Multisided record

A multisided record is a type of vinyl record which has more than one groove per side. This technique allows hidden tracks to be encoded on LPs, 45 rpms and 78 rpms. On a disc that has a multi-groove, whether the listener plays the main track or the hidden track depends on where the stylus is cued.

The most frequently cited example of a multiple-groove record is Monty Python's infamous "three-sided" Matching Tie and Handkerchief album, issued in 1973. One side of the album (both sides were labeled "Side 2") was "normal"; the other contained a pair of grooves, each of which held different material (later pressings of the record did not include the double groove).

Another memorable example of a multiple-groove recording was the 1980 flexi disc entitled It's 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 the horrors of a visiting mother-in-law.

Other uses to which multiple-groove recordings have been put include various games (such as horse races or mystery games) where the outcome is determined by which of the record's multiple grooves is played.

Examples

Some records to have incorporated this feature, include:-

• One of the earliest examples of a three-track side was a 1901 Pre-Dog Victor A-821 Fortune Telling Record. This is a multi-Track disc with three recording tracks that go all the way through the record. It is titled "Fortune Telling Puzzle Record a song and two Fortunes, See if you can find them."
• A special 12" version of M's single "Pop Muzik" (1979) features "Pop Muzik" and "M Factor" on one side. The single was credited on its cover as "The first 'Double Groove' single".
• The LP You're the Guy I Want to Share My Money With (1981), featuring a "three-track" side: each track contained a different recording of the title song, alternately performed by Laurie Anderson, William S. Burroughs, or John Giorno.
• The advance 12" version of The Sugarcubes' single "Birthday" (1988) features one groove containing "Christmas Eve" and the other containing "Christmas Day"; both are different recordings of "Birthday".
• The 12" single of Kate Bush's "The Sensual World" (1989), with one track containing the standard vocal version and the other playing an instrumental version.
• The 12" single of the Fine Young Cannibals' "Good Thing" (1989), which held two different mixes of the same song.
• The 12" version of Tool's "Opiate" EP (1992) features one track that will play either "The Gaping Lotus Experience" or "Cold and Ugly (Live)" depending on where the needle is placed.
• The double-LP release of Marillion's 1994 concept album Brave featured a double groove on the second side of the second record. The first groove played the regular track listing ("The Great Escape" and "Made Again"), while the second played only an alternate version of "The Great Escape" with different lyrics, presenting an alternate ending to the album's narrative.
• The LP version of Disco Volante (1995) by the avant-garde metal band Mr. Bungle contained a hidden groove on both sides of the record, in certain sections only. Placing of the needle had to be precise in order to gain access to the two hidden tracks.
• The 7" version of Garbage's 1995 single "Only Happy When It Rains" features a double groove on the side B. Depending on where the needle is placed, it plays either "Girl Don't Come" or "Sleep".