laden as a commercial jingle. It's the A side: brighter mood, catchier melody, less sordid/morbid subject matter. It's not all fluff, though; it's just breezier.
The B side--"Sukie in the Graveyard"--is a funny narrative song--whose melody is almost as catchy as the A side--about a pubescent girl who strikes out on her own, grows up quickly yet remains realistically optimistic and fiercely independent, teaching the art-school snobs a thing or two about practical life and the soul and the necessary comprises that many must make to succeed in this world.
Belle & Sebastian never seemed to have to make these compromises. They've been playing their own version of pop-rock with an independent sensibility, a penchant for literate lyrics, an ear for the hook, a quick-witted mind, and the strongest rhythmic sense of any indie band (perhaps Spoon notwithstanding) of the past fifteen years. Here, they present us with a proud, peculiar protagonist who understands the dichotomy of art and commerce, yielding to no one who would squash her will, much like the band itself.
I must confess, though: these two were never released as a double-sided single. "The Blues Are Still Blue" was released as a single, but--since this was 2006 not 1986--it had no B side. If it did, though, I'm sure it would have been "Sukie in the Graveyard," and I'm sure that one would have charted as well. We all live in a musical world of make-believe at times, and this time it's my turn, for after a week off for Spring Break, it's back to school today, and I need all the make believe I can get. Reality's hard enough as it is.
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