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| From | "Michael Bennett" <mrhonorama@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: Big Star and Rosetta Stones |
| Date | Fri, 22 Aug 2003 14:20:38 -0500 |
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Josh --
I wasn't saying that Big Star was not influential -- only that their
influence in the development of power pop is overstated. It is only later
on that Big Star really enters the power pop story. Moreover, for the most
part, only a small sliver of the breadth of their music has had the vast
majority of the influence.
Mike Bennett
Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com
>From: "josh chasin" <jchasin@nyc.rr.com>
>Reply-To: audities@smoe.org
>To: <audities@smoe.org>
>Subject: Re: Big Star and Rosetta Stones
>Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2003 15:25:42 -0400
>
>I'm not sure I agree regarding Big Star's influence. You are right that
>their blip on the radar screen was meager during their active career. But
>like the Velvet Underground, they are a band where everyone who heard them
>started a band. You mention some of the obvious descendents of Big Star:
>TFC, Posies, Replacements, dBs. I'd add Mitch Easter and bands he's worked
>with (I hear Big Star in Mayflies USA); the Bangles; Matthew Sweet;
>Lemonheads; and others. At this point I think the influence of Big Star--
>through second and third generation adherents-- is indelibly etched into
>the
>genre I won't name.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Michael Bennett" <mrhonorama@hotmail.com>
>To: <audities@smoe.org>
>Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 1:18 PM
>Subject: Big Star and Rosetta Stones
>
>
> > In one of his typically erudite posts, Greg Sager referred to "September
> > Gurls" as "the Rosetta Stone" of power pop. I want to avoid any
>discussion
> > of the definition of power pop, as it's as pointless as reasoning with
>Judge
> > Roy Moore. But, I wanted to discuss Big Star and where they stand in
>power
> > pop.
> >
> > While, if I'm explaining to some hipster the parameters of power pop,
>I'll
> > name Big Star as a power pop artist, I've never thought of them as truly
> > being a power pop band. Of course, that has more to do with my
>subjective
> > definition of the genre. Objectively, however, I think that Big Star's
> > place in power pop history has been vastly overrated.
> >
> > I don't think it is possible for Big Star to have recorded any "Rosetta
> > Stone", due to the simple fact that Big Star's influence on the
>development
> > of the power pop genre is negligible. Big Star were contemporaries of
> > Badfinger and The Raspberries, and sold about 5 or 10 percent of what
>they
> > sold. They were a cult band, and that cult was very small through most
>of
> > the '70s. As the '70s went on, and more bands played power pop. And
>none
> > of them really displayed any Big Star influence -- whether it's Dwight
> > Twilley Band, The Scruffs, The Shoes, Cheap Trick, The Knack, 20/20,
> > Pezband, and a host of skinny tie bands, you can't really find any Big
>Star
> > in their music, except to the extent that any of those bands shared
>similar
> > influences.
> >
> > It really wasn't until some Southern bands came up that you really began
>to
> > see more Big Star influence -- in particular, The dBs, though artists
>like
> > R.E.M. and The Windbreakers also showed some of that influence too.
>Still,
> > you had folks like Marshall Crenshaw and other who were immune from any
>Big
> > Star mojo. The only other artists I could really link to the band from
>that
> > era would be Tommy Keene, who covered a Chilton solo tune, and Game
>Theory.
> >
> > Indeed, the Stamey-era dB's and Game Theory had the most overt Big Star
> > influence. And notably, both Chris Stamey and Scott Miller seemed
>really
> > taken by RADIO CITY and the quirkier side of that brilliant album.
> >
> > The next wave of bands to really solidify a consistent Big Star
>influence
> > were The Replacements (though, IMO, very superficially), The Posies and
> > Teenage Fanclub. And, notably, all three bands really emphasized the
>least
> > challenging elements of Big Star music. No knock on "Thirteen" and
> > "September Gurls", but they aren't really groundbreaking songs, as
>opposed
> > to let's say "Good Vibrations" or "Go All The Way", they are simply
>great
> > (and, really, perfect) songs.
> >
> > There is nothing wrong with Big Star's accessible material becoming so
> > influential, but the inspiration of Big Star on rock music, and
>specifically
> > power pop, if often pretty reductive. Like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin
>and
> > The Velvet Underground, using just three examples, there is no signature
>Big
> > Star sound. Each album is a unique entity and many of the more
>difficult
> > elements of their music have not found their way into the vocabulary of
>many
> > of the bands who most like to fly the Big Star flag high.
> >
> > However, in any discussion of the impact of their music, it must be
>noted
> > that they are an influence that got absorbed into power pop after it
>went
> > through its first one or two phases, and really only got absorbed as
>part
>of
> > the foundation of the music about a decade after power pop got going as
> > genre.
> >
> > This is akin to the way that The Sonics became an extremely influential
>band
> > in garage rock many years after their hey day.
> >
> > That's all --
> >
> > Mike Bennett
> >
> > NP: Pansy Division -- TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT!
> >
> >
> >
> > Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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