Big Star
albums
"radio ready" so to speak. Like Badfinger and The Rasberries around the same time, the band was very Beatles
influenced and accessible. The band went largely unheard though, and so today has a very loyal cult. They were
not outed because of their odd music, as many bands such as The Velvet Undergorund, Fugs, and Love were in
the 60's, but just because of poor distribution and promotion of albums (a problem largely fixed today with the
Internet, thank God). Whatever the specifics were, the fact that a band this likeable was not popular in the 70's is
a pretty stupid thing. Anyone can like Big Star, and most people should, because they are easy to listen to and
have some great, classic melodies. They have influenced countless acts, some with cult legend and some with
music. Personally, while they are not near my favorite band, I like them a lot and think they are a shining example
for what pop music should be, quality wise. They only had three albums, and none of them are bad; in their own
way, they evolved as they went. So if you are in one of those circles where you know what I'm talking about and
hate me for not having this band as one of my Top 10 favorites, sorry. If you haven't heard Big Star, hop to it and
get #1 Record/Radio City, 2 albums on one cd for the price of one; one of the best deals your ever going to find
for great music.
Band Members: Alex Chilton - Vocals, Guitar
Chirs Bell - Vocals, Guitar
Jody Stevens - Drums
Andy Hummel - Bass
Best Album: Radio City
Biggest Influences: The Beatles, The Kinks, The Yardbirds
1972
#1 Record - 6/8
Big Star start off with an album that has a very confident sound. "My Life is Right", "Don't Lie to Me", you
can hear it in the song titles that the band has a kind of attitude that makes them fresh, even heard many years
later. So many things have been said about this album already, and its legend has almost.....worn out....in certain
circles. While the record is timeless and could have been recorded in any time period, the first four songs sparkle
beyond anything else present. "Feel" and "In the Street" are soulful rockers sung by Chris Bell, in that great high
voice of his. "Ballad of El Goodo" and "Thirteen" are Alex Chilton's ballads that go along great with the opening
rockers, and could easily stand on their own on any record. Which of these four songs is your favorite is
personal opinion, but I don't think anyone can deny these first four songs' greatness. The rest of the record
cannot hold up to these songs, nor should they really try to. Everything kind of pales in comparison to the
openers, though I truly do believe that the songs are just not quite as good and more generic. "Don't Lie to Me",
"Watch the Sunrise" and "Give me Another Chance" are good songs, but not great or unique; they just kinda
float on by, being enjoyable enough. Some of these blunders don't succeed at all though, with "The India Song",
"Try Again", and "When My Baby's Beside Me" all testing the listener's patience. Despite a couple of average
moments though, there is nothing too bad on here, but there's plenty to love, so I'd suggest the first Big Star
record for anyone who likes good power pop music. What's power pop? The first four songs on here.
- Trevor e.y.
1.feel- 4
2.the ballad of el goodo- 4
3.in the street- 4
4.thirteen- 4
5.don’t lie to me- 3
6.the india song- 2
7.when my baby is beside me- 2
8.my life is right- 3
9.give me another chance- 3
10.try again- 2
11.watch the sunrise- 3
12.st 100/6- gf
1974
Radio City - 8/8
If those first four songs on the last record defined how good power pop could be, this record displays a
whole album of it. "Back of a car", "September Girls", "Way out West", and "Life is White" match the greatness of
the earlier singles, by simultaneously showing accessibility, depth, and meaning in pop music form. They are
spread out on the record though, which helps the blend, and also there are other songs that expand the band's
sound. "Daisy Glaze" starts off a slow ballad but morphs halfway through into a robust rocker; "You Get What
You Deserve" and "What's Going On" bring a hidden depth to the surface using music; and "Mod Lang" and
"She's a Mover" just rock your pants off! There are too short ballads at the end, with "Morhpa Too" weirding the
band's sound up, and "I'm in Love With a Girl" doing just the opposite by being a simple love ballad. This is such
a varied and exciting listen all the way through though, and it fulfills every music lover's dream by giving a perfect
example of how a record should be made. Great moments in lyrics: the heart wrenching "I don't want to see you
there, 'cause I know what you lack, and I can't go back to that" in "Life is White", and "She thinks she's a mystery
to all, but I know whats behind those eyes" in the great, non-rhyming "Way Out West", penned by the bass
player , and one of my all time favorite songs. Though Bell left the group before the record was released, his
presence can be felt in "Back of a Car", "She's a Mover", and "O My Soul", whether he's mixed in to some of the
background vocals or not. In my opinion, though little flaws like the length of "O My Soul" and the quirkiness of
"Morpha Too" seep in, this is the best Big Star album, and one of the best pure pop albums of all time. Enjoy at
anytime, anywhere, all the way through. - Trevor e.y.
1.o my soul- 3
2.life is white- 4
3.way out west- 4 *
4.what’s going ahn- 4
5.you get what you deserve- 4
6.mod lang- 4
7.back of a car- 4
8.daizy glaze- 4
9.she’s a mover- 4
10.september gurls- 4
11.morpha too- 3
12.i’m in love with a girl- 4
1978
Third/Sister Lovers - 6/8
This album is scary. VERY SCARY! With Big Star's other two albums, scary was not even part of the
vocabulary, but here it is. This album seems to have some songs that would have fit well on Radio City: "Kizza
Me" and "Thank You Friends" lead people to believe this album was like their last. But no! After the magnificent
two first songs, the album hits you with "Big Black Car", which can be interesting after a couple of listens, but it is
verrrrry challenging, and that is the key word here. Every other song on the album sounds extremely demented,
and some of them just sound underdeveloped. "Holocaust" sounds like a Beatles song from hell, and thats not
necessarily a good thing, and too me just sounds like the production helps to cover the traditional aspect of it.
The cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" is not that good, but it did try and expose people to that
great band at least, Chilton gets some points for that. As for the latter half of the album, there is some good, and
some bad. "Stroke it Noel", "For You" (written by drummer Stevens), "Nightime", and "Blue Moon" are all
outstanding songs with heart drenching lyrics. Then, we have "Kangaroo", "You Can't Have Me", and the closer
"Take Care". These songs all start off good, but fall apart by the end. "O Dana" and "Jesus Christ" are just
boring. A lot of my personal friends love this record, and will not agree with me, but honestly the record sounds
like it tries to be a "chilling masterpiece" without the songs to back it up, though it is quite good at points. If you
want to know anything about how this album was made and the trouble in getting it promoted and record
companies and all that, read some other review of it; I just care about the actual music. So I say this: Third/Sister
Lovers is an album with about nine fascinating songs, but some other songs that some find challenging and
interesting, and others find difficult and not worth the effort. -Trevor e.y.
1.kizza me- 4
2.thank you freinds- 4
3.big black car- 4
4.jesus christ- 2
5.femme fatale- 2
6.o, dana- 2
7.holocaust- 3
8.kangaroo- 2
9.stroke it noel- 4
10.for you- 4
11.you can't have me- 2
12.nightime- 3
13.blue moon- 4
14.take care- 3
An Interruption if you will: Big Star "came back" with an album about thirty years after they disbanded in 2005,
with Alex Chilton and Jody Stevens and some other guys to fill in the rest. Like many bands do after they break
up, this was a mediocre effort that in no way should be classified with the old band. I've heard it, don't like it, and I
ain't gonna review it here. If you really want to here it, look for it with the creative title of In Space! Get it?!? Like a
big star? As lame as it sounds.
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