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| This is a picture from TCDB because I currently can't upload pictures. |
I traded for this ( and a couple other cards) from my Dad yesterday, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. I think it's one of those " So bad it's good" cards. I mean, all that awful '80s facial hair. Goose Gossage looks like a mouse, Rollie Fingers like a wannabe suave corsair, and I'm not quite sure what Dan Quisenberry looks like. I thought maybe rejected Sesame Street character, my Mom thought he looked like a butcher. I'm a big Quisenberry fan, but that definitely wasn't his best picture.
So what do you think? Awful or awesome?
Because it's been so long since I shared some a song I like, I'll share a couple from Big Star's 2nd album, and also I'll do a little history of Big Star, which you may skip if you want.
I shared one of the songs from their first album back when I was doing "Song of the Week" (remember that?) For a long time I only liked their first album ( #1 Record), but over the past year I've come to appreciate their second album too. It's a bit different sounding than the first album. Chris Bell had left the band because he didn't like that Alex Chilton was getting all the attention. Bell ended up dying in a car crash at 27 in 1978. For a long time I only liked " O My Soul," the first song on the album, but but by now I think I like them all.
Though the first two albums were ( in my opinion) some of the greatest albums ever, they never were able to sell well because of faulty distribution, and are not very well known. The third, and last, album was more of a mess. By then they only had 2 members of the original 4 ( Alex Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens), and Chilton was kind of in a flame out at the time. When the record company heard the album, they were horrified, and it wasn't released until the 1990s. Though it's erratic overall there are still some good songs like " Jesus Christ" and " Big Black Car".
Though Big Star wasn't very successful in the band's life time, it influenced many bands, including R.E.M. I'll close with " Big Black Car", from the third album. It might be my favorite Big Star song. The best I can describe is that it sounds like a slice of eternity, like it's never gonna end and you don't want it to.
A special thanks if you got to the end.
I never travel far without a little big star!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of describing Goose, Rollie, and Quiz. I totally chuckled when I read rejected Sesame Street character. I'd still say this card is pretty awesome. I collect league leader cards which feature exclusively hall of famers. Quiz isn't a member yet... but maybe. If that happens, this will go nicely with my 79 (Gossage & Fingers) and 82 Topps (Sutter & Fingers) saves leaders cards.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd pick #1 Record over Radio City, but it's close. "September Gurls" is so great and iconic, and "Way Out West" and "I'm In Love With A Girl" are fabulous as well. The Third Album isn't as much my thing, but it's great in its own way. Some things like "Thank You Friends" would have fit on the earlier albums, while others like "Holocaust" are more like what Alex would do in his later solo career.
ReplyDeleteBTW, don't overlook Alex' albums with The Box Tops in the 60s, especially Dimensions. Most of it doesn't sound like Big Star (although "(The) Happy Song" kind of anticipates Big Star) but there's a lot of really good stuff there, too.