Third/Sister Lovers

Interesting and worthwhile album that I had not heard before.

Almost 800 albums in and yet I know nothing of Big Star, aside from random songs I've picked up in my life ("The Letter", sung by Alex Chilton pre-Big Star; "You and Your Sister" by Chris Bell after the band split). This album was recorded in 1974, released in 1978, yet the version of the book emphasizes the 1992 version with bonus tracks. Apple Music says it sounds nothing like their previous output. I'm beginning to think this is not an easy intro to this band... but of course, I just go where RNGesus commands. edit: I was mistaken, this is awesome; guess I’m a Big Star fan now 👍 HL: “Thank You Friends”, “Big Black Car”, “Jesus Christ”, the “Femme Fatale” cover, “For You”, “Take Care”, "Dream Lover" (bonus) May 13, 2024

A few exceptional songs

Absolutely beautiful. Classic sound and very interesting songwriting. Touching and strong. The ballads here are spot on. Holocaust, Kanga Roo, Blue moon, take care. So great.

What a great record! Many missing tracks on Spotify which is a bummer. Great adventures in songwriting and melody here.

El disco va mejorando según lo escuchas. Te atrapa. Femme fatale.

I loved #1 Record's 70s rock vibe a lot. This album is quite different in feel. The album opened in a not unexpected way with Kizza Me. But then it descends into darkness bottoming out with the haunting "Holocaust." This is a beautiful album whose eclecticism really appealed to me. The songs are stunning. Gorgeous string arrangements had me swooning, especially in songs like "For You." The eclecticism of this album is held together by the an underlying melancholy that makes this an album I expect will be something I return to often. Haunting and beautiful.

cool

An excellent album. Ahead of its time, but great songs in their own right as well.

A fractured, unsettling masterpiece that is decades ahead of its time. Third is not the easiest album to connect with, but there's something in these songs that's haunting and beautiful. It's all at once prickly and elegant, with an emotional honesty that's pretty breathtaking. Big Star's well documented distribution problems and bad timing may have kept their music from reaching an audience in their day. But for many of us who have been lucky enough to find them in the decades since, this is music that just burns itself into you. It has incredibly staying power, even 45 years on. If you know anything about Big Star, you know that Third is really Alex Chilton's album (with Jody Stephens, to a far lesser extent) and that the original band was done at this point. Some have described this as an album about a relationship crumbling, or the band crumbling, but it's also about Chilton's fragmenting sense of self and of what he thought he could do with music. It's notable that after Chilton put Third behind him, he went into the New York punk scene and evolved into a whole new sound. This album doesn't sound like Chilton's solo work, but it is his creative launching point. There are remnants of the muscular yet dreamy power pop that dominates Big Star's first 2 albums, but this work is less structured and more experimental than the others. It's a sound that contrasts deliberate atonality/raggedness with more polished, classically informed piano and string arrangements. Chilton is able to take the music into some very dark spaces that are equal parts ethereal and heart rending, with odd occasional moments of whimsy and brightness. If you enjoyed this, I strongly recommend taking the time to listen to the album Complete Third, not to mention the first 2 albums. Also, the documentary Nothing Can Hurt Me is a must see. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite, 1978 PVC US LP version): For You; Stroke It Noel; Blue Moon; Nightime; Kanga Roo; Holocaust; Big Black Car; Femme Fatale; O, Dana; Take Care; Nature Boy; Dream Lover; You Can't Have Me; Jesus Christ; Kizza Me; Thank You Friends; Downs.

El disco va mejorando según lo escuchas. Te atrapa. Femme fatale.

Nice

Another album that defies classification. It contains elements of punk, new wave, symphonic pop, and experimental music. Lyrically, the album is dark and brooding which pairs well with the power pop underpinnings. Nothing about this album is straightforward. It is challenging but incredibly rewarding.

This is a great album but it required a couple of replays from me to fully appreciate it. Definitely not something to just put in the background. The listing is a mess and varies in each issue, which results in sudden change of moods and styles. I was listening to Spotify version with a few bonus tracks. I can definitely see how this band and the album (which I have never listened to prior) was so influential to (mainly) American alternative bands. There's a wide spectrum of genres that can be spotted on the album, from powerpop (O, Dana), baroque pop (For You), glam rock (You Can't Have Me) and more folky tunes (Big Black Car). My favorites are the ballads which go from extremely sad and depressing (Holocaust, Big Black Car) to sweet love songs (Blue Moon, For You). I also enjoyed a lot the bonus track - Till The End of The Day which sounds like the Beatles meets powerpop. I also love the fragile voice of the singer, at times on the verge of completely breaking down. The only thing I did not care for was the Holocaust analogy, I think its a bit over the top and unneccessary, sounded a bit juvenile. Overall, the album is not only relevant thanks to its later influences, but also is a great piece of music on its own.

I really loved that production all around really enjoyable - 10/10

Often heard about them when reading REM interviews in the music press way back when, but pre-streaming/internet I would never hear them. So I guess now I'm going to hear them. The full album is on A***on Music, which trump's Spotify's pitiful offering of missing tracks. And, well, it's beautiful. Of course I was going to like this as a lifelong fan of REM, particularly their early stuff, of which this is most reminiscent, or vice versa. You can absolutely hear the Replacements too, and stuff like the Green Pajamas. Yes the production is loose as fuck, but for me thats all part of the charm. There's great tunes here, that vary between up tempo freak outs (You can't Have Me) and quietly devastating (Holocaust). Kanga Roo feels like a precursor to shoegaze in places and is absolutely wonderful. Anyway I'm a sucker for the mythology around 'lost' records like this, and 'Smile', with tracks scattered around all over the place, where noone can agree on the running order. Then someone finally does, decades later. Love it.

An album I've never listened to before now. And I've heard a lot of these songs before because they've been covered by bands I like (This Mortal Coil, Placebo, Jeff Buckley) or are covers themselves like Femme Fatale. A very interesting ramschackle of an album that seems to have had more success among musicians than it did commercially. And now listening to the entire album a 4th time it dawns on me why it is. My first listen was a decidedly 'meh'-experience. But it sure is growing, into an album I would listen to again and again, especially songs like Holocaust and Kanga Roo. It's dark, it's emotional it's terribly played. Absolutely amazing album. 4,5*

Most haunted (non) album of all times Prefs: TOUT Moins prefs: RIEN

A lot like the Velvet Underground but different in interesting ways

имба. темная лошадка. темные поп-рок баллады с красивыми инструменталами. музыка похожа на пинкфлойд, а вокал на тома йорка, учитывая, что всё это было в 70ых

I have to say, I'm surprised seeing how few 5 star ratings there are for this album, but I guess Big Star doesn't resonate with everyone. I've been obsessed with Big Star since discovering them in 1992 when Rykodisk put out the Live album and the Jim Dickinson version of this one. I'm not sure what it is that made them so magical - some combination of the music and the story I suppose. Of the material that they released, which was unfortunately not a lot, this is my favorite. The songs are incredibly beautiful, strange, dark, and fragile. They feel as if they could fall apart at any moment, and in some cases they do. A reflection of Alex Chilton's mental state at the time I guess. "Get me out of here, I hate it here," from Nightime breaks my heart every time. Since I already know this album inside and out, I took the opportunity today to listen to Complete Third, the 2016 Omnivore release that includes all the demo versions, rough takes, and ultimately the masters. It's 3 hours long, so it's a lot, but it's a treat to hear how beautiful these songs already were at the demo stage with just acoustic guitar (or piano in a couple of cases) and Alex's lilting falsetto, and then how they were fleshed gradually with strings and other instruments. It's also a treat hearing some of the cover versions he chose to play around with, in particular the Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale and the Beach Boys Don't Worry Baby, which can only be found on the Complete release. His voice was a beautiful fit for those songs. It's a shame that Alex turned his back on the type of music he was making at this point in his life. I've never been a big fan of his solo work, but he was who he was, and that's partly what makes him great. A musical genius for sure, and this album is the best evidence of that. 5 stars.

4.5

Need to give this a fairer shake, another album that I think needs more digestion than a 24 hour period. I’ll have to think and come back. I really liked it.

Decent, bonus point for Nature Boy

That was pretty boring, actually. The music kept reminding me of other bands, only not as good. Toward the end of the album, there were a few tracks that I liked better and wanted to listen to a second time. Maybe I should listen to it more often after all. 4/5

Рок и шансон и кавер на VU понравился. Слушал несколько раз.

Great album and a reminder that we all should be listening to Big Star more often.

Great!!

A difficult listen. An album that was apparently recorded during the collapse of this band and a nervous breakdown of its singer. That tension is palpable throughout in an album that is often as ugly as it is beautiful and as emotional as it is dispassionate. It is unsurprisingly kind of a mess and kind of inconsistent quality-wise, but there is plenty to like here

Dark, weird, textured pop

A big mix of multiple feelings - intimate vocals, heavy strings, happy raucous rock. Really fantastic. Favorite Track(s): Nightime, Take Care

Love this band, but not my favorite record of theirs.

I’ve always thought I should be into Big Star, assured as I’ve been that they belong to one of my favourite lineages (Byrds, REM, Teenage Fanclub, Belle and Seb), but it’s never quite clicked. The mad choice to open this record with its worst song, Kizza Me, didn’t inspire much hope that this was about to change (minus one point for that alone). But, whaddya know, I mostly love it. I’m so down for scrappy eclecticism on the edge of collapse.

Album #109, Third/Sister Lovers, Big Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I have very strong feelings towards Big Star. I reviewed #1 Record exactly two weeks ago and gave it five stars. I said in that review that I genuinely think they should have been one of the biggest bands of all time, or at least one of the biggest bands of the 70s, if it wasn’t for the distribution issues with their record label and the fact that hardly anybody heard their records at the time. They should have been huge, but they were a horribly mismanaged band. Despite this album not getting five stars, this actually might be my personal favourite Big Star album. It’s a funny one, because I don’t think this album should exist, at least not in the state that we hear it today. It’s essentially the sound of Alex Chilton having a mental breakdown or at least losing interest in his own music career, due to their lack of success. It has a pretty mad Wikipedia page, and it’s debatable whether it was ever even supposed to be a Big Star album or more of an Alex Chilton solo album. But for all intents and purposes, this is the third Big Star album. It’s a fucking unfinished mess, no doubt about it. Totally all over the place tonally and atmospherically. You can hear that the ideas were never fully realised, and I think the band were drifting away from the more commercial sound that should have made them successful in the first place. This is far from commercial music. It’s clear they were going down some kind of baroque pop or chamber pop route. There are string sections all over this album and they’re absolutely gorgeous throughout most of it. It’s very far removed from the power pop sound people usually associate with Big Star. You can also hear the influence from the sweeter side of The Velvet Underground, which is obvious considering they cover Femme Fatale. It’s a really beautiful record in a lot of ways, but not necessarily a beautiful sounding one. It’s lo fi, rough around the edges and often feels fragile, but the strength of the songwriting stands on its own. Some of the songs on this thing are unbelievable. Stroke It Noel, Nighttime and Take Care are all beautiful songs. The most beautiful song on the album for me is probably For You. I genuinely think it might be one of the simplest love songs ever written lyrically, but the string section is staggering. Any of their heroes at the time, especially The Beatles, would have been proud of those arrangements. Then you’ve got little rockers like Kiss Me and Thank You Friends, which are much closer to old school Big Star, but still feel different from their earlier work. This album really doesn’t sound like any of their other records. It’s not a five star album because not every song works for me. I think Holocaust is basically an exercise in writing the most depressing song of all time. That doesn’t necessarily make it a great song. It probably is one of the bleakest songs I’ve ever heard, but it just doesn’t emotionally connect with me. It almost overdoes it. And tonally, it really is a total mess. I also think if you came to this album completely blind, you’d probably wonder what the fuck you were listening to. I think you almost need to know the story behind it to fully appreciate it. It’s a cult album through and through. As I said though, it’s a personal favourite of mine. It’s just a real shame that this band didn’t get the chance to make more music together. They should have been huge.

Favorite track(s): For You, Nightime, Take Care, Big Black Car, Holocaust, Thank You Friends

Listened a couple times an got something new out of it each time

There's a sense of melancholy and prettiness to this one. And beautiful instrumentation and production to boot. Nothing that I really love though, but every song is at least decent. Faves: Femme Fatale, Holocaust, Nature Boy

It sounded very good! If it was a little bit more polished, I would say that it's a sound ahead of its time. But it's good

Just sounds nice and dreamy. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump down to a 4. Not too much to say after listening. It’s just a bit dreary. I really like the instrumentation here, and I think the lyricism is good, but I’m left with the same feeling I had after listening to “Sea Change” by Beck a while ago. It didn’t wear me down as much, nor do I think it’s too long, as the 41 minutes (the last 4 are bonus tracks, so I didn’t listen to them) go by well enough. It’s just got very little levity behind it, and that lack of levity can just sort of drain the mood over time. I think this album can feel lovely with its lyrics, especially on something like “For You” or “Blue Moon”, but the vast majority of it feels bitter or numb, as on “Big Black Car” or “Holocaust”. I understand this album is meant to be a reflection on the band’s sense of commercial failure as well as their mental states borne out of love, and while I admire the honesty that went into crafting these tracks, it’s just hard to get through as a full album. At this album’s best, it strikes the right balance between great lyrics, peppy rhythms & good orchestral work, and it bats pretty close to that balance for at least half the album. When it’s not batting close to it, there’s just moments of stagnancy or repetition that weigh on the tracks in a way that doesn’t flow as cleanly as it could. That messiness is part of the album’s appeal, but it can only carry it so far. Hence, a 4.5 that I’ll bump down to a 4, though as with “Sea Change”, it could get up to a 5 someday. It’s certainly worth being on the list, and if this is them at more of a low point, I’m intrigued to hear the power pop side of it all for whenever we get “#1 Record”. I think I’ll really enjoy that, especially if the songwriting here is married with a more fun energy overall.

long and bloated. But, what's long and bloated, are songs, that despite not being every of them bangers, have the sensibilities and sounds of songs a decade later. They were far ahead of the time, and that's surprising. On the beginning, after some time, there are good songs, but many feel like mediocre 90s songs. idk

A very emotional album with soul. Perhaps it’s my weakness for this kind of music, but this album really resonates with me. It is diverse, fresh, authentic, and above all filled with a wide spectrum of emotions. Additionally, it is not very well known. 7/10

poppy-rocky-whatever you want to call it. this album was hard-ish to find, i don't know why. i had to listen to it on dailymotion out of all places. maybe because of the two different names! it's more of that same jangly power sound i've heard plenty of times in the past, but it's another album where it's done quite well. i like it when power pop artists channel their inner beatles instead of just wailing and whining in the microphone. some other people might rate it lower but i found it rather classy.

I long had this album in my wishlist being as acclaimed as it is in music circles but I had never gone around to listen to it. It is probably one of the best albums that I had not listened to before from this list 9/10 [KEEP]

Det här låter som ljudet av ett band i upplösning. När man läser om plattan verkar inte medlemmarna ens själv veta om de fortfarande är med i ett band eller inte. Alex Chiltons parhäst/trätobroder Chris Bell hade hoppat av. Deras två tidigare skivor hade floppat. Det är lite skitsamma-känsla över de här inspelningarna. Förvisso några stråkpålägg och körer här och var, men många av låtarna känns som råa outtakes som ingen orkat ta om. Och det gör skivan intressant. Det blir oborstat, skört och lite stökigt. Jag har bara hört deras första tidigare, som är betydligt mer producerad. Det här är klart bättre. Jag har lyssnat på både 1992 och 1978 års låtordning och tycker albumet kommer bättre till sin rätt i 1978-versionen som inleds med supersnygga Stroke it Noel och likaledes For you. Fler låtar jag fastnar för: Kizza me, med sitt vilda piano, Take care, Jesus Christ med lite töntig refräng men grymt saxsolo, Femme Fatal slår väl inte direkt VU men ett bra försök, Holocaust, Kanga roo och Thank you friends.

you could make a career out of Kanga Roo, and Wilco still is. good for them! it's a very funny arc that Big Star had one less member each album until they were down to two at the last one. this album rocks.

I definitely underbaked the last Big Star review I did. Should have been a 4, maybe a 5. Hadn’t heard enough awful albums for comparison yet. This one was great too, but this band is maybe a rare case where I prefer when they’re a bit tighter/more focused. Overall, Big Star rocks though.

Allemaal leuke covertjes op deze. Leuk.

This one caught me off guard in a good way.

1001 albums to hear before you become a big star dust 70# So surprised this wasn't too of a pop rock album and more like a spacious ambient folk album with rock instrumentations. I already knew Big Star's hit song and wasn't expecting them to have this interesting sounds and arrangements up their sleeves. It feels so spacious and roams, dark at times clearly felt on the song Holocaust. They've mainly got quick songs and it didn't feel like they we're incomplete... well, maybe a bit, but the songs to culminate in something grandiose, it's just that feeling of melancholy and dread..? Kanga Roo feels like it's all falling apart. Find it interesting that the lyrics of it ('i first saw you, you had blue jeans, your eyes couldn't hide anything, i want you like a kanga roo') would feel so different in a pop rock ballad than on this sparce, erratic instrumentations, full of whining guitars and loose or slack drumming. It has some songs that don't connect though.

I was glad to see this one pop up, both because I like Big Star, and because (even though I own it - on CD, with bonus tracks), I've tended to ignore this one, because I have a couple of other Big Star CDs (and 1, in particular) that I gravitate toward more often, so have tended to overlook this one. Maybe/probably because this one is not so listener-accessible. Which is why, though it's a little tempting to give it a 5, I'll give this one a 4 (4.5?). Big Star never received the popular success they deserved, but famously launched/inspired a thousand other indie bands, or so the saying goes (something like that, anyway). And, yes, as Ray remembered, your great Uncle Gary (and his band) met Big Star at Ardent Studios in Memphis in the early 70s, while Gary's band and Big Star were in the studio at the same time, or something. Except that there was a more specific connection, I think with Big Star member Andy Hummel (he -- or maybe his brother? -- was Gary's friend, maybe? - at Centre College, I think, where Gary later met Debbie).

An album that I think could have easily been thrown out with the bath water. I think the sound here is ahead of it's time and it's hitting that same niche as the Velvets but in a more intimate way. There's glimpses of new wave here and some interesting production and hiqh quality songwriting. I'm glad this album is getting some recognition looking back on it.

Bueno

Really interesting 4/5

Third is the bittersweet soundtrack of a dying band. It's too bad Big Star wasn't more recognized in their time, but theirs is also a tale as old as rock and roll itself. Thankfully the power pop icons live on through music.

Quirky, string laden, and at times beautiful. This one is a grower. Chilton sure can sing….such a wasted talent.

I liked this quite a bit. Had heard of these guys, but never listened to them. This turned out to be an excellent album for traversing the wastelands of NW Texas.

There are too many songs that pass by in a blur to give this a 5, but it's a very enjoyable record with some great songs. I've liked this band since college. I have Counting Crows *gasp* to thank for introducing me to them. I saw CC play an outdoor festival in Chicago and Adam Duritz, in a moment of immature fame rejection at the height of his fame, changed the lyrics of Mr. Jones to say he wanted to be Alex Chilton instead of Bob Dylan. I did some research and suddenly the Replacements song titled Alex Chilton made more sense. I eventually got to this record from that moment. Thank You Friends is fantastic. I love Big Black Car and O, Dana. I have Jesus Christ on my Christmas Mix. The VU cover is good, but not great.

The many Big Star songs that I love, I love as much as anything. But there are too many clunkers on this for a 5. Wondering a bit about calling this an "album," since I think it's a clump of two albums that may have had some release weirdness. With this pair on the list, I hope we'll see #1 Record/Radio City too.

I had to listen to this a ton, started as a high 2/low 3. Kizza Me is a rough start but after a few listens I appreciate the swings taken. Mid/high 3

I had heard the other albums but not this one. I really dig it. A couple of tunes will go on playlists for sure

There's nothing like reading the Wikipedia description and seeing that the album was unfinished partly due to the band's own lack of interest to get you excited about listening - and I say that as someone who likes Big Star. There are some tracks here that make it a bit too clear that this was a band in the process of falling apart, but there are enough woozy bangers and moments of loveliness to make me glad someone tried to salvage it.

The songwriting on this album is great and overall it was a big surprise given I'd never heard of the band. It's inventive, raw, and very honest, creating some lovely songs that I really enjoyed. The album also has a real haunting quality to it - the acoustic guitars, vocals and string arrangements all combine to create a wistful tone. The only minor issue I have is that whilst the production is the reason the album sounds so raw, there are moments where it feels off and just a bit poorly put together. It doesn't take away from the songwriting but can be slightly jarring at points.

Pretty good just kinda slow

3.5 but rounding up cuz they’re awesome and I can’t wait for #1 Record

This is a 3 but gets the Big Star Boost

Big Star is great but I tend to lean towards #1 Record or Radio City.

This album seems like one I should know, but I never heard of this group. It sounds like what it is, early 70s alt rock, with familiar influences and a foundational sound. Really good stuff. I’ll come back and listen again for sure.

I needed to give this a couple of spins before I felt I could rate it. It certainly demands the attention. I also had to go and listen to some earlier Big Star albums to understand why this felt like such a departure. I'd say this is much more appealing to me than their debut. It's raw and unpolished, chaotic in the best way. Occasionally despairing, then uplifting. A little too much sometimes. I'm not sure these guys were alright in the studio and I feel like I want to help them. I honestly think its unfinished status is to its benefit, if these songs had been smothered in slick mid 70s polish it would sound dated. As it is, if you had told me this was recorded in the 90s I would have believed you. I'm giving it a four, but there may be room for it to grow.

Another influential album where I would rather listen to the stuff that was influenced. Give me the Replacements any time. I like Chilton's singing, but the production sounds tinny and dated. Quite a number of short same sounding songs. I've been writing this as I listen, and towards the end I am more into it, the feel of it overcame the sound which was initially off-putting. The best songs are the saddest songs, which is normal for me I guess. 4 stars, glad to listen to it.

Really, really good alt-rock. Very sweet cover of Nature Boy.

I've never heard Big Star before but I can tell this album is the sound of the band disintegrating. You don't put out an album this messy & pained during the peak of disco, then keep going like nothing happened. You can't. How are you gonna follow it up, do it again? That's it. I didn't like this at first but the deeper I went into it, the more it grew on me. One day I think this might be a 5/5 from me. But I think I need to spend more time with it before that happens.

Big Star's last gasp, the sound of a band breaking up. Big Star was way ahead of their time, not my favorite of their records but still a classic

tenho uma lembrança meio forte de escutar esse completamente sob efeito do produto ™ em algum momento há uns 8-9 anos atrás é um negócio bem delicado, bem doloroso né musicalmente me pega demais

album não terminado de banda frustrada por não ser famosa, além dos membros deprimidos?? bão demais. power popzão boladíssimo da melhor forma, gostosinho no azeite!!

As the descriptions would attest, this is a flawed masterpiece from one of the most underrated bands of all time. There are moments of pop rock radio bliss tainted by Chilton's wobbly mental state, and utterly sublime songs like "Big Black Car" and "Kanga Roo" that defy any rock description. In the midst of a band clearly in decline, there's the roots of all indie rock to come. It's a struggle for sure, and it's got plenty of issues but when it's good it's absolutely sublime.

yo this is really great but why are half the songs unavailable

really fascinating band. A great intro for a rabbit hole of Big Star research

You can hear the Velvet Underground influence, and it's not a surprise after covering 'Femme'. Better than I thought it would be!

Never heard of them, but I liked this album and am sorry they never found more commercial success.

This is a really good album. It's a bit basic, but I don't think it gets boring. There's nothing truly groundbreaking about it, but it's just some good music. The situation behind it's release is interesting. Altogether, yeah pretty good.

Jackpot! I hadn't heard of this album, or this band, and I should have. I want to listen to this some more. It might be one of the great albums.

кайфик, оч разнообразный рок альбом

Its surprising how artists have issues with their own work. If this had been released in 1974, it would have probably been ignored for many years until it was classed as a retrospective classic. Instead Chiltern didn't release it at the time and when it finally appeared years later it was classed as a classic.its a funny old world. I personally think it is an eclectic and solid album.

Ended up enjoying this one!

An interesting collection of songs that’s never really had a track list nailed down and the band doesn’t really claim it as a Big Star record. It really has the feel of a bootleg while not being a bootleg. Overall the music is unlike what can be found on #1 Record, mostly sounding like demos or having very sparse production. Favorite track by far is Holocaust.

Day749 - i’ve never heard this before but i pretty much love anything big star and alex chilton come up with

For the 70's, this sounded way ahead of its time for what would be alternative and indie

Everyone should try Big Star. Only three albums, maybe listen to one a day for a month. Totally worth it. Despite how it came about Third/Sister Lovers is as good as the first two.

I have heard this before, but which version. So many different versions with different track listings. Still an amazing album though, you hear its influence throughout the 80s and 90s. 4 Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes: 42/170(24%) Will I get. Yes some sort of version

A glorious mess of an album. Raw and compelling. The back story only elevates it.

Album from the link was missing tracks but there was another that had them all

I remember when a college buddy introduced me to Neutral Milk Hotel and I thought Jeff Mangum was atrociously bad, but for some reason I wanted to keep listening. Fast forward a bit and I'd fallen completely in love with them. With the opening track of Third, I thought I’d hate this album due to the lead singer. But as I kept listening, I started to appreciate him and the music more and more. I really enjoyed their indie rock vibes, especially when the strings start appearing. I'll likely listen to this again, and probably check out some more of their stuff. As such it was a surprising near 5, and falls just short to a solid 4/5 for me.

Great album with a vary of great songs of varying styles

Nice and sad (4 stars)

This is a cult classic and legendary. And like any good legend, there are multiple versions… Third/Sister Lovers is not one album but a sprawling legend to explore. My favorite songs are “Jesus Christ” and “For You.” Both appear to be worship songs not sure they worship the same person. “Jesus Christ” appears on one version of 3rd but not another…although “Thank You Friends” is the same basic tune - maybe Jesus was a good friend? “Femme Fatale” is a nice cover of the song by The Velvet Underground and Nico. But you still must prioritize Nico’s icy, teeth-clenched vocals. I like the sound and see why it’s a classic, if a messy and undefined one.

This album feels like something you pull out of a time capsule only to discover that pieces and parts are missing. Your brain kind of fills in the gaps and there is something vague and nostalgic asking you to hang on to it. Seriously, I have never listed to an album that feels complete and unfinished at the same time. And you're never quite sure whether the lead singer is about the emerge or call it quits. Even singing "Jesus Christ is born today, Jesus Christ is born" is worshipful and questionable at the same time. That is the mastery of this album. And this band doesn't run from it or mask it, it just is. In the same way, I should be able to give it a 1 or a 5, but a 3 is not right. So, 4 of 5 will have to do. It will have to do.

Fun power pop. Kinda like cheap trick?

They have very melancholy sound to them. When I listen to Big Star I always find their music lovely, but somehow I never search them out. I sort of forget about them. I would give them 3.5 stars, but my good friend Peter really liked them and he passed away way too young, so in his honor I will probably round up.

I think the version I found had a couple tracks that had originally been left off or something. There was a solid album in there, and then a hand full of songs at the end that felt like they should have been cut. That being said, I'm not sure why I haven't heard of this band really before. I know they were the That 70s Show theme, but I feel like I should know them beyond that.

More interesting than I expected for a band that wasn’t interested in finishing the album themselves.

I enjoyed this album of Big Star more than their other entry on this list. I was prepared to be bored, but this album gripped racket and held on until about the last three songs or so. Kind of blows my mind that they landed on this in 1974. It seems to portend a sound that would become popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s. I dig the epic sort of cinematic vibe that was established over the course of the album. I relished the variety of the song subjects, instrumentation, and songwriting experiments. It is a shame that this never came out in the 1970s, but I can see how the public was probably not ready for such a forward thinking album (in terms of production risk). There is so many artistic ideas and techniques that the listening public would have had to acclimate to before they would be equipped to enjoy something like this.

Big Star is one of those great bands that just had bad luck and missed opportunity. They should have been huge. That being said, this, the third album is not as good as their first two. But it's still better than most of the material that was being released at the time. The songs are tight and well written.

This is one of those albums that is destined to remain within its cult status forever. The final album from Big Star as the group was imploding. There's maybe a sense of relief in knowing that they were calling it quits after this. The album would go unreleased from 1978 to 1985, existing only as hobbled together bootlegs for those years. Even the eventual official releases are all different with no one being able to agree on the right tracklisting. But there is a free and experimental feeling about this album. It kind of calls to the experimental feeling of the late 60s, recorded in the late 70s, and going on to influence the indie scene of the 80s, including REM. As of this writing, half of the tracks are missing from Spotify for unknown reasons, which just reenforces my belief that it can't go beyond being a cult album.

Another album where my opinion changed wildly upon additional listens. My first impression of Third that this is a portrait of band straining, or unravelling. Upon revisiting, I realized this strain is Alex Chilton pushing Big Star's sound to it's limits. Stylistically, Third is a very ambitious record. While the anthems that defined their previous records is suspiciously missing, that same pop sensibility can be found here, now played with a wild array of instruments. There are earworms galore for the open-minded, just don't expect another #1 Record.

Despondency on vinyl. I liked the other two Big Star albums so much that I was worried when it came to this one -- their "deterioration as a band" album. It's so damned good. Caught me by the second half of the first track. You can hear Chilton's struggles throughout. Just a really heartbreaking piece of work -- but one that rocks.

p405. 1978. 4 stars. Fabulous late 70s missing link between The Beatles and Crowded House. Gorgeous songs, sharp lyrics and a sense of melancholy. Point deducted for filler, but definitely on the replay list.

I like it. Heard of before but did not investigate. Vibe of The Replacements-one of my faves.

Surprised I really liked it

Uneven, weird, sad, frustrating, beautiful

Fantastic, legends, they didn't become famous because they were talented for real. Also they mentioned Jesus Christ in a song, which is not even available on Spotify, and apparently that's unacceptable for the demons that run the music industry. Big Star what a nice surprise. 4.5/5 Favorite Tracks: Femme Fatale For You Nightime Take Care

Fav Song: Thank You Friends

Beatles, fragile, sad, deterioration. Unfinished, assorted. Raw. Melodic. Frail vocals. Mix of tempos.

Excellent power pop music. I appreciate the more orchestral tracks, as well as some of the harder edged material. The noise tracks don't land as well for me, probably because of the amount of subsequent noise bands I've listened to. I'd be curious to know how they would have impacted my listening experience without having engaged with bands like Sonic Youth, Flipper and the Jesus Lizard. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed this, and look forward to digging into Big Star's back catalog.

Like Big Star, they are the link between my all time 2 favourite bands the Beatles and byrds and are a definite influence on a number of my favourite bands. The definition of a Cult band, the hit band that never was, that their 3 albums were all recorded as early as 72 - 75, the go to for power pop. Though with the strings and piano lead this is less well power than the other 2 albums and more VU influenced but with a real vulnerability/ fragility to it, that I never got with Lou Reed. A great album from a great band that should be heard. 4 Star

A good one

I do like Big Star, their first album especially is a great collection of pretty, well written and generally quite upbeat power pop tunes. This album still has those pop tendencies, but has a much more melancholic feel. Holocaust specifically is very dark and brooding. Quite surprised at the low rating tbh, this is mostly excellent power pop. Alex Chilton's hooks are great as ever, there's plenty of variety. Good stuff.

Power pop

Decent album.

I enjoyed the variety of their rock sound. Luckily there's a Spotify playlist that recreates this album in the artist's intended order.

It’s not my favorite Big Star album, but it’s still better than most albums by most bands. You can tell that they were in a different place when this one was made.

This had variety! I'll listen to this again.

Franchement c'était plutôt bien cool, j'aime bien ça s'est bien enchainé, dommage que l'album soit relou à trouver en entier

It's atsrted so promising with Kizza Me... I knew that it was supposed to be dark and depressive, but a lot of stuff here is also mellow, which is downside for me. Songs work good as is, but in context of an album it really miss upbeat songs. Looking forward to getting previous albums. I never heared Big Star before and I suspect some of them might be 5 for me.

Groovy 70s LA vibes. A very pleasant start. Never had heard of them at all. Not sure I'd go back to it.

Beautiful album 4.2

Album 871 of 1089 Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers (1978) Rating : 4 / 5 a gentle, thoughtful listen that proves this band really does have its own special sound. The more I hear of this band, the more I find myself drawn to them. Their #1 Record has already become a recent favorite of mine, and this one feels like a natural companion - some nice, gentle, thoughtful rock that doesn’t shout for attention but earns it all the same. It’s interesting that when it first came out it didn’t make much of a splash, partly because not everyone in the band was fully engaged at the time, but over the years it’s grown into something many appreciate. Not earthshattering, not necessarily iconic, but absolutely their own thing - and that uniqueness makes it a rewarding, relaxing, and engaging listen.

i didn't know about them or their music and I fell in love with it

Nearly every song has a very catchy melody and often lyrics as well. The song writing is very good, with tight arrangements that don’t get carried away with themselves. I also quite like the arrangement of the the album itself.

3 bleh songs but the rest is great.

Bful rendition of femme fatale, loved these too: O, Dana, Blue Moon, Till the end of day.

this album is a lot better if you know the context behind its making. There’s an oddball number of covers. None of the songs by themselves are bad. It just all feels chaotic. I guess that’s what you would get in this situation. The songwriting is still solid, although, it’s not as memorable, but I enjoyed the whole album. 4/5

GOOD

Hade svårt att bestämma mig för denna så blivit en jäkla massa genomlyssningar. Den har växt successivt och även om den kanske inte innehåller några direkta hits så är det genomgående en tillräcklig nivå för en fyra. Kul att man tydligt hör hur R.E.M. har inspirerats av Big Star.

7/10 good album, jesus track ruined it a bit for me

Alex Chilton must be one of the least known very influental songwriters of all time. Can hear lots of 80’s and 90’s alternative influence on this album. This album and the songs on it feel bit like they’re not quite finished yet, but that just adds to the charm. Great pop record! Maybe 4,5 stars, but not quite 5, so i’ll give it…

rating partly for innovation and influence on later work. i think this will grow on me.

Beautiful orchestral power pop.

Wel een chil muziekje.

76/100.

Big Star is so important, influential, and ahead of their time, and no one has heard of them. Meanwhile, my home turf dive bar is named after them (shout out Big Star Bar HTX), I’ve sang in a Big Star cover band, and even I have never given this album its due. The unfinished feeling is oddly compelling and there are some real gems here.

i like big star!

Had never heard of this album before and was really pleasantly surprised. Starts off swaggering and full of bravado, and then becomes melancholic and vulnerable. One of the more interesting rock records I've found here, some beautiful string arrangements too.

Interesting. Never heard of the artist before, but found it enjoyable. Would listen again

It felt disjointed, incomplete, but I was compelled by it.

Enjoyable eclectic mix, certainly a band and album I'm glad I came across here.

this could be rated five million stars for ‘kanga roo’ alone. but there are a couple lame-os on here too so i guess i’ll give it 4 stars instead. fav tracks: kanga roo; kizza me; o, dana; big black car; take care; till the end of the day

An interesting experience. It evidences a band sprawling with creativity and interesting ideas. In my opinion, it is the acoustic and slower renditions that take the spotlight in Third, with beautiful compositions, vulnerable lyrics and thoughtful melodies. Some of the ideas don't really work ("Downs"), but all in all, it's a very enjoyable piece of work, albeit slightly inconsistent.

Pretty dope

pretty good

I quite liked it. I know I will never hear it again, but it was good!

I love a bit of Big Star but don't think I'd ever sought-out this album. Unsurprisingly, it's full of interesting moments, even if overall it's a bit less radio-friendly (and arguably a bit more weary and jaded), than previous efforts.

Very Beatlesque. Feels like a precursor to Elliott Smith, but prettier and less whiny. Great melodies.

NICE ALBUM #musicsky #albumsky 4/5

2.75

Need this one to sink in, but Big Star is still Big Star.

I was pretty close to giving this 5 stars, but on a second listen I was struck by how gloomy and ramshackle it is. Still, there is some incredible songwriting on here. Maybe the other Big Star records will get 5 stars, we’ll see! But yeah this is a very impressive piece of work, even if it gets a little dour. Must-listen! #118.

Honestly shocked by the low reviews and the amount of people who haven't heard of Big Star. I thought the secret was out on them. Admittedly, this is not my favorite by them though. I think their two earlier albums are better though.

sounds modern and i liked the vocals but somehow it didn't stick

Slightly shook when “Nature Boy” as heard in Moulin Rogue came on. Overall, solid album.

Didn’t love this as much as I’d expected given how much I love #1 album. But maybe I am just taking Chilton’s songwriting for granted.

This album feels pretty different from their first two. It doesn’t have that familiar jangle sound. Instead, it takes a more experimental path. It might not sound overtly experimental at first, but the unpolished production, fragmented arrangements, and emotional instability push it in that direction. The blend of baroque elements with disjointed soundscapes creates a mood that’s vulnerable and unpredictable, giving it a subtle edge beyond typical pop rock polish. I don’t think the baroque touches were intentional; they just naturally came through as part of the album’s experimental vibe.

This album feels pretty different from their first two. It doesn’t have that familiar jangle sound. Instead, it takes a more experimental path. It might not sound overtly experimental at first, but the unpolished production, fragmented arrangements, and emotional instability push it in that direction. The blend of baroque elements with disjointed soundscapes creates a mood that’s vulnerable and unpredictable, giving it a subtle edge beyond typical pop rock polish. I don’t think the baroque touches were intentional; they just naturally came through as part of the album’s experimental vibe.

Another great album. The surprising explorative efforts shine. A class of their own. Just delightful. Laid back to the point of sleepiness, but the eeriness keeps your attention. Chilton perfect for the vibe (sadly). Til the End of the Day is the only regular-style pop, serves as a reminder how downbeat everything else is.

Holocaust Kanga Roo

4.5

Ok I did relisten to *Third/Sister Lovers* and reviewing the first 14 tracks (which according to producer Jim Dickerson is the intended order). I don't know if it's the track arrangement, or I've warmed up to the material since yesterday but this hit me much better (This actually has the same 14 tracks included in the original '78 US release, just drastically reordered.) Opening with "Kizza Me" and "Thank You Friend" really starts off with an overall great feel, then sliding into "Big Black Car" to start a nice weave of emotion through out the album. Side one is perfect... wouldn't change a thing, ending in "Holocaust". The slight dip for me would be the first two tracks of side two "Kanga Roo" and "Stroke It Noel" which i noted as my least favorites from the last listen. But the run from "For You" to "Take Care" was a great way to end the album felt like a closure. (8.5) ★★★★

Especially like the acoustic tracks, which reminds me of early Belle and Sebastian. Not as high on the electric ones. 4.5 stars

really solid album and enjoyable and varied to listen to. the greatest thing you’ll ever learn / is just to love and be loved in return ❤️

Liked this a lot. Would like to explore their other stuff as wasn’t aware of them at all before. Nice eclectic range of tracks means never gets boring.

This was a fun album. Soft songs, rock songs, love songs. Its really sentimental, but also also has really cool sounds and movements. I've been kind of bored by Big Star in the past, but this one kind of did it for me.

The best band I’ve never heard of

some records are best defined by their coherence, how well everything fits together into an understandable package. this couldn't be further from the truth for "3rd" by Big Star. arguably, it's not even finished, only released initially as a last ditch attempt to keep the band together as it was in the process of dissolving, it was mastered and put out as a white label in 1975; at that point neither Alex Chilton nor Jody Stephens were interested in doing a proper release because absolutely no heads or tails could be made of all the tracks made for the project. three years later, PVC Records, a TVT-type sketchy ass label bought the songs and put out a record titled "3rd". the actual thing didn't even have a proper name; "Sisters Lovers" (as seen on the Rykodisc re-release) was probably a joke that they used as a placeholder name when they were actually gonna release it. numerous guttersnipe reissue labels managed to get ahold of the rights and put it together in a some other order than the original, with a million different covers and a million different flows. as a result, "3rd" is not so much a record by Big Star than it is a vinyl playlist of a forgotten dream. this is not an album, it's a concept. it's a bit like Smile. i say a bit like SMiLE because its ephemerality is its sole shared quality. SMiLE may have "Fire" and "Surf's Up", but there's still rollicking good time tracks like "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes and Villains". there is nothing fun or free wheeling on "3rd" -- emotions range from melancholy to downright suicidal. it makes sense; contextually, the album is a document of a artistic partnership slowly collapsing. the song about little baby Jesus feels less joyful and more manic, like a sobbing breakdown during Christmas. "O, Dana" could be the album's "rocker", but it ends with the sound of the orchestra deflating, like the singer just sort of gave up on Dana and went home. "Holocaust" feels like if someone tried to make a version of Gloomy Sunday (The Famous Hungarian Suicide Song) / I'm in a Low Down Groove that actually made you want to kill yourself -- it's a song with the power to ruin your day. even the ending song, what could be be seen as a bittersweet farewell lyrically, has some snark underneath the first three words. "thank youuu, frrrriends." nothing was made possible, just made able to be moved on from. dry your eyes, blow your nose, and walk out. it's not my favorite Big Star "album" -- both because i prefer Radio City and because i can hardly call it an album -- but there are moments where i can see why it would be someone's favorite Big Star thing. it's the sound of a beautiful mansion on the coast burning down, as it was always meant to. it can't be helped.

Really enjoyed this one. Clearly a huge influence on alot of the bands I grew up with listening to in the 90s. Glad to have discovered them.

Big Star are a band that regularly get cited by some of the pop-rock-indie greats, like Teenage Fanclub, B&S and so on. I'd never really engaged with them, but this is absolutely great. It definitely sags in the middle, from a peak of the brilliant Velvets cover, but it ends really strongly. He's got a fascinating voice, that really gets emotion across, and the instrumentation is nice and gentle without being too sparse. Very up my street.

Voilà une pièce de choix, un de ces disques mythiques, précédé par sa réputation comme un char funèbre par une procession de pleureuses. Big Star avec l'album "Third" ou "Sister Lovers", comme on l'appelle aussi. Rien que le titre double, incertain, annonce la couleur : ce disque est un merdier, un fantôme, un truc qui n'aurait peut-être jamais dû exister et qui, pourtant, est devenu une pierre angulaire pour des générations de musiciens qui cherchaient comment mettre en musique la beauté du désastre. Quand je suis tombé dessus la première fois, dans les années 90, en plein dans ma période disquaire, ce n'était qu'une légende. Une de ces pochettes que tu commandais en import en espérant la recevoir un jour, un disque dont parlaient les R.E.M., les Replacements, tous ces groupes qui avaient compris que la pop music n'était pas obligée d'être propre et bien coiffée. On en parlait à voix basse, comme d'un secret. Un chef-d'oeuvre maudit. Pour comprendre ce disque, il faut oublier tout ce que vous savez sur ce qu'est un album. Ce n'est pas un produit fini. C'est un document, le procès-verbal d'une implosion. Celle d'un groupe, ou de ce qu'il en restait, et surtout celle de son leader, Alex Chilton. Le mec avait connu la gloire à 16 ans avec les Box Tops et leur tube planétaire "The Letter". Un génie précoce de la pop. Et là, quelques années plus tard, le voilà à Memphis, paumé, ravagé par les doutes, les excès et les tensions. Big Star avait déjà sorti deux albums de power pop absolument parfaits, deux échecs commerciaux retentissants qui auraient dû les propulser au sommet. Au lieu de ça, le groupe s'est disloqué. Chris Bell, l'autre tête pensante, est parti et Andy Hummel, le bassiste, aussi. Il ne restait que Chilton et le batteur Jody Stephens, deux âmes en peine dans les studios Ardent, essayant de recoller les morceaux d'un truc déjà brisé. Le résultat, c'est "Third", un disque enregistré dans la douleur, la confusion, et probablement une bonne dose de substances diverses. On sent que chaque note est arrachée à l'éther, que chaque harmonie est sur le point de s'effondrer. Ce n'est plus un groupe qui joue, c'est un homme qui se met à nu, qui expose ses plaies à vif, sans filtre. L'album est un champ de ruines sublime. Une collection de fragments, de chansons à moitié finies, de ballades d'une tristesse à fendre le coeur et d'expérimentations soniques qui semblent sorties de nulle part. Chilton déconstruit tout, la structure des morceaux, les arrangements, sa propre voix. Il passe d'une pop orchestrale déglinguée ("Kizza Me") à une comptine funèbre qui vous glace le sang ("Holocaust"). Les cordes ne sont pas là pour embellir, elles sont là pour souligner le malaise, pour grincer, pour ajouter une couche de désespoir. C'est baroque, c'est bancal, c'est magnifique. Les textes sont des poèmes introspectifs, cryptiques, qui parlent d'amour perdu, de solitude, de mort, de la fin de l'innocence. C'est l'album d'un homme qui a compris que le rêve était terminé et qui contemple les débris avec une lucidité terrifiante. C'est d'une noirceur abyssale, mais traversé par des éclairs de beauté pure, comme si une fleur fragile poussait sur un tas de décombres. On sent Chilton en pleine crise existentielle et artistique, en train de tout foutre en l'air pour voir ce qu'il reste. Et ce qu'il reste, c'est l'essentiel : l'émotion brute. Évidemment, à sa sortie, le grand public n'a rien capté. Un bide commercial, un de plus. Le genre de disque qui finit sa vie dans les bacs à soldes avant de renaître de ses cendres des années plus tard, porté par tous les musiciens qu'il a influencés. Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, toute la scène indie américaine des années 80 et 90 a une dette colossale envers ce disque. C'est l'album qui a donné la permission d'être fragile, d'être imparfait, de faire de ses failles une force créatrice. Alors, pourquoi un 4 sur 5 et pas la note maximale ? Parce que "Third" n'est pas un album parfait, c'est même l'antithèse de la perfection. Il est inégal, parfois difficile d'accès, et il peut laisser l'auditeur sur le carreau, épuisé par tant de noirceur. Ce n'est pas le disque que tu mets un dimanche matin pour te sentir bien. C'est un disque qui se mérite, qui demande un effort. Mais la récompense est à la hauteur de l'épreuve. Ce n'est pas une simple collection de chansons, c'est une expérience. L'écoute d'un génie en train de se saborder avec une grâce infinie. Et rien que pour ça, sa place dans les "1001 albums" est tout sauf volée. C'est un passage obligé, une cicatrice nécessaire dans le parcours de tout amateur de musique qui se respecte. Un putain de grand disque malade.

I kinda like it but then again I'm lame so don't listen to me 🤔

A lot of good jams on here. I could listen to it again

Very easy listening but they butchered Femme Fatale 😔

Not quite as good as their first album but still a strong showing.

worth more of a listen

Good listen, good pace, a nice relaxing album from a band I was not familiar with, but they sound right up my alley.

7.82

This one surprised me with some really interesting moody vibes I wasn't expecting. Of course I've known about Big Star. Just remembered I saw Alex Chilton open for Robyn Hitchcock in 1992. Didn't really get it at the time but maybe with age I'm starting to understand.

pretty

Sad and chaotic, a surprise for me... Holocaust is overwhelming.

It took me two listens, but I ultimate enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. I think I just like alt rock from 1975-1980. This is filled with personality and feels very genuine. Thank You Friends hammers that feeling home. I enjoyed several tunes here, including Big Black Car, Kizza Me, and Nightime. Good stuff.

good rock classic stuff

very nearly a lost album, which would have been a real shame

I can tell this one will grow on me with repeated listenings. Already great. 4/5

Man I liked this a lot. could have been recorded a lot more recently than it was. Fuck knows if i listened to the right version though

Great discovery. I suspect it's going to grow in me.

Schöne Popmusik mit interessanten Ecken.Relaxed und hörbar.

Three great albums from this band. Never travel far without a little Big Star.

Big Star is a group that I've been looking to check out for a while. I'm actually glad that I came back to this one to listen to it again after yesterday, since I enjoyed the album more on the second listen. I really can't think of much that this album sounds like that came before it. There's lots of stuff that it resembles if you squint a bit, but it feels really fresh and new for 1978. It was certainly influential on a lot of the alt-country bands that would come along in the late 80s and 90s. 4/5 Definitely one of those albums that not a lot of people bought, but that really stuck with the musicians who heard it

I’m more familiar with #1 Record and Radio City so I’m glad this project got me to focus on this album. For a pop record this album is so dark and at times noisy, a midway point between folk and glam. Definitely in the vein of Velvet Underground, Bowie and T-Rex. I can see how this band is an influence for bands like R.E.M. and Wilco. Singer Alex Chilton’s vulnerable vocal performances are honest and powerful. The use of the orchestral strings through out the album is very tasteful and complimentary to the impressive guitar work. The drums at times remind me of a tame Keith Moon. The haunting vibe highlighted in songs like “Big Black Car” and “Holocost” proved to be my favorite element of this album. Overall this album takes you through a bit of a manic ride and I loved every moment of it.

I've never heard of these guys before and I skipped listening to them because they weren't on Spotify, and then it just took forever for me to circle back around. I'm glad I finally listened. There was a lot to enjoy here, many different ideas presented, and the production was really good. On at least one song they reminded me of proto-Radiohead.

A bittersweet, melancholic, rather complex and beautiful power pop album. I haven't heard any albums by this band before (I've known 'The Letter' by the lead singer and songwriter Alex Chilton) - I'll definitely revisit the album later.

i appreciate this album a lot because it started off incredibly strong and then devolved into unlistenable garbage on certain tracks but ultimately won back my interest in the later half this was a COMPLETELY new album to me (as in, never even heard of Big Star before) so i found it hard to immediately click with it without having an understanding of what the vibe was anyways! it is a shame that the track O, Dana which is GREAT is surrounded by arguably the two worst tracks on the entire album: Femme Fatale and Holocaust 3.5/5 and i refuse to elaborate on why

El power pop estadounidense tiene un nombre: Big Star. Grupo de culto, fusionó los sonidos más contundentes de la invasión británica. Si obviamos su crepuscular grabación de 2005, Third/Sister Lovers, de 1978, fue su tercer y último álbum de estudio. Una colección de canciones apasionadas por momentos y erráticas y descarnadas en muchas fases del mismo. Destacaría "Dream Lover", una inquietante canción de amor descarnado. También la altamente emotiva y deprimente "Holocaust", retrato de una persona autodestructiva; una versión muy contundente de una canción de los Kinks, "Till the End of the Day", y la extraña versión del tema de Nat King Cole "Nature Boy".

Pretty timeless and wonderful

honestly really cool - almost moulin rouge-y at times

I like this a lot more than #1 Record. Holocaust is incredible. 7/10

I love this album just cuz I love big star. It’s super super dark tho and not the easiest listen. Super raw tho and some of the most beautiful songwriting I’ve ever heard

Wow. One of the most deeply dark albums of all time. Kind of loved it for that, but also found much of it grating. But maybe that’s the point? Gosh, it’s tough to rate this one. It’s both a 3 and a 5, so we’ll go 4. But also maybe I’m being too nice on my ratings gosh idk.

This is a pretty strange mix of minimalistic, psychedelic, progressive, but musically not fully convincing in any of the three categories. So my first impression wasn't great. Nonetheless, there's something here, something touching which I can well imagine may make some listeners fall in love with this record and which grew on me in the course of the album and had me hooked for a second listen. It's a certain air of vulnerability, of baring your soul to the world. I was close to giving this album 5 stars, but from the technical side it's really not great and there's a few tracks like the closing track Downs which, well, down the album a bit.

an interesting record - never knew that Holocaust & Kanga Roo are Big Star songs ! I really like this one.

Pretty good. But I didn’t even realize it had ended. So….

Hated the 1st track but liked most of the rest of it. Reminded me of the Kinks or Cheap Trick

a pretty enjoyable album although none of the songs are reaching the heights of “thirteen”

This album is full of surprises. Very all over the board in tone. The slower, sadder songs are haunting and beautiful. Not sure what to make of it honestly, but did keep me guessing for sure.

fave songs: Nature boy and Nightime

I enjoyed it well enough for the most part. It's a little bloated as an album, but there's enough good songs to carry it on the whole.

This album has some truly brilliant moments,i n particular the songs that have that stark stripped down pop structure that seemly conveys a sad reflective mood. However the album suffers from inconsistency and some poor production as well. It's still a good listen in the right mood.

Not my favorite of theirs. It's more interesting then anything else. I mean it's still Alex Chilton being awesome. It's just not as good as his other stuff.

Hmm, well, yeah. This isn't as good as #1, which was a surprise for me. But there is something here that I really enjoyed. It's weird, but in a good way.

There are about five stand out songs here with my favorites being Jesus Christ and For You. Both appear to be worship songs not sure they worship the same person. I like their sound but mainly the more energetic songs… although their cover of Femme Fatale certainly hits the mark. Would it grow on me further? TBD. But I’m rounding up to 4 stars because the songs I like I will definitely return to.

This was a solid album. I liked the different sound throughout, with some songs sounding like they could come out today and some that sound classic. There were some Elvis Costello and Simon and Garfunkel vibes and I think the only dislike for me was some out of place cowbell (which I’m typically cool with it just didn’t fit well where it was placed).

Good, and, more significantly, super influential.

This album starts with a glammy pop track, but becomes increasingly moody and more reminiscent of late 60s English psychedelia. It grew on me with repeated listening.

Sounds contemporary and original, surprised me

I've listened to this album every which way on Complete Third, starting over and restarting further back, losing track of where I was in the rough mixes, semi-finished mixes, demos, and "finished" versions. It has genuine moments of brilliance and sadness, basically chronicling the demise of the gone-too-soon Big Star. But it isn't really a "record" compiled with a lot of apparent artistic intent, at least not that of the people who recorded it. Listening to the demos is really enjoyable — a better experience than most retrospective fans-only troves — but trying to put a bow on it feels odd and ultimately it just isn't complete enough an effort to warrant the breathless praise I've sometimes read about it. That said, it really puzzles me and I've come to listen to it again and again.

Like it more after a couple songs, like a slow burn. Once you’re in for a bit you realize the tide has pulled you deeper than you thought.. more sophistication melodically, and deeper sadder lyrics blossom. Not sure if I’ve heard of Big Star before but certainly the first time with all these songs. And by the end it had me digging into more of their catalog. 4/5

hrifnari af þessari. nafnaruglingur. fleiri lög. fær fjarka.

Nothing like the first two albums. I loved those first two albums. This one is kind of a bummer. Not necessarily bad but different. And unexpected. This one is going to take a few more listens to fully appreciate I think. I’m giving it a 4 in the meantime. Could rally be a 5.

The songs were pretty good

I’ll admit I have a soft spot for Big Star almost entirely because of the song Alex Chilton by the Replacements. This doesn’t have any of the big hits but it is solid. Femme Fatale was really good. Light 4.

Hadn’t heard them before but this was cool. Enjoyed the strings and stand up bass sound on some of the songs. Unique sound

I enjoyed this - 8/10

7/10 - I enjoyed most of the album there was a nice mix of instruments including strings which were nice. While not all of them were bops the slower and sad songs had dissonance which was quite fitting to the theme.

This is an intriguing album: more experimental than previous work, with an anguished atmosphere and off-tone vocals at times. The songs are equally great for the most part.

Curse you This Mortal Coil. I've been going round for years thinking this was Holocaust, Kanga Roo and a load of filler. Thank you album generator for making me reappraise. Kanga Roo is still one of my absolute favourite recordings though. Down with regular meter, up with perfectly judged feedback.

Great album!

Beatles-esque, brilliant writing, beautiful melodies. Surprisingly good for a band I had never heard of.

I don't know how to rate this one, honestly, it's kind of bizarre. Definitely worth reading the Wikipedia page, although I think it gives a false expectation, I didn't find it "shambling wreck of an album" or "the slow, sinking sound of a band falling apart" according to some critics. But is it unfinished - is it the vision the band had originally? There is some really compelling material, and the overall sound of the record sounds more modern (alt-roc from the 90s-2000s) than the early 70s. The first few songs are pretty solid rock tracks and the cover of "Femme Fatale" is decent. But I think "Holocaust" is a great example of why this record is important, the music is sparse but has so many subtle details that are genuinely beautiful - it reminds me of a great Radiohead song and I'm really surprised it was recorded in the 70s. It's not all winners, "Kanga Roo" is a little too messy and all over the place (The cowbell that comes in near the end of the song is a little overpowering), and is an example of what I think the weak point of the album is - some tracks just sound like loose recordings and unfinished ideas. But I think there is enough compelling material to include on the list (again, it's just kind of fascinating even as an unpolished product), and there is something that I connected with that makes me want to revisit it at some point.

I can see both how this didn't make a big splash on release, and how appreciation for it later grew. It seemed an awful jumble of stuff the first time through, but I started to really appreciate some of the songs as I took a bit more time with them.

There's 8 versions of this album, so I hope they didn't change the tracks themselves and I'm listening to the "right" versions. I went for the original track listing. Downs is the only real bummer of the album. I love the inclusion of the violin on this album. I can see myself revisiting this

Lyssnade till slut i lurar och det är fan bra. dock lite oklart exakt vilken utgåva det är som gäller

I think this is great - sounds really ahead of its time and seems to have influenced the '90s Brit rock and psychedelia revival

I like a lot of the stuff on this album, but at the same time, it’s very uneven. My two favorite songs are the insanely sarcastic ‘Thank You Friends’ and the dark ‘Holocaust’. Having ‘Downs’ as the closer instead of one of the more downtempo songs was confusing, though, and there are other flaws (I’m pretty sure the order varies on a lot of versions, but I listened on Spotify). Still good enough for a 4.

it was okay actually

I didn't have high hopes after their debut was so bland, but wow had they come on by this point. What a brilliant surprise!!!

third best big star album. rip chris bell and alex chilton

This is good rock! I am gonna add this to my library fs!

Surprising album, and I loved the femme Fatale rendition. A few stinkers on it, but the rest shone through.

This was weird but I enjoyed it

Not bad!

I love the first Big Star album, probably in my all time top twenty. I respect the second Big Star album but it doesn't get much of an airing. This? It's like the first album but much sadder. It's the sad bits, basically. It's as if Alex Chilton decided to turn the melancholia up to eleven. And that's fine, because they're pretty damn adept at this kind of music. Some interesting covers here too, not just in terms of choices but also in terms of arrangements. This is a solid four stars on this app. Their first record is five, but really, it exists on another planet altogether.

This album makes me miss VH1. I like the record just fine, but I would watch the shit out of a behind the music style making-of about this one. Show me some crusty old producer/mixer behind a giant console playing the stems for various instruments and I would eat it up with a spoon. Some of the mixes on this thing are wild. I'd love to hear about how they made these decisions. Anyway, it's a bit too long for my liking but I pretty much liked all the slow songs. It's like a deconstructed late-era Beatles record or something. I don't know how else to describe it. "Big Black Car" is great. "Holocaust." "Nightime." The cover of "Nature Boy." All pretty darn great. But dang there's 18 songs here and I wish that number was smaller. Maybe some of the others would grow on me with repeated listens; they definitely would grow on me if they could be heard in my hypothetical dream VH1 doc.

I love Big Star, I love Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens and Chris Bell, I love #1 Album. But... Third is a bit of a mess. There are some perfect songs on here but the whole things is a jumble sale that at times taints the legacy of the first two (proper) Big Star albums. I still really like this album but I wouldn't give it to someone as their first introduction to the band

I always thought Femme Fatale was an odd song for REM to cover, but now I see they basically did the Big Star cover of it. Makes sense. I had never heard this album before, so I thought of Big Star as a power pop band. I liked the more minimalist songs. Holocaust floored me with how sad it was.

Intimate songs with experimental production. Good 70s music 👍

This is promoted as a massive influence at the time and since and I guess it is pretty modern for the time. It's good listening to it although not mindblowingly good. There a lot of sounds here that are still being used now.......

Incredibly messy and a bit of a downer in the best way possible, 3rd is far, far from their power pop glory days. It serves more like a drugged out Nick Drake or a more stable Syd Barrett with some baroque pop à la Kinks thrown in. It's a mess and it's incredible.

Was very surprised by how good this is. There's some great ideas in there, but I would've enjoyed it more if the songs we a little longer.

At first, I thought it would be an average soft rock album from the mid 70s, but the more I got into the album, the more dark, vulnerable and melancholic it became, the songs were getting better and more evocative. Nice work, Big Star!

Seems to be here because their first two albums are so remarkable. By this point, Big Star was moving away from power pop, and that hurts (although I still swear by "Thank You Friends" in the power pop pantheon). You could make an argument that this wasn't even Big Star anymore, just Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens and some session musicians. I'll also hear an argument this is Big Star's white album, which tracks with the erratic songs and the feel of a band (or what was left of them) drifting apart. Chris Bell was already gone at this point, so it was really just the Alex Chilton show.

1001 Alex a Hilton albums generator. Not as good as #1 Record, so not sure that all the Big Star albums needed to be on the list. Enough good songs to make it a keeper, though

4.0

Big sad.

Reading the reviews for this one you'd think people were listening to a completely different album. Had heard some Big Star (and this album too) before, but after giving it a couple of good listens it really started to open up to me. Plenty of variety from song to song, you've got some hard rockers in here, and also some of the most beautiful songs i've heard in a while. A real treat for the ears, and will be checking them out a lot more in the future i'm sure.

good stuff

Ik ben deze band de laatste jaren meer en meer gaan luisteren en waarderen. Een grote inspirator voor veel artiesten / bands die ik hoog in het vaandel heb staan. Op dit specifieke album staan aardig wat nummers die ik al heel goed kende, maar dan in een cover versie van Jeff Buckley, Posies, Placebo. Dat maakt het nu 'ontdekken' van deze band nog leuker.

Tight!

Amazingly, this album still sounds timeless and fresh despite being from 1978. Some of these are quite beautiful midnight guitar ballads of love or regret. How is it some albums can sound terrible, forced, dated, awkwardly produced by amateurs, and this one still sounds to current, universal and well made ? So finally another wonderful “discovery” album... so much to it, too. Nice to have this for phase two of my use of the 1001 list. I am using it to not just listen and rate, btu also understand why on album is considered important or influential... The 1001 book isn't much help (uses too much impenetrable ‘insider’ shorthand ) so I resort to internet articles and they say enough when I ask basic questions like “why is big star considered influential?" Yes, evidently this band is held responsible for what we recognise as 80's and 90's "alternative pop" sound, or our beloved, lamenting university radio (or Triple J in Australia) at the time. This - they say - is the most influential band no one has heard of. My online search yielded this (rolling stone) comment: "It's a record of gorgeous, disjointed heartbreak ballads." and this (from “insidehook”) that “Third wouldn’t have sounded out of place on ’90s college rock radio at all." I agree. It still sounds current... yes, hauntingly good stuff and sounds fully 1990's and very playable at midnight. their languid stuff is very good indeed if you're in the mood for it. Standout for me were: Dream Lover , Nature Boy, Night time- sound so perfectly ahead of their time. and do remind me of a softer version of REM . I did note that Chris Bell (vocals, guitar) sounds, to my ear, very, VERY Australian on Motel Blues (on another album).

Tuneful and ragged, sweet and bitter, they were REM before REM were REM, and the influence on indie rock could not be clearer or more pronounced. This reads as hollow as it is haunting.

Big Star is known as "the most influential band you've never heard of." I'm pretty sure I have listened to this album before. I will say that it sounds more like a 90's album from someone like Blink 182 or Teenage Fanclub than from the 1970's.

Really interesting record with a lot of beautiful songs, especially the cover of the masterpiece "Femme Fatale" by The Velvet Underground and Nico.

Loved it, these guys rule

Great listen. Standouts: Femme Fatal, Holocaust, Jesus Christ, Thank You Friend, Kanga Roo, and more! 4/5

Big Star's original run was pretty flawless, but this is the least captivating of those three albums for me. Still, the least good of three pretty great things is, believe it or not, also pretty great.

I adore Big Star, but this is my least favourite of their 3 recorded albums. A very arty, dark, and jagged bunch of songs that reflect some inner turmoil in the mind and life of Alex Chilton. I wish more bands were like Big Star.

Nice 🤯🤯

Great ”lost” album. Would have loved to hear a whole album with the somber sound of tracks like ”Holocaust” but I can’t really complain about getting more power pop songs from Big Star

Banger!

Much darker than I anticipated. Solid songs, and their influence can easily be heard from this album, especially with The Replacements.

Really nice pop-rock with an alt-country twist that goes down easy. Some heavy stuff here (in subject matter) but all really easy to listen to. I've been meaning to dig deeper into Big Star so I'm glad this popped up.

Big Black Car. I love the dreamy vibe. That's a great drum solo on Nighttime. Really competent. Fairly eclectic, particularly for the time. I enjoyed it.

One of most refined cult bands in history. Only three records, each of them a masterpiece in its own terms. This one's the last, the most mature, melancholic, musical, complex of them three. Sometimes it is so beautiful it hurts

Je compte arrêter de distribuer les quatre sur cinq à tout va après cet album, vous êtes prévenus.

Their version of Femme Fatal is great. Other standout tracks: Holocaust, Thank You Friends, Big Black Car, and many many more! Really great album! 4/5

This is why I signed up for 1001 albums. I had hoped to discover new music to enjoy. Big Star confused me at first. I couldn't figure out why I had never heard of them since this came out during a time when I was all about album rock and assorted other related vices. There were one or two misses, but on the whole, they were great songs that were well played. I ended up pulling up their other two albums to listen to. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

Big Star is the most Britishish American band I've heard in a long while. Coming right out of Radio City, I was left wanting a bit of energy: The disjointed sequencing certainly doesn't help Third cohere. But the stripping down is highly compelling.

A lot of connective tissue here linking to 80's and 90's stuff. You have to assume Wilco was taking notes here (especially Holocaust), plus a bunch of other folks. Big Black Car is my favorite song.

slatko

idntknow it's impressive

Never heard this and liked it a lot. Will be returning for more.

Ahead of their time. Good album

Well well what an interesting surprise - kind of Proto-indie what nice moody atmospheric songs in among a sprawling record. It’s a really good album despite it feels a little unfinished - which in itself makes it interesting as well. Some great tracks here.

I’d never heard of or listened to these before. Sounded so much before it’s time, plenty of nice surprises in this too including a decent cover of Femme Fatale. It’s only with the hindsight of listening to it you can hear how many bands they influenced (heard a few glimpses of Teenage Fanclub and Wilco throughout). Their sound is even more impressive given the landscape of music at the time.

This album was all over the place in a good way, really inventive for the time, shame they didn't have more success.

Man…..that was kinda creepy 7/10 I don’t really have a fave track. Idk

Super bine, j’ai aime et il se pretait tres bien a la situation. 4

When I first heard the third Big Star album, I wasn't impressed. The first two albums were brilliant, both definitely essential listening, but the Third didn't have the quality or consistency of the first two. The amount of covers surprised me, and the status and direction of the band was in dire straits. Years have passed and with repeated listenings, the album has grown on me and I've had a deeper appreciation for the record. Alex Chilton is a genius, but he hasn't produced anything nearly as good as the first three of Big Star album ( though he's had his moments). A cult favorite or a misunderstood classic?

Ragged and wan, as if everyone knew the end was nigh. Everything feels tossed off, but in a likable way. The iron-deficient “Femme Fatale” succeeds in seeming to approach a vanishing point. “Jesus Christ” is a bit more stable but with undercurrents of apathy and listlessness. The rockers are less effective, generally, not unlike Wilco (another of their esteemed progeny) in that sense. Did Big Star deserve better? It can be said, but they are perhaps flattered by their adherents.

I liked the ballads best.

Interesting missing piece in pop music history. Recorded in 1972 yet has a post-punk ethos. Direct influence on This Mortal Coil and Magazine. More poppy stuff seemed to have influenced early 80s new wave like China Crisis and Haircut 100. I Was shocked to find out that Holocaust and Kangaroo were not This Mortal Coil originals. The album itself is groundbreaking but uneven. (3.8)

I loved this. Its like OG emo. My favorite was "You Can't Have Me". The drums on that track were awesome.

4/5. The tracks that hit, hit dumb hard, but the ones that dont, kinda weak

Disco de rock que comienza movido y con mucha energía. Poco a poco se vuelve más oscuro, más melancólico. Las melodías más complejas se vuelven más simples y personales. No va de más a menos necesariamente, solo es un cambio marcado de humor. 3.5 estrellas que no debería subir o bajar. Sube a 4 porque no esperaba mucho de ellos.