Some believe Ash are a singles band, known for producing hit (and non-hit) singles ranging from feel-good rock songs (Jack Names The Planets, You Can’t Have It All) to melodic pop-punk anthems (Angel Interceptor, Burn Baby Burn) to sweet -- oh, so sweet -- ballads (There’s A Star, Polaris). Others believe Ash are an album band, known for creating masterpiece albums full of diverse sounds and inspiring lyrics. Ranging from the grungy feel of Trailer to the poppy atmosphere of Twilight of the Innocents, this may indeed seem to be the best classification for Ash. However, one of the lesser known things about Ash is they demonstrate the most creativity and intelligence in their vast number of b-sides and non-album tracks, which encompass all of the diverse styles from their albums and more. Yes, to me, Ash are truly a b-sides band.
Over the span of the 15 years Ash have been together, some of their best and most diverse songs have been tracks which were never put on the albums, either because they were not seen as fit for the mood of the album, because they weren’t dubbed as good by the band (ridiculous I say!), or because the songs were just randomly recorded between album releases. Did you know Ash have significantly more b-sides than album tracks? Currently, from a UK release perspective, Ash have 66 album tracks. However, from a UK release perspective, they have over 85 b-sides. B-sides make up the majority of Ash’s releases, furthering my opinion that they are a b-sides band.
Each issue, from here in my “b-side basement,” I will be taking you on a mental journey through each Ash album era’s b-sides (and other non-album tracks), most of which are not on the Cosmic Debris b-sides compilation release. In fact, only 22 of the 85+ Ash b-sides were on Cosmic Debris. So sit back and relax as the journey now begins…
TRAILER ERA (1994-1995). Ash were known in the Trailer era to produce songs with a very early 90’s grunge/rock sound, which initially established Ash as a 90’s rock band from the public eye. Ash’s first single, Jack Names the Planets (JNTP), launched them off on a 15 year journey through space and time, full of both trials and tribulations.
 | The JNTP single featured Ash’s first b-side, Don’t Know. This song was originally on Ash’s demo tape, Garage Girl, and then appeared on the vinyl exclusive release of the JNTP single. It has a unique sound that strays from grunge and instead leans more toward an early 90’s rock sound, reminiscent of Uncle Pat. The lyrics are simplistic and nothing too impressive (“You're doing nothing, nothing at all. You're just doing nothing”). I interpret the song to be about boredom, something I can often relate to. Thus, I believe, while simple, the song is effective at capturing and relating to the listener and provides an easy sing-along experience. It’s a b-side that should not be missed, despite it not making Cosmic Debris. |
 | Petrol was the next single from the Trailer era and Ash’s 2nd single. Petrol contained 2.5 b-sides, yes two and a half b-sides. I say this because one of the tracks is the spoken b-side Message From Oscar Wilde And Patrick The Brewer, which is not a song, but a random recording of Oscar Wilde and Patrick The Brewer complaining about not being thanked on the insert of Trailer; a rather useless track. |
 The first real b-side on Petrol is The Little Pond. To this day, it has been one of my favorite Ash b-sides. It has a very 90’s upbeat feel-good rock sound and some very relaxing lyrics. It’s a song to just kick back and relax to on a beautiful sunny summer day. It captures you in a way that no other Ash song released to this day does, a way that can’t be explained without listening to the song. The song seems to be about laying outside on a nice summer day with your lover, daydreaming about the future of the relationship (“The rivers flow swiftly and the sky is blue. The clouds are darkening gently over me and you.”). It is beyond me why this hidden gem was not included on Cosmic Debris. It obviously does not fit the darker sound of Trailer, however, so I can see why it was not on the album. The song was originally on the 1993 demo, Garage Girl. | |
 The final b-side on Petrol, and Ash’s 3rd b-side is called Things. It is one of the earliest Ash songs to be released as a b-side, for it was originally on the 1992 demo tape, Shed. Not only was it one of the earliest songs, but various members of the band have deemed it as “one of our worst b-sides.” The song is very upbeat and repetitive and contains pretty random lyrics (“Don't you think they want me for it? Can’t you see they arrested me for it? I just hope they don't need me for it. Birds and bees will soon be falling now”). The song seems to be about something the lead singer, Tim, has that everyone else either wants or hates that he has. It may have to do with aliens, but I’d assume that really, it is just a simple generic “thing,” or multiple “things.” Who knows? The song is definitely interesting and one of the very few Ash songs with a fade out ending. Despite the band not liking it, I believe it is a good and interesting song that really makes the listener think and wonder just what the hell was going through Tim’s mind at the time. | |
 The next two Trailer era b-sides were tracks originally on the Uncle Pat single that later appeared as album tracks on the U.S. release of Trailer. The first, Different Today, was originally an early demo track from the 1992 demo tape, Shed, and has a much more upbeat rock (almost grungy) sound similar to the previous Trailer b-sides. It was played live frequently at early shows and was probably a favorite track of Ash’s during the first two years of their journey as a band. The song, while having mostly different lyrics on the b-side version than the demo version, seems to be about visiting a good friend over the weekend that you haven’t seen in a while, having a badass time, and then sadly leaving to go back home (“They went down to the station on Sunday. He felt sad as the train pulled away. He wished that it would never end. He knew he'd never see him again”). It is a fast youthful type of song. | |
 The other b-side on the Uncle Pat single, Hulk Hogan Bubblebath is a mostly instrumental darker grunge song that has two separate parts, each having two separate melodies. This was the only b-side on a Trailer era single that was not also on one of the early demo tapes. The first half of the song has some random darker lyrics that seem to be about isolating yourself inside the house during a nasty day (“Darkness had just fallen and I pulled the curtains shut. I felt the winter coming. I felt alone again”). The song flows like the process of a storm, building up to the storm in the first half, unleashing the storm in the middle, and then reflecting on the aftermath of the storm during the second half. The song has also always reminded me a bit of Ash’s fascination of Star Wars because the tune is reminiscent of some of the background music from the movies. This song is basically just one big mental journey. It was played live, fully instrumental, at the end of the set (before the encore) at almost every show from 1995 to the end of 1996. From what I hear, Ash would straight up rock out and go mental on the stage while playing this. It’s the kind of song I could see Ash playing live again to amaze the crowd – something to show off guitar skills. | |
 | While those were all of the official “b-sides” on Trailer era singles, there were several other non-album tracks released during the era. These are just as worthy of mentioning because they really show how Ash can pull off anything well, especially in the early days. Punk Boy was a Helen Love cover song originally released on a compilation album (Helpline Compilation). It is the only super poppy sounding song from the Trailer era and was later an album track on the U.S. version of Trailer. Simply put, it is about a punk boy. This song went over real well in Japan and was played live a lot at Trailer era shows. The song was even released in the U.S. as a split single with Petrol, making the two songs the first Ash U.S. releases. However, it was on limited vinyl and did not do well. |
  Silver Surfer and Jazz ‘59 are two non-album tracks released on a bonus Peel Sessions 7” to the early 12” copies of Trailer. Silver Surfer is a very aggressive and grungy cover of a Backwater song, with mostly distorted spoken vocals. It was played live at many Trailer era shows and seems to be about the lead singer taking on the role of Silver Surfer, from Marvel Comics, in a relationship. Although, really it is unclear what the song is exactly about. Jazz ’59 is quite the opposite of Silver Surfer. It is a smooth jazz rock instrumental song, very different to anything else Ash have done. Jazz ’59 was played live a lot during Ash’s early shows and was originally on the 1993 Garage Girl demo tape. It is, perhaps, one of the most different songs Ash have ever done. It is extremely rare to get a hard copy of both songs, but you can download them at The Ash Files, my Ash Bootlegs, Demos, and Rare Recordings website (first cheap plug, yes). | |
 American Devil is also a track worthy of mentioning as a Trailer era non-album track. It is the earliest song Ash re-recorded, as it originally appeared on the 1992 demo, Solar Happy. It was also played live during some Trailer era shows, recorded on a BBC radio session, and recorded for Trailer itself, but did not end up making the album or even a b-side. American Devil is a 90’s rock sounding song that seems to be about watching American TV channels. Despite it being a popular song throughout Ash’s first few years, it was unheard of again after 1994 and never officially released. You can download the BBC session version online, exclusively available at The Ash Files (yeah, a 2nd cheap plug), along with 3 other quality alternate versions of Trailer era tracks from the same session. | |
 | Coming Around Again is a Carly Simon cover recorded at a 1995 radio session and released in 2006 exclusively on The Ash Files as part of the grand opening (ok, ok, this is the final cheap plug). The song, while originally recorded in 1995, was virtually forgotten until this surprise release by bassist, Mark Hamilton, at The Ash Files. The song is basically the only soft rock song to be heard of from Ash during the Trailer days. It really is a sweet song and seems to be about how life changes, particularly relating to relationships ("I know nothin' stays the same, but if you're willin' to play the game, it's comin' around again. So don't mind if I fall apart; there's more room in a broken heart."). |
For now, that will suffice for the first installment of “Brian’s B-Side Basement.” Hopefully you’ve learned something new or found some use in this article! Until next time…
Brian a.k.a. FireSka