Flick Of The Wrist - Double A Side Single, or was it?

In the Queen world it has always been said that 'Killer Queen' was released as a double A side with 'Flick of the Wrist'.

in official Queen biographies and discographies it states this, but was there any other proof in print that this was completely true?

I have the original Killer Queen single and it has the catalogue number EMI 2229. Killer Queen has 2229A and Flick of the Wrist has 2229B, surely if it was a double A side It would have been 2229AA?

In official charts it never has Flick of the wrist as a double A, it always states Killer Queen as the hit. If it really was released as a double A side, surely both tracks would have been listed in all the charts?

What does everyone else think? just something i've been curious with. Just wanted to contribute a decent discussion on the site.

Rock you and Champions have A and B as cat numbers too...

Yes they do, but i think they were double A side everywhere else apart from the UK.

Rock You was the B side to Champs.

As for KQ & FOTW. I have the original sheet music, which certainly gives the impression of it being a double A.

I would guess if FOTW had of been written by anyone other than Freddie, it would have certainly been pushed far harder to the forefront.

[QUOTE] [b]sithmaster34 wrote:[/b]

Yes they do, but i think they were double A side everywhere else apart from the UK.[/QUOTE]


Were they formally double A sides releases in othe territories (eg the US), or was it just that stations started to play both tracks?

I suppose a similar things goes for Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy... it is on Greatest Hits but strictly wasn't a single on its own, but part of an EP.. I presume that track got played purely because it was the first one on the vinyl...

By the way, that was 'Queen's First E.P.'....we've waited a bloody long time so far for the next one!!!

Back in those days you'd get both sides played in pub jukeboxes etc so I usually the b-sides would be quite well known too.

Never liked Flick Of The Wrist - weird they chose that when ITLOTG...R was left on the shelf.

Killer Queen was officially Queen's first Double A side single but only in the UK. The fact was stated on the trade ad and weekly music paper ads at the time. BM also mentioned it at one of the Rainbow concerts in November 1974. Not to have a A and AA side printed on label was the norm at this time. Radio stations would normally pick up the best/commercial or most popular of the two tracks and that is what would be played.
WATC/WWRY was not a Double A in the UK, only in the USA.

Thanks.GT

I have one simple question ... hopefully ..

Are the DJ comments on the two disk version of Queen on Air?

Thanks GT for your response, nice to see you on here again.

As I recall, I don't think they are Panchgani.

Re the WARC / WWRY double A side thing.

I remember at the time that WATC was No.1 in France "only to be replaced in the top spot by WWRY". I have no idea where I read or heard that. Does this suggest that it was a double A in France.

I've found this from http://www.infodisc.fr/Tubes_Artiste_Choisi.php but I don't understand French so maybe someone can shed some light on the headings Mp, Nb and Nb Sem?


Artiste Entrée Mp Nb Nb Sem. Titre Auteur

1977-12-09 1 2 35 We Will Rock You Brian May
1978-01-06 27 2 We Will Rock You Brian May
1978-03-17 13 21 We Are The Champions Freddie Mercury

Usually that's just down to charts compiled by airplay rather than sales. Is one of my favourite Queen chart tales though :)

The single was released in France with We Will Rock You as the A side and reached No 1 in the charts for twelve weeks. Chart rules in France say singles are not allowed to be No 1 for more than twelve weeks, so the singles B side, We Are The Champions, became the A side and continued its run at No 1.

Bicycle Race / Fat Bottomed Girls is the only true double A side release in the UK

Apart from KQ there is also 'Bohemian Rhapsody'/'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' and 'No-One But You'/'Tie Your Mother Down'.