Big Star (band): Difference between revisions
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'''Big Star''' were a legendary [[Power Pop]] band famous for their complete failure to gain massive success but being embraced by the indie scene and remaining a significant influence on [[Alternative Rock]].
The band's classic lineup was as follows:
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Big Star were formed in 1971, when Chilton (former lead singer for '60s blue-eyed soul group The Box Tops) joined Bell, Hummel and Stephens' band Icewater. They took the name "Big Star" from a local Memphis grocery store, and were quickly snatched up by Ardent Records, a subdivision of famous soul/R&B label Stax Records. Stax had hit a bad spell and its future was uncertain, so they thought Ardent and Big Star would become successful and manage to stave off its decline.
The band's first album, the humorously-titled ''#1 Record'', was quickly recorded at Ardent Studios with label founder John Fry as [[Record Producer|producer]] and released in 1972. While it did obtain widespread acclaim, Stax's financial difficulties translated into an inability to get the album into stores, torpedoing the goal that the title playfully alluded to. The album itself proved to be a landmark in the establishment of [[Power Pop]] thanks to its catchy [[The Beatles (
With ''#1 Record'' bombing in stores thanks to Stax's horrendous distribution, [[Creative Differences|tension and fights erupted between bandmates]], to the point that Bell left the band towards the end of 1972. Chilton, Hummel and Stephens carried on as Big Star and recorded another album with Fry once again in the producer's chair, ''Radio City''. In contrast to the polished production of ''#1'', ''City'' had a more chaotic edge to it, drawing more on The Who than The Beatles and with more [[Word Salad Lyrics]]. ''City'' bombed just as hard in stores due to a dispute between Stax and its distributor Columbia Records, but still produced at least one classic power pop song, "September Gurls" (later covered by many including [[The Bangles]]).
Tired of the lack of success, Hummel left the band after ''City'''s release, choosing to finish his final year at college instead. Undaunted, Chilton and Stephens re-entered the studio with new [[Record Producer]] Jim Dickinson and several session musicians. Plenty of material resulted from the sessions, but record label interest was not forthcoming. Big Star finally broke up in late 1974, and their third album ''Third/Sister Lovers'' was finally released in 1978, and later re-released by Rykodisc in 1992 with [[Limited Special Collectors' Ultimate Edition|additional tracks]]. [[Adaptation Expansion|The 1992 edition has basically supplanted the earlier version]].
''Third'' served to only amplify the messy sprawl of ''City'', with its material taking a much [[Darker and Edgier|bleaker and more desperate tone]], reflecting Chilton's dissatisfaction with years of being fucked around by incompetent record companies. ''Third'''s critically acclaimed material largely alternated between chaotic, rough power pop and bleak, haunted ballads, but it still managed to provide a few more songs judged as "classics", such as the depressing ballads "Big Black Car", "Kangaroo" and "Holocaust" and the oddball Christmas-themed power pop "Jesus Christ", which became a mainstay on college radio stations every December.
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'''Notice''': If you're trying to use the standalone [[Big Star]] markup to refer to this band, don't. It's already in use to refer to a South Korean animation studio.
{{discography}}
* ''#1 Record'' (1972)
* ''Radio City'' (1974)
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{{creatortropes}}
* [[Adaptation Expansion]]: Arguably comparing the 1992 and 1978 versions of ''Third/Sister Lovers''.
* [[A Day in
* [[Auto Erotica]]: "Back of a Car"
* [[Ballad of X]]: "The Ballad of El Goodo"
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* [[Gender Blender Name]]: Jody Stephens is a guy.
* [[I Am the Band]]: ''Third'' is essentially an Alex Chilton solo album except for Jody Stephens' "For You".
* [[Intercourse
* [[Lyrical Dissonance]]: Melodic, jangly songs about despair.
* [[New Sound Album]]: ''Third/Sister Lovers'' sounded more like ''Odessey and Oracle''-era Zombies than [[The Who]].
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* [[Old Shame]]: Alex Chilton seemed to regard Big Star as this, refusing to perform the band's songs at most of his solo gigs and not seeming enthusiastic when he did play with the reunited band.
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: "Holocaust".
* [[Revival
* [[Rockumentary]]: The forthcoming ''Nothing Can Hurt Me: The Big Star Story''. See [https://web.archive.org/web/20120126042118/http://www.bigstarstory.com/main_index.html here] for info.
* [[Saved From Development Hell]]: ''Third/Sister Lovers''.
* [[Screwed
* [[Shout
** And in reverse, [[Katy Perry]]'s manager is a huge fan of the band and asked her to name her song "California Gurls" as a tribute after Alex died. We promise this is the last time we'll say "Big Star" and "Katy Perry" in the same sentence.
** The count-off that starts "She's a Mover" is reminiscent of [[The Beatles (
* [[Step Up to
* [[Throw It In]]: "Don't Lie to Me" and "She's a Mover" both start with [[Studio Chatter]].
* [[Vocal Tag Team]]: Chilton and Bell, on ''#1 Record''.
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