How to enter singles with different B-sides

MusicBrainz Style
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1

Take for example the “Born to Run” single by Bruce Springsteen, release group Born to Run

There exist different B-sides for this single

1975:
Born To Run (mono) / Born to Run (stereo)
Born To Run / Meeting Across The River (different releases from different countries)
Born To Run / Backstreets (Japan only)

1976:
Born To Run / Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (different releases from different countries)
Born To Run / Spirit In The Night (different releases from different countries)

1979:
Born To Run / Meeting Across The River (reissue)
Born To Run / Badlands (Japan only)

Some of these releases include just the A-side name on the cover, some A and B side names (usually when they have a real cover).
Some come in a die-cut CBS company sleeve.

Questions:

  1. Should all of these releases go in just one release group ?
    -> The release group name should probably be “Born to Run”

  2. Should the all have their own separate release group ?
    -> The release group names should probably be "Born to Run / "

  3. What about release naming inside the release group(s) ?
    a. Releases with a die-cut CBS company sleeve probably " / " (This question is actually very generic)
    b. Releases with both A and B side names on the cover: " / " or just “”

Notice that the above mentioned release group link doesn’t include all these variants yet. I just want to clarify before entering additional data.

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2

I would put them in the same release group. It’s not uncommon for singles to be released with different B-sides in different markets, or even in the same market (as is often the case in Japan).

I would generally just use “Born to Run” as the release title, unless the single is marketed as a double A-side (which is what the “/” split title guideline is primarily meant for).

2 Likes
3

oops, my markup has been eaten, should read:

  1. Should the all have their own separate release group ?
    -> The release group names should probably be “Born to Run / ‘B-side-title>’”

  2. What about release naming inside the release group(s) ?
    a. Releases with a die-cut CBS company sleeve probably “‘A-side-title’ / ‘B-side-title>’” (This question is actually very generic)
    b. Releases with both A and B side names on the cover: “‘A-side-title’ / ‘B-side-title>’” or just “‘A-side-title’”

4

In keeping with my earlier remarks, I would recommend that only the name of the A-side be used as the release group title since there are so many versions with different B-sides.

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5

Sounds good, I’ll go with your suggestion

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