> Does anyone know what the deal was with the bonus EP
> specifically? Is it just that they didn't have room on the
> album to put those on as the opener/closer?
Probably this.
I can't find the exact specs at the moment, but a record cut at 33⅓ rpm would ideally contain up to 22 minutes of music. If a side exceeds that, the grooves have to be cut thinner, which decreases the volume and overall sound quality. Also, this increases the damage the needle does on the record.
(Case in point: Bat II.)
So let's consider the track listing.
Side A:
1. Bad for Good (8:45)
2. Lost Boys and Golden Girls (4:37)
3. Love and Death and an American Guitar (2:39)
4. Stark Raving Love (7:23)
Side B:
1. Out of the Frying Pan (And into the Fire) (6:13)
2. Surf's Up (5:26)
3. Dance in My Pants (7:58)
4. Left in the Dark (7:58)
As it is, both sides are already quite long. That's 23:24 for side A, and 27:35 for side B. Adding “The Storm” (4:29) would bring side A up to 27:53, and “Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through” (6:29) would make it 34 minutes, and put it completely over the top.
So, my best guess is simple technical limitations.
(Fun bonus aside: Metallica ran into a similar problem with their "Load" album, where the song "The Outlaw Torn" had to be edited by one minute to fit the album. If the album's length passed 78 minutes, 59 seconds, the CD would potentially start skipping. With the fourteen songs completed, Metallica had recorded thirty seconds too much material. The jam at the end of the song had to be edited, and "The Outlaw Torn (Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version)" can be found on "The Memory Remains" part 2 single in it's entirety 10 minutes and 52 seconds.)
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