the box set has all the stuff on the Ryko CD reissue of 3rd/Sister Lovers with a couple extra/extended things so I would say no, you don't need to track down any other versions.
and yeah, there's no "official" running order really for the album - the box set has a completely different (and imho mostly better) running order than the Ryko reissue.
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 19 October 2009 19:04 (fourteen years ago) link
Thanks, thats exactly what I was wondering.
― & other try hard shitfests (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 19 October 2009 19:09 (fourteen years ago) link
what is the tracklist for the boxset? i wonder if it's the same that's on my italian bootleg from the 80s that i reprogrammed my ryko CD to.
― ♪♫(●̲̲̅̅̅̅=̲̲̅̅̅̅●̲̅̅)♪♫ (Steve Shasta), Monday, 19 October 2009 20:49 (fourteen years ago) link
^^^for sister lovers^^^
― ♪♫(●̲̲̅̅̅̅=̲̲̅̅̅̅●̲̅̅)♪♫ (Steve Shasta), Monday, 19 October 2009 20:50 (fourteen years ago) link
Here's the tracklist for the disc its on in the box:
1. Lovely Day (demo) 2. Downs (demo) 3. Jesus Christ (demo) 4. Holocaust (demo) 5. Big Black Car (alternate demo) 6. Manana 7. Jesus Christ 8. Femme Fatale 9. O, Dana 10. Kizza Me 11. You Can't Have Me 12. Nightime 13. Dream Lover 14. Big Black Car 15. Blue Moon 16. Holocaust 17. Stroke It Noel 18. For You 19. Downs 20. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 21. Kanga Roo 22. Thank You Friends 23. Take Care 24. Lovely Day 25. Till the End of the Day (alternate mix) 26. Nature Boy (alternate mix)
― & other try hard shitfests (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 19 October 2009 20:55 (fourteen years ago) link
it is not the same
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 19 October 2009 20:58 (fourteen years ago) link
(btw mo-in-law also got me the bio ref'd upthread so I am gonna be deep in Big Star country for a few weeks methinks)
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 19 October 2009 20:59 (fourteen years ago) link
So I did end up grabbing Keep An Eye on the Sky a couple nights ago and finished my first listen on the ride in this morning. Fantastic, such a revelation for me. But after reading some comments in this thread about the live disc, I'm wondering if anyone could point me to some good bootlegs. Because if that is a lackluster Big Star set, I'd certainly love to hear what is considered a great set.
― & other try hard shitfests (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 22 October 2009 14:39 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah love the covers on the live set. T Rex! "Slut"!
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 October 2009 15:18 (fourteen years ago) link
i dont really know what album to buy by them, but i love thirteen, and was it alex chilton or cheap trick who sang the that 70's show theme song?
― FACK, Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:12 (fourteen years ago) link
Cheap Trick covered the Big Star song "In the Street" for the That 70s Show themesong and appended a refrain from "Surrender" to the end
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:17 (fourteen years ago) link
From wikipedia: "In a Rolling Stone magazine article in 2000, Chilton thought it was ironic that he is paid $70 in royalties each time the show is aired." (Dunno what's "ironic" about it, but kind of cool anyway. Alex deserves to make some money so he can keep on doing ... whatever it is he does with his time these days.)
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:22 (fourteen years ago) link
being a dirty old man, I imagine
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:30 (fourteen years ago) link
I think he referred to it as "That $70 Show"
― feed them to the (Linden Ave) lions (will), Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:40 (fourteen years ago) link
the ironing is delicious
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:42 (fourteen years ago) link
But srsly, is the Big Star "In Space" record the only thing he's done this decade? That's, um, not very much. I know Big Star has played maybe a handful of live shows ...
― tylerw, Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:46 (fourteen years ago) link
surely its no surprise that he's super lazy? post Big Star his output is totally sporadic
― Jesus, the Czar of Czars (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:55 (fourteen years ago) link
hey he's done some Box Tops reunion shows, too!
― feed them to the (Linden Ave) lions (will), Thursday, 22 October 2009 23:06 (fourteen years ago) link
hey, how do i attack "keep an eye on the sky"? just listen all the way through or where should i start
― k3vin k., Saturday, 24 October 2009 23:29 (fourteen years ago) link
Disk 3 is pretty inessential if you already have Sister Lovers, so I wouldn't say there...unless you're already in a Sister Lovers mood (which I wouldn't wish on anyone, and I love the album; I gather you know what I mean). Disks 1 and 2 are great, though the opening pre-Big Star songs are only good. But the alt takes of songs from the first two albums are great. I'd start there.
― Euler, Sunday, 25 October 2009 09:56 (fourteen years ago) link
kind of am in a Sister Lovers mood to be honest, but i'll take your advice
― k3vin k., Sunday, 25 October 2009 14:29 (fourteen years ago) link
After replying this morning I found myself in a Sister Lovers mood too and I listened to that 1975 radio session boot that Tyler made available, and that shit burns: like straight through Sister Lovers into an even darker place, if that's possible. There's an evil, dissolved vibe to the proceedings; Chilton tosses out the line "I'd rather shoot a woman than a man" so lazily that it's kinda shocking, the casualness of its violence mirroring the casualness of Chilton tossing his pop future away. The recording is shitty but some of the fuzz seems to be distortion on the guitar. It's well worth a listen.
― Euler, Sunday, 25 October 2009 14:41 (fourteen years ago) link
interesting facts gleaned Jovanovic book: piano on Nature Boy is played by William Eggleston. You can hear one of Eggleston's young sons fiddling around with an organ in the background. Eggleston had hurt his leg recently and was on crutches. At 2:03 you can hear one of his crutches fall off the piano and hit the ground; Chilton stifles a giggle
― I can't tell the difference between every village on your te (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:11 (fourteen years ago) link
I love that "Nature Boy" -- weirdly, it's the first version of that song I ever heard! Does Eggleston appear on anyone else's records?
― tylerw, Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:28 (fourteen years ago) link
I was totally oblivious to his involvement with Big Star, I only knew him from his photography. don't think he was much involved with music
― I can't tell the difference between every village on your te (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:32 (fourteen years ago) link
his photos appear on other peoples records
― mizzell, Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:34 (fourteen years ago) link
well yeah I know but I mean I don't think he played music much
― I can't tell the difference between every village on your te (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:34 (fourteen years ago) link
http://blakeandrews.blogspot.com/2009/07/william-egglestons-album-cover-guide.html
― mizzell, Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:35 (fourteen years ago) link
weird that that list omits Primal Scream's Dixie Narco EP
― I can't tell the difference between every village on your te (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:36 (fourteen years ago) link
(half of which is clearly in the mode of Big Star's 3rd)
― I can't tell the difference between every village on your te (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:37 (fourteen years ago) link
also lolz I never knew there was a connection between Chilton and Dennis Wilson, altho that explains a lot
apparently after the Box Tops broke up he and Dennis spent a weekend kicking it with Charlie Manson & the Fam.
― feed them to the (Linden Ave) lions (will), Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:55 (fourteen years ago) link
and good times were had by all
― tylerw, Thursday, 29 October 2009 20:57 (fourteen years ago) link
Speaking of Chilton + Beach Boys, that fragment of "Don't Worry Baby" on the Thank You Friends comp is gorgeous -- wish there was a whole take of the song!
― tylerw, Thursday, 29 October 2009 21:07 (fourteen years ago) link
there's alex playing 'wouldn't it be nice' on some live acoustic release or boot. and doing jesus christ and stuff.
apparently the family's attempt to get to LX ended when he hit charlie. goodtimes.
& hearing the stifled smile in nature boy is so beautiful
― peter falk's panther burns (schlump), Friday, 30 October 2009 01:07 (fourteen years ago) link
!!!! did not know this. is there a link somewhere with a comprehensive account? I just got a third-hand telling from one of the engineers who worked on In Space.
― feed them to the (Linden Ave) lions (will), Friday, 30 October 2009 01:13 (fourteen years ago) link
i totally can't remember where i heard it :/i would guess the rob jovanovic book, and if not dumb angel, the dennis wilson book - probably the former. i think it's only referred to in passing, so there's no comprehensive account, just the idea that alex wasn't easily persuadable and so ... hit charlie.
― peter falk's panther burns (schlump), Friday, 30 October 2009 01:46 (fourteen years ago) link
got the Jovanovic bio for xmas (though not the box set grrr). Seems good, except the pukeworthy Ryan Adams quote on the back, and the first line of the book! "Unlike many US cities, Memphis has a rich and varied history ..." Uhhhh. What?
― tylerw, Sunday, 27 December 2009 17:12 (fourteen years ago) link
<3 <3 big star
― livinginthesunlightlovinginthemoonlighthavingawonderfultime (Curt1s Stephens), Sunday, 27 December 2009 17:13 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah they're the best. also, just looking at the photos in the book, an extremely good looking band! How come they weren't huge? they had it all!
― tylerw, Sunday, 27 December 2009 17:17 (fourteen years ago) link
"Unlike many US cities, Memphis has a rich and varied history ..." Uhhhh. What?
lol yeah you're gonna LOVE the footnotes haha. its not a bad book once it gets going, lots of crazy stories. Chilton seems like kinda a dick (big surprise)
― larry craig memorial gloryhole (Shakey Mo Collier), Sunday, 27 December 2009 17:27 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, re: chilton's dickishness, this article, covering the late 70s/early 80s is great: http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2009/11/12/alex-chilton-1975-1981/He does seem like a weird guy! Even though I think he's the element that makes Big Star brilliant and not just really good power pop, he sure doesn't seem interested in that sort of music.
― tylerw, Sunday, 27 December 2009 18:08 (fourteen years ago) link
still reading the bio -- while there are some great stories/quotes/etc., man, this guy is not strong when it comes to writing about the actual music. is the 33 1/3 Radio City book better?
― tylerw, Wednesday, 6 January 2010 21:22 (fourteen years ago) link
yikes, based on my exp with the 33 1/3 books, writing about the actual music is the worst ime.
― ┌∩┐(◕_◕)┌∩┐ (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 6 January 2010 21:28 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, i don't know, it's just this writer chokes whenever he actually discusses songs/albums. Like with Sister Lovers all he can say is "this album is an enigma, made for listening to late at night" or something similarly insightful.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 6 January 2010 21:31 (fourteen years ago) link
the 33 1/3 book for radio city is actually done by a guy that played with alex chilton awhile back. he manages to get actual words out of chilton, so it does have that going for it. although, no real surprise, chilton's comes off as pretty indifferent or dismissive about some of the material on the album.
― Bastards of Young Dro, Wednesday, 6 January 2010 22:22 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, i looked at the 33 1/3 guy's blog and he seemed to have a better handle on music-writing thatn Jovanovic ... Will probably pick that up once I have the new box set ...
― tylerw, Wednesday, 6 January 2010 22:40 (fourteen years ago) link
this is nothing to do with any of the above but i hope LX starts playing some more solo shows sometime. he seems to get such a bang out of standards and rattling through rock n roll numbers with pickup groups, and that's where he's at now.
― high-five machine (schlump), Wednesday, 6 January 2010 23:23 (fourteen years ago) link
i've not read the Jovanovic book, but i've heard similar criticisms about it. heard it about the Pavement book (which i've not read either), too. but i figured that a good deal of the blame for that one could be laid at the feet of Pavement...
― will, Wednesday, 6 January 2010 23:30 (fourteen years ago) link
(he did do the Pavement book, right?)