Peter Buck was reluctant to release Dead Letter Office, fearing that fans would think it a shameless cash-in.

Oasis s The Masterplan, for example, is a worthy companion to Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory, and arguably better than any of the bands other studio efforts.

But what are the other finest B-sides and rarity albums 2 Nirvana Incesticide (1992).

Suede, Dog Man Star and Sci-Fi Lullabies: the holy trinity that no arse-slapping Suede fan can do without.

Suede werent just an excellent singles band; their B-Sides, from Killing Of A Flashboy to My Dark Star to Europe Is Our Playground, were as exciting as anything Britpop could muster.

Morrissey carried on the knack for all-conquering non-album singles and B-Sides once he had left The Smiths.

In particular, witness the strength of his B-Sides: for lesser mortals, songs like Hairdresser On Fire and He Knows Id Love To See Him would surely have been released as singles in their own right.

Blur The Special Collectors Edition (1994).

A treat for Japanese fans, Britpop heavyweights Blur released all of their B-sides in one fell swoop with The Special Collectors Edition.

Theres some odd moments, too: opener Day Upon Day is from an old recording at Baths Moles Club, while closer Bank Holiday is actually a group of fans singing the track Tokyos Narita Airport.

The Smiths Hatful Of Hollow (1984).

An album thats as mighty as any of The Smiths studio efforts.

Many fans, believing that the muddy production of their debut let the band down, prefer Hatful Of Hollow and its alternative versions of Hand In Glove, Still Ill and What Difference Does It Make.

The Clash Black Market Clash (1980).

A visceral, thrilling insight into a band at the peak of their powers, Black Market Clash takes Joe Strummer and cos rarities and turns them into a coherent whole due to the sheer quality of songs such as The Prisoner and City Of The Dead.

Expect a sublime live version of I Will, a skittering Where Bluebirds Fly and a FourTet remix of Skttrbrain 9 Talk Talk Asides Besides (1998).

Thankfully, there is a collection of rare tracks, b-sides and demos you might not know about.

In 1990, a boxset called This Womans Work including two discs of all her single B-sides from 1978 to 1990 was released.

Thatll soothe the disappointment over the fact youll probably never see Kate Bush live again.

Mogwai Government Commissions (2005).

Dont miss the live covers of Whams Last Christmas and Nirvanas Been A Son.

A rather prosaic name, but theres nothing run-of-the-mill about Cave and cos collection here.

And as fine as the B-Sides are, its the rarities that sparkle: an acoustic version of Deana is haunting-as-they-come, while covers of Leonard Cohens Im Your Man and Roy Oribisons Running Scared are brilliant and bizarre.

PJ Harvey 4-Track Demos (1993).

A mixture of skeletal, scary demos of songs from Rid Of Me and equally unsettling unreleased tracks, 4-Track Demos is one of Harveys most brilliant works: a snapshot of a fearless, righteous singer-songwriter unafraid to pick over her own scabs in order to expose fresh wounds.

An uncomfortably vital listen.

The Smiths Louder Than Bombs (1987).

The singles are typically excellent, of course, but the real selling point here is the B-sides: nearly all of The Smiths secondary recordings are gathered here, including the magnificent Half A Person, Asleep and Unloveable.

The Libertines Legs 11 (2000).

Arguably The Libs most-loved bootleg, this, and a cut above the rest of Pete Dohertys more rough-and-ready home recordings and demos.

Hooray For The 21st Century is Pete and Carl at their sharpest, while Dohertys Love On The Dole is among the finest songs he ever wrote.

Manna from heaven for all Siouxsie And The Banshees obsessives, Downside Up is a four-CD box set of the bands B-sides and bonus material, including the spellbinding Tattoo and Eve WhiteEve Black.

REM Dead Letter Office (1987).

Siouxsie Banshees Downside Up Rare