if there's a solo 12-string demo version of Kanga Roo (similar to those for Stroke it Noel, Big Black Car, Downs, Jesus Christ etc), it's not on the box set. The liner notes to the ryko reissue go into how Kanga Roo was recorded - iirc Jim Dickinson said Alex had overdubbed the mellotron and feedback and some other stuff all one channel as a deliberate challenge/test of Dickinson's patience and mixing skills
― max buzzword (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 10 February 2012 21:01 (twelve years ago) link
my other favorite anecdote from the Ryko reissue was about using a basketball as a snare drum for Downs
― max buzzword (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 10 February 2012 21:03 (twelve years ago) link
i got all 3 albums on some weird german 2cd many years ago... the tracklist for sister/lovers is 17 tracks long and really weird...
― and the answer is: Opinions differ. (stevie), Friday, 10 February 2012 21:04 (twelve years ago) link
Kizza me You can't have meJesus Christ Downs Whola lotta shakin' going on Thank you friends O, Dana Femme fatale Stroke it, Noel Holocaust Nighttime Kanga-roo For you Take care Blue moon Dream lover Big black car
― and the answer is: Opinions differ. (stevie), Friday, 10 February 2012 21:06 (twelve years ago) link
that is weird. and plus, it loses the back to back order of Holocaust into Kanga-roo (Kanga Roo? Kangaroo?) which works so well not only because they're both in the same otherworldly bleak territory but also because the beginning of Kangaroo uses an almost identical melody to the one in Holocaust.
― Z S, Friday, 10 February 2012 21:10 (twelve years ago) link
Holocaust chords are "borrowed" from Yoko Ono's "Mrs. Lennon" fwiw
― max buzzword (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 10 February 2012 21:14 (twelve years ago) link
I need "Blue Moon" near the end, find orderings where it's not p hard to follow
― Euler, Friday, 10 February 2012 21:21 (twelve years ago) link
similarly, I find any arrangement that doesn't put Stroke it Noel first absolutely baffling
― max buzzword (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 10 February 2012 21:25 (twelve years ago) link
haha I love the Ryko opening with "Thank You Friends"
― Euler, Friday, 10 February 2012 21:27 (twelve years ago) link
never knew this, fwiw. mind's on crooked now.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Friday, 10 February 2012 22:18 (twelve years ago) link
it's pretty blatant - same key, tempo, piano part, etc.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLeZTKEVGVkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQ977u8Wuk
― max buzzword (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 10 February 2012 22:20 (twelve years ago) link
Damn, you weren't kidding.
― pplains, Friday, 10 February 2012 22:27 (twelve years ago) link
Yoko ruins everything.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 10 February 2012 22:58 (twelve years ago) link
I should finally listen to Big Star. I have everything else released on Ardent and a lot of records recorded there. The Hot Dogs and Cargoe have become two of my favorite records, but I keep putting Big Star off for some reason.
― JacobSanders, Friday, 10 February 2012 23:15 (twelve years ago) link
speaking of mrs. john lennon and holocaust
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXRExocnpUw
― Z S, Saturday, 11 February 2012 06:31 (twelve years ago) link
Third turns out to be even better when you're wasted and bummed out! who could have predicted that?!
― Z S, Sunday, 12 February 2012 05:31 (twelve years ago) link
seriously though, as much as i enjoy the first half, there's this run from blue room>take care>jesus christ>femme fatale(well, eh on that one tbh)>o,dana>big black car>holocaust,kanga roo>thank you friends that's just astounding
― Z S, Sunday, 12 February 2012 05:32 (twelve years ago) link
very seriously though
opening chords to angie always make me wanna go "on a dark desert highway..."
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 12 February 2012 05:43 (twelve years ago) link
blue room lol
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 12 February 2012 05:44 (twelve years ago) link
blue room>take care>jesus christ>femme fatale(well, eh on that one tbh)>o,dana>big black car>holocaust,kanga roo>thank you friends
otm tho (except femme fatale cover is good too)
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 12 February 2012 05:45 (twelve years ago) link
oh, i didn't mean the carrot signs to mean lesser than or greater than, i just meant i liked that whole flow from song to song!
and i like femme fatale cover too, actually, just not in the context of that slide into wasterdom
― Z S, Sunday, 12 February 2012 05:49 (twelve years ago) link
i just meant i liked that whole flow from song to song!
oh yeah, me too. might be my favorite song sequence anywhere ever. awesome in that it's relatable no matter how good or bad i'm feeling, and however dark it gets, it never brings me down. plus just songs. could live inside blue moon forever.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 12 February 2012 06:13 (twelve years ago) link
i'm so happy to have Third in my life. I dunno, this afternoon I devoted some serious time to #1 Record and Radio City, but Third is just...way more appealing to my ears. I always try to stay open to stuff, and i'll revisit their first two over and over again (and probably update this thread in 2017 or something), but at the moment Third really appeals to me more than the others.
― Z S, Sunday, 12 February 2012 06:16 (twelve years ago) link
first two are really great (like REALLY great), but i agree. third forever.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 12 February 2012 06:24 (twelve years ago) link
i don't know, the first two seem relatively straightforward to me. don't get me wrong, it's great pop, and repeated listens earlier today i was enjoying them (and i'll keep checking them out and i'm sure at some point i'll revive this thread and feel like a dumbass for not loving them from the beginning), but Third really hits at something a bit skewed that really appeals to me.
― Z S, Sunday, 12 February 2012 06:27 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, that's the difference. first two are brilliant, aching power pop gr8ness. 3rd is alltime rip yr guts out weirdo darkness shit. and i'm way more in that camp, but you know, i'm cool with brilliant aching power pop too.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 12 February 2012 06:42 (twelve years ago) link
i'm sure at some point i'll revive this thread and feel like a dumbass for not loving them from the beginning
one week later!
ok, i'm officially obsessed. i don't think i've listened to anything else in the last week, and since i just started digging into the demos/i am the cosmos/icewater/rock city shit it's only going to deepen from here.
WHAT'S GOING AHN!!!!
― tmi but (Z S), Sunday, 19 February 2012 16:58 (twelve years ago) link
having said that, with that said, that being said, that having been said, i am a little afraid to wade into the alex chilton solo stuff. also, that big star biography mentioned upthread by rob jovanovic has some nice tidbits and i'm glad i took a few hours to read it, but it really is pretty terrible.
― tmi but (Z S), Sunday, 19 February 2012 17:01 (twelve years ago) link
Chilton album 1970 is well worth time even without having to try to "get" Chilton
― Euler, Sunday, 19 February 2012 17:08 (twelve years ago) link
oh, definitely. it's more the post big star output that i'm wary of. is there a good collection that picks out the good stuff?
― tmi but (Z S), Sunday, 19 February 2012 17:11 (twelve years ago) link
It sounds like Third is the Big Star record for me by what you guys said above. How do Big Star compare to other bands on the Ardent label like Hot Dogs or Cargoe?
― JacobSanders, Sunday, 19 February 2012 17:51 (twelve years ago) link
xpost re: good stuff. Speaking as someone whose favorite Chilton song is the fucked up version of "Take Me Home and Make Me Like It" I'm not sure how anyone could define "good" with reference to his post-Big-Star stuff. That 1970 album is pretty good without getting too complicated about things...been listening to it a lot since it appeared on Spotify.
― dlp9001, Sunday, 19 February 2012 19:16 (twelve years ago) link
How do Big Star compare to other bands on the Ardent label like Hot Dogs or Cargoe?
Oh Jacob.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, 19 February 2012 19:28 (twelve years ago) link
What?? So I've never heard Big Star, their records aren't cheap ya know
― JacobSanders, Sunday, 19 February 2012 20:02 (twelve years ago) link
i've never heard any other bands on Ardent. But check out youtube! just search for big star +
september gurlsthe ballad of el goodobig black carholocaustwhat's going ahnfeelthirteenkangaroo
and so on
― tmi but (Z S), Sunday, 19 February 2012 20:10 (twelve years ago) link
impressive that anyone would've heard of hot dogs and cargoe without hearing big star first -- they're basically footnotes to the big star story. those records are decent, but imo they pale in comparison to big star. as for chilton the top 30 comp is a pretty decent overview. i've grown to love pretty much anything he's been involved with, but suffice to say he was taking a radically different approach to music making in his post big star days.
― tylerw, Sunday, 19 February 2012 20:48 (twelve years ago) link
Surely he was trolling?
― Dalai Mixture (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 19 February 2012 22:42 (twelve years ago) link
I wasn't trolling. I've been hoping to find their records while out record hunting. With certain groups I put off listening to them until I find them. I could go on you tube and listen to big star or I could wait until magic happens and I find one at a flea market. It's silly but it's also fun leaving certain groups to be heard.
― JacobSanders, Sunday, 19 February 2012 23:25 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, i can understand that! with big star, though, i don't think i've ever seen one of their records on sale! they had major distribution problems back in the day (they were on Stax for the first two) and very few records were printed in the first place (i think 5K or so for the first, maybe 20K or so for the second).
― tmi but (Z S), Sunday, 19 February 2012 23:28 (twelve years ago) link
One trip through Tennessee didn't turn up a Big Star record, but I'll be there again this summer. What I really want is the Chris Bell solo record, if anything for being called I Am The Cosmos. What I love about the Cargoe record is the flashes of a southern feel underneath the power pop. I assumed that had more to do with Terry Manning though, I'm hoping Big Star have that too.
― JacobSanders, Monday, 20 February 2012 00:00 (twelve years ago) link
O man the beginning this thread. lol Old ILX. Ethan, such a worthless critic.
― President Keyes, Monday, 20 February 2012 00:08 (twelve years ago) link
aside from a 45, Chris Bell had no solo vinyl.
― Mike Love Costume Jewelry on Etsy (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 20 February 2012 00:13 (twelve years ago) link
Oh it's a collection of demos and stuff.
― JacobSanders, Monday, 20 February 2012 00:40 (twelve years ago) link
It is, but it wasn't issued until 1992 and only on CD not vinyl
That one 45 though, I Am The Cosmos b/w You And Your Sister is spectacular. Perhaps even a bigger vinyl score than the first two Big Star albums.
― Lee626, Monday, 20 February 2012 00:54 (twelve years ago) link
For some reason I assume it was a actual release, on pair with Dennis Wilson's solo record.
― JacobSanders, Monday, 20 February 2012 01:06 (twelve years ago) link
i am the cosmos (the collection) has had at least one vinyl reissue
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Monday, 20 February 2012 01:10 (twelve years ago) link
Wasn't aware of that. I see there's also a new "deluxe edition" 2-CD Chris Bell set out with alternate versions on the second disc, including a later version of "Get Away" with Chilton on guitar.
― Lee626, Monday, 20 February 2012 01:21 (twelve years ago) link
yeah they put out i am the cosmos on vinyl around the time of that deluxe edition iirc. not the sort of thing i'd expect to find for cheap though!
― tylerw, Monday, 20 February 2012 02:19 (twelve years ago) link
"I Am the Cosmos" is not the touchstone that so many would indicate. I appreciate the sentiment, but it's not as engaging as anything Big Star or This Mortal Coil haven't released.
― suspecterrain, Monday, 20 February 2012 12:09 (twelve years ago) link