Big Star
Big Star was an American
rock and roll band of the early
1970s whose work is often cited as a prime example of
power pop. Drawing upon pop music traditions — especially
The Beatles,
The Byrds,
The Kinks,
The Zombies,
Badfinger,
The Who,
Todd Rundgren,
Moby Grape,
The Beach Boys and
Free — Big Star's music was lyrical, powerful, and at times melancholic pop for the post-
1960s generation. Their approach not only recalled the British Invasion groups but the spare, relaxed style of
Stax Records, 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
1974, has steadily grown, and they are today considered one of pop's classic groups.
Big Star was formed in
1971 in
Memphis, Tennessee, by guitarist/vocalist
Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel, drummer Jody Stephens, and guitarist/vocalist
Alex Chilton. 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.
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–1970's Vol. 1 albums released on Lucky Seven/Rounder Records in
2003.
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
Box Tops lead singer Alex Chilton were underway for Big Star's first album,
#1 Record. This album was recorded by
Ardent Studios head John Fry, with assistance from Terry Manning, who contributed occasional backing vocals and keyboards.
#1 Record, was released in
1972, but the band's
Ardent Records label encountered problems with its
Stax and
Columbia Records distributors, resulting in poor sales.
 |
The distinctive photo for Radio City was taken by American color photographer William Eggleston |
Bell, struggling with severe depression and disappointed by the album's lack of commercial success, left the group in 1972 to pursue a solo career. Big Star soon disbanded for a brief period, but then reformed and released
Radio City (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,
1992) and Hummel (quoted by Jovanovic,
2004).
Radio City's original album cover was a color photograph, "The Red Ceiling," by noted photographer
William Eggleston. In spite of critical acclaim, the album did not sell well; Hummel quit and was replaced by
John Lightman for live concerts.
Chilton and Stephens recorded tracks with producer
Jim Dickinson for a planned double album with an array of friends and guests including vocalist Lisa Aldridge, drummer Richard Rosebrough, Lee Baker of
Mud Boy and the Neutrons, and
Steve Cropper. 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 ("What's Goin' Ahn", "She's a Mover" and "Mod Lang," according to Stephens, quoted by Metz). After finishing the recordings, Big Star again disbanded in late
1974. The album was finally released four years later, on the PVC label, as
Third. Third (retitled
Third/Sister Lovers for its
1992 CD release), combined a confessional approach with a distinct pop sensibility that recalled a variety of influences from the
Left Banke to the
Velvet Underground.
In the 1980s, critics began to cite Big Star's albums as among the finer recordings of the previous 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
R.E.M.,
Teenage Fanclub,
The Replacements,
Primal Scream, Bill Lloyd and
the dB's, cited Big Star as a major influence.
The Bangles included a cover of "September Gurls" on their 1985 album
Different Light.Chilton and Stephens reunited in
1993 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
University of Missouri (see
KCOU). For an encore, the band performed
Gene Chandler'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
The Tonight Show. 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 as a trio, performed at Overton Park in Memphis.
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
sitcom That '70s Show, who used it for the show's theme song in
1998. In
1999 Cheap Trick 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'. Numerous other Big Star songs appear in various episodes of
That '70s Show.
The reunited Big Star returned to Ardent Studios in early 2004 to work on a new album, called
In Space. With songs cowritten by Chilton, Stephens, Auer, and Stringfellow, the album was released on September 27,
2005 on
Rykodisc.
Currently, the company InVision is preparing a film on Big Star's history, based on Rob Jovanovic's book
Big Star. The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band.
In 2006 the song "I'm In Love With A Girl" appeared in a
Heineken television commercial.
Elliott Smith covered the Big Star song "Thirteen" as part of the soundtrack for the film
Thumbsucker.The long-anticipated
Big Star, Small World, a tribute album, was finally released on May 23, 2006. The release includes covers by popular groups
Gin Blossoms,
Wilco,
Afghan Whigs,
Whiskeytown, and others.
*
Jon Auer — guitar, vocals (1993–current)
*
Chris Bell — guitars, vocals (1971–1972)
*
Alex Chilton — guitars, vocals (1971–current)
*
Andy Hummel — bass, vocals (1971–1974)
*
John Lightman — bass, vocals (1974–1975)
*
Jody Stephens — drums, vocals (1971–current)
*
Ken Stringfellow — bass, vocals (1993–current)
*
#1 Record (
1972)
*
Radio City (
1974)
*
Third/Sister Lovers (
1978)
*
Columbia: Live at Missouri University (
1993)
*
In Space (
2005)
*Ankeny, Jason.
"Big Star Biography." Accessed Apr. 28, 2005.
*Auer, Jon (
April 11,
2005).
"New Posies and Big Star release...?" Big Star Book. Accessed Apr. 28, 2005.
*Boldman, Gina.
"That '70s Show Presents That '70s Album: Rockin' review." Allmusic.com. Accessed Jun. 20, 2005.
*
"Box Tops Biographies." Box Tops Official website. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
*Clark, Rick (1992). "Liner notes."
Big Star: #1 Record/Radio City double CD. Memphis: Ardent Records.
*Gordon, Robert (1995).
It Came From Memphis. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-1045-9.
*Gross, Jason (July 2001).
"Big Star — Andy Hummel." Perfect Sound Forever. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
*
"The Jokers." Box Tops Official website. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
*Jovanovic, Rob (2004).
Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 0-00-714908-5.
*
"The Jynx." Box Tops official website. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
*Manning, Terry (2003). "Liner notes."
Rock City.
Nassau: Lucky Seven Records.
*Metz, Adam.
Jody Stephens interview. Accessed Jan. 29, 2006.
*Ritchie, Paul (April
1996).
"Alex Chilton: Live in Glasgow." Ready Steady Go! Accessed May 12, 2005.
*Ritchie, Paul (
August 5,
1998).
"Teenage Fanclub." Ready Steady Go!. Accessed May 12, 2005.
*
"Rock City and Rockin' Memphis album descriptions." Lucky Seven Records website. Accessed Jun. 30, 2005.
*Rosen, Craig (
August 16,
1999).
"Cheap Trick Does Big Star For 'That '70s Show.'" Cheap Trick News on Yahoo! Music. Accessed May 12, 2005.
*Stern, Theresa (
December 22,
1996).
"Interview: Jody Stephens." Perfect Sound Forever. Accessed Jun. 19, 2005.
*
Big Star Book*
Big Star Page at Harmonē*
Big Star Reference Pages*
The Official Big Star Homepage*
The Unofficial Big Star Homepage*
Judith Beeman's Back of a Car Big Star zine site *
Jeff the Joker's Alex Chilton, Big Star & the Box Tops: Interviews & Reviews *
Website of the studio which is preparing a movie on Big Star
