Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Will need another listen, first go through sounds like it had potential for good folksy morning music.
interesting album tbh, its a shame the other songs arent on spotify.
Bom.
I skipped because half he songs were greyed out. Decided to be generous rating wise.
I hated the vocals of this album at first but it got better as it went along. Missing some songs on spotify but the ones I did hear were fine
Fine, but not my favorite.
read a bit more about big star, cult following, etc. etc. this album was... solid?
I've never heard of Big Star at all! I don't particularly enjoy this type of singing voice. I know people like that kind of imperfect rough raw voice where it almost sounds a bit strangled sometimes trying to hit some notes. It actually puts me on edge a bit. I really like this track Nature Boy, aside from my previous comment, the piano is lovely and the lyrics are interesting and unusual. I like the minor key melody too and vintage bluesy/jazz feel. I also really enjoy Till the end of the Day. This has a strong Beatles vibe, I love the bassline and the fun guitars in general. Apart from those two tracks I found the rest of the album pretty dull and that meant the voice grated on me. I did listen to the next album which popped up after and it sounded wayyyyy better. This album just isn't really for me so much.
So, I'd never really listened to much of this band. A few songs here and there. Idk if this album will change that, it's really depressing.
It's fine. I was expecting a lot more from this and I unfortunately didn't get it
I've heard a lot about Big Star over the years, but never really listened to them. Interesting album with its own sound
Listenable enough, started well with a cool 70s rock sound but ended up a bit dreary
Very pleasant, but then it stopped and at the end, I'm not sure if I remembered listening to anything at all.
This album is at best, an okay album making it difficult to appreciate as an album necessary to listen to. There are some emo elements, which while not exactly a turn-off, does not warrant any particular endorsements as a result. Perhaps this wide-range of pop-rock mixed with the aforementioned is where this album can be acknowledged for having shaped a genre. Add to the rotation for when not feeling the urge to pay attention, Big Star makes good music and the listener is likely to feel indifferently okay about it. That is not a bad thing, and perhaps on a different day that mood will be more favorable.
Third.
Aquí no hay grandes aspavientos y las canciones son sobrias pero bien enfocadas. Las mejores son las de ritmo lento. Destacan las cuerdas en varias de ellas, como el chelo de “Holocaust”, que crea un ambiente denso y brumoso. Un disco íntimo para escuchar en soledad.
OK
Reminds me of Dylan, T-Rex and Bowie. At times is its own thing too. Can be heartfelt at times. Like Blue Moon, etc.
Hørte ikke lige det hele..
It's interesting. Like, is it good? I don't know. It seems like a critique of music of the time maybe? As it goes on, it becomes folkier and more melancholy. The sleeper hit of the album is the much less whiny Nature Boy with its melodic piano and haunting vocals. Good - Til the End of the Night, Blue Moon, Nature Boy Art - I like it, but it's also weird that there's the two images in different resolutions.
Didn’t particularly care for anything about this but it wasn’t offensive 5/10
Reading up on this album made it a more compelling story, but I still didn't care much for the sound outside of the more experimental tracks. 6/10
Some of this album sounded a lot like classic '70s rock - the Byrds, Bread. But other parts sounded like less instrumentally complex DeVotchKa or REM. While listening certain parts of songs reminded me both of bands that probably influenced Big Star and bands probably influenced by Big Star. I can understand why this was included despite not having heard of the band.
3.8 - Given all the acclaim surrounding this album I was expecting so much more. I enjoy some of the slapdash swagger that's underpinned with sumptuous orchestral arrangements. At times it sounds like the band is about to implode and can only move forward with the support of backing studio players. It's like they hired a string ensemble at great expense and the players arrived to the studio on time with their instruments tuned and their parts well-rehearsed, but the the band itself was visibly absent. Several hours later the band finally shuffles in, still clearly loaded from an all night bender, smelling ripe and needing a shave. They announce that they're ready to start recording and proceed to noodle through the first verse before nodding off into the chorus. Their cover of "Femme Fatale" is particularly confusing - it sounds like a mike check? "Holocaust" is like something from a high school talent show written and sung by that one girl who cuts herself. To its credit, there's a roiling, unsettled atmosphere the likes of which I've heard on no other record. I certainly cannot write it off but having listened to it twice today just to torture myself to write these words on what I think I just heard, I don't foresee returning soon.
Solid, simple album.
I didn't like all of the songs, but the songs I did like were very enjoyable to listen to. I can't say I'd really ever revisit this album again properly, maybe just a couple of songs. 3/5 stars.
Fun if somewhat slight power pop. Really elevated by the lyrics though.
Rock clássico agradável, mas sem empolgar.
I love these weird albums. The vocals and echoing instruments draw me reminscent of psychedelia. My favorite track is "Kanga Roo" but there are several highlights like the "Femme Fatale" cover, "Stroke it Noel", and "For You" . My problem is that the album just isn't weird ENOUGH. As in, the ideas feel raw. With a good production team, you could make an album that sounds just as amazing as Pet Sounds. But without it, there's too much pressure on the vocals, which I find to be a bit monotonous.
(3.5)
Started a little odd, wasn't vibing with it too much. Suddenly I'm 10 songs in and tapping my foot along, not bad.
3 1/2
ok better be good cause its the longest album i got so far lol. reissue is not on spotify but og album has all songs minus the bonus track so i could look that one up on youtube if i care enough. its whatever so far. dont hate it yet. its nice enough bg music at least, there's enough variety in sound and song themes that im not bored yet. im surprised im okay with it still 8 tracks in. no standout songs though, maybe stroke it noel. nature boy, till the end of the day, dream lover was a nice 3 song streak. looked up the bonus track on spotify it was on a different comp album or something. its the most different song to the others i actually prefer the album without it. i kinda liked the album overall? not sure id go back to it but i did save the tracks i mentioned.
Pretty good if you enjoy rock 'n roll. Not a favorite of mine though.
Ganz cool!
I think I should have heard of them? I haven't and maybe their influences are all known to me from others. But this album didn't move me.
Interesting old unheard album.
Is this the second big star record on here? I'm not sure I understand that. This album is ok, but certainly not worthy of ALSO hearing in 1001 alongside #1 Record. But it was good pop rock. The Femme Fatale cover was nice, nighttime was touching, some other charming moments. could see this being a favorite had I grown up with it. maybe 10 years down the road I will, idk
Nazwa plyty badz bandy nie przynosi mi nic na mysl, slychac rokowanie, ktore stara sie byc przystepne dla sluchacza, wiec taki rokowy pop, discog okresla albumik jako power pop, pop z moca gitarek rokowych, brzmi calkiem solidnie, pierwsze zaskoczenie to czwarty track, zatytulowany jesus christ, brzmi jak przykladowa piosenka chrzescijanskiego roka, ale skad ona sie wziela na tym albumie w takim miejscu, nie jestem w stanie tego zrozumiec, sprawdzilem czy album nie byl wypuszczony na swieta, nie bo w marcu, rozwiazalo to kolejna zagadke czemu brzmi tak wczesno rokowo, choc to 78 wydanie, ale nagrywane od 74, tylko z wypuszczeniem plyty byly jakies klopoty, nastepny kawalek kolejna niespodzianka, femme fatale, czyli cover klasycznego velvet undergroundowego kawalka, calkiem przypadl mi do gustu ten trak z meskim wokalem, bo jednak niko nigdy nie byla najlepszym elementem welwetow, z kolejnych numerow rowniez czuc inspiracje velvetami, traki na plejliste to wspomniany cover i thank you friends
Pausado. Relajado. Sin grandes estridencias. Buena voz y melodías
Nice but nothing really stood out
Not really my thing, but you can hear the influence they had on a lot of later bands
This mag be unfair but these songs sound like they are trying to be deep and profound but it sounds insincere or inauthentic to me. Was surprised to find out they are American, they sounded super British to me. Given the timeframe they were ahead of their time in terms of the Britpop and Altrock stuff that became super prevalent in the 90's. Reading that this album was shelved due to its lack of commercial appeal and released years later makes me a little more sympathetic knowing they were underdogs.
Not all on Spotify
Pretty good not really memerable
Not bad, I knew the song "Holocaust" which is probably my favorite but... calling someone a Holocaust is maybe a bit much in respect to the actual Holocaust. 3.5 down to 3. I kinda like the singers voice but it doesn't go beyond that for me much.
Interesting background but the music didn’t stand out to me, Especially for late 70’s
meh, not for me
Eerst wat opvalt is de mastering, alles clean en niks overheerst. Muzikaal ook interessante compositie met diverse instrumenten, die ook nog eens lekker in stereo zijn gemixt. Niet helemaal mijn muziek smaak, maar kan het wel waarderen.
Eight different versions of this album have been released. Eight! The book tells me that the 1992 edition is the definitive track listing, and I couldn't find that one in Spotify, so I had to create a list with all of the tracks in the correct order in order to listen. I'm not sure it was worth the trouble. The lyrics read like they were scrawled on a wrinkled piece of paper during lunch right before they were due in 7th period, and the instrumentation doesn't really elevate them enough for me. Chilton's voice is poppy and pleasant, and I suspect this is why this album has developed a following. Best track: O, Dana.
Different from what I expected, and im not 100% sure how I feel about it yet. Ill probably end up coming back to it. Surprisingly sad
just so bad
Really running out of things to say for these types of albums. They all sound very similar and unmemorable
easy listening easy forgetting album sympa, peu abouti, mais avec des idées 2.5+/5
It gives cultish vibes
Nothing special, I really don't understand why it on this list. The cover songs don't make it any better, they just demonstrate how bland and middle of the road the experience was.
I cannot see what the big deal is about this bamd. The ainger has a great voice and the music is fine but I dont get they hype. Stipe and REM love Big Star as does Adam Durwitz and The Replacements. This sounds incomplete and like auch lesser version of Cheap Trick. Its not bad but the reputation way outcedes the album and the band.
5/10
2.0
hm
No idea why this is on the list
nah thanks
Not a bad album, it was alright leaving it in the background. Nothing too exciting, but it is a fairly old one, so it must've been a lot better then than it is now.
The cover of the Velvets sounds like Belle & Sebastian which I liked a lot. The Holocaust one was a bit of a bummer. Feels like these songs would set the stage for the super personal indie albums of the 90s that I love so much but it felt like a slog to get through these.
Ei oikein täysin sytyttänyt
Dosta lejm. Očekivala sam čak nešto jer je iz doba koje obično vrijedi, but guess I was wrong. 2/5, 3/10
it's mildly interesting, but I dunno really. I'm sticking with it for the moment, can't see myself listening again.
Holocaust is the only thing on here worth listening to
Listened to the whole thing yday morning and can't remember much. Not a bad listen but not memorable by any stretch.
Cute. But boring
Es una mezcla entre los beatles y led zepellin. Tal vez alguna banda mas que ahora no se me viene a la cabeza. Pero no es de mi estilo. Solo por este ultimo punto le doy 2/5
It answers the question, “What if a birth defect was in musical form.”
"Holocaust" is the most-played song on this album!? I've never loved Big Star but this just seemed... bad? Too energetic or not energetic enough, jangly strings when they should be harder, weak voice. And I love covers, but those here - Till the End of the Day, Nature Boy, Femme Fatale, are worse than the originals. I'm not sad I've kept BS off my list all these years.
Not my thing, I'm sure it's good though
i was pretty surprised by how lowkey and soft the music on this album is. i had this preconception of Big Star as a loud and fast, but still hooky power pop band, but this sounds a lot like mid 90s Radiohead to my ears. the singer also absolutely has a clocky tgirl voice which is worth +5 points. i do find a lot of the songs lacking impact though, so i found this a pretty middling experience overall. deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe? maybe swap it for Radio City? maybe keep Big Star to just #1 Record? i dont knoooooooooow
Not sure if I'm... missing something here. Sure, they can play, and there's definitely some good stuff in here but the production is painful. I like the baroque elements, I like how chaotic and messy it is, but this is not the album i wanted from the talent clearly on show.
Ompas kyllä hempeetä kamaa. En oikein osaa sijoittaa, missä ja milloin kuuntelisin tällaista.
I didnt like it much. Horrific covers of Velvet Underground and the Kinks were the highlight which says it all.
This got challenging down the stretch.
Om jag inte misstar mig så var det The Posies förtjänst, direkt eller indirekt att Big Stars trea slutligen kom ut på riktigt 92. Posies var stora stora Big Star fans och lät sig tveklöst inspireras, kanske lite väl öppenbart ibland. Teenage Fanclub är ett annat band man måste nämna i det andetaget. Det här svårbedömt och jag förstår inte varför denna är med, de två innan är ju betydligt bättre och distinktare. När den karaktäristiska sprödheten får blomma är det bra men det blandas upp med den förhatliga 70tals rocken oxå, värre här än på de två innan skulle jag säga. Låtarna är ganska anonyma men ett visst mått av skevhet och känsla av ärlighet gör ändå att det behåller nån slags intresse uppe. Extra homage för integriteten att inte vika sig för skivbolaget som vill ändra låtlistan utan hellre inte släppa plattan. Ju mindre rock desto bättre, stark tvåa
Yawn.
I remember not really liking this album back when I first heard and I still kinda don't. I'm ok with not seeing another Big Star album from this point on. Favorite track: Jesus Christ 2.5/5
Meh, it was fine I guess but kinda boring
Yet another album to add to the "whole lot of nothing brigade" which is gaining new members at an unenviable rate! One of those albums which, you can tell, thinks it's smarter than its peers, but ultimately lacks any kind of sauce. Painfully middle of the road at best, a bit crap at its worst, I gave up halfway through as that provided more than enough of a sample size.
It was ok. I can't say it was bad, but it was nothing memorable.
This held no particular charm for me.
70s version of radiohead. Oddly enough I disliked this less than I dislike radiohead.
1978. Third studio album after two unsuccesful albums. Documents the band's deterioration as well as the singer's declining mental state.
Totally generic late 70's pop music. Not sure why this is on here at all. Its extremely average. It's not bad but it's not at all memorable or interesting. I think "Til the end of the day" might be the most interesting song on here and it's just a Beatles/Kinks inspired whatever.
This is the worst of the three Big Star albums
Why the fuck is this here?
this is just so boring
Not on Qobuz. Listened to a selection of their other material instead. Can understand why they see so we’ll thought of but not really my bag
The same sad song over and over again with 1 being a little different. This ist NOT an album you have to listen to before you die.
Fairly boring…nice to recognise Nature Boy from Moulin Rouge but otherwise, not much going on. Improved with a second listen but didn’t capture my imagination.
oh well, I was to crazy about this. The sound design sounded really oldfashioned, with plenty of space.
I don't really get the hype behind this one. They do sound like they are pioneering a sound that wasn't commonplace in the 70's. However, it's not necessarily an advantage, as someone who is mostly a fan of 60's and 70's sound and less so what came after. They have excellent choice in what songs they cover, but I'd rather listen to the original versions. Rest of the album sounds very unfinished, a kind of first take and done kind of business. Where is the energy, where is the joy?
I thought it was bland and slow.
Nope. This album had me cringing at some of the vocal lines. I know the album was meant to be downbeat, but this became too much. I also found that the lead vocals did grate a bit. I guess I just didn't get it, but in the end I was pleased when the album finished.
I’m tired boss
Okay.
Listened 12 hours ago and already can’t remember it, left no impression
Meh.
Harmless enough but failed to set my pulse racing.
Man. OK I think this guy was going though something, but it did not make for an enjoyable listen. By the time I finished the album I felt miserable.
Kind of got bored… wasn’t horrible, but not feeling it.
I don't like his voice. It sounds slippery, if that makes sense. But the music as a whole is actually pretty good. I didn't really like how the album started, but it definitely got more interesting as it went. I still don't think the album itself is good. A couple songs in the middle are pretty solid, and a good listen. The rest of it, not so much. Favorite Song(s): Femme Fatale, Holocaust
il manque un bon tier des musiques sur spotify ça améliore pas la note
Meh. Finished and instantly forgot all about it, instantly forgettable.
I already didn't really like big star's first album and this wasn't much of an improvement for me unfortunately
First time hearing this album and this band! It was good. Felt a little like musical theater at times. Probably won’t listen again.
I get why this is squarely between two and three stars. These guys are not devoid of talent, they just never really put it together. Take a song like Nighttime, which has a lot of interesting and gorgeous sounds to it. Should make it a great song, right? But it just falls short as it is never complete, nor is it better than the sum of its parts. Pieces fit together poorly, and it leads to a track that is something which should be better. Also, lyrics like "get me out of here, get me out of here, I hate it here, get me out of here" are uninspired and underwhelming. 2 stars, as they have some talent. They just never hit upon a single great song and that leads to a poor album.
Is this the Erasure of this generation? I didn't hate it. I loved the energy. I'm OK not to hear it again
Sorry I just found this annoying 2/5
I don't get it.
Two hours after listening, I couldn’t remember a single song. Literally forgettable.
pretty forgettable, first song had me thinking i'd really enjoy this one
Extremely painful to listen to. This album had one good song, "Thank you friends". The second track. After this, the vocalist continued to grate on me throughout the album. It got progressively worse. Without that second track, this would be one star. 1001 albums has this thing of recommending several albums from a single artist, when that artist really only has one or two exceptional albums. I understand Big Star have made genuinely exceptional music, but this album doesn't demonstrate this at all.
I appreciate the undertaking the author took when creating this list. And I understand there would have been moments in time when they were over it and just wanted the project done with. I'll assume that's when this album was added to the list.
2 - not bad but forgettable
Saved 2 songs but overal, not for me
Irrelevant.
Eh. Maybe it just missed me today.
2.5
Dissonant. 2/5
Rätt så sömnigt.
Not anything I'd heard of before. The linked version was missing quite a few songs, but I found a different version, just entitled Third. It seems to be the "favoured 1992 issue", according to Wiki. Sadly, I couldn't really get into it; it really wasn't bad, but I just wasn't inspired. I can sort of hear how the type of songs went on to influence bands like REM, but was underwhelmed by the music, personally. Maybe if I knew what had come from Big Star before, I'd have had more of a reaction, as I can see some people are acknowledging the band "falling apart" at this point.
It's garbage. Tediously slow moving and tedious to listen to. I didn't like this and really don't want to do it again. I don't know why this is on the list. It's not experimental, it's not groundbreaking, it just exists.
The story behind the record is better than the record itself. Big Star had essentially broken up, Alex and Jody put this together with producer Jim Dickinson and record labels deemed it "not commercial enough" to release. It got shelved and later issued, reissued and issued again. The original intended track order or even name of the group on the record was never completely aligned to the vision the band had. At the end of it though, the record pretty much bored the hell out of me. It’s full-on art-rock navel gazing. There’s very few traces of the band or songwriter who put together the previous two records. I can definitely see why it was deemed not commercial enough to even release. Only in the minds of the critics is this a “great” anything. It’s boring and rambling and… not very good at all.
Pretty middle of the road power pop folk rock whatever with a really weak singer and songs that often sound unfinished.
My first hearing of this album and this band, it feels like emotional archaeology: delicate, important, and miserable to experience in real time. The songs are beautiful in a “please don’t make me feel this much on a weekday” way. Everything drifts, nothing lands, and the sadness is so tasteful it almost asks for applause. I respect it deeply. I am also bored and stressed. The master is bad, and not in a charming way. Even the Master Omnivore Test Pressing sounds like listening to a chamber orchestra through a half-open car window on the highway. The highs scrape, the mids are oddly hollow, and the lows feel like a rumor. Instruments coexist but do not acknowledge each other, like coworkers who only communicate via passive-aggressive emails. In the end, it’s a shit album with a legendary status that sounds like it’s actively resisting being played. An album you’re supposed to love, preserved in audio conditions that feel legally questionable. 5/10 (song writing is not even half-bad, tho)
It was alright. Did I care about music like that before? No. Do I care about music like that now that I've given it a listen? Still no.
IDK man. Completely unremarkable in every way? 4/10
I feel like some music critic 50 years ago decided these guys were good and we've just been kind of running with it. Never got the hype.
I was hoping for better. I knew this would be outside of my comfort zone, but I just couldn't stand it. Not sure why. Maybe another listen would help, I'm not sure.
Why is this on here
Easy listening for a Sunday morning. Nothing remarkable grabbed my attention as I went about my business.
Enjoyed some of this but it really started to drag. 18 tracks is too many really
ok
Nature Boy is a great song, other than that, not a memorable rock album. Just nothing too special.
Overall Rating - 2.17/5 (4.33/10). Most of this album sounds like anesthetic feels. A couple of good tunes, but more of a miss than a hit.
There are some highs here - but the lows are VERY low. The highs come nowhere near their debut which is one of the best rock albums ever released...sigh
Very sleepy, kind of yawn inducing. Good for lullabies
I don't think this one is for me. 2 stars
Largely forgettable and badly produced in places
A hard album to get into and to finish this time around. I didn't recognize any songs. I enjoyed aspects of songs, but this just wasn't the album for me.
They’ve got two albums on the list. Neither is terrible, but neither will change your life. I liked their other album better. This one sounds like Kinks B-sides. I don’t hate it. I like the Kinks. But this is far from essential.
Interesting album, of its time for sure but would rather listen to their first album. Covers were also meh
2.75 only because of Nature Boy!! What a great song
Absoluut geen rotmuziek maar het is wel erg vergeetbaar. Van mij had het niet in de lijst gehoeven, maar we moeten ook niet doen alsof het verschrikkelijk is om dit een keer te luisteren. Verder helemaal niks over te melden. Ik hou het op 2 sterren.
Who are these guys? And why did they release this record in what seems like 12 different ways over the last 5 decades? Whichever version you have to listen to, it’s still too long. Another glaring example of “why did I have to listen to this before I died?”
This wasn't anything special. I can understand why it wasn't commercially viable.
Somewhere, someone absolutely adores this album and I am happy for that person. Unfortunately that person is just not me. Some of the sounds on here were cool, but as a whole it felt sort of tedious. Some of the better were You Can't Have Me, Till The End of the Day, and Dream Lover. Otherwise, it all sort of runs together a bit. Certified meh: 2/5
Another album that wasn't the worst, but I was constantly waiting for it to end. Really nothing to be gained by listening to this one.
I liked the first album that we got by this group. But this one was cheeks
Jeez Holocaust might be one of the most depressing songs I've ever heard. Tbh nothing really stood out to me on this. I'm pretty indifferent to it but something just annoyed me about it.
My wife really likes this band, but I found a lot of it boring. A bit wishy washy.
Nothing memorable on this album. Nothing stood out and nothing was awful.
Je pensais pas que ça serait aussi dur de passer à travers, tellement pénible je l’ai fini à genoux dans le metro en pleine heure de pointe
148/1089 Went by the version of the album on AOTY.com rather than Spotify so had to search for it through Youtube which is a pain. it’s a completely fine meh album. At times it feels very Beatles-wannabe. The production/recording sound quality is pretty rough even for it’s time, very noticeably in Kanga Roo. This definitely falls a bit more in the “didn’t need to hear” category but not every album or style is gonna hit for me fave: O, Dana 23/100
Pretty slow 70s rock. I think there better stuff to listen to.
I’ve never understood the critical acclaim for Big Star.
I didn’t really get this. It wasn’t unpleasant I just didn’t particularly enjoy it.
I've tried this one in the past when I reviewed another "must listen" list and found it to be average at best. Reading up on the band, it says they are a "quintessential American power pop band" and "remain one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll". Ohhhkay. I keep reading that, yet I don't hear bands that came after them sounding like them or referring to them as an influence. I looked them up online and here's what AI spit out: "Bands critically acclaimed but commercially obscure often include cult favorites like Big Star, praised for influential power-pop but never huge sellers, or experimental acts like The Fall and LCD Soundsystem, adored by critics for innovation but not mainstream hits, fitting the "critic's darling, not chart-topper" mold". Weak vocals. Weak sound. Barely moving the needle on listens for an album this old ("Thank You Friends", "Blue Moon" and "Holocaust" are the only songs with over 1M listens). No hits, nothing on the radio, no covers that I'm aware of. This is a reviewer-darling album, one you want to say is cool, so you look smart, but really isn't. I guess The Fall is going to pop up on this list soon. I wasn't interested enough to completely finish a single song on the album. It was boring, meandering, average on every level and had no memorable guitar or vocal moment to salvage it. 2 stars is the best I'm willing to do.
I had only heard one song by Big Star before listening to this album. It was a decent album but there wasn't a song that grabbed me.
This band has no hits (at all - on any of their 3 albums), and I am very skeptical of bands with "cult followings" and little to no commercial success. This is the project for such things, so I gave it an honest try. And I was terribly disappointed. This is a fine late '70s pop rock album by a fine late '70s pop rock band. And that's very simply all there is to say about it. Influence 3 (for reasons?). Hits 1. Quality 3. Intangibles 3. It's fine, I'll probably just never listen to a Big Star song again in my life 2.
I tried really hard but none of it stuck.
Kinda eh. I liked their first album, it played to their strengths with the folk instrumentation. This is mostly just semi-boring pop rock. The first 2 songs are good, fun and dynamic. A few other alright moments here and there, but a lot of snoozers too unfortunately. Big Black Car especially puts me to sleep. In general I kinda found it to be uninteresting musically.
There are some annoying voices on this list but gah damn. And I liked their album #1 record. Hated this one though
Left this playing on repeat, didn't catch my ear 2
I heard the lead vocalist say something like take it away guitarist and I am taking at least one star off for that.
2.3 Got pleasently surprised by "Thank You Friends", then the album fell off. I can't give this 3+ stars cuz it cosplays as sophisticated music, but fails miserably. Not worthy to listen to a second time imho, but neither trashy enough to go into bottom (gear) tier. Solid is only the boredom I got from this.
Forgot i even heard this one day after
Yeah I don't really get this one much. The string instrumentals are kinda nice I guess, but the whole thing feels very amateur and unpolished.
Only okay.
this was fine. might listen again.
So that was something. I usually like the rock genre but i had to kinda force myself to finish this one. I haven’t heard of them before but my first impression was that the album was boring. Some songs like femme fatale, were okay.
Doesn’t stand out much for me from every day rock , did enjoy the femme fetale cover
Just a bore
2.5
Meh. Could have stayed unreleased and the world would have moved on. Nothing to excite. Just drags. Not sure what this inspired.
It was okay
Intressant die Musik. Kann Sie nicht einordnen und habe keinen Schimmer was das ist. Intressant, Nun ja, Nicht mein Style
Slow, melancholy rock that is ultimately a bit forgettable. I like the raw emotional vocals but the songs just didn't quite hook me in. Femme Fatale was a standout but maybe that's just because I remember the original Velvet Underground version.
Didn't grab me as much as their other output. Could be because I'm sitting at work and not paying a huge amount of attention.
4.5
This album I find to be incredibly infuriating. I’ll explain, the vast majority of the album does nothing for me. It’s too slow and the songs don’t get my attention in anyway. Honestly if it wasn’t for three specific songs I would’ve hated this album, easily would’ve given it a one star. But then there’s the three songs I really liked which were “Kizza Me”, “O, Dana”, and “Downs”. But the problem with these tracks is they do the opposite of redeem the album, they indict the album. The songs show how they could’ve made something I liked but instead went in an entirely different direction. “Downs” especially is so wildly different from everything else on the album and shows some crazy creativity and talent. It just really highlighted how much I hated everything else on the album.
Big Star is cute this album was fine
Meh. It's a pretty easy album to listen to, but it's also pretty easily forgettable too. It doesn't really stand out much. 'Big Black Car' really really droned on. It was ridiculously stripped back, slow and depressing. Same with 'Holocaust' which to be fair had a slightly redeeming creepiness to it. It wasn't all bad. 'For You' was decent enough and I thought 'Femme Fatale' was actually a pretty beautiful track (which I've just found out was actually written by Lou Reed, so that is another negative for this band and album). I will say however, comparing the two, I actually slightly preferred the Big Star version. It's beautifully sung. Everything else I would say was pretty generic easy listening soft rock music. Wildly inconsistent, and it wasn't all on Spotify, so I decided if it was good enough, I'd seek our the missing tracks. Spoiler alert: I didn't seek out the missing tracks.
The first time I heard "September Gurls" was the Bangles' cover on Different Light. "In The Street" is the theme song to That 70's Show. "Thirteen" is a classic and I really like the song "Feel." So, I understand the influence of Big Star. However, those songs are all on the first two Big Star albums which were packaged as a double LP and, quite probably, purchased at a discount. However, Third/Sister Lovers contains no songs of note and should not appear in anyone's top 500, 1,001, or 5,000 albums.
It's fine, I guess.
Let out a huge sigh as this started, wasn't ready for more white guy rock. Not sure how much that impacted the experience but did enjoy a couple of songs on the back end. Fav tracks: Nightime, Blue Moon Saved a song: Y RYM: N
Didn’t draw me in, didn’t listen to the whole thing.
Wildly inconsistent. Feels like an odds and sods collection. A couple of good tracks.
Too many dragging tracks on this to really recommend it, but there’s a handful of songs that are worth it.
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
What in the world is this? I could see why there could be a big cult following for this band, but I didn't feel it. Some weird covers, some other tracks that are okay on its own.
I’m not sure what to think of Kizza Me, at times it sounds good, especially the guitar, at others like musicians banging away on out of tune instruments. Jesus Christ! Is an apt response to Jesus Christ. Lacking of any lyrical progression or anything to actually say. My apple music seemed very reluctant at times to play some of the tracks and to be honest that was a blessing. Not a fan of the vocals or most of the music here but struggling to pinpoint why.
I have absolutely nothing to say about this - it was that boring.
It's probably a bad sign that the two songs I liked best were covers. And yes I can see how Big Star influenced R.E.M., but frankly I'd rather just listen to R.E.M.. It's fine, just nothing really jumped out at me musically other than Down which I didn't like, but is absolutely bonkers. Lyrically, parts are really not good listening to this in 2025 (calling a song about a dying parent Holocaust, is... yeah, just no). 2/5
Not for me
Solidly mid for me, started off a bit discordant but the back end was for more interesting to me. Odd as I usually like this sound.
I enjoy some of Big Stars stuff…. This wasn’t it
Long run time combined with really monotone material makes for a rough listen.
Much like Big Star's debut (also on this list), I don't get anything out of this record. It just comes across as run of the mill Pop Rock to me. Maybe it's so influential that everything now that sounds like this comes from it, but I'm not sure that's true. Key tracks: Blue Moon
Titte-ut-av-vinduet-på-bussen-musikk (på et middels minus nivå)
It’s a weird artifact of a band on the brink of collapse. It’s really… all over the place - Velvets and Kinks covers, and uhhh, drug-fueled musicianship? Reminds me of Skip Spence’s Oar.
I endured listening to all the tracks, but it wasn't easy. There was no consistency, just some unfinished and unproduced sessions thrown together. It's like catching a fish by hand: you try to grasp it, but it just slips through your fingers.
It was quite a miserable dirge at times
I don't usually listen to albums multiple times but I did here leaving me a much longer review... First listen I was super confused...this album was all over the place and it felt completely disjointed. The first two (Kizza Me and Thank you Friends) weren't bad but then we went in weird directions with (Holocaust). So I did some research to figure out why this album was included and it gave some context (but I am not sure it was enough to save it). So there first two albums were failures and they blamed their record company and this one was shelved for not being commercial (not a shock). They were trying to be sarcastic but it sounded so sincere. They were breaking up as a band, fighting with each other, and breaking up with a girlfriend (and they removed a lot of her vocals from the album). It felt like maybe this was a dumpster fire that they tried to fix by giving the remaining people more creative control which just kind of made it worse. Second and third listen...sure, there were some bits that were nice and I can see the creativity behind it. I can see how this album set in motion more room for more alt type sounds that were not mainstream pop or rock. It also really captured some emotional intensity behind a band breaking up and feelings of failure and anger with a melancholy dissonant sound. However it ultimately left me confused on and unfulfilled as an album. It left this album to sound like a bunch of half finished songs they were workshopping to try and find the band's sound.
I’m a huge fan of sone of the bands that drew inspiration from Big Star, so I’ll always have time for them. This kinda seems like a spectacle, though. Part of the album is good (maybe great), other parts are phoned-in filler.
Not into it... Turn him down in my headphones
Nothing special here
Boring music for boring adults
Super confused about all the different versions of this album. Third (Ardent Music, 2016) is what is on Deezer, so that's what I'm listening to. 18 tracks, total length 00:51:40. I like the strings and drums. The wailing vocals on these slow songs are killing me, though. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Thank You Friends, You Can't Have Me ⭐⭐: Didn't like it, didn't hate it. Saved no tracks.
had potential was just horribly mixed and recorded and it sounded like just noise a lot of songs but like 2 good songs. starting to be less strict with my ratings so it gets a 2
Innocuous non descript album. Ok background music but not exciting or worth seeking out.
Sometimes you need to know the history behind an album for it to be at all interesting in concept, and maybe gain some appreciation for it. An album being written and developed while both the band and individual members are falling apart is an interesting idea. Unfortunately the music shows this; discordant, unbalanced, barely melodic.
Why does this have so many versions. Not too big on this one Will I listen to again: 0%
Easily forgettable.
Not my style.
I love #1 Record, it was completely new to me and was one of my early great discoveries. This, however … this is just a bit shit. It’s unremarkable and unmemorable, and nowhere near the high watermark of #1. Disappointed.
Alex Chilton influenced many bands we like…some great riffs but uneven.
2.5
Didn't love this album. Nothing notable or memorable for me
#676. A handful of painfully average hippy songs. 2/5: meh
femme fatale
it was okey
well this is a bummer - i liked the other Big Star album we had on this list. but this is so limp and watered-down i had to double-check and make sure it was the same band. i didn't vibe with this at all. maybe i'm being harsh, but it's only because i know how much better they can be!
this album makes me sad. alex chilton and big star came out swinging with their first album, radio city had some bangers, and then they just kinda slowly ground to a halt. most bands' downfalls seem to be due to a sudden event like a breakup, the label dropping them, or whatever, and the ones that fade away start showing cracks well in advance. i wasn't there due to not being born, but this one feels like we're watching the car crash happen in slow motion. these songs are pretty much all slow, depressing dirges that really convey the mood of alex and the band crumbling around the studio as they record takes. it's hard to watch and i don't think any of the tracks hold a candle to what they've done before. it's sad. favorites: for you, nature boy, till the end of the day
Thought for sure this band was British and this was another example of this list's British bias. Surprised to find out they're American and now even more confused why this is on the list. Altogether pretty mediocre and not much to note. 3.5/10 (1.75/5)
So I know like two songs from this band (none of those songs are on this album) but their story is interesting. They had little to no commercial success, to the point where this band was basically nothing, however years later, to the mid 80s to 90s, a lot of alternative bands like REM and The Replacements were very influenced by them and that made this band finally get a cult following. With that cult following came retrospective reviews of their catalog and made them realize that Big Star is much better than once received. But imma be honest, I have mix reviews for this album. It's not bad, but I don't think it's that good. The songs I thought were good come once in every 3-5 okay and "not the best" songs. Maybe #1 Record and Radio City are better, but this album is definitely something. Also, there's like 6 different versions of this album for whatever bullshit reason, only one version was available and it wasn't this one. Maybe if I had this or one of the other fucking 5 I would think differently.
There was a time, about 15 years ago, when I was listening to the first Big Star record a lot, just really into the jangle pop vibe and the catchy melodies. Third is nowhere near as good and often feels like a slapped together random mess. As with a lot of albums on this list, if they think this is essential listening, ok I guess I'll take your word for it but I'm not hearing it.
2.5 - Meh
This isn't even a good album, period, let alone a good Big Star album. #1 Record and Radio City are much more put together than this. I find it very ramshackle, rife with lowlights, and instantly forgettable. 2/5 because even though it isn't good, it's not exactly offensive.
This was not very good in my opinion.
Second album proposé par le générateur. Il n'est pas plus intéressant que le précédent (noté 2/5). Pas désagréable mais rien de mémorable non plus. Les reprises par 'This Mortal Coil' (pas dans la liste !) de 'Holocaust' et 'Kanga Roo' sont vraiment meilleures que les originaux. =>2/5
I absolutely love #1 Record by Big Star but this album was so boring and hard to get through
Fine I guess but very disjointed. I was too harsh on the other Big Star album and should relisten and maybe re-rate.
There are some good songs on here that kind of capture the old Big Star magic, but there are also a lot of slow, depressing ones. It’s probably too long for what it is, and it often sounds unfinished. That kind of thing can be interesting — raw, even beautiful — but here, ‘Third/Sister Lovers’ just ends up sounding flat and, well... depressing.
First time hearing this album in its entirety. Let's GO! These are decent pop/rock songs. I'm not sure there is anything overly special about them. Maybe they were ground-breaking in some way at the time. And I'm assuming their other big album will be here, so I don't think we need two of their albums on this list. This is really just ok. 2.2/5
Not for me
Some good music, singing was a little too weird for me, overall didn't love
Warbly, soft vocals. Mixing seems a bit off, some separation. Not my fave but has a dreamy quality which is quite cool.
This just made me want to listen to Nick Drake's Bryter Layter. The strings were very close to doing it for me but the vocals and songs never really fit right for me. "For You" is the only song I really enjoyed.
Can tell their influence on Radiohead
Some points nice and mostly too much Beatles and pop. Liked string arrangements
Music is decent but album is aimless.
Na
So this album was released in 1978. I was 14. Possibly the period when I was listening to the radio, watching music tv programmes (OG Whistle Test / Revolver etc) the most, and reading the music press. Yet I've never head of the album, or the band. Listening to this I know why
Second big star album and not as initially catchy as their self titled album. Dug their cover of femme fatale but not much else going on with this.
Surprised that I wasn’t grabbed by this - I didn’t mind a few melodies but felt the songs were mostly bland. I love #1 Record and I Am The Cosmos though - maybe I’m more of a Chris Bell person
Interesting. Next?
Not doing much for me. A few decent songs but wouldn’t listen again.
I got as bored with this as the lead singer
I can really hear the pre-REM in this one. Unfortunately it's really interminable, I think if I heard a song or two I'd like them but this is too many together and they're too consistent.
Strikingly forgettable. Great start! Favorites: Big Black Car & Femme Fatale. Would like Holocaust better, and would probably name it a favorite, if it wasn’t, you know, named that. (March 18, 1978; Rock; British/English; 13 tracks; 55:13 runtime)
I really wanted to like this more than I did. I’ve heard big star songs before and really liked them. And the replacements wrote a song about Alex chilton. This album was too long, too many chill songs. I needed more pep.
It was alright. Some catchy songs, others a bit naff.
Cult album eh? Glad I didn’t join the cult. There are some interesting musical sections, primarily piano based. But otherwise I didn’t really enjoy this and I’m not sure it holds together as an album that well.
I really liked their rendition of femme fatale. I really enjoyed Big Black Car Also this band sings the intro to “That 70s Show”
Ik lees dat dit 'cult-album' een paar jaar op de plank heeft gelegen omdat het niet commercieel klonk en de band ongeïnteresseerd leek. Ik begrijp hier weinig van. De band lijkt toch echt aandacht gegeven te hebben aan het componeren en spelen. Al zijn er wat minder geïnspireerde seconden als het begin van Thank You Friends. Maar dat draagt juist bij aan een vrij toegankelijk (commercieel klinkend) geheel. Zelfs dusdanig dat ik mij afvraag wat dit nog bijdraagt. Zonde dat ze een paar jaar hebben gewacht, want na die tijd heeft het album bij de afronding nou niet bepaald de aandacht gekregen. Is dat geluid dan wat het een cult-album maakt?
Ik schreef bij een eerder album van Big Star, dat ze in vergetelheid zouden raken. Qua muziek klopt dat, ik heb geen idee meer wat ze maakten. De bandnaam kan ik wel onthouden, dus ik wist dat we ze al eerder hebben mogen beluisteren. Toen was het dus een vergeetbare 3. Waarom we ze dan nog een keer krijgen te horen, bewijst maar weer eens dat de redactie beter zijn werk had moeten doen. Ik zou eigenlijk een 1 willen geven, niet omdat het zo slecht is, maar simpelweg voor de complete overbodigheid en vergeetbaarheid van de keuze. Maar er zitten best aardige nummers tussen. En wat wel geinig is ter vergelijking met de hedendaagse tijd: tegenwoordig zou dit dus overgeproduceerd en gecorrigeerd worden met autotune en de hele mikmak. Hier hoor je gewoon nog de imperfecties van de muzikanten en dat is ergens wel sympathiek. Het hoort nog steeds in de 1001 albums die je ooit gehoord moet hebben. Laat ik het uitmiddelen tussen de vergeetbare 3 en de overbodige 1.
It's not really an album when it hasn't really been released. Nor when it's partially available everywhere.
Forgettable
kinda boring, and depressing wth!!! i was listening to it like DAMN, i feel like drinking bleach…. i liked Til The End Of The Day
Not enjoyable. Not quite a 1, but I can't fathom how anyone gave this a 5.
Right out the gate, the singing is painfully bad. The guy's out of tune and sounds inebriated. Vocals are always a potential deal breaker for me, since they can so easily make or break a piece of music. In Kizza Me, the singer here seems to have doubled his vocals quite messily, and only in some places. It's very distracting and very nearly ruins the excellent rock instrument going on behind it. This album was released around the time of the punk movement, so the terrible singing makes sense. I guess I was just hoping for a punk(-adjacent) band to break the mould. (Kind of hypocritical, for punk bands to all be doing the same thing as each other?) Nature Boy is also pretty bad, if only because a mere piano stands between the atrocious singing and the listener. The cover of Femme Fatale is passable - mainly because the original is so darn great. Big Star's version is noticeably worse for several reasons, including the weird extension of the "femme fatale" backing vocal, the out-of-tune lead, and the inconsistent percussion. In contrast, the strings in Stroke It Noel really sell the song. I'm a big fan of songs that mix up the instrumentation. The following track, For You, continues that trend, as does Take Care (with folk-European-sounding strings - maybe a fiddle?). All are strong tracks. Till The End Of The Day is an unexpected rise in energy towards the record's tail end. AllMusic gave this album a retrospective review of 5 stars, writing that it was a "shambling wreck of an album" and "the slow, sinking sound of a band falling apart". Where's the consistency? This is getting a 2 from me, and a well-deserved one at that. We have to start punishing these bands for their singer singlehandedly sabotaging the sound. 2/5 Key tracks: Thank You Friends, For You, Till The End Of The Day
Kind of a chunky album and the slower songs just reeeally don't do it for me. There's some good stuff though, just not quite as even of a mix as I'd like.
This one wasn't really my thing. The slower songs to take up most of the album, and I felt they didn't do anything very interesting in that time. At least when the pace does pick up, on songs like You Can't Have Me and Till The End Of The Day, it does get pretty good.
An interesting listen for sure. Nature Boy sounds like it was an unused track from Sweeney Todd. Bit annoying that a handful of songs are not available on Spotify.
Icky and boring
2.1 I did quite enjoy that at one point I exclaimed "Jesus Christ" and then realised they'd named the song just that. I'm guessing not out of exasperation unlike me. Cover of Femme Fatale pointless. A bit like the album in general. Just frustrating choices all round - Kanga Roo starts off non-shit and then someone thrown a cowbell into the mix and turned it up loud. Wasting my time
Ok 2/5
Felt really inconsistent instrumentally and the lyrics didn't grab me.
boring and generic to be honest. but maybe I’m in a mood
The title to the album MASSIVELY misled me. Little disappointed ngl
Previously rated: #1 Record (3/5) ******************** Another album from these guys? The lyrics were good, I guess, but they were delivered in a very boring way. Best track: Til the End of the Day
Dear album, it's not you, it's me. Goodbye. 2/5
Lyder fint men unmemorable album, lidt ligesom det sidste vi havde med dem, som jeg gav en meget generøs 4'er
I do sometimes wonder how some records end up on this list. This is definitely one of them… I just wanted it to be over.
I thought I recognized the name Big Star, so I searched back and we have in fact reviewed an unremarkable jangly 70s pop rock that was, apparently, actually important to some people other than the guy who made this list. This album is apparently also a "cult classic"? Again, this is not anything that stands out to me. It is better than their previous album that we reviewed earlier. There are moments during this album where I thought to myself they sounded a bit modern and I could definitely hear some inspiration for some 90s/2000s indie acts, and I can give them credit for being ahead of their time in some aspects I guess. But overall, the sound isn't especially forward thinking or groundbreaking, and it didn't hold my attention especially well. Meh.
Better than Coldplay
Pretentious. Not melodic. Hard to finish the back half. Otherwise, a great album!
Completely unenjoyable
Okay album. Felt a bit on the draggy side midway through.
very forgettable
5/10
One song was way too much static noise which turned me off the whole album
Solid album. The songs are constructed nicely, though as a whole they're a bit unfocused. I liked this one more than the other Big Star record.
This just made zero impact on me whatsoever. It was like listening to a mediocre collab album by George Harrison and Violent Femmes.
Maso
That was not a good album for me... Seen everything this band did from others, only better.
Would probably not listen to again, but decent music.
Includes a couple of covers no-one asked for. Meh
Weirdly sexual, boring, uninspired
Third time's the ... meh. I loved Big Star's debut (gave it 5 stars!). On Scott's recommendation, I listened to their second album and didn't like it as much. It was good, but didn't hit me like the first. This one? For diehard fans only. It plays more like a demo. Or sketches. But a complete "you NEED to listen to this!" record? C'mon, man. I know a 2 star is a little cruel, but there was nothing I loved on this record.
There’s always a debate on popular singers who don’t have beautiful voices but do have good music. (Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, etc). For the most part I like those artists. But Big Star has their lead song out of tune and it drives me nuts. 2.5/5
Overall: 3/10 I got Big Star's first album a while back and gave it a 7/10 (4 stars) but it's since became the album I've soured on the most. I decided to go with it since that was my original impression. With that being said, I don't really like this one much. I find the vocals infuriating and the music ranges from bland to insufferable. A couple of tracks were okay but there's so much great music out there and I think this could have been removed for something more interesting. The one thing I will praise is the lyrics, but they would work better as poetry. Fav Song: Kizza Me Least Fav Song: Big Black Car
This is #day223 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... however incredibly long, it was fine for the most part. But I can’t stand when songs are blocked on Spotify, or worse, when the whole album isn't available. Then I have to switch to YouTube Music and hope for the best. I didn’t care to figure out which version of the album I was listening to and whether it was a Big Star album or more of an Alex Chilton solo project, as they say. This is a 2 out of 5. "Holocaust" is a highlight, as are some of the more stripped-down songs. Looking forward to #day224.