Five forgotten B-sides of the grunge era that deserve to be remembered

The article argues that 1990s grunge bands used B-sides to give fans access to strong songs left off their albums, at a time when CDs and album-focused marketing were making standalone singles less central. It highlights five lesser-remembered tracks that merit another listen, while noting that well-known examples such as Nirvana’s ‘Aneurysm’ and Pearl Jam’s ‘Yellow Ledbetter’ are excluded.

The excerpt describes Soundgarden’s cover of Devo’s ‘Girl U Want’, recorded during the Badmotorfinger sessions and released on a promotional ‘Rusty Cage’ CD single. Soundgarden made the 1980 new wave song slower and heavier, with Chris Cornell singing it in a more serious style; the writer sees the pairing as an intriguing, if imperfect, crossover. The supplied article text ends partway through its discussion of another Nirvana track, so it does not provide details of all five selections.