Misplaced Pages

Big Star: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 19:44, 21 October 2005 editHerostratus (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, File movers, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers53,228 editsm updated to note release of new album← Previous edit Latest revision as of 17:11, 18 December 2024 edit undoDed Meem (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users7,467 edits Some small wording changesTags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American rock band}}
'''Big Star''' was an American ] band of the early ] whose work is often cited as a prime example of ]. Drawing upon pop music traditions — especially ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] — Big Star's music was lyrical, powerful, and at times melancholic pop for the post-] generation. Their approach not only recalled the British Invasion groups but the spare, relaxed style of ], the Memphis soul label, as well as the edgy rockabilly of early Sun Records. In an era of singer-songwriters and heavy-metal groups, they played melodic, concisely written songs. Their reputation, negligible in ], has steadily grown, and they are today considered one of pop's classic groups.
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Big Star
| image = Big Star at Hyde Park 7.jpg
| landscape = yes
| caption = ] (left) and ] (right) performing in ], London, England in 2009
| alt = Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens of Big Star perform on stage.
| image_size = 260px
| origin = {{nowrap|], U.S.}}
| genre = {{flatlist|
* ]<ref name="Ankeny" />
* ]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=294 |title=Robert Christgau: Big Star: Columbia: Live at Missouri University 4/25/93 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |work=robertchristgau.com |accessdate=20 November 2024}}</ref>
* ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uZFqiGmZIPAC&pg=PT99|title=Blue Light Special|work=SPIN|date=December 7, 1992|publisher=SPIN Media LLC|via=Google Books}}</ref>
* ]<ref name="Bogdanov" />
}}
| years_active = {{flatlist|
* 1971–1975
* 1993–2010
}}
| label = {{flatlist|
* ]/]
* ]
}}
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members = * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* John Lightman
* ]
* ]
}}
'''Big Star''' was an American ] band formed in ], Tennessee in 1971 by ] (vocals, guitar), ] (vocals, guitar), ] (drums), and ] (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American ] band", and "one of the most mythic and influential ] in all of rock & roll".<ref name="Ankeny" /> In its first era, the band's musical style drew influence from 1960s acts such as ] and ], pioneering a style that foreshadowed the ] of the 1980s and 1990s. Before they broke up, Big Star created a "seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations" according to '']''.<ref name="BigStarBio" /> Three of Big Star's studio albums are included in ''Rolling Stone''<nowiki/>'s lists of the "]".


Big Star's debut album, 1972's '']'', was met with enthusiastic reviews, but ineffective marketing by ] and limited distribution stunted its commercial success. Frustration took its toll on band relations: Bell left not long after the first record's commercial progress stalled, and Hummel left to finish his college education after a second album, '']'', was completed in December 1973. Like ''#1&nbsp;Record'', ''Radio City'' received critical acclaim upon release,<ref name="Still2014" /> but label issues again thwarted sales—], which had assumed control of the Stax catalog, likewise effectively vetoed its distribution.
==Early history==


After a third album, recorded in the fall of 1974, was deemed commercially unviable and shelved before receiving a title, the band broke up late in 1974. Four years later, the first two Big Star LPs were released together in the UK as a double album. The band's third album was finally issued soon afterward; titled '']'', it found limited commercial success, but has since become a cult classic. Shortly thereafter, Chris Bell was killed in a car accident ]. During the group's hiatus in the 1980s, the Big Star discography drew renewed attention when ] and ], as well as other popular bands, cited the group as an influence. In 1992, interest was further stimulated by ]'s ]s of the band's albums, complemented by a collection of Bell's solo work.<ref name="Borack" />{{rp|13}}
Big Star was formed in ] in ], by guitarist/vocalist ], bassist Andy Hummel, drummer Jody Stephens, and guitarist/vocalist ]. 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 modelled after Lennon and McCartney's collaborative style.


In 1993, Chilton and Stephens reformed Big Star with recruits ] and ] of ], and played a concert at the ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|253}} The band remained active, performing tours in Europe and Japan,<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|253–260}} and released a new studio album, '']'', in 2005. Chilton died in March 2010 after suffering from heart problems, with Hummel dying of cancer four months later.<ref name="chiltondeath" /><ref name="hummeldeath" /> These deaths left Stephens as the sole surviving founding member. Big Star was inducted into the ] in 2014. Since December 2010, several surviving members have appeared in a series of live tribute performances of the album '']'', under the billing "Big Star's ''Third''".<ref name="VillageVoice2011" /><ref name="Guardian2012" /> {{As of|2017}}, that project has remained active.<ref name="BigStarThird2017" />
Bell had previously worked on a couple 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 1960's&ndash;1970's Vol. 1'' albums released on Lucky Seven/Rounder Records in ].


==First era: 1971–1974==
The Big Star group, named after a local Memphis grocery store, did not receive its final name until recording sessions by the lineup that included former ] lead singer Alex Chilton were underway for Big Star's first album, ''#1 Record''. This album was recorded by ] head John Fry, with assistance from Terry Manning, who contributed occasional backing vocals and keyboards. ''#1 Record'', was released in ], but the band's ] label encountered problems with its ] and ] distributors, resulting in poor sales.] was taken by American color photographer William Eggleston'']]


===Formation of the band===
Bell, struggling with severe depression and disappointed by the album's lack of commercial success, left the group in 1972 for a solo career. Big Star soon disbanded for a brief period, but then reformed and released '']'' (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, ]) and Hummel (quoted by Jovanovic, ]). ''Radio City'''s original album cover was a color photograph, "The Red Ceiling," by noted photographer ]. In spite of critical acclaim, the album did not sell well; Hummel quit and was replaced by ] for live concerts.
From 1967 to 1970, Chilton was the lead singer for the ] group ], who scored a No.&nbsp;1 hit with the song "]" when he was 16. After leaving the group, he recorded a solo studio album.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|76–89}} He was offered the role of lead vocalist for ], but turned down the offer as "too commercial".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|76–89}} Chilton had known ] for some time: Both lived in Memphis, each had spent time recording music at ],<ref name="Creswell2006" /> and each, when aged 13, had been impressed by the music of ] during ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|6–13, 27–30}} A song Chilton wrote nearly six years after he first witnessed a Beatles performance, "]", referred to the event with the line "rock 'n' roll is here to stay".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|92}}


Chilton asked Bell to work with him as a duo modeled on ]; Bell declined, but invited Chilton to a performance by his own band, Icewater,<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|76–89}} comprising Bell, drummer Jody Stephens, and bassist Andy Hummel. Attracted by Icewater's music, Chilton showed the three his new song "Watch the Sunrise", and was asked to join the band.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|76–89}} Both "Watch the Sunrise" and "Thirteen" were subsequently included on Big Star's first album, '']''.
Chilton and Stephens recorded tracks with producer ] for a planned double album with an array of friends and guests including vocalist Lisa Aldridge, drummer Richard Rosebrough, Lee Baker of ], and ]. 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'', including "Mod Lang," according to an interview with Hummel in ''Perfect Sound Forever''. After finishing the recordings, Big Star again disbanded in late ]. The album was finally released four years later, on the PVC label, as ''Third.'' ''Third'' (retitled '']'' for its ] CD release), combined a confessional approach with a distinct pop sensibility that recalled a variety of influences from the ] to the ].


The now four-piece band adopted the name Big Star when one member was given the idea from a grocery store often visited for snacks during recording sessions.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|94, 101}} One of many ] outlets in the Memphis region at the time, it had a logo consisting of a five-pointed star enclosing the words "Big Star"; as well as the store's name, the band used its logo but without the word "Star" to avoid infringing copyright.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|94, 101}}
In the 1980s, critics began to cite Big Star's albums as among the finer recordings of the prior decade, and an important link between the classic guitar-pop of the '60s and the new-wave and alternative rock sounds of the '80s. Many alternative bands and artists of the '80s and '90s, including ], ], ], ], Bill Lloyd and ], cited Big Star as a major influence. ] included a cover of "September Gurls" on their 1985 album ''Different Light'' and, most recently, ] has shown a strong ''Sister Lovers'' influence, especially in the album ''A Ghost Is Born''.


===''#1 Record''===
==Later history and reunion==
{{Main|Number 1 Record|l1=#1 Record}}
Although all four members contributed to songwriting and vocals on the first album, Chilton and Bell dominated as a duo intentionally modeled on ] and ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|99–100}}<ref name="Bogdanov" /> The album was recorded by Ardent founder ], with ] contributing occasional backing vocals and keyboards. The title ''#1&nbsp;Record'' was decided towards the end of the recording sessions and evinced, albeit as a playful hope rather than a serious expectation, the chart position to be achieved by a big star.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|99–100}} Although Fry—at the band's insistence—was credited as "executive producer", publicly he insisted that "the band themselves really produced these records".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|99–100}} Fry recalled how Ardent, one of the first recording studios to use a sixteen-track tape machine, worked experimentally with the band members: "We started recording the songs with the intent that if it turned out OK we'd put it out I wound up being the one that primarily worked on it: I recorded all the tracks and then they would often come late at night and do overdubs. One by one, they all learned enough engineering."<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|76–89}}


{{Listen|filename=The Ballad of el Goodo (Big Star song - sample).ogg|title="The Ballad of El Goodo"|description=Sample of "The Ballad of El Goodo" from ''#1&nbsp;Record'' (1972). The song is an example of a "luminous, melancholy ballad", contrasting with the rock and power pop in ''Radio City''.}}
Chilton and Stephens reunited in ] with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the American pop band The Posies taking the place of Bell (who had died in a car crash in 1978) and Hummel (who had left music for an engineering career) at the ]. For an encore, the band performed ]'s "Duke of Earl," reflecting Chilton's marked, post-Big Star interest in early rock and roll. This appearance was followed by tours of Europe and Japan, as well as an appearance on ''].'' Other 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, performed at Overton Park in Memphis.
Describing the mix of musical styles present on ''#1 Record'', '']''{{'}}s Bud Scoppa notes that the album includes "reflective and acoustic" numbers, saying that "even the prettiest tunes have tension and subtle energy to them, and the rockers reverberate with power". Scoppa finds that in each mode, "the guitar sound is sharp-edged and full".<ref name="RS-Miles2003" /> ''#1&nbsp;Record'' was released in June 1972,<ref name="Jovanovic2013" />{{rp|115}} and quickly received strong reviews. '']'' went as far as to say, "Every cut could be a single". ''Rolling Stone'' judged the album "exceptionally good", while '']'' stated, "This album is one of those red-letter days when everything falls together as a total sound", and called it "an important record that should go to the top with proper handling".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|107}}


Proper handling, however, was not forthcoming: ] proved unable to either promote or distribute the record with any degree of success, and even when the band's own efforts to get airplay generated interest, fans were unable to buy it as Stax could not make it available in many stores.<ref name="Simmonds2008" /> Stax, in an effort to improve its catalog's availability, signed a deal with ], already successful distributors in the U.S., making Columbia responsible for the entire Stax catalog. But Columbia had no interest in dealing with the independent distributors previously used by Stax and removed even the existing copies of ''#1 Record'' from the stores.<ref name="Segalsted2009" />
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 ] '']'', who used it for the show's theme song in ]. In ] ] 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'.''


===''Radio City''===
The reunited Big Star returned to Ardent Studios in early 2004 to work on 'Big Star In Space.' With songs cowritten by Chilton, Stephens, Auer, and Stringfellow, the new album was released in on September 27 ] on ].
{{Main|Radio City (album)|l1=Radio City}}
The frustration at ''#1 Record''{{'}}s obstructed sales contributed to tension within the band. There was physical fighting between members: Bell, after being punched in the face by Hummel, retaliated by smashing Hummel's new bass guitar to pieces against the wall.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|114–118}} Hummel took revenge at a later date: finding Bell's acoustic guitar in the latter's unattended car, he repeatedly punched it with a screwdriver.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|114–118}} In November 1972, Bell quit the band. When work continued on songs for a second album, Bell rejoined, but further conflict soon erupted. A master tape of the new songs inexplicably went missing, and Bell, whose heavy drug intake was affecting his judgment, attacked Fry's parked car.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|114–118}} In late 1972, struggling with severe depression, Bell quit the band once more, and by the end of the year Big Star disbanded.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|114–118}}

{{Listen|filename=September Gurls (Big Star song - sample).ogg|title="September Gurls"|description=Sample of "September Gurls" from ''Radio City'' (1974). Like ''#1&nbsp;Record'', the album contains a mix of rock, power pop, and acoustic reflection, but is more pop-oriented than either ''#1&nbsp;Record'' or ''Third''. This song is an example of the band's most highly acclaimed power pop.}}
After a few months Chilton, Stephens, and Hummel decided to reform Big Star, and the three resumed work on the second album.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|126–130}} The title chosen, ''Radio City'', continued the play on the theme of a big star's popularity and success, expressing what biographer Robert Gordon calls the band's "romantic expectation".<ref name="Gordon" />{{rp|234}} As Hummel put it:

{{Blockquote|This was probably pretty lame, but in those days putting any word in front of the noun "city" to sort of emphasize the totality and pervasiveness of it was just a way of talking people had. If someone suggested going to a store but you had gotten a bad deal there you might say, "Oh no, that place is 'rip off city'." Calling an LP ''Radio City'' would be kind of wishful thinking. I mean we hoped it would be played on the radio a lot, making it "radio city". Of course it didn't pan out that way...<ref name="Eaton" />}} Stephens recalled: "''Radio City'', for me, was just an amazing record. Being a three-piece really opened things up for me in terms of playing drums. Drums take on a different role in a three-piece band, so it was a lot of fun. ''Radio City'' was really more spontaneous, and the performances were pretty close to live performances."<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|126–130}}

Although uncredited, Bell contributed to the writing of some of the album's songs, including "O My Soul" and "Back of a Car".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|126–130}} Shortly before the album's release, Hummel left the band: judging that it would not last, and in his final year at college, he elected to concentrate on his studies and live a more normal life.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|138}} He was replaced by John Lightman for a short tenure prior to the band dissolving.

''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s Ken Barnes, describing the musical style of ''Radio City'', opens by noting as a backdrop that the band's debut, ''#1&nbsp;Record'', established them as "one of the leading new American bands working in the mid-Sixties pop and rock vein". ''Radio City'', Barnes finds, has "plenty of shimmering pop delights", although "the opening tune, 'O My Soul,' is a foreboding, sprawling funk affair"; Barnes concludes that "Sometimes they sound like the Byrds, sometimes like the early Who, but usually like their own indescribable selves".<ref name="RS-Miles2003" />

''Radio City'' was released in February 1974 and, like ''#1&nbsp;Record'', received excellent reviews. ''Record'' reported, "The sound is stimulating, the musicianship superb, and the result is tight and rollickingly rhythmic."<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|140}} ''Billboard'' judged it "a highly commercial set".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|140}} ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s Bud Scoppa, then with '']'', affirmed, "Alex Chilton has now emerged as a major talent, and he'll be heard from again".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|140}} ''Cashbox'' called it "a collection of excellent material that hopefully will break this deserving band in a big way".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|140}} But just as ''#1&nbsp;Record'' had fallen victim to poor marketing, so too did ''Radio City''. Columbia, now in complete control of the Stax catalog, refused to process it following a disagreement. Without a distributor, sales of ''Radio City'', though far greater than those of ''#1&nbsp;Record'', were minimal at only around 20,000 copies.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|140}}

===''Third/Sister Lovers''===
{{Main|Third/Sister Lovers}}
In September 1974, eight months after the release of ''Radio City'', Chilton and Stephens returned to Ardent Studios to work on a third album.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|150–160}} They were assisted by producer ] and an assortment of musicians (including drummer Richard Rosebrough) and Lesa Aldridge, Chilton's girlfriend, who contributed on vocals.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|150–160}} The sessions and mixing were completed in early 1975,<ref name="Strong" /> and 250 copies of the album were pressed with plain labels for promotional use.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|161–165}}

Parke Putterbaugh of ''Rolling Stone'' described ''Third/Sister Lovers'' as "extraordinary". It is, he wrote, "Chilton's untidy masterpiece. beautiful and disturbing"; "vehemently original"; of "haunting brilliance":
<blockquote>To listen to it is to be "plunged into a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Songs are drenched in strings and sweet sentiment one minute, starkly played and downcast the next. No pop song has ever bottomed out more than "Holocaust", an anguished plaint sung at a snail's pace over discordant slide-guitar fragments and moaning cello On the up side, there's the delicious pop minuet "Stroke It Noel", the anticipatory magic of "Nightime" ("Caught a glance in your eyes and fell through the skies," Chilton rhapsodizes) Big Star's baroque, guitar-driven pop reaches its apotheosis on songs like "Kizza Me", "Thank You Friends" and "O, Dana". Without question, ''Third'' is one of the most idiosyncratic, deeply felt and fully realized albums in the pop idiom.<ref name="RS-review1997" /></blockquote>

{{Listen|filename=Holocaust (Big Star song - sample).ogg|title="Holocaust"|description=Sample of "Holocaust" from ''Third/Sister Lovers'' (recorded 1974; released 1978). ''Third'' is quite unlike Big Star's first two albums, and "Holocaust" is an example of its slower, darker songs; "Alex Chilton at his haunting best".|filename2=Thank You Friends (Big Star song - sample).ogg|title2="Thank You Friends"|description2=Sample of "Thank You Friends" from ''Third/Sister Lovers'' (recorded 1974; released 1978). Although containing a number of slow, dark songs, the album also contains material with "the undeniable hooks of the earlier albums", which this song exemplifies.}}
Fry and Dickinson flew to New York with promotional copies and met employees of a number of record labels, but could not generate interest in the album.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|161–165}} When a similar promotion attempt failed in California, the album was shelved as it was considered not commercial enough for release.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|161–165}} Fry recalled, "We'd go in and play it and these guys would look at us like we were crazy".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|161–165}} In late 1974, before the album was even named, the band broke up, bringing Big Star's first era to its end.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|161–165}} Dickinson later said that he was "nailed for indulging Alex on Big Star ''Third'', but I think it is important that the artist is enabled to perform with integrity. What I did for Alex was literally remove the yoke of oppressive production that he had been under since the first time he ever uttered a word into a microphone, for good or ill."<ref name="Burgess2010" />

Since quitting the band in 1972, Bell had spent time in several different countries trying to develop his solo career.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|161–165}} In 1978, after his return to Memphis, the first two Big Star albums were released together in the U.K. as a double album, drawing enthusiastic reviews and interest from fans.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|205–207}} Soon afterward, Big Star's recognition grew further when, four years after its completion, the third album too was released in both the U.S. and the U.K.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|205–207}} By now, the hitherto untitled ''Third/Sister Lovers'' had become known by several unofficial names, including ''Third'' (reflecting its position in the discography), ''Beale Street Green'' (acknowledging the legendary site nearby, once a focal point for Memphis ] musicians), and ''Sister Lovers'' (because during the album's recording sessions, Chilton and Stephens were dating sisters Lesa and Holliday Aldridge).<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|148}}<ref name="Gordon" />{{rp|234}}

Not long after the release of ''Third/Sister Lovers'', Bell died in a car accident.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|211}} He apparently lost control of his car while driving alone and was killed when he struck a lamp post after hitting the curb a hundred feet before.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|211}} A blood test found that he was not drunk at the time, and no drugs were found on him other than a bottle of vitamins.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|211}} Bell is believed to have either fallen asleep at the wheel or become distracted.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|211}}

==Second era: 1993–2010==
Big Star reformed in 1993 with a new lineup when guitarist ] and bassist ] joined Chilton and Stephens. Auer and Stringfellow remained members of ], founded by the pair in 1986. Stringfellow was also known for his work with ] and ]. Hummel declined to participate.<ref name="RS-Hummel2010" /> First-era material dominated Big Star's performances, with the occasional addition of a song from the 2005 album '']''.

Stringfellow recalled that during the 1990s, "We were working out the set list and we went to this little cafe. Little did I know we'd be playing that set for the next ten years".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|253–260}} The resurrected band made its debut at the 1993 ] spring music festival.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|253}} A recording of the performance was issued on CD by Zoo Records as ''Columbia: Live at Missouri University''.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|253–260}} The concert was followed by tours of Europe and Japan,<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|253–260}} as well as an appearance on '']''.<ref name="BigStarBio" />

]|alt=The band's frontman, performing lead vocals at the microphone, plays guitar while he sings. His face communicates strong emotion, and his posture shows great concentration on his vocal delivery.]]

Big Star's first post-reunion studio recording was the song "Hot Thing", recorded in the mid-1990s for the Big Star tribute album '']''.<ref name="Metz1996" /> As with ], however, the tribute album was delayed for years due to its record company going under. Originally scheduled for a 1998 release on ], the album was eventually released in 2006 on ].<ref name="World" />

''In Space'' was released on September 27, 2005, on the ] label. Recorded during 2004, the album consisted of new material mostly co-written by Chilton, Stephens, Auer, and Stringfellow. Reviewing ''In Space'', ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s ] first pointed out that the context of the release was now "a world expecting that American ] ideal all over again" from a band that "achieved its power-pop perfection when no one else was looking."<ref name="Fricke-InSpace" /> In Fricke's estimation, this seemingly unrealistic expectation was met in part: "It's here – in the jangly longing and ice-wall harmonies of 'Lady Sweet'" — however, Fricke found that the successful songs were interleaved with "the eccentric R&B and demo-quality glam rock that have made Chilton's solo records a mixed blessing," and that "'A Whole New Thing' starts out like old ], then goes nowhere special."<ref name="Fricke-InSpace" /> Warming nevertheless to "the rough sunshine" of "Best Chance", Fricke concluded, "''In Space'' is no ''#1 Record'', but at its brightest, it is Big Star in every way."<ref name="Fricke-InSpace" />

The band appeared at San Francisco's ] on October 20, 2007, with ] as the opening act.<ref name="Ardent2007" /> Big Star performed at the 2008 ], staged from August 29–31 in ], U.K. On June 16, 2009, the ''#1&nbsp;Record''/''Radio City'' double album was reissued in remastered form.<ref name="Amz-RC" /> The same month, it was announced that a film of Big Star's history, based on Rob Jovanovic's book ''Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band'', was in pre-production.<ref name="Billboard" /> On July 1, 2009, Big Star performed at a concert in ], U.K.<ref name="Russo2009" /> On September 15, 2009, ] issued a four-CD box set containing 98 recordings made between 1968 and 1975. '']'' included live and demo versions of Big Star songs, solo work, and material from Bell's earlier bands Rock City and Icewater.<ref name="Billboard" /> On November 18, 2009, the band performed at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in New York City.<ref name="Fricke-No1" />

== Post-Chilton releases and tributes ==

=== Alex Chilton memorial shows ===
On March 17, 2010, Chilton suffered a fatal heart attack. He was pronounced dead on arrival at ] in New Orleans.<ref name="chiltondeath" /><ref name="Jovanovic2013" />{{rp|263}} Big Star had been scheduled to play at ] that same week. The remaining members, joined by special guests original bassist Andy Hummel, ], ], ] bassist ], and ], staged the concert as a tribute to him.<ref name="ChiTrib2010" />

{{anchor|Big Star's Third shows}}

=== "Big Star's ''Third''" shows ===
<!-- This Anchor tag serves to provide a permanent target for incoming section links. Please do not remove it, nor modify it, except to add another appropriate anchor. If you modify the section title, please anchor the old title. It is always best to anchor an old section header that has been changed so that links to it won't be broken. See ] for details. This template is {{subst:Anchor comment}} -->
Four months after Chilton's death, Hummel died of cancer on July 19, 2010. Asked about the band's plans after the death of Chilton and Hummel, Stephens told ''Billboard'', "It's music we all really love to play, and we love to play it together, so we're trying to figure out a way forward where we can keep doing it."<ref name="hummeldeath" /> In a ''Rolling Stone'' interview, Stephens said that the May 2010 tribute performance would be the group's final show as Big Star, although not his last show with Auer and Stringfellow, stating, "I can't see us going out as Big Star&nbsp;... But I would hate to compound the loss of Alex by saying,'That's it' for Ken and Jon, too. I can't imagine not playing with them. There's so much fun—but an emotional bond there too."<ref name="RS-Stephens" />

In December 2010, under the billing "Big Star's ''Third''", Stephens teamed with ], Stamey, and Mills, along with a string section, to perform a live tribute performance of Big Star's album '']'' in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.<ref name="VillageVoice2011" /> Joined by additional performers such as ], Big Star's ''Third'' was performed in a similar tribute concert in New York City on March 26, 2011,<ref name="VillageVoice2011" /> and at the ] in London on May 28, 2012.<ref name="Guardian2012" /> The project continued with concerts in Chicago and New York in 2013, a January 2014 concert in Sydney, Australia, and a series of U.S. shows that included Seattle's ] festival on August 31, 2014.<ref name="BigStarThird2014" /><ref name="BigStarThirdnews" /> In November 2014, Auer and Stringfellow rejoined Stephens, Easter, Stamey, and Mills for a free benefit performance in Athens, Georgia.<ref name="BigStarThirdnews" /> {{As of|2017}}, Big Star's ''Third'' were still performing.<ref name="BigStarThird2017" />

On April 21, 2017, ] released a Big Star's ''Third'' live concert documentary on two DVDs, along with a three-CD live album, both titled ''Thank You, Friends: Big Star's ''Third'' Live... and More''.<ref name="Kreps2017" /> The concert was performed in April 2016 at ]'s ].<ref name="Deming2017" />

===Posthumous releases===
In June 2011, Ardent Records released the EP ''Live Tribute to Alex Chilton'', and Stephens confirmed on the Ardent blog that the tribute performance in May 2010 was the last performance for Big Star as a band.<ref name="ArdentDavis" /> A documentary titled '']'' (2012), directed by Drew DeNicola and Olivia Mori, chronicled the group's career and band members' solo efforts.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} In 2013, the documentary was released in theaters and on DVD, and it had a limited theatrical re-release in England in August 2014.<ref name="bss2014" /> In November 2014, ''Live in Memphis'' was released by ] on CD, vinyl, and as a DVD of Big Star's performance of October 29, 1994, their only known show to be professionally filmed in its entirety.<ref name="Omnivorelive" /> According to '']'', the DVD documents how Big Star's 1990s lineup defied expectations and endured for another 16 years: "Chilton's musicality is mesmerising as he drives the band. … Alternating between lead and rhythm, he plays with a mix of laser focus and utter insouciant cool."<ref name="Mojo2014" />

==Musical style and influences==
Bell took up guitar when 12 or 13, but only on hearing the first ] records was he motivated to play the instrument regularly.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|13–20}} He acted as lead and rhythm guitarist and vocalist for a sequence of bands, performing songs by the Beatles, ], ], ], and ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|13–20}} Chilton's first awareness of music came at the age of 6 when his brother repeatedly played a record by ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|28}} His father's liking for ] then exposed him over the next few years to the music of ], ], and ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|28}} Chilton's enthusiasm for music took hold when at age 13 he first heard Beatles records; he recalled having known of 1950s rock 'n' roll, but "by 1959 ] was syrup and ] was pretty much gone, and the ] thing was sort of over so I didn't get really caught up in the rock scene until the Beatles came along".<ref name="Gordon" />{{rp|156}}

]|alt=The drummer in a close-up view through the gaps between his drums and cymbals. His face and neck are slightly reddened from his exertion. While drumming, he is singing into the microphone mounted close to his face]]
Chilton took up electric guitar at 13, playing along with Beatles songs, later saying, "I really loved the mid-sixties British pop music all two and a half minutes or three minutes long, really appealing songs. So I've always aspired to that same format, that's what I like. Not to mention the rhythm and blues and the Stax stuff, too".<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|30}} Chilton abandoned his guitar-playing during his time with ] and then took up the instrument again; he met ], guitarist for ], and developed particular interest in electric guitar and acoustic ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|78–86}} Stephens enjoyed the music of ], ], ], the Kinks, and especially the Beatles.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|13–20}}

Hummel likewise was a member of more than one band during his early musical years, again influenced by the Beatles and other British Invasion acts.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|13–20}} The bassist also played acoustic guitar for personal enjoyment, following the styles of ] and ] and using finger-picking techniques to play ] and ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|13–20}} Most songs on the first three albums are credited to either Bell/Chilton or Chilton, but some credit Hummel, Stephens and others, as either writer or co-writer. At the only seven live performances in the original era, the last of which took place before the second album's release, all four members contributed vocally.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|xvi}}

While primarily inspired by the music of the Beatles and other ] bands, acknowledging too the ] and ] of the period, Big Star also incorporated dark, nihilistic themes to produce a striking blend of musical and lyrical styles.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|xvi, 155, 160}}<ref name="DeRogatis2003" /> The body of work resulting from the first era was a precursor of the ] of the 1980s and 1990s,<ref name="Bogdanov" /> at the same time yielding material today considered an outstanding example of power pop.<ref name="Borack" />{{rp|13,38}} The stylistic range is evident from modern day critiques. Bogdanov et al., commenting on ''#1&nbsp;Record'' in their ''All Music Guide to Rock'', perceive in "The Ballad of El Goodo" a "luminous, melancholy ballad",<ref name="Bogdanov" /> whereas John Borack's ''Ultimate Power Pop Guide'' singles out ''Radio City''{{'}}s "September Gurls" as a "glorious, glittering jewel" of power pop.<ref name="Borack" />{{rp|38}}

Borack notes too that ''Third/Sister Lovers'' is "slower, darker and a good deal weirder" than the first two albums, identifying "Holocaust" as "Alex Chilton at his haunting best", yet finds "Thank You Friends" exemplifying "left-field gems" also present in which "the hooks are every bit as undeniable" as before.<ref name="Borack" />{{rp|191}} Jovanovic writes that when recording what Peter Buckley in his ''Rough Guide to Rock'' terms the "snarling guitar rock"<ref name="Buckley" /> of the first album's "Don't Lie to Me", the band, deeming conventional instruments inadequate for the task, wheeled two ] motorcycles into the studio and gunned the engines to intensify the song's ].<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|93}} Bogdanov et al. reserve "snarl" for a ''Radio City'' song, "Mod Lang";<ref name="Bogdanov" /> here Buckley writes that "the power of the performance and the erratic mix gave a sense of chaos which only added to the thrill".<ref name="Buckley" />

==Legacy and influence==
Although Big Star's first era came to an end in 1974, the band acquired a cult following in the 1980s when new acts began to acknowledge the early material's significance.<ref name="Shuker2005" /> ]'s ] admitted, "We've sort of flirted with greatness, but we've yet to make a record as good as '']'' or '']'' or '']'' or Big Star's ''Third''. I don't know what it'll take to push us on to that level, but I think we've got it in us."<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|247}} Chilton, however, told an interviewer in 1992, "I'm constantly surprised that people fall for Big Star the way they do... People say Big Star made some of the best rock 'n roll albums ever. And I say they're wrong."<ref name="Mojo2009" />

In 2014, ] cited Big Star as an influence to early ] moments: "We've always been about verses, choruses, bridges (...) It's called a hook for a reason, because it grabs you. And that's my mentality. Give me the ]. Give me ]. Give me Big Star."<ref name="RS-Stanley" />

The band was also an inspiration for ], who recorded the song "Alex Chilton" on their '']'' album.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Luhrssen |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phsIDgAAQBAJ |title=Encyclopedia of Classic Rock |last2=Larson |first2=Michael |date=2017-02-24 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3514-8 |language=en}}</ref>

"While the band no longer exists, the music that Alex, Chris, Andy and I originally made together under the auspices of John Fry still calls a community of those of us with like minds to come together and have fun with it," Stephens wrote in 2017 in a note published in the liner notes of ''The Best of Big Star''.<ref>{{Citation |title=Big Star - The Best Of Big Star |date=2017 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/10461719-Big-Star-The-Best-Of-Big-Star |access-date=2023-09-22 |language=en}}</ref>

Critics have continued to cite Big Star's first three albums as a profound influence on subsequent musicians. '']'' notes that Big Star "created a seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations of rockers, from the power-pop revivalists of the late 1970s to alternative rockers at the end of the century to the indie rock nation in the new millennium".<ref name="BigStarBio" /> Jason Ankeny, music critic for ], identifies Big Star as "one of the most mythic and influential ] in all of rock & roll", whose "impact on subsequent generations of indie bands on both sides of the Atlantic is surpassed only by that of the ]".<ref name="Ankeny" /> Ankeny describes Big Star's second album, ''Radio City'', as "their masterpiece—ragged and raw guitar-pop infused with remarkable intensity and spontaneity".<ref name="Ankeny" />

In 1992, ] generated further interest in the band when it ]d ''Third/Sister Lovers'' and released a posthumous compilation of Bell's solo material, ''I Am the Cosmos''.<ref name="Borack" />{{rp|13}} In his 2007 book ''Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide'', John Borack ranks the ''#1&nbsp;Record''/''Radio City'' double album at No.&nbsp;2 in his chart "The 200 Greatest Power Pop Albums".<ref name="Borack" />{{rp|38}} ''Rolling Stone'' includes ''#1 Record'', ''Radio City'' and ''Third/Sister Lovers'' in '']''<ref name="RS500-RC" /><ref name="RS500-1R" /><ref name="RS500-3rd" /> and "]" and "]" in '']''.<ref name="RS500-SG" /><ref name="RS500-13" /> In addition to R.E.M.,<ref name="Influence_R.E.M." /> artists including ],<ref name="BigStarBio" /><ref name="Ritchie1996" /><ref name="Ritchie1998" /> ],<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|240}} ],<ref name="Buckley" /> ],<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|253–260}} and ] and ]<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|240, 248}} cite Big Star as an inspiration, and the band's influence on ], ], and ] is also acknowledged.<ref name="Harrington2002" />

On their 2022 album '']'', ] paid tribute to Big Star with the song "Alex Bell". The lyrics include the refrain "Walking down Alex Bell, thinking of Alex...I see you around every time there's a ghost in town."

* A cover version of "]" appeared on ]' 1986 ] album '']''. "September Gurls", Borack wrote, "was and is the '']'' of power pop, a glorious, glittering jewel with every facet cut and shined to absolute perfection.... a peerless, aching distillation of love and longing. 'September Gurls' may not actually be the greatest song ever recorded, but for the duration of its 2:47 running time, you can be forgiven for believing it is."<ref name="Borack" />{{rp|13}}
* The 1987 tribute song "]", co-written by three members of ], was released as a single from the album '']'' and contains the lyric "I never travel far without a little Big Star."<ref name="Rhapsody" />
* "I'm in Love with a Girl" from ''Radio City'' features in the soundtrack of the 2009 film '']''.<ref name="Advland" />
* In 1998, an ''ad hoc'', shortened version of ''#1 Record''{{'}}s "]" (recorded by ]) was used as the theme song for the sitcom '']'', and in 1999, a new version titled "That '70s Song (In the Street)" was recorded by ] also specifically for the show.<ref name="Jovanovic" />{{rp|92}}<ref name="Rosen1999" /> "That '70s Song" and Big Star's own "September Gurls" are included on the 1999 album '']'' released by the television program's producers.<ref name="Boldman" />
* The 2006 tribute album '']'' includes Big Star covers by ], ], ], ], ], and ], among others.<ref name="World" />
* ], a Memphis, Tennessee-based ] band, covered "I'm in Love with a Girl" on their 2015 release '']'', an album which takes its title from a lyric in the song.<ref name="HearYa" /> Founding member Jody Stephens, and later additions to Big Star, provide backup on the track.<ref name="WSJ2015" />
* "Thirteen" from ''Big Star'' is featured in the 2020 Disney+ film '']''. The song is then sung by the two leads, ] as Susan "Stargirl" Caraway and ] as Leo Borlock.


==Personnel== ==Personnel==
* ]&nbsp;– guitars, piano, vocals (1971–1974, 1993–2010; died 2010)
* ]&nbsp;– drums, vocals (1971–1974, 1993–2010)
* ]&nbsp;– guitars, vocals (1971–1972; died 1978)
* ]&nbsp;– bass guitar, vocals (1971–1973, 2010; died 2010)
* John Lightman&nbsp;– bass guitar, backing vocals (1974)
* ]&nbsp;– guitar, vocals (1993–2010)
* ]&nbsp;– bass guitar, vocals, keyboards (1993–2010)


===Timeline===
* Jon Auer &mdash; guitar, vocals (1993&ndash;current)
<timeline>
* Chris Bell &mdash; guitars, vocals (1971&ndash;1972)
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
* Alex Chilton &mdash; guitars, vocals (1971&ndash;current)
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:5 right:10
* Andy Hummel &mdash; bass, vocals (1971&ndash;1973)
Alignbars = justify
* John Lightman &mdash; bass, vocals (1973&ndash;1975)
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
* Jody Stephens &mdash; drums, vocals (1971&ndash;current)
Period = from:01/01/1970 till:15/05/2010
* Ken Stringfellow &mdash; bass, vocals (1993&ndash;current)
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1970
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1971

Colors =
id:lvoc value:red legend:Vocals
id:bvoc value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:g value:green legend:Guitars
id:k value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:b value:blue legend:Bass
id:dr value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion
id:alb value:black legend:Studio_release
id:bars value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData =
at:24/04/1972 layer:back
at:01/02/1974 layer:back
at:18/03/1978 layer:back
at:27/09/2005 layer:back

BarData =
bar:AChilton text:"Alex Chilton"
bar:CBell text:"Chris Bell"
bar:JAuer text:"Jon Auer"
bar:AHummel text:"Andy Hummel"
bar:JLightman text:"John Lightman"
bar:KStringfellow text:"Ken Stringfellow"
bar:JStephens text:"Jody Stephens"

PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,–4)
bar:AChilton from:start till:01/01/1973 color:lvoc
bar:AChilton from:01/03/1973 till:01/11/1974 color:lvoc
bar:AChilton from:01/01/1993 till:17/03/2010 color:lvoc
bar:CBell from:start till:01/01/1973 color:g
bar:JStephens from:start till:01/01/1973 color:dr
bar:JStephens from:01/03/1973 till:01/11/1974 color:dr
bar:JStephens from:01/01/1993 till:end color:dr
bar:AHummel from:start till:01/01/1973 color:b
bar:AHummel from:01/03/1973 till:01/03/1974 color:b
bar:JLightman from:01/03/1974 till:01/11/1974 color:b
bar:JAuer from:01/01/1993 till:end color:g
bar:KStringfellow from:01/01/1993 till:end color:b
bar:AHummel from:17/03/2010 till:end color:b

width:7 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,–4)
bar:AChilton from:start till:01/01/1973 color:g
bar:AChilton from:01/03/1973 till:01/11/1974 color:g
bar:AChilton from:01/01/1993 till:17/03/2010 color:g
bar:KStringfellow from:01/01/1993 till:end color:k

width:3 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,–4)
bar:AChilton from:start till:01/01/1973 color:k
bar:AChilton from:01/03/1973 till:01/11/1974 color:k
bar:AChilton from:01/01/1993 till:17/03/2010 color:k
bar:CBell from:start till:01/01/1973 color:lvoc
bar:JAuer from:01/01/1993 till:end color:bvoc
bar:AHummel from:start till:01/01/1973 color:bvoc
bar:AHummel from:01/03/1973 till:01/03/1974 color:bvoc
bar:JLightman from:01/03/1974 till:01/11/1974 color:bvoc
bar:KStringfellow from:01/01/1993 till:end color:bvoc
bar:JStephens from:start till:01/01/1973 color:bvoc
bar:JStephens from:01/03/1973 till:01/11/1974 color:bvoc
bar:JStephens from:01/01/1993 till:end color:bvoc
</timeline>

==Discography==
'''Studio albums'''
*'']'' (]/], 1972)
*'']'' (Ardent/Stax, 1974)
*'']'' (PVC, 1978)
*'']'' (Rykodisc, 2005)

'''Live albums'''
*'']'' (], 1992)
*'']'' (], 1993)
*''Nobody Can Dance'' (], 1999)&nbsp;– rehearsals and live recordings
*''Live Tribute at the Levitt Shell'' (], 2011)&nbsp;– Big Star with John Davis
*''Live in Memphis'' (], 2014)&nbsp;– Big Star live on October 29, 1994<ref name="Omnivorelive" />
*'']'' (]/], 2016)
*''Live at Lafayette's Music Room – Memphis, TN'' (Omnivore, 2018) – Big Star live in January 1973
*''Live On WLIR'' (Omnivore, 2019) – Remastered and restored performance originally recorded and broadcast in 1974

'''Compilations'''
*''Biggest'' (Line Records, 1994)&nbsp;– greatest hits
*''The Best of'' (Big Beat Records, 1999)&nbsp;– greatest hits
*''Big Star Story'' (Rykodisc, 2003)&nbsp;– greatest hits with one new track
*'']'' (], 2009)&nbsp;– box set with a live disc
*''Nothing Can Hurt Me'' (], 2013)&nbsp;– soundtrack to movie
*''Playlist (1972–2005)'' (Legacy Recordings, 2013)&nbsp;– first compilation to cover all eras of band
*''Complete Third'' (Omnivore, 2016)&nbsp;– complete recordings from the ''Third'' sessions
*''The Best of Big Star'' (Craft Recordings, 2017)&nbsp;– greatest hits with some rare mixes and edits of songs

'''Big Star's ''Third'''''
* ''Thank You, Friends: Big Star's ''Third'' Live... and More'' (2017, ])&nbsp;– Big Star's ''Third'' concert, recorded live in April 2016 (3 CDs)<ref name="Deming2017" />

==Videography==
'''Big Star'''
*'']'' (Magnolia, DVD, 2012)<ref name="MagnoliaDVD" />
*''Live in Memphis'' (], DVD, 2014)&nbsp;– Big Star live on October 29, 1994<ref name="Omnivorelive" />

'''Big Star's ''Third'''''
* ''Thank You, Friends: Big Star's ''Third'' Live... and More'' (2017, ])&nbsp;– concert documentary of Big Star's ''Third'' live performance in April 2016 (2 DVDs)<ref name="Kreps2017" />


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
* Ankeny, Jason. Accessed Apr. 28, 2005.
<ref name="Advland">{{cite web |url=http://www.adventurelandthefilm.com |title=Adventureland |type=official site |website=AdventurelandTheFilm.com |access-date=July 21, 2009}}</ref>
* Auer, Jon (], ]). ''Big Star Book''. Accessed Apr. 28, 2005.
<ref name="Amz-RC">{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/1-Record-Radio-City/dp/B0026IZR3Y |title=''#1&nbsp;Record''/''Radio City'' remasters |website=Amazon.com |access-date=July 8, 2009}}</ref>
* Boldman, Gina. ''Allmusic.com''. Accessed Jun. 20, 2005.
<ref name="Ankeny">{{cite web |last=Ankeny |first=Jason |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3676|pure_url=yes}} |title=Big Star Biography |work=AllMusic.com |access-date=June 29, 2009}}</ref>
* ''Box Tops Official website''. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
<ref name="Ardent2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.ardentmusic.com/blog/2007/10/big_star_plays_at_the_filmore.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203150050/http://www.ardentmusic.com/blog/2007/10/big_star_plays_at_the_filmore.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 3, 2008 |title=Big Star Plays at the Fillmore, San Francisco |website=Ardent Music |access-date=July 22, 2009}}</ref>
* Clark, Rick (1992). "Liner notes." ''Big Star: #1 Record/Radio City double cd''. Memphis: Ardent Records.
<ref name="ArdentDavis">{{cite web |url=http://ardentmusic.com/products-page/vinyl/big-star-with-john-davis-live-tribute-to-alex-chilton-7-vinyl-ep/ |title=Big Star with John Davis&nbsp;– Live Tribute to Alex Chilton 7" Vinyl EP |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709204840/http://ardentmusic.com/products-page/vinyl/big-star-with-john-davis-live-tribute-to-alex-chilton-7-vinyl-ep/ |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |website=Ardent Music |access-date=July 7, 2011}}</ref>
* Gordon, Robert (1995). ''It Came From Memphis''. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-1045-9.
<ref name="BigStarBio">{{cite magazine |title=Big Star |type=artist biography |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/big-star |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912160002/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/big-star |archive-date=September 12, 2015 |access-date=July 1, 2010}}</ref>
* Gross, Jason (July 2001). ''Perfect Sound Forever''. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
<ref name="BigStarThird2014">{{cite web |title=4 Shows in August and September |date=June 22, 2014 |work=BigStarThird.com |url=http://bigstarthird.com/4-shows-in-august-and-september/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917030819/http://bigstarthird.com/4-shows-in-august-and-september/ |archive-date=September 17, 2014}}</ref>
* ''Box Tops Official website''. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
<ref name="BigStarThird2017">{{cite web |author=Big Star's ''Third'' |year=2017 |title=News |website=BigStarThird.com |url=http://bigstarthird.com/performances/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329160201/http://bigstarthird.com/performances/ |archive-date=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
* Jovanovic, Rob (2004). ''Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band''. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 0-00-714908-5.
<ref name="BigStarThirdnews">{{cite web |author=Big Star's ''Third'' |title=News |year=2014 |work=BigStarThird.com |url=http://bigstarthird.com/category/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821064850/http://bigstarthird.com/category/news/ |archive-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref>
* ''Box Tops official website''. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/268455/big-star-reaches-for-sky-with-box-set |title=Big Star Reaches For 'Sky' With Box Set |magazine=Billboard |access-date=June 11, 2009}}</ref>
* Manning, Terry. "Liner notes." ''Rock City''. ]: Lucky Seven Records.
<ref name="Bogdanov">{{cite book |last1=Bogdanov |first1=Vladimir |last2=Woodstra |first2=Chris |last3=Erlewine |first3=Stephen Thomas |title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul |publisher=Backbeat Books |year=2002 |pages=97–98 |isbn=978-0-87930-653-3}}</ref>
* Ritchie, Paul (April ]). ''Ready Steady Go!'' Accessed May 12, 2005.
<ref name="Boldman">{{cite web |last=Boldman |first=Gina |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r428837|pure_url=yes}} |title=''That '70s Show Presents That '70s Album: Rockin{{'}}'' Review |website=AllMusic |access-date=July 14, 2009}}</ref>
* Ritchie, Paul (], ]). ''Ready Steady Go!''. Accessed May 12, 2005.
<ref name="Borack">{{cite book |last=Borack |first=John M. |title=Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-9797714-0-8}}</ref>
* ''Lucky Seven Records website''. Accessed Jun. 30, 2005.
<ref name="bss2014">{{cite web |title=Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me |year=2014 |work=Big Star Story |url=http://bigstarstory.com/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112160635/http://bigstarstory.com/index.html |archive-date=November 12, 2014}}</ref>
* Rosen, Craig (], ]). ''Cheap Trick News on Yahoo! Music''. Accessed May 12, 2005.
<ref name="Buckley">{{cite book |last=Buckley |first=Peter |title=The Rough Guide to Rock |publisher=Rough Guides |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-84353-105-0 |pages= |url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock0003unse/page/100 }}</ref>
* Stern, Theresa (], ]). ''Perfect Sound Forever.'' Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
<ref name="Burgess2010">{{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Richard James |title=The Art Of Music Production: With an Introduction to Twentieth-Century Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AsKRW2vNIWIC&pg=PT161 |year=2010 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-85712-202-5 |page=161}}</ref>
<ref name="chiltondeath">, March 17, 2010. '']''. Accessed March 18, 2010.</ref>
<ref name="ChiTrib2010">{{cite news |url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/03/sxsw-2010-alex-chilton-big-star-tribute-concert.html |title=SXSW 2010: Alex Chilton, Big Star tribute concert |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=March 21, 2010 |access-date=August 18, 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="Creswell2006">{{cite book |last=Creswell |first=Toby |title=1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2006 |page=277 |isbn=978-1-56025-915-2}}</ref>
<ref name="Deming2017">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|album|mw0003030672|pure_url=yes}} |title=Review of ''Thank You, Friends: Big Star's ''Third'' Live... and More'' |work=] |publisher=] | first=Mark | last=Deming |access-date=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="DeRogatis2003">{{cite book |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |title=Milk It: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2003 |page= |isbn=978-0-306-81271-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/milkitcollectedm00dero |url-access=registration }}</ref>
<ref name="Eaton">{{cite book |last=Eaton |first=Bruce |title=Big Star's "Radio City" |series=33 1/3 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8264-2898-1 |page=102}}</ref>
<ref name="Fricke-No1">{{cite magazine |last=Fricke |first=David |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/big-star-rock-1-record-radio-city-classics-at-rare-nyc-gig-20091119 |title=Big Star Rock ''#1 Record'', ''Radio City'' Classics at Rare NYC Gig |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 19, 2009 |access-date=November 4, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="Fricke-InSpace">{{Cite web |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bigstar/albums/album/7568280/review/7645165/in_space |title=''In Space'' review |access-date=July 18, 2009 |archive-date=January 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129011346/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bigstar/albums/album/7568280/review/7645165/in_space |url-status=dead }}. RollingStone.com. Archived from on January 29, 2008. Accessed July 18, 2009.</ref>
<ref name="Gordon">{{cite book |last=Gordon |first=Robert |title=It Came from Memphis |location=New York |publisher=Pocket Books |year=1995 |isbn=0-7434-1045-9}}</ref>
<ref name="Guardian2012">{{cite news |last=Hann |first=Michael |title=Big Star's Third: 'It's hard to nail the chaos' |date=May 3, 2012 |newspaper=] |location=UK |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/may/03/big-star-third-chaos?CMP=twt_gu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224144210/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/may/03/big-star-third-chaos?CMP=twt_gu |archive-date=February 24, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Harrington2002">{{cite book |last=Harrington |first=Joe S. |title=Sonic Cool: The Life and Death of Rock 'n' Roll |publisher=Hal Leonard |year=2002 |pages= |isbn=0-634-02861-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/soniccoollifedea00harr/page/337 }}.</ref>
<ref name="HearYa">{{cite journal |title=Lucero – All a Man Should Do |type=album review |date=September 16, 2015 |journal=HearYa |url=http://www.hearya.com/2015/09/16/lucero-all-a-man-should-do-album-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929100006/http://www.hearya.com/2015/09/16/lucero-all-a-man-should-do-album-review/ |archive-date=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="hummeldeath">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957285/big-stars-jody-stephens-remembers-andy-hummel-ponders-bands-future |title=Big Star's Jody Stephens Remembers Andy Hummel, Ponders Band's Future |first=Gary |last=Graff |date=July 20, 2010 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 8, 2010}}</ref>


<ref name="Influence_R.E.M.">{{cite book |last=Fletcher |first=Tony |title=Remarks Remade: The Story of R.E.M. |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2003 |page=115 |isbn=978-0-7119-9113-2}}</ref>
==External links==
<ref name="Jovanovic2013">{{cite book |last=Jovanovic |first=Rob |title=Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band |edition=Revised and updated |location=London |publisher=Jawbone Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-908279-36-1}}</ref>
<ref name="Jovanovic">{{cite book |last=Jovanovic |first=Rob |title=Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band |location=London |publisher=Fourth Estate |year=2004 |isbn=0-00-714908-5}}</ref>
<ref name="Kreps2017">{{cite magazine |first=Daniel |last=Kreps |title=Watch Jeff Tweedy, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills Cover Classic Big Star Track |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 3, 2017 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/watch-jeff-tweedy-rems-mike-mills-cover-big-star-track-w469617?print=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329155351/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/watch-jeff-tweedy-rems-mike-mills-cover-big-star-track-w469617?print=true |archive-date=March 29, 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="MagnoliaDVD">{{cite web |author=Magnolia Pictures |title=Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me |date=November 26, 2013 |asin=B00EL6ABAI |url=http://www.magpictures.com/bigstar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817113920/http://www.magpictures.com/bigstar/ |archive-date=August 17, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Metz1996">{{cite web |first=Adam |last=Metz |title=Jon Auer interview with Adam Metz |url=http://slumberland.org/d23/metzinterview.html |date=June 9, 1996}}</ref>
<ref name="Mojo2009">{{cite journal |journal=Mojo Magazine |date=November 2009 |page=46 |title=Interview with Martin Aston}}</ref>
<ref name="Mojo2014">{{cite journal |title=Live in Memphis |journal=Mojo Magazine |date=December 2014 |url=http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t31.0-8/10517415_780683705321918_7064453674494670549_o.png |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112021516/https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t31.0-8/10517415_780683705321918_7064453674494670549_o.png |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
<ref name="Omnivorelive">{{cite web |title=Live in Memphis |work=Omnivore: Release |publisher=Omnivore Recordings |year=2014 |url=http://omnivorerecordings.com/music/live-in-memphis/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112025811/http://omnivorerecordings.com/music/live-in-memphis/ |archive-date=November 12, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Rhapsody">{{cite web |url=http://www.rhapsody.com/the-replacements/dont-you-know-who-i-think-i-was-the-best-of-the-replacements/alex-chilton/lyrics.html |title=The Replacements, ''Alex Chilton'' |website=Rhapsody.com |access-date=July 6, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="Ritchie1996">{{cite web |last=Ritchie |first=Paul |url=http://www.ready-steady-go.org.uk/bigstar1.html |title=Alex Chilton: Live in Glasgow |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308234815/http://www.ready-steady-go.org.uk/bigstar1.html |archive-date=March 8, 2005 |website=Ready Steady Go! |year=1996 |access-date=July 14, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="Ritchie1998">{{cite web |last=Ritchie |first=Paul |url=http://www.ready-steady-go.org.uk/teenage_fanclub.html |title=Teenage Fanclub |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050214092536/http://www.ready-steady-go.org.uk/teenage_fanclub.html |archive-date=February 14, 2005 |website=Ready Steady Go! |year=1998 |access-date=July 14, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="Rosen1999">{{cite web |last=Rosen |first=Craig |url=http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12043992 |title=Cheap Trick Does Big Star for ''That '70s Show'' |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050418004115/http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12043992 |archive-date=April 18, 2005 |website=Cheap Trick News on Yahoo! Music |date=August 16, 1999 |access-date=July 14, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="RS-Hummel2010">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/big-star-bassist-andy-hummel-dies-at-59-20100720 |title=Big Star Bassist Andy Hummel Dies at 59 &#124; Music News |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 20, 2010 |access-date=June 15, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="RS-Miles2003">{{cite magazine |first=Milo |last=Miles |title=Album reviews: ''#1 Record/Radio City'' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 19, 2003 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bigstar/albums/album/137805/review/6213042/no_1_recordradio_city |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130051506/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bigstar/albums/album/137805/review/6213042/no_1_recordradio_city |archive-date=January 30, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="RS-review1997">{{cite magazine |title=Album Reviews: ''Third/Sister Lovers'' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 17, 1997 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bigstar/albums/album/94386/review/5942849/third_sister_lovers |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130051521/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bigstar/albums/album/94386/review/5942849/third_sister_lovers |archive-date=January 30, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="RS-Stanley">{{cite magazine |first=Brian |last=Hiatt |date=March 26, 2014 |title=Kiss Forever: 40 Years of Feuds and Fury |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kiss-forever-40-years-of-feuds-and-fury-20140326?page=3 |magazine=Rolling Stone |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329170626/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kiss-forever-40-years-of-feuds-and-fury-20140326?page=3&print=true |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |access-date=August 24, 2017 }}</ref>
<ref name="RS-Stephens">{{cite magazine |title=Alex Chilton Remembered: A Conversation With Big Star's Jody Stephens |first=David |last=Fricke |date=May 7, 2010 |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/alex-chilton-remembered-a-conversation-with-big-stars-jody-stephens-51786/}}</ref>
<ref name="RS500-13">{{Cite web |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/4 |title="Thirteen" in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine’s ''500 Greatest Songs of All Time'' |access-date=July 19, 2009 |archive-date=August 20, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820114526/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/4 |url-status=dead }} RollingStone.com. Archived from on June 26, 2008. Accessed July 19, 2009.</ref>
<ref name="RS500-1R"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125030927/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/6862/35223/47504 |date=November 25, 2010}} RollingStone.com. Accessed July 1, 2010.</ref>
<ref name="RS500-3rd"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121081822/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/6862/35223/47704 |date=November 21, 2010}} RollingStone.com. Accessed July 1, 2010,</ref>
<ref name="RS500-RC"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920081417/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/6862/35223/47022 |date=September 20, 2010}} RollingStone.com. Accessed July 1, 2010.</ref>
<ref name="RS500-SG">{{Cite web |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/2 |title="September Gurls" in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine’s ''500 Greatest Songs of All Time'' |access-date=July 19, 2009 |archive-date=June 21, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621075825/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/2 |url-status=dead }} RollingStone.com. Archived from on June 26, 2008. Accessed July 19, 2009.</ref>
<ref name="Russo2009">{{cite web |last=Russo |first=Daniel J. |title=Big Star at Hyde Park, London |website=Ardent Studios |date=July 15, 2009 |url=http://ardentstudios.com/2009/07/15/big-star-at-hyde-park-london/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721013516/http://ardentstudios.com/2009/07/15/big-star-at-hyde-park-london/ |archive-date=July 21, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="Segalsted2009">{{cite book |last=Segalstad |first=Eric |title=The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll |url=https://archive.org/details/27sgreatestmytho0000sega |url-access=registration |publisher=Samadhi Creations |year=2009 |page= |isbn=978-0-615-18964-2}}</ref>
<ref name="Shuker2005">{{cite book |last=Shuker |first=Roy |title=Popular Music: The Key Concepts |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 |page=208 |isbn=978-0-415-34769-3}}</ref>
<ref name="Simmonds2008">{{cite book |last=Simmonds |first=Jeremy |title=The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars |publisher=Chicago Review Press |year=2008 |page=115 |isbn=978-1-55652-754-8}}</ref>
<ref name="Still2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.stillinrock.com/2014/03/everyday-sunday-big-star-power-pop.html |work=Still in Rock |type=Brooklyn-based music blog |title=Everyday a Sunday: Big Star (Power Pop) |date=March 24, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Strong">{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin |title=The Great Rock Discography |publisher=Canongate US |year=2004 |page=185 |isbn=978-1-84195-615-2}}</ref>
<ref name="VillageVoice2011">{{cite journal |last=Trucks |first=Rob |title=Big Star's Third, Onstage in New York at Last |date=March 16, 2011 |journal=] |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-03-16/music/big-star-s-third-onstage-in-new-york-at-last/full/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224143534/http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-03-16/music/big-star-s-third-onstage-in-new-york-at-last/full/ |archive-date=February 24, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
<ref name="World">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r834050|pure_url=yes}} |title=Various Artists: ''Big Star Small World'' |type=review |first=Mark |last=Deming |work=] |publisher=] |access-date=July 6, 2009}}</ref>
<ref name="WSJ2015">{{cite journal |first=Eric R. |last=Danton |date=August 31, 2015 |title=Lucero Pays Tribute to Big Star on 'I'm in Love with a Girl' (Exclusive Song) |journal=Wall Street Journal |type=blog |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/08/31/lucero-pay-tribute-to-big-star-on-im-in-love-with-a-girl-exclusive-song}}</ref>
}}


==External links==
*
{{Sister project links|commons=Category:Big Star|wikt=no|s=no|v=no|voy=no|b=no|q=no|d=Q72608|m=no|mw=no|species=no|n=no}}
*
* {{Official website}}
*
* * {{Official website|http://www.bigstarthird.com}} for Big Star's ''Third'' project
* at ]
*
* {{discogs artist|270582-Big-Star}}
*
* as stream at ]
*


{{Big Star|state=uncollapsed}}
] ] ]
{{Stax Records}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Featured article}}


] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 17:11, 18 December 2024

American rock band For other uses, see Big Star (disambiguation).

Big Star
Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens of Big Star perform on stage.Alex Chilton (left) and Jody Stephens (right) performing in Hyde Park, London, England in 2009
Background information
OriginMemphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1971–1975
  • 1993–2010
Labels
Past members

Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American power pop band", and "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll". In its first era, the band's musical style drew influence from 1960s acts such as the Beatles and the Byrds, pioneering a style that foreshadowed the alternative rock of the 1980s and 1990s. Before they broke up, Big Star created a "seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations" according to Rolling Stone. Three of Big Star's studio albums are included in Rolling Stone's lists of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Big Star's debut album, 1972's #1 Record, was met with enthusiastic reviews, but ineffective marketing by Stax Records and limited distribution stunted its commercial success. Frustration took its toll on band relations: Bell left not long after the first record's commercial progress stalled, and Hummel left to finish his college education after a second album, Radio City, was completed in December 1973. Like #1 Record, Radio City received critical acclaim upon release, but label issues again thwarted sales—Columbia Records, which had assumed control of the Stax catalog, likewise effectively vetoed its distribution.

After a third album, recorded in the fall of 1974, was deemed commercially unviable and shelved before receiving a title, the band broke up late in 1974. Four years later, the first two Big Star LPs were released together in the UK as a double album. The band's third album was finally issued soon afterward; titled Third/Sister Lovers, it found limited commercial success, but has since become a cult classic. Shortly thereafter, Chris Bell was killed in a car accident at the age of 27. During the group's hiatus in the 1980s, the Big Star discography drew renewed attention when R.E.M. and the Replacements, as well as other popular bands, cited the group as an influence. In 1992, interest was further stimulated by Rykodisc's reissues of the band's albums, complemented by a collection of Bell's solo work.

In 1993, Chilton and Stephens reformed Big Star with recruits Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, and played a concert at the University of Missouri. The band remained active, performing tours in Europe and Japan, and released a new studio album, In Space, in 2005. Chilton died in March 2010 after suffering from heart problems, with Hummel dying of cancer four months later. These deaths left Stephens as the sole surviving founding member. Big Star was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2014. Since December 2010, several surviving members have appeared in a series of live tribute performances of the album Third/Sister Lovers, under the billing "Big Star's Third". As of 2017, that project has remained active.

First era: 1971–1974

Formation of the band

From 1967 to 1970, Chilton was the lead singer for the blue-eyed soul group the Box Tops, who scored a No. 1 hit with the song "The Letter" when he was 16. After leaving the group, he recorded a solo studio album. He was offered the role of lead vocalist for Blood, Sweat & Tears, but turned down the offer as "too commercial". Chilton had known Chris Bell for some time: Both lived in Memphis, each had spent time recording music at Ardent Studios, and each, when aged 13, had been impressed by the music of the Beatles during the band's 1964 debut U.S. tour. A song Chilton wrote nearly six years after he first witnessed a Beatles performance, "Thirteen", referred to the event with the line "rock 'n' roll is here to stay".

Chilton asked Bell to work with him as a duo modeled on Simon & Garfunkel; Bell declined, but invited Chilton to a performance by his own band, Icewater, comprising Bell, drummer Jody Stephens, and bassist Andy Hummel. Attracted by Icewater's music, Chilton showed the three his new song "Watch the Sunrise", and was asked to join the band. Both "Watch the Sunrise" and "Thirteen" were subsequently included on Big Star's first album, #1 Record.

The now four-piece band adopted the name Big Star when one member was given the idea from a grocery store often visited for snacks during recording sessions. One of many Big Star Markets outlets in the Memphis region at the time, it had a logo consisting of a five-pointed star enclosing the words "Big Star"; as well as the store's name, the band used its logo but without the word "Star" to avoid infringing copyright.

#1 Record

Main article: #1 Record

Although all four members contributed to songwriting and vocals on the first album, Chilton and Bell dominated as a duo intentionally modeled on John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The album was recorded by Ardent founder John Fry, with Terry Manning contributing occasional backing vocals and keyboards. The title #1 Record was decided towards the end of the recording sessions and evinced, albeit as a playful hope rather than a serious expectation, the chart position to be achieved by a big star. Although Fry—at the band's insistence—was credited as "executive producer", publicly he insisted that "the band themselves really produced these records". Fry recalled how Ardent, one of the first recording studios to use a sixteen-track tape machine, worked experimentally with the band members: "We started recording the songs with the intent that if it turned out OK we'd put it out I wound up being the one that primarily worked on it: I recorded all the tracks and then they would often come late at night and do overdubs. One by one, they all learned enough engineering."

"The Ballad of El Goodo" Sample of "The Ballad of El Goodo" from #1 Record (1972). The song is an example of a "luminous, melancholy ballad", contrasting with the rock and power pop in Radio City.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Describing the mix of musical styles present on #1 Record, Rolling Stone's Bud Scoppa notes that the album includes "reflective and acoustic" numbers, saying that "even the prettiest tunes have tension and subtle energy to them, and the rockers reverberate with power". Scoppa finds that in each mode, "the guitar sound is sharp-edged and full". #1 Record was released in June 1972, and quickly received strong reviews. Billboard went as far as to say, "Every cut could be a single". Rolling Stone judged the album "exceptionally good", while Cashbox stated, "This album is one of those red-letter days when everything falls together as a total sound", and called it "an important record that should go to the top with proper handling".

Proper handling, however, was not forthcoming: Stax Records proved unable to either promote or distribute the record with any degree of success, and even when the band's own efforts to get airplay generated interest, fans were unable to buy it as Stax could not make it available in many stores. Stax, in an effort to improve its catalog's availability, signed a deal with Columbia Records, already successful distributors in the U.S., making Columbia responsible for the entire Stax catalog. But Columbia had no interest in dealing with the independent distributors previously used by Stax and removed even the existing copies of #1 Record from the stores.

Radio City

Main article: Radio City

The frustration at #1 Record's obstructed sales contributed to tension within the band. There was physical fighting between members: Bell, after being punched in the face by Hummel, retaliated by smashing Hummel's new bass guitar to pieces against the wall. Hummel took revenge at a later date: finding Bell's acoustic guitar in the latter's unattended car, he repeatedly punched it with a screwdriver. In November 1972, Bell quit the band. When work continued on songs for a second album, Bell rejoined, but further conflict soon erupted. A master tape of the new songs inexplicably went missing, and Bell, whose heavy drug intake was affecting his judgment, attacked Fry's parked car. In late 1972, struggling with severe depression, Bell quit the band once more, and by the end of the year Big Star disbanded.

"September Gurls" Sample of "September Gurls" from Radio City (1974). Like #1 Record, the album contains a mix of rock, power pop, and acoustic reflection, but is more pop-oriented than either #1 Record or Third. This song is an example of the band's most highly acclaimed power pop.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

After a few months Chilton, Stephens, and Hummel decided to reform Big Star, and the three resumed work on the second album. The title chosen, Radio City, continued the play on the theme of a big star's popularity and success, expressing what biographer Robert Gordon calls the band's "romantic expectation". As Hummel put it:

This was probably pretty lame, but in those days putting any word in front of the noun "city" to sort of emphasize the totality and pervasiveness of it was just a way of talking people had. If someone suggested going to a store but you had gotten a bad deal there you might say, "Oh no, that place is 'rip off city'." Calling an LP Radio City would be kind of wishful thinking. I mean we hoped it would be played on the radio a lot, making it "radio city". Of course it didn't pan out that way...

Stephens recalled: "Radio City, for me, was just an amazing record. Being a three-piece really opened things up for me in terms of playing drums. Drums take on a different role in a three-piece band, so it was a lot of fun. Radio City was really more spontaneous, and the performances were pretty close to live performances."

Although uncredited, Bell contributed to the writing of some of the album's songs, including "O My Soul" and "Back of a Car". Shortly before the album's release, Hummel left the band: judging that it would not last, and in his final year at college, he elected to concentrate on his studies and live a more normal life. He was replaced by John Lightman for a short tenure prior to the band dissolving.

Rolling Stone's Ken Barnes, describing the musical style of Radio City, opens by noting as a backdrop that the band's debut, #1 Record, established them as "one of the leading new American bands working in the mid-Sixties pop and rock vein". Radio City, Barnes finds, has "plenty of shimmering pop delights", although "the opening tune, 'O My Soul,' is a foreboding, sprawling funk affair"; Barnes concludes that "Sometimes they sound like the Byrds, sometimes like the early Who, but usually like their own indescribable selves".

Radio City was released in February 1974 and, like #1 Record, received excellent reviews. Record reported, "The sound is stimulating, the musicianship superb, and the result is tight and rollickingly rhythmic." Billboard judged it "a highly commercial set". Rolling Stone's Bud Scoppa, then with Phonograph Record, affirmed, "Alex Chilton has now emerged as a major talent, and he'll be heard from again". Cashbox called it "a collection of excellent material that hopefully will break this deserving band in a big way". But just as #1 Record had fallen victim to poor marketing, so too did Radio City. Columbia, now in complete control of the Stax catalog, refused to process it following a disagreement. Without a distributor, sales of Radio City, though far greater than those of #1 Record, were minimal at only around 20,000 copies.

Third/Sister Lovers

Main article: Third/Sister Lovers

In September 1974, eight months after the release of Radio City, Chilton and Stephens returned to Ardent Studios to work on a third album. They were assisted by producer Jim Dickinson and an assortment of musicians (including drummer Richard Rosebrough) and Lesa Aldridge, Chilton's girlfriend, who contributed on vocals. The sessions and mixing were completed in early 1975, and 250 copies of the album were pressed with plain labels for promotional use.

Parke Putterbaugh of Rolling Stone described Third/Sister Lovers as "extraordinary". It is, he wrote, "Chilton's untidy masterpiece. beautiful and disturbing"; "vehemently original"; of "haunting brilliance":

To listen to it is to be "plunged into a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Songs are drenched in strings and sweet sentiment one minute, starkly played and downcast the next. No pop song has ever bottomed out more than "Holocaust", an anguished plaint sung at a snail's pace over discordant slide-guitar fragments and moaning cello On the up side, there's the delicious pop minuet "Stroke It Noel", the anticipatory magic of "Nightime" ("Caught a glance in your eyes and fell through the skies," Chilton rhapsodizes) Big Star's baroque, guitar-driven pop reaches its apotheosis on songs like "Kizza Me", "Thank You Friends" and "O, Dana". Without question, Third is one of the most idiosyncratic, deeply felt and fully realized albums in the pop idiom.

"Holocaust" Sample of "Holocaust" from Third/Sister Lovers (recorded 1974; released 1978). Third is quite unlike Big Star's first two albums, and "Holocaust" is an example of its slower, darker songs; "Alex Chilton at his haunting best".
"Thank You Friends" Sample of "Thank You Friends" from Third/Sister Lovers (recorded 1974; released 1978). Although containing a number of slow, dark songs, the album also contains material with "the undeniable hooks of the earlier albums", which this song exemplifies.
Problems playing these files? See media help.

Fry and Dickinson flew to New York with promotional copies and met employees of a number of record labels, but could not generate interest in the album. When a similar promotion attempt failed in California, the album was shelved as it was considered not commercial enough for release. Fry recalled, "We'd go in and play it and these guys would look at us like we were crazy". In late 1974, before the album was even named, the band broke up, bringing Big Star's first era to its end. Dickinson later said that he was "nailed for indulging Alex on Big Star Third, but I think it is important that the artist is enabled to perform with integrity. What I did for Alex was literally remove the yoke of oppressive production that he had been under since the first time he ever uttered a word into a microphone, for good or ill."

Since quitting the band in 1972, Bell had spent time in several different countries trying to develop his solo career. In 1978, after his return to Memphis, the first two Big Star albums were released together in the U.K. as a double album, drawing enthusiastic reviews and interest from fans. Soon afterward, Big Star's recognition grew further when, four years after its completion, the third album too was released in both the U.S. and the U.K. By now, the hitherto untitled Third/Sister Lovers had become known by several unofficial names, including Third (reflecting its position in the discography), Beale Street Green (acknowledging the legendary site nearby, once a focal point for Memphis blues musicians), and Sister Lovers (because during the album's recording sessions, Chilton and Stephens were dating sisters Lesa and Holliday Aldridge).

Not long after the release of Third/Sister Lovers, Bell died in a car accident. He apparently lost control of his car while driving alone and was killed when he struck a lamp post after hitting the curb a hundred feet before. A blood test found that he was not drunk at the time, and no drugs were found on him other than a bottle of vitamins. Bell is believed to have either fallen asleep at the wheel or become distracted.

Second era: 1993–2010

Big Star reformed in 1993 with a new lineup when guitarist Jon Auer and bassist Ken Stringfellow joined Chilton and Stephens. Auer and Stringfellow remained members of the Posies, founded by the pair in 1986. Stringfellow was also known for his work with R.E.M. and the Minus 5. Hummel declined to participate. First-era material dominated Big Star's performances, with the occasional addition of a song from the 2005 album In Space.

Stringfellow recalled that during the 1990s, "We were working out the set list and we went to this little cafe. Little did I know we'd be playing that set for the next ten years". The resurrected band made its debut at the 1993 University of Missouri spring music festival. A recording of the performance was issued on CD by Zoo Records as Columbia: Live at Missouri University. The concert was followed by tours of Europe and Japan, as well as an appearance on The Tonight Show.

The band's frontman, performing lead vocals at the microphone, plays guitar while he sings. His face communicates strong emotion, and his posture shows great concentration on his vocal delivery.
Alex Chilton in 2009 during a Big Star performance at Hyde Park

Big Star's first post-reunion studio recording was the song "Hot Thing", recorded in the mid-1990s for the Big Star tribute album Big Star, Small World. As with their prior studio release, however, the tribute album was delayed for years due to its record company going under. Originally scheduled for a 1998 release on Ignition Records, the album was eventually released in 2006 on Koch Records.

In Space was released on September 27, 2005, on the Rykodisc label. Recorded during 2004, the album consisted of new material mostly co-written by Chilton, Stephens, Auer, and Stringfellow. Reviewing In Space, Rolling Stone's David Fricke first pointed out that the context of the release was now "a world expecting that American Beatles ideal all over again" from a band that "achieved its power-pop perfection when no one else was looking." In Fricke's estimation, this seemingly unrealistic expectation was met in part: "It's here – in the jangly longing and ice-wall harmonies of 'Lady Sweet'" — however, Fricke found that the successful songs were interleaved with "the eccentric R&B and demo-quality glam rock that have made Chilton's solo records a mixed blessing," and that "'A Whole New Thing' starts out like old T.Rex, then goes nowhere special." Warming nevertheless to "the rough sunshine" of "Best Chance", Fricke concluded, "In Space is no #1 Record, but at its brightest, it is Big Star in every way."

The band appeared at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium on October 20, 2007, with Oranger as the opening act. Big Star performed at the 2008 Rhythm Festival, staged from August 29–31 in Bedfordshire, U.K. On June 16, 2009, the #1 Record/Radio City double album was reissued in remastered form. The same month, it was announced that a film of Big Star's history, based on Rob Jovanovic's book Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band, was in pre-production. On July 1, 2009, Big Star performed at a concert in Hyde Park, London, U.K. On September 15, 2009, Rhino Records issued a four-CD box set containing 98 recordings made between 1968 and 1975. Keep an Eye on the Sky included live and demo versions of Big Star songs, solo work, and material from Bell's earlier bands Rock City and Icewater. On November 18, 2009, the band performed at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in New York City.

Post-Chilton releases and tributes

Alex Chilton memorial shows

On March 17, 2010, Chilton suffered a fatal heart attack. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans. Big Star had been scheduled to play at SXSW Music Festival that same week. The remaining members, joined by special guests original bassist Andy Hummel, M. Ward, Evan Dando, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, and Chris Stamey, staged the concert as a tribute to him.

"Big Star's Third" shows

Four months after Chilton's death, Hummel died of cancer on July 19, 2010. Asked about the band's plans after the death of Chilton and Hummel, Stephens told Billboard, "It's music we all really love to play, and we love to play it together, so we're trying to figure out a way forward where we can keep doing it." In a Rolling Stone interview, Stephens said that the May 2010 tribute performance would be the group's final show as Big Star, although not his last show with Auer and Stringfellow, stating, "I can't see us going out as Big Star ... But I would hate to compound the loss of Alex by saying,'That's it' for Ken and Jon, too. I can't imagine not playing with them. There's so much fun—but an emotional bond there too."

In December 2010, under the billing "Big Star's Third", Stephens teamed with Mitch Easter, Stamey, and Mills, along with a string section, to perform a live tribute performance of Big Star's album Third/Sister Lovers in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Joined by additional performers such as Matthew Sweet, Big Star's Third was performed in a similar tribute concert in New York City on March 26, 2011, and at the Barbican in London on May 28, 2012. The project continued with concerts in Chicago and New York in 2013, a January 2014 concert in Sydney, Australia, and a series of U.S. shows that included Seattle's Bumbershoot festival on August 31, 2014. In November 2014, Auer and Stringfellow rejoined Stephens, Easter, Stamey, and Mills for a free benefit performance in Athens, Georgia. As of 2017, Big Star's Third were still performing.

On April 21, 2017, Concord Records released a Big Star's Third live concert documentary on two DVDs, along with a three-CD live album, both titled Thank You, Friends: Big Star's Third Live... and More. The concert was performed in April 2016 at Glendale, California's Alex Theatre.

Posthumous releases

In June 2011, Ardent Records released the EP Live Tribute to Alex Chilton, and Stephens confirmed on the Ardent blog that the tribute performance in May 2010 was the last performance for Big Star as a band. A documentary titled Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2012), directed by Drew DeNicola and Olivia Mori, chronicled the group's career and band members' solo efforts. In 2013, the documentary was released in theaters and on DVD, and it had a limited theatrical re-release in England in August 2014. In November 2014, Live in Memphis was released by Omnivore Recordings on CD, vinyl, and as a DVD of Big Star's performance of October 29, 1994, their only known show to be professionally filmed in its entirety. According to Mojo, the DVD documents how Big Star's 1990s lineup defied expectations and endured for another 16 years: "Chilton's musicality is mesmerising as he drives the band. … Alternating between lead and rhythm, he plays with a mix of laser focus and utter insouciant cool."

Musical style and influences

Bell took up guitar when 12 or 13, but only on hearing the first Beatles records was he motivated to play the instrument regularly. He acted as lead and rhythm guitarist and vocalist for a sequence of bands, performing songs by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Zombies, and the Animals. Chilton's first awareness of music came at the age of 6 when his brother repeatedly played a record by the Coasters. His father's liking for jazz then exposed him over the next few years to the music of Glenn Miller, Ray Charles, and Dave Brubeck. Chilton's enthusiasm for music took hold when at age 13 he first heard Beatles records; he recalled having known of 1950s rock 'n' roll, but "by 1959 Elvis was syrup and Jerry Lee was pretty much gone, and the rockabilly thing was sort of over so I didn't get really caught up in the rock scene until the Beatles came along".

The drummer in a close-up view through the gaps between his drums and cymbals. His face and neck are slightly reddened from his exertion. While drumming, he is singing into the microphone mounted close to his face
Jody Stephens in 2009 during a Big Star performance at Hyde Park

Chilton took up electric guitar at 13, playing along with Beatles songs, later saying, "I really loved the mid-sixties British pop music all two and a half minutes or three minutes long, really appealing songs. So I've always aspired to that same format, that's what I like. Not to mention the rhythm and blues and the Stax stuff, too". Chilton abandoned his guitar-playing during his time with the Box Tops and then took up the instrument again; he met Roger McGuinn, guitarist for the Byrds, and developed particular interest in electric guitar and acoustic folk. Stephens enjoyed the music of Otis Redding, the Isley Brothers, the Who, the Kinks, and especially the Beatles.

Hummel likewise was a member of more than one band during his early musical years, again influenced by the Beatles and other British Invasion acts. The bassist also played acoustic guitar for personal enjoyment, following the styles of Simon & Garfunkel and Joni Mitchell and using finger-picking techniques to play folk and bluegrass. Most songs on the first three albums are credited to either Bell/Chilton or Chilton, but some credit Hummel, Stephens and others, as either writer or co-writer. At the only seven live performances in the original era, the last of which took place before the second album's release, all four members contributed vocally.

While primarily inspired by the music of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands, acknowledging too the jangle pop and power pop of the period, Big Star also incorporated dark, nihilistic themes to produce a striking blend of musical and lyrical styles. The body of work resulting from the first era was a precursor of the alternative rock of the 1980s and 1990s, at the same time yielding material today considered an outstanding example of power pop. The stylistic range is evident from modern day critiques. Bogdanov et al., commenting on #1 Record in their All Music Guide to Rock, perceive in "The Ballad of El Goodo" a "luminous, melancholy ballad", whereas John Borack's Ultimate Power Pop Guide singles out Radio City's "September Gurls" as a "glorious, glittering jewel" of power pop.

Borack notes too that Third/Sister Lovers is "slower, darker and a good deal weirder" than the first two albums, identifying "Holocaust" as "Alex Chilton at his haunting best", yet finds "Thank You Friends" exemplifying "left-field gems" also present in which "the hooks are every bit as undeniable" as before. Jovanovic writes that when recording what Peter Buckley in his Rough Guide to Rock terms the "snarling guitar rock" of the first album's "Don't Lie to Me", the band, deeming conventional instruments inadequate for the task, wheeled two Norton Commando motorcycles into the studio and gunned the engines to intensify the song's bridge. Bogdanov et al. reserve "snarl" for a Radio City song, "Mod Lang"; here Buckley writes that "the power of the performance and the erratic mix gave a sense of chaos which only added to the thrill".

Legacy and influence

Although Big Star's first era came to an end in 1974, the band acquired a cult following in the 1980s when new acts began to acknowledge the early material's significance. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck admitted, "We've sort of flirted with greatness, but we've yet to make a record as good as Revolver or Highway 61 Revisited or Exile on Main Street or Big Star's Third. I don't know what it'll take to push us on to that level, but I think we've got it in us." Chilton, however, told an interviewer in 1992, "I'm constantly surprised that people fall for Big Star the way they do... People say Big Star made some of the best rock 'n roll albums ever. And I say they're wrong."

In 2014, Paul Stanley cited Big Star as an influence to early Kiss moments: "We've always been about verses, choruses, bridges (...) It's called a hook for a reason, because it grabs you. And that's my mentality. Give me the Raspberries. Give me Small Faces. Give me Big Star."

The band was also an inspiration for the Replacements, who recorded the song "Alex Chilton" on their Pleased to Meet Me album.

"While the band no longer exists, the music that Alex, Chris, Andy and I originally made together under the auspices of John Fry still calls a community of those of us with like minds to come together and have fun with it," Stephens wrote in 2017 in a note published in the liner notes of The Best of Big Star.

Critics have continued to cite Big Star's first three albums as a profound influence on subsequent musicians. Rolling Stone notes that Big Star "created a seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations of rockers, from the power-pop revivalists of the late 1970s to alternative rockers at the end of the century to the indie rock nation in the new millennium". Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, identifies Big Star as "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll", whose "impact on subsequent generations of indie bands on both sides of the Atlantic is surpassed only by that of the Velvet Underground". Ankeny describes Big Star's second album, Radio City, as "their masterpiece—ragged and raw guitar-pop infused with remarkable intensity and spontaneity".

In 1992, Rykodisc generated further interest in the band when it reissued Third/Sister Lovers and released a posthumous compilation of Bell's solo material, I Am the Cosmos. In his 2007 book Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide, John Borack ranks the #1 Record/Radio City double album at No. 2 in his chart "The 200 Greatest Power Pop Albums". Rolling Stone includes #1 Record, Radio City and Third/Sister Lovers in The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and "September Gurls" and "Thirteen" in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In addition to R.E.M., artists including Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements, Primal Scream, the Posies, and Bill Lloyd and the dB's cite Big Star as an inspiration, and the band's influence on Game Theory, Matthew Sweet, and Velvet Crush is also acknowledged.

On their 2022 album Tremblers and Goggles by Rank, Guided By Voices paid tribute to Big Star with the song "Alex Bell". The lyrics include the refrain "Walking down Alex Bell, thinking of Alex...I see you around every time there's a ghost in town."

  • A cover version of "September Gurls" appeared on the Bangles' 1986 triple platinum album Different Light. "September Gurls", Borack wrote, "was and is the sine qua non of power pop, a glorious, glittering jewel with every facet cut and shined to absolute perfection.... a peerless, aching distillation of love and longing. 'September Gurls' may not actually be the greatest song ever recorded, but for the duration of its 2:47 running time, you can be forgiven for believing it is."
  • The 1987 tribute song "Alex Chilton", co-written by three members of the Replacements, was released as a single from the album Pleased to Meet Me and contains the lyric "I never travel far without a little Big Star."
  • "I'm in Love with a Girl" from Radio City features in the soundtrack of the 2009 film Adventureland.
  • In 1998, an ad hoc, shortened version of #1 Record's "In the Street" (recorded by Todd Griffin) was used as the theme song for the sitcom That '70s Show, and in 1999, a new version titled "That '70s Song (In the Street)" was recorded by Cheap Trick also specifically for the show. "That '70s Song" and Big Star's own "September Gurls" are included on the 1999 album That '70s Album (Rockin') released by the television program's producers.
  • The 2006 tribute album Big Star, Small World includes Big Star covers by the Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Gin Blossoms, Wilco, the Afghan Whigs, and Whiskeytown, among others.
  • Lucero, a Memphis, Tennessee-based alternative country band, covered "I'm in Love with a Girl" on their 2015 release All a Man Should Do, an album which takes its title from a lyric in the song. Founding member Jody Stephens, and later additions to Big Star, provide backup on the track.
  • "Thirteen" from Big Star is featured in the 2020 Disney+ film Stargirl. The song is then sung by the two leads, Grace VanderWaal as Susan "Stargirl" Caraway and Graham Verchere as Leo Borlock.

Personnel

  • Alex Chilton – guitars, piano, vocals (1971–1974, 1993–2010; died 2010)
  • Jody Stephens – drums, vocals (1971–1974, 1993–2010)
  • Chris Bell – guitars, vocals (1971–1972; died 1978)
  • Andy Hummel – bass guitar, vocals (1971–1973, 2010; died 2010)
  • John Lightman – bass guitar, backing vocals (1974)
  • Jon Auer – guitar, vocals (1993–2010)
  • Ken Stringfellow – bass guitar, vocals, keyboards (1993–2010)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

  • Biggest (Line Records, 1994) – greatest hits
  • The Best of (Big Beat Records, 1999) – greatest hits
  • Big Star Story (Rykodisc, 2003) – greatest hits with one new track
  • Keep an Eye on the Sky (Rhino, 2009) – box set with a live disc
  • Nothing Can Hurt Me (Omnivore Recordings, 2013) – soundtrack to movie
  • Playlist (1972–2005) (Legacy Recordings, 2013) – first compilation to cover all eras of band
  • Complete Third (Omnivore, 2016) – complete recordings from the Third sessions
  • The Best of Big Star (Craft Recordings, 2017) – greatest hits with some rare mixes and edits of songs

Big Star's Third

  • Thank You, Friends: Big Star's Third Live... and More (2017, Concord) – Big Star's Third concert, recorded live in April 2016 (3 CDs)

Videography

Big Star

Big Star's Third

  • Thank You, Friends: Big Star's Third Live... and More (2017, Concord) – concert documentary of Big Star's Third live performance in April 2016 (2 DVDs)

References

  1. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Big Star Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: Big Star: Columbia: Live at Missouri University 4/25/93". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  3. "Blue Light Special". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. December 7, 1992 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Backbeat Books. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3.
  5. ^ "Big Star". Rolling Stone (artist biography). Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  6. "Everyday a Sunday: Big Star (Power Pop)". Still in Rock (Brooklyn-based music blog). March 24, 2014.
  7. ^ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. ISBN 978-0-9797714-0-8.
  8. ^ Jovanovic, Rob (2004). Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 0-00-714908-5.
  9. ^ "Memphis music loses 'Big Star' - singer, songwriter Alex Chilton dies at 59", March 17, 2010. Memphis Commercial Appeal. Accessed March 18, 2010.
  10. ^ Graff, Gary (July 20, 2010). "Big Star's Jody Stephens Remembers Andy Hummel, Ponders Band's Future". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  11. ^ Trucks, Rob (March 16, 2011). "Big Star's Third, Onstage in New York at Last". Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014.
  12. ^ Hann, Michael (May 3, 2012). "Big Star's Third: 'It's hard to nail the chaos'". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014.
  13. ^ Big Star's Third (2017). "News". BigStarThird.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018.
  14. Creswell, Toby (2006). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them. Da Capo Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-1-56025-915-2.
  15. ^ Miles, Milo (November 19, 2003). "Album reviews: #1 Record/Radio City". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008.
  16. ^ Jovanovic, Rob (2013). Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band (Revised and updated ed.). London: Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-908279-36-1.
  17. Simmonds, Jeremy (2008). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars. Chicago Review Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-55652-754-8.
  18. Segalstad, Eric (2009). The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll. Samadhi Creations. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-615-18964-2.
  19. ^ Gordon, Robert (1995). It Came from Memphis. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-1045-9.
  20. Eaton, Bruce (2009). Big Star's "Radio City". 33 1/3. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-8264-2898-1.
  21. Strong, Martin (2004). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate US. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-84195-615-2.
  22. "Album Reviews: Third/Sister Lovers". Rolling Stone. June 17, 1997. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008.
  23. Burgess, Richard James (2010). The Art Of Music Production: With an Introduction to Twentieth-Century Music. Omnibus Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-85712-202-5.
  24. "Big Star Bassist Andy Hummel Dies at 59 | Music News". Rolling Stone. July 20, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  25. Metz, Adam (June 9, 1996). "Jon Auer interview with Adam Metz".
  26. ^ Deming, Mark. "Various Artists: Big Star Small World". AllMusic (review). All Media Guide. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
  27. ^ "In Space review". Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2009.. RollingStone.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Accessed July 18, 2009.
  28. "Big Star Plays at the Fillmore, San Francisco". Ardent Music. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  29. "#1 Record/Radio City remasters". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  30. ^ "Big Star Reaches For 'Sky' With Box Set". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  31. Russo, Daniel J. (July 15, 2009). "Big Star at Hyde Park, London". Ardent Studios. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009.
  32. Fricke, David (November 19, 2009). "Big Star Rock #1 Record, Radio City Classics at Rare NYC Gig". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  33. "SXSW 2010: Alex Chilton, Big Star tribute concert". Chicago Tribune. March 21, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  34. Fricke, David (May 7, 2010). "Alex Chilton Remembered: A Conversation With Big Star's Jody Stephens". Rolling Stone.
  35. "4 Shows in August and September". BigStarThird.com. June 22, 2014. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014.
  36. ^ Big Star's Third (2014). "News". BigStarThird.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014.
  37. ^ Kreps, Daniel (March 3, 2017). "Watch Jeff Tweedy, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills Cover Classic Big Star Track". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018.
  38. ^ Deming, Mark. "Review of Thank You, Friends: Big Star's Third Live... and More". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  39. "Big Star with John Davis – Live Tribute to Alex Chilton 7" Vinyl EP". Ardent Music. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  40. "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me". Big Star Story. 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014.
  41. ^ "Live in Memphis". Omnivore: Release. Omnivore Recordings. 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014.
  42. "Live in Memphis". Mojo Magazine. December 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014.
  43. DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Milk It: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's. Da Capo Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-306-81271-2.
  44. ^ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. pp. 100–101. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0.
  45. Shuker, Roy (2005). Popular Music: The Key Concepts. Routledge. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-415-34769-3.
  46. "Interview with Martin Aston". Mojo Magazine: 46. November 2009.
  47. Hiatt, Brian (March 26, 2014). "Kiss Forever: 40 Years of Feuds and Fury". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  48. Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael (February 24, 2017). Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-3514-8.
  49. Big Star - The Best Of Big Star, 2017, retrieved September 22, 2023
  50. Radio City in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Archived September 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine RollingStone.com. Accessed July 1, 2010.
  51. #1 Record in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Archived November 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine RollingStone.com. Accessed July 1, 2010.
  52. Third/Sister Lovers in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Archived November 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine RollingStone.com. Accessed July 1, 2010,
  53. ""September Gurls" in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2009. RollingStone.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Accessed July 19, 2009.
  54. ""Thirteen" in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved July 19, 2009. RollingStone.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Accessed July 19, 2009.
  55. Fletcher, Tony (2003). Remarks Remade: The Story of R.E.M. Omnibus Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-7119-9113-2.
  56. Ritchie, Paul (1996). "Alex Chilton: Live in Glasgow". Ready Steady Go!. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  57. Ritchie, Paul (1998). "Teenage Fanclub". Ready Steady Go!. Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  58. Harrington, Joe S. (2002). Sonic Cool: The Life and Death of Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard. pp. 337–338. ISBN 0-634-02861-8..
  59. "The Replacements, Alex Chilton". Rhapsody.com. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
  60. "Adventureland". AdventurelandTheFilm.com (official site). Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  61. Rosen, Craig (August 16, 1999). "Cheap Trick Does Big Star for That '70s Show". Cheap Trick News on Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on April 18, 2005. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  62. Boldman, Gina. "That '70s Show Presents That '70s Album: Rockin' Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  63. "Lucero – All a Man Should Do". HearYa (album review). September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015.
  64. Danton, Eric R. (August 31, 2015). "Lucero Pays Tribute to Big Star on 'I'm in Love with a Girl' (Exclusive Song)". Wall Street Journal (blog).
  65. Magnolia Pictures (November 26, 2013). "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me". ASIN B00EL6ABAI. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014.

External links

Big Star
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
Other songs
Films
Related articles
Stax/Volt Records
Major figures
Related articles

Categories: