Guest Alan Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Is the best band from the 70's. Discuss. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brownie Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 If you recognize the man in my avatar, you'll know my opinion of Big Star. I'm very much looking forward to the box set that's coming out in a few weeks. I recently read the 33 and 1/3 book about Radio City, which was a fabulous and enlightening read. That is one of my all time favorite records. I never get tired of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Alan Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Yes, that box set looks amazing. I can't wait for it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 One of my all-time favorite bands. I still play the hell out of those first 3 records. Really looking forward to the upcoming box set. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I just saw this clip on from 1971 that has footage of Big Star filmed by Chris Bell and Andy Hummel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brianjeremy Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I've been listening to Radio City / #1 Record all week while driving to and from work. Nothing really to add to this conversation other than informing you of my activities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I've been listening to Radio City / #1 Record all week while driving to and from work. Nothing really to add to this conversation other than informing you of my activities. Me too, I brought it to work for someone to borrow and when they gave it back I started listening to it constantly. Maybe I will move on to Third/Sister lovers tomorrow. But I don't think they are the best band from the 70's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brianjeremy Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Maybe I will move on to Third/Sister lovers tomorrow. Good idea. I have never been able to get into it. It may have had something to do with when I bought it several years ago though - the music store clerk was commenting on how I made an excellent selection and he went on and on and on about how it was the greatest record of all-time. When anyone strokes something that much, I become very wary of their claims. Trust no one, right? Upon listening to it once or twice, it just wasn't that great to me and has essentially collected dust on the cd shelf since. I've been trying to reevaluate albums a lot lately that I had given up on. So Third is going into my bag for tomorrow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I just saw this clip on from 1971 that has footage of Big Star filmed by Chris Bell and Andy Hummel. Very interesting footage very inappropriately coupled with music from what is, for all intents and purposes, an Alex Chilton Solo effort... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Good idea. I have never been able to get into it. It may have had something to do with when I bought it several years ago though - the music store clerk was commenting on how I made an excellent selection and he went on and on and on about how it was the greatest record of all-time. When anyone strokes something that much, I become very wary of their claims. Trust no one, right? Upon listening to it once or twice, it just wasn't that great to me and has essentially collected dust on the cd shelf since. I've been trying to reevaluate albums a lot lately that I had given up on. So Third is going into my bag for tomorrow.I don't play that one as much as the first two records, but some days I swear it's the best thing they've ever put out. It's dark, uncompromising, eclectic and a bit of a mess; and those are just a few of the reasons why I love it. The best songs on it, Kangaroo, Thank You Friends, Jesus Christ, Stroke It Noel, Holocaust, are as good as anything they've ever put out, and the arrangements and production on the record are more nuanced and sophisticated than their previous work. Unlike the first two, this one is best listened to at night with a pair of headphones (which I'm actually doing right now.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Alan Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 But I don't think they are the best band from the 70's.I racked my brain and couldn't come up with a better one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Alan Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I don't play that one as much as the first two records, but some days I swear it's the best thing they've ever put out. It's dark, uncompromising, eclectic and a bit of a mess; and those are just a few of the reasons why I love it. The best songs on it, Kangaroo, Thank You Friends, Jesus Christ, Stroke It Noel, Holocaust, are as good as anything they've ever put out, and the arrangements and production on the record are more nuanced and sophisticated than their previous work. Unlike the first two, this one is best listened to at night with a pair of headphones (which I'm actually doing right now.) I'm with you. Sister Lovers very well could be their best effort for all the reasons you listed. The songs you noted are all great, as well as Kizza Me and their incredible cover of Femme Fatale. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I bought Third the semester that I transferred to a new school, as a senior.Needless to say, it was tough; I was lonely. I think I played "Nighttime" 10 times every day:"Get me out of hereGet me out of hereI hate it hereGet me out of here..." I found my place at the new school, but the album still reverberates with me. And I don't think that it's purely circumstantial. The record is by no means an easy listen, but when you finally GET it, it's one of the most rewarding listens there is. It's the sound of resignation... of a band falling apart. Of a man falling apart. And it's beautiful and sad and wholly imperfect. But it's those imperfections that make it so perfect. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Good idea. I have never been able to get into it. It may have had something to do with when I bought it several years ago though - the music store clerk was commenting on how I made an excellent selection and he went on and on and on about how it was the greatest record of all-time. When anyone strokes something that much, I become very wary of their claims. Trust no one, right? Upon listening to it once or twice, it just wasn't that great to me and has essentially collected dust on the cd shelf since. I've been trying to reevaluate albums a lot lately that I had given up on. So Third is going into my bag for tomorrow. I had almost the identical experience. It was only a few years ago that I took the time to listen to it in headphones and really pay attention and it really is an amazing album. Not really a drive to work and half pay attention type of album. It is a dark record, you have to be in the right mood for sure but give it another chance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 The songs you noted are all great, as well as Kizza Me and their incredible cover of Femme Fatale.Love those songs too. O, Dana is another good one. Other than a few of the bonus tracks at the end of the Rykodisc edition, everything on it is pretty essential to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 The Big Star records are great. Alex Chilton, rightly so, is the name most associated with the group. But Chris Bell's contribution on #1 Record is huge. Bell was supposedly fighting depression and/or a bad relationship, evidenced in emotionally strong songs like "Feel", "Don't Lie To Me" and "My Life is Right". Chilton was more sunny with songs like "The Ballad of El Goodo" and "Watch the Sunrise". Radio City is a great pop record. Bell was supposedly devestated that #1 Record received virtually no commercial success and left the band. He also supposedly didn't like that Chilton was starting to take control of the band. I've read that Bell and Chilton got together to write a couple tracks, but Radio City is mostly Chilton (and Jody Stephens). Regardless of all that, Chilton's got some amazing songs on here. I've always loved "Daisy Glaze". Third/Sister Lovers is perhaps my favorite. It's dark and quirkily brilliant for the most part, though "Blue Moon" is one of the prettiest songs ever recorded. "Kangaroo" is my favorite track. ALSO....anybody who likes any of the Big Star records MUST track down Chris Bell's I Am the Cosmos. Bell died in a car crash in 1978 after never releasing his solo recordings. His brother, many years later, helped get the songs released on a disc. A few rockers could have easily fit on #1 Record. And other songs like the title track, "Speed of Sound" and "You and Your Sister" are simply beautiful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 But I don't think they are the best band from the 70's. Well, yeah, because they aren't. I like Big Star a lot, but for starters: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I saw Big Star back in 1995, when they were touring with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow in place of Andy Hummel and Chris Bell. And, let me tell you , they KILLED! Auer and Stringfellow sang a couple of the Bell-penned tunes and just nailed it. I think that the version they did of "I Am the Cosmos" sent chills up and down the spines of everyone there that night. Also, to see them live, means that you are forced to appreciate what an amazing drummer Jody Stephens really is. The guy is a beast. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I saw Big Star back in 1995, when they were touring with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow in place of Andy Hummel and Chris Bell. And, let me tell you , they KILLED! Auer and Stringfellow sang a couple of the Bell-penned tunes and just nailed it. I think that the version they did of "I Am the Cosmos" sent chills up and down the spines of everyone there that night. Also, to see them live, means that you are forced to appreciate what an amazing drummer Jody Stephens really is. The guy is a beast.That's the same as my friends told me after they saw them in Memphis, in 1995 (or thereabouts). I saw them with the Flaming Lips a couple years ago, and unfortunately all the songs were slowed down and they seemed tired. Even Ken and Jon seemed bored. Maybe it was just an off night, but Alex Chilton and his solo band did a better show when I saw him in the '90s. Hopefully I'll get another chance to see Big Star, preferably in a music venue and not in a park. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Saw the Auer/Stringfellow lineup at Metro in Chicago in '98 or '99, and they were fantastic. I'm a huge Posies fan too, so that was a real treat for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brownie Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I saw Big Star back in 1995, when they were touring with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow in place of Andy Hummel and Chris Bell. And, let me tell you , they KILLED! Auer and Stringfellow sang a couple of the Bell-penned tunes and just nailed it. I think that the version they did of "I Am the Cosmos" sent chills up and down the spines of everyone there that night.I saw them around this time too, and agree that it was wonderful. I remember thinking at the time that if I didn't know better, I would have sworn that Chris Bell was up there on that stage during I Am the Cosmos. Spine-chilling indeed! I'm kind of giggling as I see everyone list 'the best' songs from Sister Lovers/Third - I think nearly every song has been mentioned now. *laughs* I was kind of cool towards that album when I first heard it and put it away for many years. When I came back to it, it was a revelation - I loved it, and couldn't understand why it hadn't moved me years before. Has anyone here heard In Space, the 'reformed' Big Star album? I avoided it for a long, long time, thinking it would be dreadful. I finally bought it a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised with it, although it doesn't really sound like Big Star - it sounds like Posies songs and Alex Chilton songs. I don't know if my enjoyment of it is because I had such low expectations for it, or because I am so used to hearing all kinds of crazy shit from Alex over the years that nothing from him surprises me. Some of Alex's solo music makes me laugh - in a good way! And there is a song on In Space that has that effect on me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Artifice Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 ALSO....anybody who likes any of the Big Star records MUST track down Chris Bell's I Am the Cosmos. Bell died in a car crash in 1978 after never releasing his solo recordings. His brother, many years later, helped get the songs released on a disc. A few rockers could have easily fit on #1 Record. And other songs like the title track, "Speed of Sound" and "You and Your Sister" are simply beautiful. Though I agree with everrything else you said, I just wanted to mention that I've been wearing this record out for the past 2 weeks. First heard it about 7 years ago (?) and it's not aged one bit. those first few notes of speed of sound are amazing. I have put that song on so many mix CDs that it's shameful. That's the same as my friends told me after they saw them in Memphis, in 1995 (or thereabouts). I saw them with the Flaming Lips a couple years ago, and unfortunately all the songs were slowed down and they seemed tired. Even Ken and Jon seemed bored. Maybe it was just an off night, but Alex Chilton and his solo band did a better show when I saw him in the '90s. Hopefully I'll get another chance to see Big Star, preferably in a music venue and not in a park. Was this at Centennial Park in Atlanta? I was at that show. There were about 20-30 people actually paying attention to them. It was kinda sad. I was geeked though. Had never seen Chilton before. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 have tried for many, many years & never got the Big Star genius some ok stuff, occasional great songs, very uneven, honestly, not in the top 100 bands of the 1970s everybody says how great they are, but i don't know anybody who actually listens to Big Star (and don't get me started on the chris bell stuff) the Stones' body of work in the 1970s: 1971 ... Sticky Fingers1972 ... Exile on Main Street1973 ... Goats Head Soup1974 ... It's Only Rock 'n' Roll1976 ... Black and Blue1978 ... Some Girls Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 I love Big Star but would have to go with: Led Zeppelin III (1970)Led Zeppelin IV (1971)Houses of the Holy (1973)Physical Graffiti (1975)Presence (1976)In Through the Out Door (1979)or possibly: Atom Heart Mother (1970)Meddle (1971)Obscured by Clouds (1972)The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)Wish You Were Here (1975)Animals (1977)The Wall (1979) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Alan Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 have tried for many, many years & never got the Big Star genius some ok stuff, occasional great songs, very uneven, honestly, not in the top 100 bands of the 1970s everybody says how great they are, but i don't know anybody who actually listens to Big Star (and don't get me started on the chris bell stuff) the Stones' body of work in the 1970s: 1971 ... Sticky Fingers1972 ... Exile on Main Street1973 ... Goats Head Soup1974 ... It's Only Rock 'n' Roll1976 ... Black and Blue1978 ... Some GirlsIf you were allowed to only count those first two albums you'd have a case. but the other 4 really bring the stones down in the 70's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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