"You Can't Have Me" isn't abt a woman, also drunk dudes do gay shit all the time
― sonic thedgehod (albvivertine), Friday, 5 September 2014 23:06 (nine years ago) link
re: AC's dialect…again, I cannot say for sure, as I have never been to Memphis…but I am from Louisville, a mid-south/midwest locale that likely has a lot in common with Memphis…and I have known people from the town…and I now remember that I spoke to AC on the phone for about two minutes on behalf of the record company I worked for in the mid 90s so that I could send him the masters of High Priest and No Sex to him…
so I'll say that indeed his speaking style is not necessarily "southern sissy" (which is a funny-as-fuck frase and one that manifests widely) but it's more louche, more fancy and upper class…
― veronica moser, Friday, 5 September 2014 23:11 (nine years ago) link
― sonic thedgehod (albvivertine)
to me that's how this song codes
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 5 September 2014 23:45 (nine years ago) link
I could care less about Bell's gender preference.― calstars, Friday, September 5, 2014 6:04 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― calstars, Friday, September 5, 2014 6:04 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
is there anything else you don't care about that you would care to tell us about?
― I dunno. (amateurist), Saturday, 6 September 2014 00:07 (nine years ago) link
veronica, "louche" is precisely the right word
― I dunno. (amateurist), Saturday, 6 September 2014 00:08 (nine years ago) link
"preference"
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 6 September 2014 00:08 (nine years ago) link
also i just noticed that almost all of chilton's albums are out of print! wanted to pick up a CD copy of high priest which i only have on tape. wtf.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Saturday, 6 September 2014 00:09 (nine years ago) link
Spotify's got a fairly good supply of Chilton, Big Star, Box Tops. Just got this--should be good, considering that it's from the tour promoting the Columbus, MO live CD:
BIG STAR LIVE IN MEMPHIS,THE INFLUENTIAL BAND’S ONLY KNOWN COMPLETE PROFESSIONALLY FILMED CONCERT,COMING ON OMNIVORE RECORDINGS ON NOVEMBER 4Package available as 2-LP set, CD, digital and DVD,with notes by Big Star’s Jody Stephens, Ardent’s John Fry,and director Danny GraflundBig Star live: photo by Danny GraflundLOS ANGELES, Calif. – The gig poster said “BIG STAR IN THEIR FAREWELL U.S. PERFORMANCE.” Luckily, this iconic Memphis band’s homecoming show was nothing of the kind. As Jody Stephens points out in his liner notes, “We played Los Angeles three days later and went on to play together for another 16 years. No one ever said anything about the poster.”Omnivore Recordings is proud to present Big Star’s first appearance in Memphis since 1974, and only known professionally filmed show in its entirety. Live in Memphis chronicles that October 29, 1994 performance on CD, 2-LP (with download card), Digital, and DVD.All audio formats contain the complete 20-song set, which includes Big Star classics like “Thank You Friends,” “September Gurls,” and “The Ballad of El Goodo,” Chris Bell’s “I Am the Cosmos,” and covers of T.Rex, The Kinks, Todd Rundgren and more, performed by Big Star: Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens, and Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow from the Posies.Also included are notes from filmmaker Danny Graflund, Ardent Studios’ John Fry, Jody Stephens, Jon Auer, and Ken Stringfellow in both the CD and LP packaging, as well as in the DVD. Per Omnivore tradition, the first pressing of the LP will be limited to 1,000 colored vinyl, with black to follow.According to Stephens, “This second life for Big Star begins on April 25, 1993, in Columbia, Missouri. The performance gets recorded and released. We now have a record to support and a reason to tour. A handful of dates far and wide followed, but then an offer came from the New Daisy to play Memphis. Pretty exciting! Walking into the New Daisy that night brought on a rush of ’70s friends I hadn’t seen in years. So much support there from well-wishers, which included John Fry and my parents. Stepping onstage that night in Memphis with Alex, Jon, and Ken was an incredibly good time and a bit of magic. It wasn’t so much that we were playing to the audience as we were sharing the music with them, and they were sharing themselves with us. We all cared.”Stingfellow wrote: “It might seem intimidating, and at the same time look presumptuous, to step in and complete the lineup of Memphis’ most beloved cult band on their home turf. However, Jon and I were (and to this day remain) absolutely passionate about the music of Big Star, and that sense of devotion and belief propelled us forward and, hopefully, silenced any grumbles about what two kids from Seattle were doing there in that lineup. By the time we rolled into town to play this show, we’d gone from the initial, delightfully fragile, show in Columbia, Missouri, to engagements in London, San Francisco, and Tokyo. There would be more heft to the show, and we were getting to know Alex and Jody in even deeper ways, musically and personally. You might even say . . . we were a band.”“Omnivore is thrilled to release what may be the only complete Big Star concert ever professionally filmed. The exuberant Memphis hometown crowd reception made this a night to remember, and even though the concert was not recorded with the intent to become an album, we know that fans will want to be in the front row for this show,” says the release’s co-producer, Omnivore’s Cheryl Pawelski. Track Listing:
In the Street Don’t Lie to Me When My Baby’s Beside Me I Am the Cosmos Way Out West Till the End of the Day The Ballad Of El Goodo Back of a Car Fire* Daisy Glaze Jesus Christ For You Baby Strange Feel September Gurls Big Black Car Thank You Friends The Girl From Ipanema Patty Girl Slut
*”Fire” does not appear on the DVD
― dow, Friday, 12 September 2014 21:03 (nine years ago) link
I think I was at this show! Depends on whether they played Memphis more than once between 1994 and 1998.
― Malibu Stasi (WilliamC), Friday, 12 September 2014 21:08 (nine years ago) link
I just caved and ordered hardcover of the book, like I knew I would.
― fields of salmon, Saturday, 13 September 2014 01:01 (nine years ago) link
did i ever post this here? i was just listening to the 45 tonight. love the Bell-tones on this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=newVegT-jjs
― scott seward, Saturday, 13 September 2014 02:14 (nine years ago) link
love this song too. would have been a perfect big star b-side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8aJ-iqekdM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YTjJg-GAEE
― scott seward, Saturday, 13 September 2014 02:18 (nine years ago) link
Wow. Would have thought that "Love You (All Day Long)" was a Raspberries tune if it didn't say otherwise.
― Colossal Propellerhead (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 13 September 2014 14:56 (nine years ago) link
A Man Called Destruction just arrived.
Initial thoughts: it's a hardcover book, totally unnecessary for my needs as a Alex Chilton theorist. Why do publishing companies persist? It was 20 bucks, why couldn't they ship a trade paperback?
― fields of salmon, Tuesday, 23 September 2014 23:21 (nine years ago) link
because it hasn't been printed yet? do you know how publishing works?
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 23 September 2014 23:27 (nine years ago) link
I love a hardback tbh. My daily commute seems to pulverise paperbacks. By the time I finished Nixonland the first half of the book had already turned to mulch.
― A college wearing a sweater that says “John Belushi” (stevie), Wednesday, 24 September 2014 08:07 (nine years ago) link
Publish an expensive an unwieldy "collector's" edition that differs only in form factor, wait a year for no apparent reason, publish a paperback edition that contains the same content. Makes sense to me!
It's like if you wanted to buy an iPhone 6 and Apple made you pay for an iPhone 4S, wait a year, then finally gave you option to buy the iPhone 6 you originally wanted for less money. They both run iOS 8, but one of them is slimmer and nicer than the other.
― fields of salmon, Wednesday, 24 September 2014 08:51 (nine years ago) link
I hear R&B in Chilton's vocals. One of the pluses of the otherwise diffuse and muddled 33 1/3 book about Dusty in Memphis is its explanation of how this Wexler-Mardin ethos drew towards itself the tight rhythm of Stax. When I hear "September Gurls" Chilton's vocals sound like he's invoking Dusty Springfield more than the Beatles.
This is so OTM. I can't really put my finger on it; every time I hear them I can't help hearing a feeling of displacement and isolation, which I think may be related to them doing music which did not belong in the place they were making it; in Dusty's case she was doing r&b and soul in the middle of the Swinging London, while Chilton was making English-influenced rock/pop music in the geographic heart of the r&b and soul "movement", so to speak.
Regarding Big Star and their influence in REM and the Mats, I think it's undeniably there. REM sounds like more of a #1 Record band, more aligned with the traditional power pop scene. To me, even though that's just an ingredient in their mix because they have a very unique, personal sound, I can hear it in stuff like Near Wild Heaven, for instance.
With The Replacements and Westerberg, I hear more Radio City in them, alternating the mindless "rockier" sound (Mod Lang) with the cynical approach (Life is white) and the total heartbreak (What's Going Ahn). I can also hear some Pavement in Big Star; the intro from Feel reminds me of the one in Silence Kid, and in my mind the Mats is the band that connects Big Star and Pavement into some kind of lineage, though I can't really pinpoint why, other than the fact that they share some sensibility traits, Westerberg being the Chilton fan everyone knows he is, and Malkmus often mentioning both Chilton and Westerberg as influences.
― cpl593H, Wednesday, 24 September 2014 12:46 (nine years ago) link
It's like if you wanted to buy an iPhone 6 and Apple made you pay for an iPhone 4S, wait a year, then finally gave you option to buy the iPhone 6 you originally wanted for less money.
so the answer is "no, I don't understand how publishing works" ok cool
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 24 September 2014 15:14 (nine years ago) link
So obviously I'm a consumer. Didn't realize knowledge of a series of arcane rituals called "publishing" was required to comment on why it seems strange I have to buy a hardcover or else wait a year to read a book I want to read in an age where the customer generally chooses the form factor in which they want to enjoy their content. So please, just explain it to me instead of being a dick about it.
― fields of salmon, Thursday, 25 September 2014 00:49 (nine years ago) link
Outic is shakey fyi
― I was supposed to watch dishes (rip van wanko), Thursday, 25 September 2014 01:15 (nine years ago) link
I have to buy a hardcover or else wait a year to read a book I want to read
You have heard of these things called "libraries" perhaps?
an age where the customer generally chooses the form factor in which they want to enjoy their content.
hahahahahaha
― bippity bup at the hotel california (Phil D.), Thursday, 25 September 2014 01:21 (nine years ago) link
the answer is money. any number of yahoo answers or google searches will explain the rest of the details
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 25 September 2014 15:18 (nine years ago) link
xp
not really going to go into why a book is not like a tech product, which is ridiculous on its face just due to stark differences in how the two are produced, used, sold, marketed etc.
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 25 September 2014 15:19 (nine years ago) link
Holy shit, RIP John Fry. Guy was a genius, and nice as can be.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 18 December 2014 22:07 (nine years ago) link
RIP. seemed like he might have cared more about big star than anyone actually in the band.the man behind some seriously great sounding records.
― tylerw, Thursday, 18 December 2014 22:09 (nine years ago) link
FUCK. A young friend of mine just got geeked out on Big Star in the same way I did when I picked up Keep an Eye on the Sky. I let him borrow that and the Ardent "Thank You Friends" comp. Some of the best sounding records ever.
― Trip Maker, Thursday, 18 December 2014 22:12 (nine years ago) link
Damndamndamn Fry and John Hampton within a week of each other. Not good times in Ardentland. I guess Terry Manning and Jody Stephens are the last really connected to Big Star in their prime guys left?
RIP and Thank You For The Music.
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 18 December 2014 22:20 (nine years ago) link
Shared by Ardent on FB today
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10422482_10153373329288056_8801598654545945912_n.jpg?oh=b52d71073226b11cb776f2d96f2ab951&oe=55429871&__gda__=1426831813_7ec7b3e056bfc2d35780b785aca2bbe2
Fry, Hampton
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 19 December 2014 20:02 (nine years ago) link
RIP
― I Am Not Blecch (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 19 December 2014 20:18 (nine years ago) link
Time for a new screenname
― I Am The Cosmos Factory (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 19 December 2014 20:20 (nine years ago) link
Man, everyone in the South goes early. I really need to lay off the brisket.
― fields of salmon, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 00:56 (nine years ago) link
RIP... the best part of that big star documentary... was not actually in the documentary. it was a "bonus feature" on the DVD where john fry spoke extensively about recording and mixing the first two big star albums. totally endearing and smart and fascinating dude, seems like he was an exceptionally generous personality.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 01:42 (nine years ago) link
http://static.ow.ly/photos/original/7YQBk.jpg
Fry, Hampton, and---?
― dow, Thursday, 25 December 2014 21:02 (nine years ago) link
I still need to finish the Chilton book. I was obsessed with it for about two weeks and got distracted.
― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 28 December 2014 04:09 (nine years ago) link
And yes, Fry's passing is totally sad. The guy came off about as unpretentious as possible in that documentary. Way too young.
― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 28 December 2014 04:10 (nine years ago) link
I still need to finish the Chilton book. I was obsessed with it for about two weeks and got distracted.― Naive Teen Idol, Saturday, December 27, 2014 11:09 PM (Yesterday)
― Pigbag Wanderer (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 28 December 2014 15:24 (nine years ago) link
Strike "music."
― Pigbag Wanderer (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 28 December 2014 15:25 (nine years ago) link
http://acerecords.co.uk/news/2014/john-fry
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 31 December 2014 21:23 (nine years ago) link
Some of that "Stax overflow was pretty impressive. Believe lots of Al Bell productions were recorded or mixed there, partly because he was trying to do something different from Steve Cropper. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan06/articles/classictracks.htm
― Pigbag Wanderer (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 1 January 2015 02:13 (nine years ago) link
The first inset of that article is more specifically about Fry. There seems to be something missing in the overall story about where the reggae influence came from, since I have heard in other places it came from the Muscles Shoals guys going on tour with Traffic and thereby being exposed to The Wailers, who were also on Island Records.
― Pigbag Wanderer (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 1 January 2015 02:21 (nine years ago) link
Jimmy Cliff recorded in Muscle Shoals in like '70-'71. That's the Swampers on "Sitting In Limbo".
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 1 January 2015 03:51 (nine years ago) link
Found it. 1971, Another Cycle, Cliff's last release before The Harder They Come, recorded in Muscle Shoals with backing from The Swampers.
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 1 January 2015 04:04 (nine years ago) link
Yes!
― calstars, Thursday, 1 January 2015 04:10 (nine years ago) link
Good catch. That definitely came out before "I'll Take You There." Wonder if that was after that Wailers/Traffic tour as well. Nope. That was '72. Seems like the Jimmy Cliff connection gets left out frequently of the story- because Bob Marley is so much more famous?
― Pigbag Wanderer (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 1 January 2015 04:19 (nine years ago) link
I need to finish A Man Called Destruction. Was totally enjoying it last summer and got distracted just as he went off the rails in NYC in the late 70s.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 12 March 2015 13:01 (nine years ago) link
has anyone heard of Gimmer Nicholson? he was apparently a major influence on Big Star's acoustic guitar sound. he recorded a solo acoustic album at Ardent Studios shortly before Big Star recorded #1 Record, and while it remained unreleased for over 30 years, Chris Bell was a fan of it at the time, according to producer Terry Manning. I can definitely hear some similarities between his playing and Bell's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT6ZwtLMmM0
― the geographibebebe (unregistered), Sunday, 12 April 2015 04:14 (nine years ago) link
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11295631_910536365654239_2866583916654941842_n.jpg?oh=e1a69deedb3bf1afffd532ee19d089be&oe=55FBAAD6
― tylerw, Tuesday, 2 June 2015 20:13 (eight years ago) link
What's A.C.? You know? Arkansas College?
― andrew m., Tuesday, 2 June 2015 20:22 (eight years ago) link