If Chris, Jody, Andy and Alex were young now and did their first two albums plus solo stuff, they'd be as big as Radiohead. They invented 'power pop' or 'pop-punk' in 1969, while everyone else was getting 'heavy' at ?Woodstock, so so so ahead of their time. Put on any REM record, it's their grandsons, as are many many other bands and artists. Now all gone..Thanks guys, you are not here but most definitely never will be forgotten or looked over. So sorry you didn't get to see the true results of your beautiful sensitive jangly guitar rock, Chris and Alex pure geniuses. RIP Big Star
RIP Chris Bell (January 12, 1951 - December 27, 1978) RIP Alex Chilton (December 28, 1950 - March 17, 2010) RIP Andy Hummel (January 26, 1951 - July 19, 2010)
How fuckin' great that Ken and Jon did this. It probably brought Alex and Jody a few extra dollars and a lot of fans who never knew their music was so influential. If only it had paid for Alex's health insurance. Great artists should be printed on our money.
What an absolutely gorgeous and powerful song. It is nice to see Chris Bell acknowledged and appreciated, though, sadly, it did not occur in his lifetime. This is a great performance of the song, and it’s nice to see Alex Chilton in this tribute to his bandmate. Chilton, Bell, Stephens and Hummel made one of the greatest records of all time.
Something about this performance - it feels like Alex and Chris both actually singing to one other. The urgency and pain in Alex' soloing at the end. Wow.
man, I've been into Big Star for a few years but haven't gone into the rabbit hole until now hahaha. this is just great, I'm sure Chris Bell would've loved this version of his timless hymn.
Chris Bell's song about the breakup of his relationship with Alex Chilton--at least that's the speculation. Listen to this and the 'EMI song' for the best of Big Star--without Big Star.
Just to add a bit more context: it's speculated that he was closeted gay or bi and he fell in love with Alex or their producer John Fry. Edit: remembered the name
@@DrawtheCurtains More likely: there was an affair with Fry and unrequited romantic yearning (can't say there was unrequited love, stuff is complicated) for Alex.
Chris Bell was a devout Christian and a gifted musician. I loved his only solo album I Am The Cosmos and his Big Star music. I just got the 3 cd Big Star Complete Third; brilliant expansion of the 3rd Big Star album.
When Chris released this song, they all made fun of him and said it was 'egotistical and pompous". I got really angry. For me, alex chilton doesn';t hold a candle to the enormous talent of Chris Bell, and it proves true. This is not a tribute to Chirs, they just could not write any great songs without him. What a talent, an unsung American musical hero..Rip Chris Bell, and RIP Alex Chilton..
Your elevation of Chris Bell - who I do admire - over Alex Chilton is nonsense. Chilton wrote much of #1 Record, nearly all of Radio City - though Bell contributed to "Back of a Car" and perhaps another two songs - and nearly all of Big Star 3rd/"Sister Lovers," which is widely regarded as the masterpiece. There is a lot of wimpy whining in Bell's work both in Big Star and solo.
To those who answered. I am so sorry, you are of course correct. Alex Chilton is an American treasure and I'm sure he had a lot to do with bringing out the best in Chris Bell, even here it's a tribute to his fallen comrade. I'm sorry I said what I did. This band started doing this in 1971 when I was 14, still following the end of sixties and the beginning of 'corporate rock' This band is the blueprint for thousands of bands including REM, Sonic Youth, Ramones, Flying Burrito Bros.The Bangles, Mitch Froom, Crowded House, and also they literally invent 'lo-fi as a concept. Wish they had stayed together. Now except wonderful drummer Jody, they are all gone. One of our great bands that should have been way bigger than a cult following.
Everything was amazing, except the guitar solo. He needs to go back to the record and nail it cause the original solo is note for note magic you can't just improv thru it. Doing his own solo at the end is cool, but the one in the middle should be exact
Maybe because Chris Bell's name is on all of Big Star's songs? If you believe Big Star was only Alex Chilton, you need to go listen to the rest of his music and get back to us.
