Claim: Some "multi-sided" records have two or more grooves per side, causing them to play different material depending upon where the stylus is cued each time.
Status: True.
Origins: Although it is by no means the oldest example of a multiple-groove record, the most frequently cited recording of this sort is the infamous
"three-sided" Matching Tie and Handkerchief album by Monty Python (Arista
Another memorable example of a multiple-groove recording was a late 1970s flexi-disc called "A Super Spectacular Day," issued by MAD magazine. The disc played a standard introductory section about the start of a wonderful, "super-spectacular" day, then produced one of several different comedic "bad" endings to that day (involving such topics as alien abduction, zits, and a visiting mother-in-law).
Other uses of multiple-groove recordings involve various games (such as horse races or mystery games) where the outcome is determined by which of the record's multiple grooves is played. Similarly, other modern-day records have incorporated this feature, including:
- A Laurie Anderson LP featuring a "three-track" side: each track contained a different recording of the song "You're The Guy I Want To Share My Money With" by Laurie Anderson, William Burroughs, or John Giorno.
- The 12" version of Kate Bush's "Sensual World," with one track containing the standard vocal version and the other playing an instrumental version.
- The 12" version of the Fine Young Cannibals' "Good Thing" single (1989), which held two different mixes of the same song.
Last updated: 23 May 2007
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