The Smiley Smile Message Board

Yes. Big Star. What of them? I have the first 3 LPs (as in: vinyl) and I adore them. Moreover: I find 3rd/Sister Lovers a grand failure (i.e.: not a miserable failure, but a piece of art that falls apart. The rot's set in on the spot. Or something). Whether it's September Gurls or Jesus Christ, it's amazing stuff.

I like Big Star--even love them every now and again, when the stars align just so. But sometimes I think their cult is a bit too big for its britches. I wonder if that comes from someone like me, only 32 and having discovered them long after a few generations of their descendants had already put out the music they had put out, just seeing them in only hindsight. Guitar-heavy, muscular pop (power pop, if you prefer) was always a fact of life for me. I didn't have to suffer through an endless barrage of singer-songwriters or ex-hippies or early prog-rockers. If I had discovered Big Star in the midst of that, I might feel more strongly about them. Instead, I knew them to be canonical before even hearing them.

I like them but having read a lot about them before I was expecting them to be a lot more than they are and as such it took me quite a few years to really get into them.
I suppose it is all about context in a way - they set the tone (among others) for a lot of 80s and 90s guitar led indie pop and if I had been alive in the early 70s and wanted to hear a bit of that sort of thing they may have been right up my street.
That said I do enjoy the production on their records, they don't really sound dated at all.

Excellent band I'd say, "Third/Sister Lovers" is on par, in terms of mood/vibe, with records like "The White Album", Neil Young's "Tonight's The Night", Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" and even Skippy Spence's "Oar" - dark, destructive, miserable at times, but never boring or bland. The sound of things falling apart. Interesting.

How about Chris Bell's sole solo album "I Am The Cosmos"? You should really check that out if you haven't already. Proves that Big Star wasn't just Alex Chilton's band. Chilton's solo albums (the ones I have) are pretty much hit and miss.

"Third/Sister Lovers" is my favorite, just a great little album, completely freaked out. "Thank You Friends" is my favorite. Big Star, though, I fear are a tad overrated. You know, I've never warmed to the song "Thirteen," even though everyone seems to like it.

I've never heard Third/Sister Lovers, but have the first two on a twofer and think it's great. Especially No.1 Record. I agree, they are really well produced records!

They remind me of life when I was growing up in a way I can't quite put my finger on. They are quite a bit older than me(I'm 37), but there is some indescribable flavor in their music that I remember from my youth, and few bands do that kind of thing to me.

I love your second paragraph. I have the same feelings with some bands. Hüsker Du's 'Warehouse, Songs And Stories' is a case in point. Or early REM (REM more or less ended for me with 'Document'. 'The End Of The World' heralded The End Of REM as an intimate, mystical band, and paved the way to stadiums).

Strange, early REM and Husker DU(and Big Star) give me this exact same feeling. 

Can you mail me a sample of your DNA? My dad was a truck driver and got around a lot.

Don't like 'em.

I find myself disappointed with most power pop that claims to be influenced by my favorite bands from the 60's. Some catchy tunes but they always lose me. Probably because the songs are so cloying.

One power pop band I like is Cheap Trick and their cover of 'In The Street' rules.