Flawless Album B-Sides

From the Friday 5 website came this question: What album has a flawless B side?

The answer to this one is simple... any compilation or "Greatest Hits" type of album all have good B-sides that equal the A-side.

However in this day and age how many people actually play vinyl records or cassettes and have to flip the thing over to play a B-side?

You don't have to do that if you listen to CDs or MP3 albums. Everything is on the A side.

That all said some of my favorite albums with great B-sides that at least equal the A-side include the following:

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
2. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
4. Band on the Run - Paul McCartney & Wings
5. Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
6. Revolver - The Beatles
7. Abbey Road - The Beatles
8. Parallel Lines - Blondie
9. Ram - Paul & Linda McCartney
10. Double Fantasy - John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Moving on... This week's Top 10 Oldies that were submitted to the Classic Top 30 site for their weekly tabulation include the following:

June 17 Top 10 Oldies

1. In Your Letter - REO Speedwagon
2. Eat At Home - Paul & Linda McCartney
3. Seven Year Ache - Roseanne Cash
4. Twistin' USA - Chubby Checker
5. Only the Lucky - Walter Egan
6. Arms of Mary - Sutherland Bros. & Quiver
7. Jolene - Dolly Parton
8. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees
9. Talk it Over - Grayson Hugh
10. It's a Matter of Time - Elvis Presley

A\V: The following are songs from the lists above:

Give Me Fucking Zen - Ha Ha Ha

The line chorus line in this week's highest debuting song goes like this: "Someone give me fucking Zen". So it goes with X Ambassadors latest single which will probably not get that much airplay due to the unfriendly to radio lyrics. For your viewing and listening curiosity, we present the video along with the last two charts that are posted for Mel's Current Top 20.

As of June 12, 2020.
As of June 4, 2020.

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grandé have a huge hit with "Rain on Me".

Mel's Current Top 20 - May 28, 2020 - Published June 1, 2020

The Rolling Stones Hold Strong at #1

Starting this week, the Current Top 20 static post will be issued here. The dynamic post appears on the Current Top 20 page at this blog and also on Mel's Current Top 20 website.

"Living in a Ghost Town" holds at #1 for a 4th week in a row since this chart was revived after a years-long absence. So far it is the new release song that I like best so far this year. The Rolling Stones are in full force with a catchy and timely tune that echo's back to the sounds of the music they put out in the 1980s and 1990s... which is pure, uptempo, radio friendly rock n roll.

Sadly I don't think this record is getting much airplay anywhere since many people say "rock music is dead". Really rock music dead? I refuse to believe that.

The song is currently at #12 on the current Global Top 100 Chart, which is a compilation chart tabulated from user generated, personal charts of those participating at the M4B Charts Central website.

Watch the video player above. Most of my Top 20 songs are on it in some chronological order along with new and recent past tracks.

The rest of my chart is posted below:

The Classic Top 10 Votes - May 28, 2020

MEL'S TOP 10 OLDIES + ALBUMS

It's Throwback Thursday (#TBT) once more and for this week I have a chart and a couple of videos. Leading off with the video showcase is this 1981 gem by REO Speedwagon. It's called "In Your Letter". It is off their Grammy winning album Hi Infidelity and a modest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #20.

I think it is a great song, with kind of an early 60s throwback for me. A good rock n roll vibe surrounding what is a "Dear John" type of letter. Watching the video (posted above), check out the ancient IBM Selectric typewriter. You'd think the lady typing the letter was doing it on a computer... but no, it's a typewriter and the screen is a TV showing the video. Simple but good enough for this song. Enjoy.

The weekly top 10 votes are submitted to the Classic Top 30 website for inclusion into his weekly tabulation of oldies.

TOP TEN OLDIES - MAY 28,  2020

1. Just An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night
2. In Your Letter - REO Speedwagon
3. Lazy Day -  Spanky & Our Gang
4. Eat At Home - Paul & Linda McCartney
5. Seven Year Ache - Roseanne Cash
6. Hearts - Marty Balin
7. White Bird - It's a Beautiful Day
8. Twistin' USA - Chubby Checker
9. Smiling Islands - Robbie Patton with Stevie Nicks
10. Only the Lucky -Walter Egan

LPs

1. Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
2. FM - Original Soundtrack
3. Tom Tom Club -  Tom Tom Club

Today's Vinyl Spin - Fleetwood Mac

Today's Vinyl Spin goes back to the very successful Fleetwood Mac line-up of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckinghman, John McVie, Christine McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Fleetwood Mac is the first album to feature the then new line-up of the group.

Fleetwood Mac enjoyed moderate success as a blues band and a mainstream rock group with numerous membership changes. In 1974 after former lead singer and guitarist Bob Welch left the group, the duo of Buckingham-Nicks were recruited to take his place. The two new members proved to be the best thing that happened to Fleetwood Mac in terms of a new music direction and commercial success.

The band paved its way to becoming a major concert draw with Stevie, Lindsey and Christine showcasing various songs while McVie and Fleetwood provided a solid foundation. It is one of the few bands that I personally saw in concert not once, but twice.

Their debut album Fleetwood Mac with the new line-up slowly crawled to the #1 position on the charts by 1976 while its singles garnered more and more radio airplay. These included "Over My Head", "Rhiannon," "Say You Love Me," and "Blue Letter". "Landslide" also became a hit after Fleetwood Mac recorded it again for their 1997 live album, The Dance.

I was first introduced to this album by an old college friend back in the day. I always knew of Fleetwood Mac but never paid much attention to them. I had only one track of theirs in my record collection which was "Stop Messin' Around" that appeared on a compilation LP. I later liked the song "Hypnotized" after hearing it on the radio. Was not enough for me to buy their records at the time (I was a starving high school student when this stuff first came out)....

Over the years I have owned 2 vinyl copies of Fleetwood Mac as well as 2 CDs of this. Made at least two cassette tapes off the vinyl and later the CD for portability before the digital age.

Fleetwood Mac is definitely one of my favorite albums of all time by them. It's an enjoyable, refreshing listen whenever I give it a spin.

The back cover of Fleetwood Mac with track list, group members Nicks, Fleetwood, McVie, Buckingham and McVie.

Fleetwood Mac would be the last of their albums to show up on the Reprise label.

Track List

Side 1

1. Monday Morning
2. Warm Ways
3. Blue Letter
4. Rhiannon
5. Over My Head
6. Crystal

Side 2

1. Say You Love Me
2. Landslide
3. World Turning
4. Sugar Daddy
5. I'm So Afraid

"Rhiannon" was one of 4 singles released from the album. All 4 singles have different mixes from the versions on the album. When Fleetwood Mac was issued in a special edition CD in 2004, the single tracks were included as bonus material. Nice move on Warner / Reprise's part.

"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac....