Big Star RADIO CITY: New Book

The master tape is lost, presumably destroyed by Chris Bell, but they have A 1/4" copy. I think it has the vocals in one channel and band in the other. Got Kinda Lost and There Was a Light from this are on Thank You Friends. I think the early Back Of a Car is as well.

O My Soul was re-recorded twice. I think there are 3 recordings.

1) Unreleased version from 4 song 'mono' demo tape
2) Unreleased first Radio City version
3) Radio City LP version (a multitrack recording mixed into mono by John Fry)

 

Wow! When I started this thread I had no idea the life it would take on ... and now THIS news ... I was just trying to hip this crowd to a great new read.

 

Got it.

I thought Chilton saying that it would be like Chris Bell to steal the tape was a great quote. A little insight tid bit that you'd otherwise not get without a Chilton interview.

 

back from a week away without internet access...thanks for the kind words about the book...Chris M has the rundown on O My Soul correct. Quite a few mysteries remain about the recording of Radio City but one that I think I resolved in writing the book was the line-up for the four-song demo. The existent recordings are indeed from a quarter-inch reference tape. Andy Hummel remembered Chris as being at the session. However John Fry, Jody, and Alex were all firm in their recollections that it was indeed just the trio line-up. I think that the recording bears this out and it was one of the instances where I made a decision as to what really happened rather than let the conflicting memories stand (as in the case of when the Dolby ****er songs were recorded).

One thing I'm really looking forward to in the box set are the live recordings of the three-piece line-up at Lafayette's Music Room in early 1973 just after Chris left and long before the Rock Writer's Convention. The band sounds really great (despite an apathetic audience) and it's interesting in retrospect that if it hadn't of been for John King's idea for the convention these performances might have ended up as Big Star's swan song...

 

One thing I'm really looking forward to in the box set are the live recordings of the three-piece line-up at Lafayette's Music Room in early 1973 just after Chris left and long before the Rock Writer's Convention.


Awesome; I bet these recording are from a tape that I had always heard that Jody had, but didn't want released because he felt that the performance was "inferior". Can't wait to hear the box and read this book; thanks for writing it Bruce!

Most bands are lucky to have 1 landmark album; Big Star had 3. Who knows, in time you may want to consider doing similar books for #1 Record and Sister Lovers. Speaking of Sister Lovers.

 

Awesome! I can't wait to hear live versions of Got Kinda Lost and There Was a Light and Big Star's take on Hot Burrito #2.

 

Big Star box and Beatles box within a week of each other!!! too good.

Also, anyone know about the #1 Record / Radio City reissue coming out in June. I know it has two extra tracks, single edits of "In the Street" and "O My Soul", but supposedly it's also remastered. So, is it a different remastering from the original CD release?

 

George Horn did a remaster for the SACD release, perhaps they'll go with that.

 

Don't know about the remaster situation for the upcoming reissue but I when I interviewed Larry Nix (did the original mastering for Radio City) for the book I asked what he thought about any and all of the reissues to date (as of last year) and he was really knocked out by the SACD remaster. Highly complimentary. Told me to track it down before it became a rarity and as luck would have it the record store (Shangri-La) right down the street from Ardent had a copy.

 

BTW, I love the SACD ... it sounds so good.

 

Radio City sounds good...the first LP portion of the SACD is really really bright though..

 

You think? I'd better re-check it out. I remember liking the sound of the whole disc.

 

I mean..it's not bad...it's probably what the tape sounds like...but that doesn't mean that it isn't insect killing from the start!

The music of course is what makes you go back...but I play my Ardent LP's more than this disc...I still will never get rid of it!

 

I can't be in the room when the SACD is playing, it's so ridiculously bright.
Can't help but think that Larry might have lost a little of his (top end) hearing over the years.

 

I'm enjoying reading the RADIO CITY book while listening to the new boxed set ...