More specifically, which songs did Chris Bell write?
― alex in montreal, Sunday, 9 May 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)
11 of the tracks from #1 Record have a Bell co-write credit (10 of those were Bell/Chilton credits)
― the 'surface' 'noise' (electricsound), Sunday, 9 May 2004 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)
Assuming that there was a 'real' single author a la Lennon & McCartney, I'd guess
Feel
Don't Lie To Me
My Life is Right
Give me Another Chance
When my baby's beside me
Try Again
are primarily Bell compositions
There's rumours he helped to write Radio City but who knows to what extent.
― de, Sunday, 9 May 2004 00:44 (twenty-one years ago)
according to david bell's (chris' brother) liner notes for chris' "i am the cosmos" cd, chris had a "sketchy at best" involvement in three tracks on radio city: "o my soul," "way out west" and "back of a car."
david bell also claims that a few songs on #1 record had been recorded by chris before big star formed, with alex adding parts much later. but he doesn't say which songs.
― fact checking cuz (fcc), Sunday, 9 May 2004 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)
According to a Pop Culture Press piece I just read, "What's Goin Ahn," "Back of a Car" and "Life Is White" began as Chilton/Bell/Hummel songs; "O My Soul" apparently was Bell's lyrics and Chilton's music; "You Get What You Deserve" was Chilton; "In the Street" was Alex's song. Some of the stuff on "#1 Record" was recorded by Bell and band with Chilton later doing some vocal/guitar overdubs, as in above post--"Feel" is likely one of those.
The PCP piece says, of "#1 Record":
"Chilton brought four of his new songs into the sessions, all of them written during his stay in New York City in 1970: 'In the Street,' 'The Ballad of El Goodo,' 'Thirteen,' and 'Watch the Sunrise.' 'Give Me Another Chance' was written by Chilton after the recording sessions had begun. "
Also says that Terry Manning is quite certain that "When My Baby's Beside Me" was written by Alex, which makes sense.
The new Chilton album is a live thing recorded earlier this year in Belgium. Last Call is putting it out; their website has snippets of a few songs including covers of Ernie K-Doe, Frederick Knight and whoever the guy was who did "Il Ribelle," found in studio version on "Man Called Destruction." Sounds pretty good, and he seems in somewhat better voice than he did on the "Loose Shoes and Tight Pussy" album, which isn't one of his better efforts.
Fantasy just put out a SACD of the first two Big Star LPs--hope they scrapped the dumb-ass liner notes, found on the current Fantasy/Stax CD, that dis "Like Flies on Sherbert." Such delicate sensibilities these power-pop fans seem to have, goodness gracious...
― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Sunday, 9 May 2004 04:24 (twenty-one years ago)
By the way, cool fact I didn't know, the PCP piece maintains that the Memphis Horns appear on "Feel"!
― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Sunday, 9 May 2004 04:26 (twenty-one years ago)
seven months pass...
Anyone hear read that new'ish Big Star biography?
It's a bit of a slim volume and there aren't that many photos in it, I was just wondering if it was any good.
― Louie Strychnine, Wednesday, 5 January 2005 17:10 (twenty years ago)