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| From | "steven_durben" <sdurben@msn.com> |
| Subject | Re: Big Star and Rosetta Stones |
| Date | Fri, 22 Aug 2003 21:39:38 -0000 |
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Great story Bobby
Steve
> Your points are well thought out and pretty much on the money.
During the
> brief time time they were around they were a virtual non entity in
any sort
> of national way. Alex told me that Radio City sold 5000 copies when
it was
> released. As for groundbreaking songs like Good Vibrations etc... I
think
> Big Star had a few on the 3rd album. Holocaust comes to mind...
>
> For what it's worth, I don't even consider Big Star to be truly a
power pop
> act - whatever the hell that even means. I just think of them as a
band that
> released a few almost perfect records that somehow managed to merge
Memphis
> and the Beatles in a very sublime way. In 1974 I was 17 and
perfecting my
> southern rock guitar chops. I could play almost everything by the
Allman
> Bros. and Z Z Top fairly correctly. The Beatles were still my first
love but
> to be a successful musician in the south in those days you had be
adept at
> the southern boogie that ruled the area. I heard a tape of
September Gurls
> at a friend's party that year and my brain pretty much melted down.
It was
> possible to be from the south and not have to write bad copies of
Freebird.
> My path was set that evening and I never looked back. Over the
years I've
> heard many, many bands described as sounding like Big Star but I've
only
> heard a very few come close to their true essence. A bit of Game
Theory,
> Chris Stamey era dBs and some Let's Active tracks. The thing that
set Big
> Star apart from everyone else is that Chilton (along with Bell) was
a
> brilliant lyricist. You can borrow the chords and melodic content,
but if
> you don't have anything to say there's just no point. I gave up a
long, long
> time ago trying to follow in their footsteps. It's an almost
hopeless task.
> I did record one homage on a latter Windbreakers disc - it's
called "On The
> Wire", and it comes close, but not close enough.
>
> By the way - I sang Way Out West with Alex and his trio live once
while he
> taught the song to the band. That's got to be my strangest live
experience.
>
> Bobby Sutliff
>
> ----- >
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