Why wasn't 'Hello/Goodbye / I am the Walrus' a double A side ?

[Bulldog]

'I am the Walrus' is one of the Beatles greatest songs. At 4 minutes 30 seconds it was not too long for radio play. Although some of the lyrics were not radio friendly at the time.

The Beatles had been releasing double A side singles throughout their career. Hello/Goodbye / I am the Walrus as a double A side would have got my vote as greatest single ever, ahead of Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever.

'I am the Walrus' must be the best B side ever. Wonder how John felt having it relegated to a B side. 

[nimrod]

'I am the Walrus' is one of the Beatles greatest songs. At 4 minutes 30 seconds it was not too long for radio play. Although some of the lyrics were not radio friendly at the time.

The Beatles had been releasing double A side singles throughout their career. Hello/Goodbye / I am the Walrus as a double A side would have got my vote as greatest single ever, ahead of Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever.

'I am the Walrus' must be the best B side ever. Wonder how John felt having it relegated to a B side.

I always assumed that Hello Goodbye was the A side because I Am The Walrus was on the double Magical Mystery Tour double EP released a week or so after in the UK.

[Bulldog]

I always assumed that Hello Goodbye was the A side because I Am The Walrus was on the double Magical Mystery Tour double EP released a week or so after in the UK.

The 'Magical Mystery Tour' album I have, has both songs on.

'I am the Walrus' was performed in the MMT film. Maybe they thought it wasn't worth also making a seperate video for it, which they would have had to have done if it was a double A side. 

[Moogmodule]

The 'Magical Mystery Tour' album I have, has both songs on.

'I am the Walrus' was performed in the MMT film. Maybe they thought it wasn't worth also making a seperate video for it, which they would have had to have done if it was a double A side.

The MMT Album was originally only a US release. At the time the only thing available in the UK , other than buying an import, was the EP which only had songs from the film. So Hello Goodbye wasnt on any other media in the UK at the time.

George Martin felt that the Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields single had been disadvantaged chartwise in the UK by being a double A side keeping it from No 1 and breaking their run of No 1 singles. So perhaps he was wary of doing more Double As and Hello Goodbye was clearly the more commercial pop track.

[nimrod]

The 'Magical Mystery Tour' album I have, has both songs on.

Theres a discrepancy in that MMT wasnt released as an album in the UK, it was a double EP with 6 tracks on it, whereas in the USA it was made into an album with additional tracks (like H/G).
WE got the single, then a week or two later the EP, and everybody moaned because they had to buy Walrus twice. 

Double EP (with booklet)

Side one

1.   "Magical Mystery Tour"   2:48
2.   "Your Mother Should Know"   2:33
Total length:   5:21

Side two

3.   "I Am the Walrus"   4:35
Total length:   4:35

Side three

4.   "The Fool on the Hill"   3:00
5.   "Flying"   2:16
Total length:   5:16

Side four

6.   "Blue Jay Way"   3:50
Total length:     3:50

These were the 6 new songs written for the TV movie, HG being a separate single.

[zipp]

I think they should have kept Walrus exclusively for Magical Mystery Tour. It was a bad decision to release the song on two different formats in such a short time.

In the UK it was banned for the radio by the BBC because of 'pornographic priestess' and 'knickers', so a song without radio play can't be an A side in my book.

Another more interesting possibility would have been Hello Goodbye/Across The Universe as a double A side.

[tkitna]

Everything being said, Hello/Goodbye is a better choice for an A side single.  Its the easier song to digest for the listening public.  Lets face it, I Am The Walrus is a freaking acid trip of a tune. 

[nimrod]

Everything being said, Hello/Goodbye is a better choice for an A side single.  Its the easier song to digest for the listening public.  Lets face it, I Am The Walrus is a freaking acid trip of a tune.

" You say yes.....Bulldog says no"

ha2ha