The breaks (or could Big Star have been big stars?)

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I sometimes read the liner notes to reissues of *classic* records which were flops first time around and often the writer will lay the blame on the record company or the distributor or the radio. Whatever.

So which artists could've been a contender if all the things which went wrong first time had went right.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 17:16 (twenty-three years ago)

So then they could only blame the mediocrity of their records.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 17:16 (twenty-three years ago)

no, big star were terrible

― simon trife (simon_tr), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 17:22 (twenty-three years ago)

no, big star were great

― Jody Beth Rosen, Tuesday, 8 October 2002 17:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Big Star was terrible AND great.

― Lee G (Lee G), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 17:35 (twenty-three years ago)

You mean, like, if Sony weren't run by racists, Michael Jackson would be a big star!?

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 17:38 (twenty-three years ago)

An' it's funny how it breeeeeeks....

― Mr Swygart (mrswygart), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 18:52 (twenty-three years ago)

The Beatles could've been bigger than Jesus if they'd just dumped that goon Pete Best...

― wl (wl), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 18:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I always thought "Back in Black" could have been huge had it fallen on the right ears. I'm talking about the Whodini album, of course... or is it AC/DC? The really rocking one.

― andy, Tuesday, 8 October 2002 18:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Big Star are/ were amazing.

― Paul Cunningham, Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Let me settle this Big Star issue once and for all:
The ONLY good Big Star songs are ballads. The rock stuff is just abysmal.

― Manny Parsons (Rahul Kamath), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Some of the songs from the first album sound better on Nobody Can Dance, without the crappy production getting in the way.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:24 (twenty-three years ago)

The ONLY good Big Star songs are ballads.

haha yay they should have thrown out their Beatles records and stuck to ripping off Yoko

― the actual mr. jones (actual), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:33 (twenty-three years ago)

All big star songs are ballads.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:47 (twenty-three years ago)

not thirteen that one's a light romp

― the actual mr. jones (actual), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 20:02 (twenty-three years ago)

All big star songs are ballads.

What about "Feel" and "Don't Lie to Me"? God, those songs are awful!

― Manny Parsons (Rahul Kamath), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 20:55 (twenty-three years ago)

I always thought those 2 songs (along with Oh My Soul) were half jokes, but no I don't listen to 'em. Most of the rest of their catalog sounds more like a reaction against that 'type' of stuff (over the top 70s rock cheese).

― Aaron A., Tuesday, 8 October 2002 21:06 (twenty-three years ago)

If Big Star would have come around 80-82, they would have been big on the college rock circuit.

They probably would be reformed and touring a double bill with The Go Betweens.

If they had a hit single, it would have been a fluke. Badfinger only had a couple of hits, so that proably would have been their glass ceiling.

― earlnash, Tuesday, 8 October 2002 21:40 (twenty-three years ago)

If the Go Betweens had appeared just before Belle & Sebastian did, they would have been huge..

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 23:06 (twenty-three years ago)

snicker...

― mike (ro)bott, Tuesday, 8 October 2002 23:10 (twenty-three years ago)

#1 Record : classic
Radio City: classic
Third/Sister Lovers: dud, save "Kangaroo"

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 00:08 (twenty-three years ago)

*Serious Question*: does anyone know if the recent CD issue of the first two albums (the one that doesn't omit any songs) sounds better than the original '89 issue? I don't rebuy albums much, but the one I have sounds really bad, and it does drop a couple tracks, so any info would be appreciated.

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 01:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Ok, I may not be of much help since I haven't heard the version you're talking about, but the reissue doesn't "sound really bad." It's pretty clear.

― Manny Parsons (Rahul Kamath), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 02:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Mother Love Bone could have been big -- which would have been interesting because then instead of grune everything would have kept sounding like Guns 'n' Roses.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 02:29 (twenty-three years ago)

grune

grunge + prune =

grune...

GRUNE! great for yer colon

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 04:09 (twenty-three years ago)

(sorry mark... you know that I love you, ya teddy bear)

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 04:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Re;Big Star.

The Raspberries had much success w/ a sound not that far off from what Chilton/Bell and Co were doing.

They were on Capitol which had a lot more clout than most other labels.

It could be argued that most of Big Star's catalouge was maybe a tad too "Introspective' for the common 13 year old AM radio Listener of the time,But that being said September Gurls NOT being a huge hit is just plain sad.

And No the rockers don't all suck.Back Of A Car,In The Street,When My Baby's Beside Me,You Get What You Deserve.
are all fine tunes.

And to discount the 3rd one by saying that Kangaroo is the only good song(probably because it the only one that was covered by mopy-ass pretentious 4ad shoegazers) is just STOOOPID!!

― Tony Philputt, Thursday, 10 October 2002 07:26 (twenty-three years ago)

And to discount the 3rd one by saying that Kangaroo is the only good song(probably because it the only one that was covered by mopy-ass pretentious 4ad shoegazers) is just STOOOPID!!

DOOD!!

Actually, I honestly forgot about them mopey ass Mortal Coiloids. I said dud, because I can't remember any of those other songs, no matter how hard I tried. It was a really disorganized album -- for reaons that were not the band's fault, granted... but aside from "Kangaroo", the only semi-memorable songs were just fucking annoying... "Thank yoooooouuuu, faaarrreeeeeeeeeend"... get it out of my head! I'd take some Alex Chilton solo stuff over "Third/Sister Lovers". I'm honestly baffled why it's so venerated.

― donut bitch (donut), Thursday, 10 October 2002 08:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Apparently Alex Chilton is quite an arse (or ass). I wonder what would have happened if Big Star topped the charts?!? Not a big fan of Sister Lovers - it's too depressing - but I still think it's a classic just like the previous two.

― nathalie (nathalie), Thursday, 10 October 2002 09:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Sister Lovers has Holocaust, Stroke it Noel, For You, You Cant Have Me and therefore it is the greatest album ever!
Big Stars ballads are always beautiful and honest and their Rock n Roll songs are always falling apart,chaotic and messy, just like they are supposed to be! DONT YOU SEE??

― gazza, Friday, 11 October 2002 07:55 (twenty-three years ago)

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