B Sides and Rarities (Andy Williams album)

B Sides and Rarities

Released

May 27, 2003

Recorded

1947, 1962–1973

Length

78:45

The Essential Andy Williams
(2002)

B Sides and Rarities
(2003)

Music to Watch Girls By: The Very Best of Andy Williams
(2005)

B Sides and Rarities is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Collectables Records on May 27, 2003. Although the collection starts out with two 1947 recordings by Kay Thompson and The Williams Brothers, the rest of the material comes from his time at Columbia Records and includes covers of contemporary hits ("Cherish", "If You Could Read My Mind", "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother") as well as lesser-known material from the songwriters of "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Home Lovin' Man", and "Moon River".

One of the rarities included here actually did reach the charts of Billboard magazine. Released as the B-side of the number 13 hit "Hopeless", Williams's recording of "The Peking Theme (So Little Time)" was included in the 1963 film 55 Days at Peking and reached number 115 during the three weeks that it "bubbled under" the Billboard Hot 100 in June of that year. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in early 1964, and Williams was asked and did appear to perform at the Oscar ceremony that April but not to sing that song. Instead he sang his number 100 hit from January, "Charade", as well as the song included in the title of his new album that was soon to be released, The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies.Harve Presnell performed "The Peking Theme" that evening, but the winner was "Call Me Irresponsible".