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New Music from Around the World: June 2013's MAP Compilation is here - Drowned In Sound BODYWORK - Tame English avant-pop or alt-rock or whatever the kids on the cobbled streets are calling it these days hasn't had the respect it deserves for quite some time. Read More

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Big Star Biography

source: WikiPedia

This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.

Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel. The group broke up in 1974, but reorganized with a new line-up nearly 20 years later. In its first era, the band's musical style drew on the vocal harmonies of The Beatles, as well as the swaggering rhythms of The Rolling Stones and the jangling guitars of The Byrds. To the resulting power pop, Big Star added dark, existential themes, and produced a style that foreshadowed the alternative rock of the 1980s and 1990s. Before it broke up, Big Star created a "seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations" in the words of ''Rolling Stone,'' as the "quintessential American power pop band" and "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll". Big Star's first album—1972's ''#1 Record''—was met by enthusiastic reviews, but ineffective marketing by Stax Records and limited distribution stunted its commercial success. Frustration took its toll on band relations, and by the time a second album was completed in 1974 both Bell and Hummel had left the group. Like ''#1 Record'', ''Radio City'' received excellent reviews, but label issues again thwarted sales—Columbia Records, which had assumed control of the Stax catalog, likewise effectively vetoed its distribution. After a third album was deemed non-commercially viable and shelved before receiving a title, the band broke up late in 1974. Four years later, the first two Big Star LPs were released together as a double album. The band's third album was finally issued soon afterward; entitled ''Third/Sister Lovers'', it found limited commercial success. Shortly thereafter, Chris Bell was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 27. The Big Star discography drew renewed attention in the 1980s when R.E.M. and other popular bands cited the group as an influence. In 1992, interest was further stimulated by Rykodisc's reissues of the band's albums, complemented by a collection of Bell's solo work. In 1993, Chilton and Stephens reformed Big Star with recruits Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, and gave a concert at the University of Missouri. The band remained active, performing tours in Europe and Japan, and released a new studio album, ''In Space'', in 2005. Chilton died on March 17, 2010 after being admitted to a New Orleans hospital with heart problems. Hummel, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, died on July 19, 2010. These deaths left Stephens as the sole surviving founding member.

Wikipedia This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.
Biography

Big Star Albums

source: MusicBrainz

Links & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Big Star.

Keep an Eye on the Sky Compilation 2009-09-15 itunes amazon
In Space Album 2005-09-27 itunes amazon
Big Star Story Compilation 2003 itunes amazon
Nobody Can Dance Compilation 1999-03-16 itunes amazon
The Best of Big Star Compilation 1999 itunes amazon
Beale Street Green Other 1997 itunes amazon
Columbia: Live at Missouri University… Live 1993-09-14 itunes amazon
Mine Exclusively Single 1993 itunes amazon
Live Live 1992-02-21 itunes amazon
#1 Record / Radio City / The Third… Album 1992 itunes amazon
A Little Big Star Compilation 1992 itunes amazon
#1 Record / Radio City Album 1990-03-26 itunes amazon
Third/Sister Lovers Album 1978 itunes amazon
Kizza Me / Dream Lover Single 1978 itunes amazon
Radio City Album 1974 itunes amazon
MusicBrainzLinks & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Big Star at musicbrainz.org.
Albums
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