YES! B-sides and Bonus Tracks are probably the most unnoticed songs of an artist's career, because they tend to be overshadowed by the single or album. I mean, if I said that my favorite Westlife song was Miss You When I'm Dreaming(just an example..), you'd probably think hard about what the hell I'm talking about.
B-sides are also probably the time when an act like Westlife can let loose, experiment, and get out all their frustrations. Because all their singles follow a formula, the b-side can sound like anything from rock to pop to swing to disco, pretty much anything. That's why I adore them so much, manufactured artists get to let loose for b-sides, and show us the music they like or the music they really want to make.
So, here's a tribute to some of the most amazing Westlife originals ever!
- Don't Calm The Storm was on the Swear It Again CDS and it's probably one of the most brilliant songs they've ever recorded. The first time I heard it, I was in awe, the song's gorgeous, but it wasn't stuck in a time warp. Elaborate? The song could've been released anytime in the past ten years(or even later..) and it would still be absolutely amazing.
- Don't Get Me Wrong was on the UK version of Coast To Coast(and the b-side to When You're Looking Like That, released in Asia) and may I say, it's completely out of place compared to the other songs. I said during the most iconic songs post that C2C was the era when they solidified their boyband status, and they sounded like their rivals(BSB, Nsync..) with songs like My Love, Somebody Needs You and Dreams Come True. You listen to the album now, and when you hear this song at the end, you just want to put it on World Of Our Own! It sounds a lot like a song you'd put on WOOO, ala Why Do I Love You..
- Crying Girl was the b-side to World Of Our Own(the song..), and it could've fit right into WOOO. The album lacked a track like this, the mid-tempo/slow but edgy song. They had the mid-tempo songs like Don't Let Me Go and When You Come Around but they lacked a song like this. Strange title and lyrics, but amazing, brilliant, mind-blowing melody and standard Westlife vocals.
- I Won't Let You Down is one of my favorite experimental Westlife songs. It sounds nothing like what they usually release, it actually sounds a lot like something by Michelle Branch or Ryan Cabrera. No wonder it was on the Hey Whatever single that was just as different from anything else they did before. Anyway, I love all the guitar stuff, and Brian/Bryan's vocals just matched the song so brilliantly. Amazing stuff!
- Let's Make Tonight Special was on the Swear It Again EP, and it's absolutely amazing(again..)! Loving the hints of R&B and the acapella parts scattered all around the song. Plus, Shane's voice sounds so young it burns(just joking.. duh..)! Seriously, this song will make you worship Westlife until you can't anymore. It just shows how amazing their vocals are, and how much they cream all the boybands when it comes to acapella work. On the subject of that, watch this short a capella vid back during the debut album:
- Reason For Living reminds me of a certain M2M song that I can't put my finger on, but it's good to hear everyone on this track! Another song that sounds a bit like I Won't Let You Down, but it's a bit more Westlife-y.
- I'll put Story of Love and Until the End Of Time together, since they pretty much sound the same. Story of Love was on the Japan version of Westlife and Until the End Of Time was on the Swear It Again EP. They're both bubblegum pop boyband confections, Westlife style. You know, the cheesy lyrics, some acapella work, standard boyband 'glitter and glitz' sound and instrumentation, but more mid-tempo than up-tempo.
- Singing Forever and Where We Belong go together as well, with the 'We're not giving up' thing. They were released around the same time as well, Where We Belong was on Tonight/Miss You Nights and Singing Forever was on Hey Whatever. Cheesy lyrics, yes, but once again we get brilliant melodies and amazing vocals.
- Miss You When I'm Dreaming was the b-side to Amazing, and I just want to worship them again for this. Can this song get any better? It's a ballad, but it's more a Catch My Breath(CMB)-like ballad than a Your Raise Me Up kind. If you adore CMB, listen to this and prepare to be blown away.
- Get Away is probably the most outrageous, non-cover, Westlife b-side ever. It's got a very 50's/60's thing going on(someone at TC said that it sounded like the Beach Boys, does it?), but seriously, this song is AMAZING! This was on the Us Against The World single, and when you listen to it after Us Against The World, you just want to strangle their songwriters for making something this amazing! Still, Shane's vocals are brilliant on this song!
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