Rock & Roll Girl- The Beat
Daisy Glaze- Big Star
Mirage- Tommy James & The Shondells
A Fistful Of Dollars- The Crystalites
Every Day As We Grow Closer- Alex Chilton
Spoonman- Soundgarden
Mississippi Honeymoon- David Yazbek
Rock & Roll Girl- The Beat
(Someone mentioned last week how they thought the Paul Collins' Beat record was
one of the great rock and roll debuts. You'll get no argument from me.)
Daisy Glaze- Big Star
(Last weekend, a friend and I discussed Big Star at length. The band
somehow eluded him all these years and he took a deep dive into the music after reading
Holly George Warren's book on Alex Chilton.
"So are you a fan," he
asked. I said, "I love the first two records and Chris Bell's solo
record. The third record not so much." But then, I offered this, "As
much as I do love the first two records, I really think there is a
disparity between how great the records are and the godlike status of
the band." I was surprised when he said, "Oh I totally get the godlike status," after not knowing any of the music until recently. That being said, am I the only one who thinks that just maybe the praise and enthusiasm over Big Star is a tad over the top? And again, I stress, I love Big Star. But no one talks about the Raspberries like this, or any band actually, the way they praise Big Star. For the record, I don't think Kurt Cobain or Jeff Buckley were geniuses either. Oh, and my friend didn't love "Daisy Glaze," which I do.)
Mirage- Tommy James & The Shondells
(This will always remind me of Vivian Barone. If you knew Vivian Barone, maybe it would remind you of her, too.)
A Fistful Of Dollars- The Crystalites
(Gotta sneak in at least one reggae track this week.)
Every Day As We Grow Closer- Alex Chilton
(My friend also loved Chilton's "1970" record. This track is a stand out for me.)
Spoonman- Soundgarden
(I loved "Badmotorfinger" so much, the follow-up "Superunknown" felt like a disappointment. Now, I think it's the better record.)
Mississippi Honeymoon- David Yazbek
(Here's my old pal David Yazbek and a track from his solo debut, "The Laughing Man." This song is produced by Andy Partridge and features Andy on guitars and backing vocals, by the way.
17 comments:
Absolutely agree about Big Star. I'm glad they existed, I like the records I've heard, but I've never connected with their elevation to rock God-like status.
Another vote for the good but not GREAT status of Big Star. How did they gain such mythic status? Honestly, I listen to the Box Tops more frequently and with more enjoyment. And as power pop goes, Raspberries top Big Star hands down.
By the way, I made a playlist of the original versions of the songs on the new Raspberries tribute. It’s gonna be hard for the tribute to improve on the originals.
My ears like Big Star more, with or without godlike status.
I came across Big Star via mentions about them by R.E.M. in interviews, by meeting Marty Willson-Piper who was a fan, and via This Mortal Coil’s cover versions. I started with the 3rd album, Rykodisc’s “Sister Lovers” version, then got a twofer of the first two. These CDs get regular and equal play.
Alex Chilton and Chris Bell solo have some good songs, but nothing as good as Big Star.
I have never cottoned to The Raspberries or The Shoes, two bands that often get raved about. They lack any kind of edge.
- Paul in DK
I never got the Shoes. Actually, there is more power pop I don't like than do. But I have to respectfully disagree about the Raspberries lacking any kind of edge.
Oh god, I'd forgotten how great that Tommy James song is. And the Raspberries had no edge? One word -- "Tonight." 😎
BTW, I saw the three piece version of Big Star at Max's Kansas City when they were touring the second album (Max's sat barely two hundred people; I was in the third row). All I'm gonna say is that when they into "September Gurls" I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. 😎
Big Star loom so large for me but it's the whole Alex Chilton package that puts it over the top - Box Tops, all the great albums of covers he did, the little combo shows he did in New Orleans every couple of months when I lived in New Orleans pre-Katrina. Also the way he sings the Great American songbook, the Carmaig DeForest album he produced, and the Ray Davies stuff after Ray was shot. What an artist!
Aah, Vivian Barone (sigh). More importantly, "Mirage" is a gem.
And yes, Big Star are way overrated IMHO.
I like the Big Star I know, which isn't the whole catalog, but what I know (and like) hasn't compelled me to look further. I like the Boxtops, too, but don't find them compelling enough to go further than the greatest hits. Chilton solo has never grabbed me, tho I love love love his version of Take It Off. So, yeah, no genius designation from me. I'd reserve that for very very few, and off the top of my head Chuck Berry, Dylan, Brian Wilson, Zappa (of whom I'm not a fan), Paul, and probably John hit that benchmark. Subgenii would include Cobain and Westerberg (again, off the top of my head). I can't speak to others who're considered genii, like Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder or Todd Rundgren, since they're out of my wheelhouse.
C in California
I don't really like the word "genius". I think we should save that word for people who utterly change the world through their art or some innovation. Mozart, Shakespeare, etc. I think Louis Armstrong qualifies. The Beatles as a collective qualify. We may have a few more examples from the 20th century. Etc. BUT- I think Big Star are actually great. They are not geniuses. But I do think they have a bit of that Beatles magic stardust on them somehow. I FEEL something when I hear them that I don't when I hear the Raspberries or some of the other bands in question. But that's of course my personal taste. I don't think you can make a case for them being one of the all time top-tier bands in terms of innovation, but there was a magic to them. At least for me.
I was introduced to Big Star the same as Anon above, via covers. There's a darkness to Big Star that wasn't there with Raspberries, who probably never thought of putting a Wm Eggleston photo of kama sutra poses in a bordello on their album cover. I do watch the Big Star tribute concert doc, Thank You Friends, on Tubi at least once or twice a year.
There was a time, back in the 80s when the Big Star albums were long out of print, when rock critics LOVED to name drop them -- because they could say whatever they liked about them, secure in the knowledge that most of their Gen X readers had never heard them. At best, a hardcore music geek might have heard an nth generation cassette dub. (It was the same for the Velvet Underground before THEIR albums were reissued, which was a couple of years before Big Star's were -- name-dropping the VU was how you showed how cool you were.) That's when Big Star developed their genius reputation, so when I saw the 2-fer reissue of Radio City and Number 1 Record I grabbed it immediately. Do they live up to the hype? Eh, maybe not. But they're good albums, and September Gurls is an absolute gem.
--Marc
My introduction to Big Star was also the 2-fer reissue. It is right up there with "Forever Changes" as music I regret not being exposed to much much earlier as I missed out on enjoying it for decades more. Third/Sister Lovers, though, leaves me cold.
Rock & Roll Girl - The Beat - not even the best song on the energetic and melodic debut. I don’t think the album is varied enough to be a "great" debut. That didn't stop me from having lots of fun and dancin' to their stuff at various club dates. Favorite club gig was at the Cuckoo's Nest in Costa Mesa. Jack Lee opened and joined Paul for a few. The Beat also opened for the Jam at Santa Monica Civic. Great show in my memory but no tape to back it up due to a malfunction. They also opened for the Babys at the same venue and blew them off the stage.
Daisy Glaze - Big Star - Though likely unintended, the top three songs on the SOTW list tie in thematically. They are all about unattainable women. Of the three tracks, Daisy Glaze stands out. It's darker and downright desperate. More roughhewn, ragged, raw and organic. It foreshadows Big Star's 3rd. It’s one of my favorites of theirs.
Comparing the Raspberries to Big Star isn’t really valid. Big Star is much more than a power pop band, resoundingly proven by their third effort. Regardless, the Raspberries are the well-oiled machine, better rehearsed, flawless live. Even their edge and spontaneity are programmed in. And I don’t mean that as a putdown. They’re penetration with a lot of Astroglide. And that’s a lot of fun. On the other hand, Big Star doesn’t use a rubber. They sneak in your bedroom, seduce you, and soon have you whispering, “Make it fit, baby. Make it fit.”
Though not for everyone, I think Big Star’s 3rd is an unintentional masterpiece. It’s where the meat is. It’s the meal. I don’t think you can fully understand the band unless you completely absorb this album. You gotta go under. Deep. Until you’re baptized in its watery fire. I prefer the song order on the 1978 PVC release.
Mirage – Tommy James & the Shondells - Tommy’s “I Think We’re Alone Now,” broke on the West Coast two months after most of the rest of the country. Because of this, in southern California “Mirage,” was competing with ITWAN which was a Number 1 hit. “Mirage,” never made it out of the Top 20 down here. Still a decent hit even if it is ITWAN played backwards. Love the cheezy sound of the Clavioline, or Ondioline, whatever it is. Add what sounds like whip cracks and the illusion generating harp and you’ve got something to both cherish and goof on. Outstanding bubblegum courtesy the mob.
Spoonman – Soundgarden – Superb song. Superb album, as is Bad Motorfinger. Peak period. During this time my tween kids and I were listening to a lot of the same stuff. The van was rocking with the likes of Soundgarden, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Tom Petty, Nirvana, the Subdudes, Cracker, Sublime, Offspring, Green Day, Gin Blossoms, etc. Good times.
VR
Jeez, that Yazbek song is compelling. I had to listen to it a bunch of times, there's so much going on. Evocative of Shadowfax, and African pop, and I dunno what. It's rare that I'm surprised, but boy this one grabbed me!
C in California
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