Big Star: Rhino "Box Set"*

Tracklist is out. Full article is at http://pitchfork.com/news/35467-big-star-box-set-on-the-way/. Plus there is a stream of "Lovely Day" at http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=519760.

Looks awesome.

Keep an Eye on the Sky:

All songs by Big Star unless otherwise noted

Disc 1

01 Chris Bell: "Psychedelic Stuff"
02 Icewater: "All I See Is You"
03 Alex Chilton: "Every Day as We Grow Closer" (Original Mix)
03 Rock City: "Try Again" (Early Version)
04 Rock City: "The Preacher"
05 Feel
06 The Ballad of El Goodo (Alternate Mix) *
07 In the Street
08 Thirteen (Alternate Mix) *
09 Don't Lie to Me
10 The India Song
11 When My Baby's Beside Me (Alternate Mix) *
12 My Life Is Right (Alternate Mix) *
13 Give Me Another Chance (Alternate Mix) *
14 Try Again
15 Chris Bell: "Gone With the Light" *
16 Watch the Sunrise
17 ST 100/6 (Alternate Mix) *
18 In the Street (Second Recorded Version)
19 Feel (Early Mix) *
20 The Ballad of El Goodo (Alternate Lyrics)
21 The India Song (Alternate Version) *
22 Country Morn
23 I Got Kinda Lost (Demo)
24 Motel Blues (Demo) *

Disc 2

01 There Was a Light (Demo) *
02 Life Is White (Demo) *
03 What's Going Ahn (Demo) *
04 O My Soul
05 Life Is White
06 Way Out West (Alternate Mix) *
07 What's Going Ahn
08 You Get What You Deserve (Alternate Mix) *
09 Mod Lang (Alternate Mix)
10 Back of a Car (Alternate Mix) *
11 Daisy Glaze
12 She's A Mover
13 September Gurls
14 Morpha Too (Alternate Mix) *
15 I'm in Love With a Girl
16 O My Soul (Alternate Version) *
17 Back of a Car (Demo)
18 Daisy Glaze (Alternate Take) *
19 She's a Mover (Alternate Version)
20 Chris Bell: "I Am the Cosmos"
21 Chris Bell: "You and Your Sister"
22 Alex Chilton: "Blue Moon" (Demo) *
23 Alex Chilton: "Femme Fatale" (Demo) *
24 Alex Chilton: Thank You Friends" (Demo) *
25 Alex Chilton: "You Get What You Deserve" (Demo) *

Disc 3

01 Alex Chilton: "Lovely Day (aka Stroke It Noel)" (Demo)
02 Alex Chilton: "Downs" (Demo)
03 Alex Chilton: "Nightime" (Demo) *
04 Alex Chilton: "Jesus Christ" (Demo) *
05 Alex Chilton: "Holocaust" (Demo) *
06 Alex Chilton: "Take Care" (Demo) *
07 Alex Chilton: "Big Black Car" (Alternate Demo) *
08 Manana *
09 Jesus Christ
10 Femme Fatale
11 O, Dana
12 Kizza Me
14 You Can't Have Me
15 Nightime
16 Dream Lover
17 Blue Moon
18 Take Care
19 Stroke It Noel
20 For You
21 Downs
22 Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
23 Big Black Car
24 Holocaust
25 Kanga Roo
26 Thank You Friends
27 Till The End of the Day
28 Lovely Day *
29 Nature Boy

Disc 4 (Live at Lafayette's Music Room, Memphis, TN)

01 When My Baby's Beside Me *
02 My Life Is Right *
03 She's a Mover *
04 Way Out West *
05 The Ballad of El Goodo *
06 In the Street *
07 Back of a Car *
08 Thirteen *
09 The India Song *
10 Try Again *
11 Watch the Sunrise *
12 Don't Lie to Me *
13 Hot Burrito #2 *
14 I Got Kinda Lost *
15 Baby Strange *
16 Slut *
17 There Was a Light *
18 ST 100/6 *
19 Come On Now *
20 O My Soul *

* previously unreleased

 

Very nice!!! I don't often see Rhino release info this far in advance. Odd.

 

Fantastic. Still no stereo mix of "O My Soul"?

 

This is manna from heaven

 

I want this now.

 

This looks very nice indeed!

 

My guess from interviewing John Fry for the Radio City 33 1/3 book is that he never did a stereo mix of the final (album) version. He was bugged that the original demos done after Chris left had been stolen / misplaced / erased and was bound and determined that O My Soul would be in mono. I never got any sense that he first mixed it in stereo (or did that later). Direct to mono...done.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=181852

 

Anyone know if there is a longer version of ST 100/6 in existance? One of my favorite Big Star tunes but unfortunately only a minute long....

Chris

 

Where is the DVD with the super 8 films documenting the "No 1. Record" sessions? That was going to be the big feature about this set.

 

The stereo mix of O My Soul came out in the '70s on a label sampler album.

I think they're NOT putting it on the box. Nor the single edit of O My Soul, which I personally love.

I don't know about the DVD. It was supposed to have been included.

Note in the Pitchfork article they're playing at Hyde Park July 1. I just bought a ticket as I'm in London that week already.

Note also: a Rhino Handmade Chris Bell release in September.

 

This looks very nice!

I noticed that "Another Time, Another Place and You" is not included, although it has appeared in excellent sound on boots.

I wonder how many of those alternate mixes from #1 Record are the same ones that appeared on the "What's Goin' Ahn" boot...hopefully some of them are different.

Whatever. This looks great. It will be mine.

Chris

 

Read the Rhino link in post 101.

 

Maybe they're hoping to generate some early word-of-mouth buzz. I'm guessing this will sell very well.

I think I heard that another band is putting out a reissue series in September as well so I bet Rhino doesn't want this to get lost in the shuffle.

Chris

 

Yes and maybe they're looking to take in some of the money directly as well? I see that its not listen elsewhere yet. I've always wondered why they don't do more stuff exclusively through their site.

 

I wonder what this will be:

16 O My Soul (Alternate Version) *

 

That tracklist looks pretty tasty. I'm really looking forward to Alex's solo Third/Sister Lovers demos. I am surprised that the O My Soul demo from the famous 'mono demo' isn't included since everyone praises that demo in the 33 1/3 book. Maybe the one listed as "alternate version" really is the demo? I also noticed that the instrumental on the What's Going Ahn boot isn't included either.

Really looking forward to live versions of Got Kinda Lost and There Was a Light. IIRC Bruce mentioned that the Lafayette's tape had Jesus Christ as well so I was hoping we would get that. All minor complaints though as there is a lot of stuff on there that is exciting for the fan.

 

They recorded O My Soul 3 times.

Version 1: unreleased, on the 4 song 'mono demo' with Got Kinda Lost, There Was a Light and Back of a Car (all on the Ardent Records Story). This demo was 2 track with the vocals on one track.

Version 2: on Radio City in mono

Version 3: an unused remake

I guess this version will be the unused remake. I was hoping we would get both versions..

 

I was seriously hoping we'd get the stereo mix since the mono is available everywhere. I would've also loved the radio/single edit, because that's the way I used to listen to it on car tapes -- the short version. I'm seriously bummed we didn't get them, because it's hard to imagine that they will turn up on any future release. I'd be happy if John Fry would just put 'em up on the Ardent site as downloads. Charge a buck or two apiece. I'd buy 'em like that. Or do a 5-track O My Soul CD single with mono, stereo, edited, outtake, and the best live take. THAT would be a cool idea. Sell it thru the website.

Decision was made that with the regular version, the outtake version, and the live version, that that was enough O My Soul. I understand, but I'm still bummed. BUT that's my only real criticism of this box, and that ain't much, folks.

My understanding is that the video portion just got squeezed out. It was gonna be on one of the four discs. I hope John Fry will somehow make that available to us. If they synched the audio to it, I'd pay $25 in a heartbeat for a DVD or Blu-ray of it!!!! They have a professionally shot multi-cam show from an early reunion gig that could be paired with it to make a superb DVD. Maybe we'll get that next year if there's enough interest in the box.

Oh, and since someone asked me this privately, the live show on disc 4 is the 3-piece band, January 1973, taken from a multi-night stand at Lafayette's on Overton Square (a place I barely remember anymore) opening for Archie Bell & the Drells. Alex used to have a cassette of it he'd play for friends sometimes; I never heard it but I've always heard it was just wonderful. It's Alex, Jody, and Andy (Chris quit for good in November '72).

All in all, you know, if I'd been in charge I'd have made a few different choices, but this is an enormously terrific Big Star compilation. I mean, sod the Beatles remasters, this is THE release of 2009 for me. I literally cannot wait! I'm thrilled beyond words to be getting this stuff.

Oh, and in answer to a question about the track that may or may not be called 'Another Place Another Time and You', I asked everyone involved about that track a few years back. It's brilliant. I think (and hope) it will be included in the Sept. 2009 Chris Bell Rhino Handmade compilation being compiled by one of our members. It's been labeled as a Big Star track, I know who copied that at Ardent decades ago, HE said it was a Radio City outtake. But from talking to Andy, Jody, and Terry Manning about the track myself, I now think it was a Chris Bell solo track dating to '71-72. Hopefully we'll get it officially this fall. This is pure guesswork on my part, but I would assume that's why it's not included on this box.

 

I hope you're right, because it is a beautiful track.

Does that give me reason to hope that perhaps Chris recorded a vocal for it someplace? That would be wonderful.

Chris

 

Is that the track labeled "Instrumental" on What's Goin' Ahn?

 

It was only ever an instrumental as far as anyone remembers. I don't think it's a backing track.

It's on ... what's that called? Beale Street Green, if I remember correctly the title? I'm sure that's been rebooted many times.

Andy remembers it as being post-Radio City. Terry thinks pre-1st album. Everyone remembers Chris tinkering with that track for ages. It IS lovely.

The tape box might solve a lot of questions. Or not.

 

No, Mark, it's a different track. The one on "What's Goin' Ahn" has kind of a country feel to it. This one is much more interesting, IMHO.

It certainly sounds like it could have been part of the #1 Record sessions. But there was so much material recorded by those guys in different configurations that it could have been something else, too.

Indeed, the tape box may tell the tale.

Chris

 

Anyone know what this is? It isn't listed as unreleased but I assume that is a mistake.

 

anybody have any more info about the release of i am the cosmos? will it be available for preorder? and how many copies will be pressed, etc..?

 

http://www.google.com/search?q="chris+bell"+rhino+handmade