10 Famous Albums That Left The Best Song On The Cutting Room Floor

These are some A-plus B-sides.


During the recording process of an album, an artist might record 20 or 30 songs. Maybe even more. Of those, only about a dozen will make it onto the final tracklist, while the others will either wither away in a vault somewhere or eventually find their way onto a future rarities and b-sides album.

And sometimes the best song recorded for that album doesn't actually make it onto the album. That's because crafting an album is about much more than compiling "the best" songs. It's about finding the songs that fit the vibe the artist is going for, while striking a delicate balance in overall tempo, pacing, and storytelling.

Some of the best songs a musician ever wrote ended up as strays because they didn't fit that vibe or they disrupted the album's momentum in one way or another. Despite their objective awesomeness, these tunes had to be left on the cutting room floor for the good of the album.

So go on and give these loose gems a listen, and then, if you feel so inclined, scold the parents of these orphaned tunes who couldn't be bothered to give them a proper home.

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