The 500 - #449 - Big Star -Third / Sister Lovers

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• One record per week (ish) & at least two complete listens.
• A blog post for each, highlighting the important details and, when possible, a background story that relates to the record.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation of diverse forms of music.
• Listen to Josh and his guest on The 500 podcast to gather additional information and insights.

Album # 449

Album Title: Third / Sister Lovers
Artist: Big Star
Released: March, 1978
My age at release: 12
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Kizza Me
Great Lyric:
"That I am
Flustered and erratic
'Cept when I lie with you
Naked on a southern love
Give down
Rub downs
Lie downs
Any downs at all." (Downs)

I've been a big fan of comedy for most of my life. I like it all, sketch, improv, situational, absurd. However, I love the art of stand-up comedy the most. A stand-up comedian, particularly at the club level, has to enter a room of strangers and for five to 90 minutes and generate joy. It is one of the few professions where the product of earnest labour is laughter. A club comic has to entertain everyone from a group of seniors who got free passes through the casino to the table of nine drunks who decided that Yuk Yuk's was the best place for Chris to celebrate turning 25.

In the world of stand-up, there are performers who garner respect from their peers at a level that far surpasses their commercial success. These are the "Comedian's Comedians". When they perform, the other comics stay at the back of the room or listen from the side of the stage. Artists such as Doug Stanhope and Colin Quinn, Patrice O'Neal and Greg Giraldo are among the best examples. 

Doug Stanhope

Big Star falls into a similar category. They are often called "the band that your favourite band is listening to". Many of the artists I have written about in this blog cite Big Star as a major influence, including R.E.M., Kiss and Wilco.

I really like Big Star, so I was excited to see a record from them coming up on The 500 list. However, I had never heard this record and, when I first played it, I unimpressed. It didn't seem like a Big Star record at all. As I listened, I just kept thinking "why can't this be more like the first album? Shouldn't that record be on the list?" 

It is, and so is the second record. I'll encounter Number One Record at #438 (probably this March) and Radio City at #403 (in late autumn of 2020). I will have many flattering things to say about those records but, for now, I am listening to their final record Third, (also called Sister Lovers) which featured two members who were dating sisters at the time this recorded. 

Alternate Cover

The story behind the release of the record is far more interesting than the tracks that are on it:

• It was recorded in the Fall of 1974 but would not be released for another four years.
• Although critically acclaimed, the first two records were commercial failures. Consequently, Third was recorded by only two remaining band members accompanied by what biographer Bruce Eaton described as "a large and revolving cast of Memphis musicians".
• The album documents the band's disintegration and deteriorating mental health of singer/guitarist Alex Chilton. It has even been suggested that this is an Alex Chilton solo record more than a Big Star album.
• Third was finally released in March, 1978, and numerous reissues followed. Consequently, there is no definitive version and Chilton distanced himself from the record. It was not a commercial success but has enjoyed cult status and is well regarded by music critics and die-hard fans. 

I listened to it at least six times and I really tried to connect with the material. It just didn't land for me. Perhaps my musical knowledge is insufficient to appreciate it. However, I am looking forward to hearing the other Big Star albums that I will feature in the coming weeks.