Big Star (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Big Star | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A. |
| Genre(s) | Rock and Roll Power pop |
| Years active | 1971-1974, 1993-present |
| Members | |
| Jon Auer Alex Chilton Jody Stephens Ken Stringfellow |
|
| Former members | |
| Chris Bell Andy Hummel John Lightman |
|
Big Star is an American rock and roll band founded in the early 1970s. Critic Jason Ankeny describes Big Star as "the quintessential American power pop band [and] one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll."[1]
Initially co-led by Chris Bell and Alex Chilton in 1971, Big Star's music was lyrical, powerful, at times melancholy pop for the post-1960s generation. Their approach not only recalled the British Invasion groups, but also the spare, relaxed style of Stax Records as well as the edgy rockabilly of early Sun Records. In an era of singer-songwriters, jam bands, and heavy-metal groups, they played melodic, concisely written pop songs -- and sold very few records. However, their reputation, negligible beyond a small coterie of admirers at the time they initially disbanded in 1974, steadily grew after their original break-up.
A new line-up of Big Star (still featuring orignal members Chilton and Jody Stephens) formed in 1993, and released a new studio album in 2005.
Contents |
[edit] Early history
Bell had previously worked on several of the songs in Big Star's early repertoire while in the groups Icewater and Rock City, whose personnel had also included Stephens, Terry Manning, Thomas Eubanks, Steve Rhea, Hummel, Vance Alexander, Richard Rosebrough, and eventually Chilton. Recordings from the late 1960s and early 1970s by these groups are included on the Rock City and Rockin' Memphis 1960s–1970s Vol. 1 albums released on Lucky Seven/Rounder Records in 2003.
Big Star was formed in 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee, by guitarist/vocalist Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel, and drummer Jody Stephens. Not long afterwards, guitarist/vocalist Alex Chilton, previously of The Box Tops, joined. All four at times contributed to the songwriting and lead vocals, with Chilton and Bell singing and writing the majority of the early songs as a team modeled after John Lennon and Paul McCartney's collaborative style. Chilton and Bell met at Memphis University School. Big Star's inspirations included The Beatles, The Byrds, The Kinks, The Zombies, Badfinger, The Who, Todd Rundgren, Moby Grape, The Beach Boys and Free.
Big Star were named after a Memphis supermarket, and did not receive their final name until recording sessions were underway for their debut, #1 Record. This album was recorded by Ardent Studios head John Fry, with assistance from Terry Manning, who contributed occasional backing vocals and keyboards. #1 Record, was released in 1972, but the band's Ardent Records label encountered problems with its Stax and Columbia Records distributors, resulting in poor sales.
Bell, struggling with severe depression and disappointed by the album's lack of commercial success, left the group in 1972 to pursue a solo career. Big Star soon disbanded for a brief period, but then reformed and released Radio City (1974), an album featuring two of Big Star's more famous songs, "September Gurls" and "Back of a Car." Although uncredited, Bell contributed to the writing of a few of the album's songs, including "O My Soul" and "Back of a Car," according to Fry (quoted by Clark, 1992) and Hummel (quoted by Jovanovic, 2004). In spite of critical acclaim, the album did not sell well; Hummel quit and was replaced by Jon Lightman for live concerts.
Chilton and Stephens recorded tracks with producer Jim Dickinson for a planned double album with an array of friends and guests including vocalist Lisa Aldridge, drummer Richard Rosebrough, Lee Baker of Mud Boy and the Neutrons, and Steve Cropper. Rosebrough had played on some of Chilton's post-Box Tops solo recordings in 1970 prior to Chilton's joining Big Star and also appeared on a couple of recordings on Radio City ("What's Goin' Ahn", "She's a Mover" and "Mod Lang," according to Stephens, quoted by Metz). After finishing the recordings, Big Star again disbanded in late 1974. The album was finally released four years later, on the PVC label, as Third. Third (retitled Third/Sister Lovers for its 1992 CD release), combined a confessional approach with a distinct pop sensibility that recalled a variety of influences from the Left Banke to the Velvet Underground.
Original guitarist Chris Bell was killed in an automobile accident shortly after the delayed release of Third in 1978.
[edit] Later history and reunion
Chilton and Stephens reunited in 1993 with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the American pop band The Posies taking the place of Bell and Hummel at the University of Missouri. For an encore, the band performed Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl," reflecting Chilton's marked interest in early rock and roll. This appearance was followed by tours of Europe and Japan, as well as an appearance on The Tonight Show.
Other retrospective Big Star releases include Columbia: Live at Missouri University 4/25/93, a recording of the first reunion show; Big Star Live, a 1974 radio broadcast from Long Island; and Nobody Can Dance, a recording of the last Big Star show as a trio, performed at Overton Park in Memphis.
Members of Big Star returned to Ardent Studios in early 2004 to work on a new album, called In Space. The album was released on September 27, 2005, on Rykodisc and featured songs cowritten by Chilton, Stephens, Auer, and Stringfellow,.
Big Star played a rare live show on October 20, 2007 at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium. San Francisco-based band Oranger, which includes Matt Harris of The Posies, performed as opening act.
On March 13, 2008, Big Star were confirmed to appear at Rhythm Festival in the UK.
Currently, the company Clearvision MPG is preparing a film on Big Star's history, based on Rob Jovanovic's book Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band.
[edit] Influence
In the 1980s, critics began to cite Big Star's albums as among the finer recordings of the previous decade, and an important link between the classic guitar-pop of the '60s and the new-wave and alternative rock sounds of the '80s. Three of Big Star’s albums, Radio City, #1 Record, and Third/Sister Loversare included in Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. Many alternative bands and artists of the '80s and '90s, including R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements, Primal Scream, the Posies, Bill Lloyd and the dB's, cited Big Star as a major influence. Big Star's influence on acts such as Game Theory, Matthew Sweet, and Velvet Crush is unmistakable.[2]
The Bangles included a cover of "September Gurls", right down to a note for note guitar solo, on their 1985 album Different Light. This Mortal Coil recorded covers of "Holocaust" and "Kangaroo" on their album It'll End in Tears and Chris Bell's songs "I am the Cosmos" and "You and Your Sister" on the album Blood. Fellow 4AD artist His Name is Alive covers "Blue Moon" on their 1993 release, Mouth by Mouth. Singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley also performed a version of "Kangaroo" (seen on the posthumous album Mystery White Boy) at live concerts, though he and his band added a long "jam" at the end of the song.
Big Star was introduced to a new generation of fans when "In the Street" was selected as a representative song of the 1970s decade by the producers of the sitcom That '70s Show, who used it for the show's theme song in 1998. In 1999, Cheap Trick recorded a new version of the song, renamed "That '70s Song," for the show. "That '70s Song" and the original Big Star version of "September Gurls" were included in a 1999 album released by the television program's producers, That '70s Show Presents That '70s Album: Rockin'. Numerous other Big Star songs appear in various episodes of That '70s Show including "Thirteen" which is played in both the season six episode "The Seeker", and during Donna's flashback in one of the final scenes of the series finale.
Elliott Smith and Garbage both covered "Thirteen". Placebo covered "Holocaust" recently on their special edition version of Sleeping with Ghosts. Son Volt also recorded a cover of "Holocaust" that appears on their "Son Volt - A Retrospective 1995-2000" CD. The Lemonheads perform a cover of "I'm In Love With A Girl" in their live sets (Auckland gig - 26 March).
Australian rock band You Am I recorded a version of "In The Street" as a b-side on their "Cathy's Clown" single. The band has also covered "September Gurls" during live shows. In addition to this, it is commonly believed that You Am I's "#4 Record" is a direct reference to Big Star's "#1 Record".
In 2003, the band Yo La Tengo released a cover of "Take Care" on their album entitled, "Summer Sun".
Hans Vandenburg covers Big Star's "I'm In Love With A Girl" on his 1994 solo set, "Commercial Break".
At Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists)'s August 21, 2005 solo show at the Beachcomber, he performed a cover of "Nighttime."
In 2006 the song "I'm In Love With A Girl" appeared in a Heineken television commercial.
The long-anticipated Big Star, Small World, a tribute album, was released on May 23, 2006. The release includes covers by popular groups Gin Blossoms, Wilco, Afghan Whigs, Whiskeytown, and others.
In 2006, Okkervil River released a cover of "O, Dana" on their Australian Tour EP Overboard and Down.
The song "Thirteen" was featured on an episode of CBS's How I Met Your Mother, airing March 24, 2008. "Thirteen" was also featured on a episode of Gilmore Girls and was included on the show's soundtrack Our Little Corner of the World.
Singer-songwriter Trevor Menear [Shangri-La Music] recorded a live version and filmed a video of "Thirteen" at the Gibson Guitar showroom in Los Angeles on May 8, 2008.
[edit] Personnel
- Alex Chilton — guitars, vocals (1971-present)
- Jody Stephens — drums, vocals (1971-present)
- Chris Bell — guitars, vocals (1971-1972)
- Andy Hummel — bass, vocals (1971-1973)
- Jon Auer — guitar, vocals (1993-present)
- Ken Stringfellow — bass, vocals (1993-present)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Big Star albums
- #1 Record (Ardent/Stax, 1972)
- Radio City (Ardent/Stax, 1974)
- Third/Sister Lovers (PVC, 1978)
- Live (Rykodisc, 1992)
- Nobody Can Dance (Norton, 1999)
- Columbia: Live at Missouri University (Zoo/Volcano, 1993)
- In Space (Rykodisc, 2005)
[edit] Tribute albums
- Not the Singer but the Songs (Munster Records, 1991)
- A Tribute to Big Star (Lunasea, 2001)
- Big Star, Small World (Koch, 2006)
[edit] References
- ^ allmusic ((( Big Star > Biography )))
- ^ Harrington, Joe S. Sonic Cool: The Life and Death of Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard (2002), p. 337-38. ISBN 0-634-02861-8.
- Ankeny, Jason. "Big Star Biography." Accessed Apr. 28, 2005.
- Auer, Jon (April 11, 2005). "New Posies and Big Star release...?" Big Star Book. Accessed Apr. 28, 2005.
- Boldman, Gina. "That '70s Show Presents That '70s Album: Rockin' review." Allmusic.com. Accessed Jun. 20, 2005.
- "Box Tops Biographies." Box Tops Official website. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
- Clark, Rick (1992). "Liner notes." Big Star: #1 Record/Radio City double CD. Memphis: Ardent Records.
- Gordon, Robert (1995). It Came From Memphis. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-1045-9.
- Gross, Jason (July 2001). "Big Star — Andy Hummel." Perfect Sound Forever. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
- "The Jokers." Box Tops Official website. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
- Jovanovic, Rob (2004). Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 0-00-714908-5.
- "The Jynx." Box Tops official website. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
- Manning, Terry (2003). "Liner notes." Rock City. Nassau: Lucky Seven Records.
- Metz, Adam. Jody Stephens interview. Accessed Jan. 29, 2006.
- Ritchie, Paul (April 1996). "Alex Chilton: Live in Glasgow." Ready Steady Go! Accessed May 12, 2005.
- Ritchie, Paul (August 5, 1998). "Teenage Fanclub." Ready Steady Go!. Accessed May 12, 2005.
- "Rock City and Rockin' Memphis album descriptions." Lucky Seven Records website. Accessed Jun. 30, 2005.
- Rosen, Craig (August 16, 1999). "Cheap Trick Does Big Star For 'That '70s Show.'" Cheap Trick News on Yahoo! Music. Accessed May 12, 2005.
- Stern, Theresa (December 22, 1996). "Interview: Jody Stephens." Perfect Sound Forever. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
- Confirmed for Rhythm Festival http://www.rhythmfestival.net/
[edit] External links
- Big Star Ardent Records Discography
- Big Star Page at Harmonē
- Big Star Reference Pages
- The Official Big Star Homepage
- The Unofficial Big Star Homepage
- Judith Beeman's Back of a Car Big Star zine site
- Jeff the Joker's Alex Chilton, Big Star & the Box Tops: Interviews & Reviews
- Website of the studio which is preparing a movie on Big Star
- Big Star guitar tabs
