Aug 9, 2025
𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 photographed by Michael O’Brien ca. 1972
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𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 photographed by Michael O’Brien ca. 1972
Big Star and the Legend of Ardent Studios | TIDAL Magazine
awwwwwwwwww
Mañana - Big Star (1975)
This wobbly instrumental extract was eventually grafted onto the beginning of Jesus Christ, making it guilty as Christmas tuneage by association.
Early version
Jody Stephens *October 4, 1952
Rare photo of the original members of Big Star live at Athens College.
Big Star “3rd” 1978
In other news I listened to five albums of music from the troubled Big Star “3rd” sessions. “Complete Third: Vol 1: Demos To Sessions To Roughs” and “Complete Third: Vol. 2: Roughs To Mixes” are mostly excellent double albums. There’s some beautiful demos, excellent work mixes, and quite frankly not so great rehearsals included. Overall they’re both great packages.
Here’s where it gets dicey for me… I never got around to getting volume 3 with the completed masters. And which one is the only one out of print? You guessed it: Volume 3! Fortunately I have a reissue of the 1978 issue that can stand in (I do have a recent reissue of the first test pressing edition) on the way. It’s been a long time since I’ve pulled this one out to play (that goes for any Big Star truth be told) so it was a joy to reacquaint myself with these beautiful (mostly) songs. The demos show how this record could’ve sounded very different if Alex Chilton hadn’t been hell bent on self sabotage… he was in a “Oh, you like that bit? Here, I’m going to fuck it up.” mood. The word is that they never actually finished the record and that it wasn’t going to be a Big Star record but the studio/label said stepped in and said “Enough!” And with that they released a new Big Star album after the band was no more. Adding to a short but already legendary career arc.
My copy of “3rd” is a reissue by the dreaded 4 Men With Beards label. This one they did a good job with but they were very hit or miss with many of their titles.
