Big
Star –
Third/
Sister Lovers
CD Album, 1992
Rykodisc
A horror show. Or I should say
an album posed as a horror show. A Big Star album by name, but
really except for one song, pretty much of an Alex Chilton solo
album. Here it is at the end of the line, and what comes up is a
combination of a manic/depressive state known as Third or
Sister Lovers. In parts it reminds me of late 1960's Beach
Boys meeting the Velvet Underground. He even covers Lou Reed's
“Femme Fatale” in a faithful, yet full of the Alex menace and a
certain amount of grace. For instance is there a more haunting song
than “Holocaust?”
At times the album yells out 3AM,
but it is an album full of shadows and shades. Not exactly colors
mind you, but it's rich like a John Ford black and white movie. Also
there is a lot of experimentation with respect to sound and there's a
tension from the first cut to the last. If possible I would get the
Rykodisc edition due to the artwork, but also the bonus cuts. All
good. “Downs” is calypso done with a Memphis aesthetic and
again, “Nature Boy.” Essential work.
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