Big Star are one of those essential bands. Like the Beatles or the Stones, except not as well known, but just as good, or maybe even better. Number 1 Record or whatever you want to call it is a classic, no matter who you ask. And now they're doing a Neil Young and raiding their archives.
Keep an Eye on the Sky is a four disc boxset due for release on September 15th. It's filled with rarities and unreleased tunes. You can stream the previously unreleased 'Lovely Day' here:
http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=519760
Keep an Eye on the Sky:
All songs by Big Star unless otherwise noted
Disc 1
01 Chris Bell: "Psychedelic Stuff"
02 Icewater: "All I See Is You"
03 Alex Chilton: "Every Day as We Grow Closer" (Original Mix)
03 Rock City: "Try Again" (Early Version)
04 Rock City: "The Preacher"
05 Feel
06 The Ballad of El Goodo (Alternate Mix) *
07 In the Street
08 Thirteen (Alternate Mix) *
09 Don't Lie to Me
10 The India Song
11 When My Baby's Beside Me (Alternate Mix) *
12 My Life Is Right (Alternate Mix) *
13 Give Me Another Chance (Alternate Mix) *
14 Try Again
15 Chris Bell: "Gone With the Light" *
16 Watch the Sunrise
17 ST 100/6 (Alternate Mix) *
18 In the Street (Second Recorded Version)
19 Feel (Early Mix) *
20 The Ballad of El Goodo (Alternate Lyrics)
21 The India Song (Alternate Version) *
22 Country Morn
23 I Got Kinda Lost (Demo)
24 Motel Blues (Demo) *
Disc 2
01 There Was a Light (Demo) *
02 Life Is White (Demo) *
03 What's Going Ahn (Demo) *
04 O My Soul
05 Life Is White
06 Way Out West (Alternate Mix) *
07 What's Going Ahn
08 You Get What You Deserve (Alternate Mix) *
09 Mod Lang (Alternate Mix)
10 Back of a Car (Alternate Mix) *
11 Daisy Glaze
12 She's A Mover
13 September Gurls
14 Morpha Too (Alternate Mix) *
15 I'm in Love With a Girl
16 O My Soul (Alternate Version) *
17 Back of a Car (Demo)
18 Daisy Glaze (Alternate Take) *
19 She's a Mover (Alternate Version)
20 Chris Bell: "I Am the Cosmos"
21 Chris Bell: "You and Your Sister"
22 Alex Chilton: "Blue Moon" (Demo) *
23 Alex Chilton: "Femme Fatale" (Demo) *
24 Alex Chilton: Thank You Friends" (Demo) *
25 Alex Chilton: "You Get What You Deserve" (Demo) *
Disc 3
01 Alex Chilton: "Lovely Day (aka Stroke It Noel)" (Demo)
02 Alex Chilton: "Downs" (Demo)
03 Alex Chilton: "Nightime" (Demo) *
04 Alex Chilton: "Jesus Christ" (Demo) *
05 Alex Chilton: "Holocaust" (Demo) *
06 Alex Chilton: "Take Care" (Demo) *
07 Alex Chilton: "Big Black Car" (Alternate Demo) *
08 Manana *
09 Jesus Christ
10 Femme Fatale
11 O, Dana
12 Kizza Me
14 You Can't Have Me
15 Nightime
16 Dream Lover
17 Blue Moon
18 Take Care
19 Stroke It Noel
20 For You
21 Downs
22 Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
23 Big Black Car
24 Holocaust
25 Kanga Roo
26 Thank You Friends
27 Till The End of the Day
28 Lovely Day *
29 Nature Boy
Disc 4 (Live at Lafayette's Music Room, Memphis, TN)
01 When My Baby's Beside Me *
02 My Life Is Right *
03 She's a Mover *
04 Way Out West *
05 The Ballad of El Goodo *
06 In the Street *
07 Back of a Car *
08 Thirteen *
09 The India Song *
10 Try Again *
11 Watch the Sunrise *
12 Don't Lie to Me *
13 Hot Burrito #2 *
14 I Got Kinda Lost *
15 Baby Strange *
16 Slut *
17 There Was a Light *
18 ST 100/6 *
19 Come On Now *
20 O My Soul *
* previously unreleased
Posts
2 comments:
Sorry man, I like Big Star quite a bit, but I just cannot see even beginning to put them with The Beatles or Stones, let alone "better" than those two bands. Those two truly changed the landscape, esp The Beatles, of popular music. And The Stones were the greatest pure rock band in the world for a good while. Big Star didn't rock hard enough, were too soft and doe-eyed too often, and were even quite annoying at times (Don't Lie To Me). And "Holocaust"? Well, if you know what a true holocaust is, then it makes that title and last line look really lame.
Maybe better than THE RASPBERRIES (who I always thought of as a less-edgier version of Big Star) but not The Beatles or Stones. They just didn't exist long enough to make that case.
Post a Comment