A-side and B-side

A typical 12-inch LP record

The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings.

- A-side and B-side

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Single (music)

Type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album.

An 8cm CD single from Japan.
45 rpm EP on a turntable with a 1 1⁄2-inch hub, ready to be played
In some regions (e.g. UK), 7-inch 45rpm records were sold for a 1/4-inch spindle with a knock out for playing on a 1 1⁄2-inch hub
A single puck, inserted in a large-hole single (US), to play it on a 1/4-inch spindle
A twelve-inch gramophone record
"Put a Little Love in Your Heart" was a hit single for Jackie DeShannon in 1968. It was certified Gold in the US, selling over 1,000,000 copies.

Historically, when mainstream music was purchased via vinyl records, singles would be released double-sided, i.e. there was an A-side and a B-side, on which two songs would appear, one on each side.

Maxi single

Madonna's UK promotional 12" maxi single Nothing Really Matters.

A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song.

Remix

Piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, and/or changing pieces of the item.

According to the Guinness World Records, Madonna is the most remixed and sampled act. Her remix album You Can Dance also played a pivotal role in popularizing the remix albums format
Carey helped popularize rapper as a featured act through her post-1995 songs with her remix of "Fantasy" featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Jessica Simpson's "Irresistible" (So So Def Remix) featuring Lil' Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri had an incredible impact in 2001.
The main single of I Turn to You by Melanie C, was released as the "Hex Hector Radio Mix", for which Hex Hector won the 2001 Grammy as Remixer of the Year.

to provide additional versions of a song for use as bonus tracks or for a B-side, for example, in times when a CD single might carry a total of 4 tracks

Greatest hits album

Type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band.

According to the Guinness World Records, Madonna is the most remixed and sampled act. Her remix album You Can Dance also played a pivotal role in popularizing the remix albums format

The album collected eight of Mathis's charting singles, as well as three non-charting B-sides and an altogether new track.

Gloria Gaynor

American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974).

Gaynor in 2012
Gaynor in 1976
Gaynor performing in 2012

Originally, "I Will Survive" was a B-side when Polydor Records released it in late 1978.

Eleanor Rigby

Song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album Revolver.

US picture sleeve
The gravestone of Eleanor Rigby (1895–1939) in St Peter's Parish Church, Woolton
Eleanor Rigby statue by Tommy Steele on Stanley Street, Liverpool. The plaque reads: "Dedicated to All the Lonely People".

It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with "Yellow Submarine".

Strawberry Fields Forever

Song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.

US picture sleeve
Entrance gates at Strawberry Field, near Lennon's childhood home in Woolton, Liverpool
"Strawberry Fields Forever" was one of the most technically complex recordings the Beatles ever attempted. The song was recorded entirely on a Studer J37 four-track machine.
A 1960s-era Mellotron, similar to that used on the Beatles recording
The Beatles filmed their promo clip for the song around a large tree in Knole Park in Kent.
Lennon with a horseshoe moustache in 1967
McCartney, Harrison, Starr and Lennon pouring paint over the piano–harp construction. Journalist and broadcaster Joe Cushley describes the clip as "the mad music professors' outdoor seminar".
Beatles standing behind a tree and a broken piano–harp construction
Heavily graffiti-ed gatepost sign at Strawberry Field – with the word "Forever" added in acknowledgement of the Beatles song

It was released on 13 February 1967 as a double A-side single with "Penny Lane".

Vanilla Ice

American rapper, actor, and television host.

Vanilla Ice in 2010
Vanilla Ice performing at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio, August 2018
MC Hammer performing with Vanilla Ice in July 2009

"Play That Funky Music" was released as the album's first single, with "Ice Ice Baby" appearing as the B-side.

Something (Beatles song)

Song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road.

1989 UK reissue picture sleeve
Harrison identified Ray Charles as one of his sources of inspiration for the song.
A-side label of the UK single
Harrison and Boyd in the "Something" film clip
James Brown's recording was Harrison's favourite cover version of "Something".

Two weeks after the album's release, the song was issued on a double A-side single, coupled with "Come Together", making it the first Harrison composition to become a Beatles A-side.

Album

Collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc , vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution.

A compact disc album within an open jewel case
Early record albums were multiple 78rpm discs packaged in book form, like a photograph album
A vinyl LP on a turntable
A typical 8-track tape player
A blank compact cassette tape and case
The ten-track compact disc studio album Led Zeppelin III
An orchestra recorded "live" in the studio

Albums have been issued that are compilations of older tracks not originally released together, such as singles not originally found on albums, b-sides of singles, or unfinished "demo" recordings.