Reviews (page 6 of 8)
This was just kind of sad to listen to: a band which had such promise, recording a bunch of half-arsed covers and crap. A few shining moments but overall, pretty terrible.
Never heard of Big Star so as is usual when this is the case took extra interest when reading the accompanied wiki page. The most striking thing I learnt was that their leader Alex Chilton tragically died much too young but that he was also the lead singer of the Box Tops. I then had to give myself a verbal good kicking over the lack or gap in my musical knowledge. The Box Tops famous hit The Letter I know well but I always thought they were a black soul band. So I live and learn. As regards this album it’s very meh. Nothing new to see here at all. It’s given the title or genre of power pop which again is new to me and I wonder who thinks all these different genre titles. Anyhow it doesn’t sound very powerful at all. It’s inoffensive and if I heard it unannounced on the radio it would go through one ear and out the other without registering or disturbing the fluffy birds within that space. 1.5/5 2/7/24
forgettable
Feels like an album for a late night drive... Notable tracks: Nature boy For you Thank you friends
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 the Big Star of previous releases and not the brilliant songs and sound that defined them as the band that launched and influenced so much of the great music of later artists.
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.
This has been on my list for a while. Not bad.
While I didn't love it, this album is definitely an interesting one. It has this weird feeling about it, maybe that's just me hearing the things it influenced (Take Care feels kind of like a Beach House I reckon). Some songs I found to be pretty boring and skippable though. Fav songs: -Kizza Me - Thank You Friends - Holocaust -Nightime - Take Care
I thought it was alright. There were some mid songs. One or two good songs. The rest were all horrible. Like how did we go from nature boy which I hated to till the end which I loved
ok, aber nicht brauschend, rock, kl. gesxhw. von..
I'd never heard of Big Star, but I've clearly missed out. A beautiful, chaotic album.
3rd time coming across these guys - they're not bad, but once is enough. variety isn't a bad thing.
Was thinking not too bad, kinda .38 special, Foreigners vibes. Then that Jesus Christ song came on. Dear FSM. What a turd that was. Kind shifted the vibe of the whole album for me.
felt like i should have liked this one. maybe i'll revisit it some day.
Slow and melodic for the most part. The Spotify version was incomplete so that might go against it, only real standout for me was the cover of "Nature Boy"
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.
I had not heard Big Star before. I probably needed to start with one of their first 2 albums before this one. I'll explore more but for now let's give em a 3
Bester Titel: Till The End Of The Day. Leider nicht entfernt so gut wie das Original von den Kinks.
Interesting and worthwhile album that I had not heard before.
I feel like this band must have influenced Coldplay. It's like a less-good Coldplay album in many ways. There's a ton of potential here, but the sound just isn't tight. Good individual instruments, but no one was able to blend it together into something beyond that. The vocals are also very meh. It's an ok listen, but not something I'll be returning to.
Ugh. No.
Standard Late 70s rock, not too bad.
Better musicians could have made these tracks shine. The folksy songs work, the power ballads not so much.
I loved the first Big Star record. This I could not make it through. So plodding and boring.
Track one; OK-ish rock backing with awful vocals. Track two; the same. Didn't go any further. I remember various critics in music books raving about them, which is really puzzling. Cult band, my arse!
Big star give rock bands a bad name. After two terrible albums they follow it up with a third. No idea how this gained ‘cult’ status. It’s just bad
Big arse
Struggled to rate this, there's definitely something interesting and compelling lurking in there somewhere but it didn't grab me enough to keep looking. Might be better with a few more listens but I'm not sure I can be arsed.
Terrible. The kind of album you get stuck listening to at a relatives house where it wouldn't be done to comment on how shit the music is. The covers, usually the catchy ones, were bad: Nature Boy was out of tune and didn't seem stylised.
I thought it started off okay-ish, then the 3rd track kicked in and I was ready to throw the stereo into the river! and oh gawd, the cover songs were dreadful!
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.
I like one of the cover versions of Jesus Christ
Till The End of The Day is so much better than the rest of the album, which is completely forgettable. I wouldn’t miss this album at all, if I were to die yesterday
Couldn't finish
Boring and forgettable.
A bit too down tempo for me.
I hate to be that guy, but this album is a snooze fest. I can appreciate soft acoustic music but good grief this is the musical equivalent of melatonin. I've never heard of Big Star before this. I wish it stayed that way. Typically, I like to stay off my phone while I'm listening to give the music my full attention, but it took every fiber of my being to pay attention. The worst part is it didn't start this dreadfully boring. It went from mediocre in the first half to paint drying in the second. 2/10 Would I listen again? I don't think I'd be able to make it through another
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.
Can’t get behind the lead singer’s voice. Waited for it to be done.
Sounds contemporary and original, surprised me
Flat out terrible
Mediocre, no standouts and just felt old and not very special
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
this was a decent album, the femme fatale cover was cool, the songs sounded good and i don’t have anything against them, just didn’t keep me very interested but it wasn’t bad by any means
There were a couple good songs, but overall this was kind of a mess
It could stand to have a few songs trimmed or replaced with the bonus tracks on the reissue. But Third is a good example of what Big Star were capable of.
Kinda got bored
I don’t know what this is… the lyrics and the vocals ouffff
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.
Pleasantly surprised!
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
A few exceptional songs
Meh
Meh.
The mix sounds terrible, and the music itself is super uninspired. Their other albums aren’t really my cup of tea either, but the at least feel like they were competently recorded.
Very different to the other album from Big Star I've had, and much worse.
I really wanted to like this after No.1 Record, but I just don't get it. As someone who adores power pop, the bleakness and sheer disconnected style of the album just doesn't work for me. It's probably more of a 2 in terms of my enjoyment, but it's getting a 3 just for my respect for Alex Chilton and his songwriting. 15/04/24
hrifnari af þessari. nafnaruglingur. fleiri lög. fær fjarka.
Couldn't do it
I like the use of string instruments in 'For You' and 'Take Care'. The other songs are unfortunately too mundane.
Power pop. Rollo. Un 2.
Kinda bland. Not their best.
mid star
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.
I didn't find the version specified here, not sure it would have impacted the rating if I had.
2.75. Spotify version (titled “Third”) most closely matches the 1992 release.
I really like Holocaust Placebo’s version, I never expected to hear the original thanks to the 1001 albums … the album is OK in general
You know how sometimes you get so fixated on the negative aspects of something that it becomes impossible for you to see the positives? This is not one of those cases, it was awful all the way through.
I listened to the first 6 songs of this and had to take a week's break to recuperate Best part was recognising that Dean Blunt sampled For You in his song Lush This is not the first album that he has sampled that shows up on this list
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.
Some decent songs but a lot of songs that sounded like the band wandered into the studio hammered and didn’t bother editing.
The songs were pretty good
"Third/Sister Lovers" by Big Star is a haunting and introspective album that showcases the band's raw talent and emotional depth. Originally recorded in 1974 but not released until 1978, the album is a departure from Big Star's earlier power-pop sound, instead delving into darker, more experimental territory. The album's production is sparse yet effective, allowing frontman Alex Chilton's vocals to take center stage. Songs like "Holocaust" and "Kanga Roo" are stark and brooding, while tracks like "Thank You Friends" and "Stroke It Noel" offer glimpses of the band's melodic prowess. While "Third/Sister Lovers" may not be as immediately accessible as Big Star's earlier work, its raw honesty and emotional depth make it a compelling listen for fans of alternative and indie rock.
3.5
I think they should’ve called this album “afterthought”. It was released 4 years after it was recorded (and the band broke up), and sounds like a rough mix. Wikipedia lists 6 different versions of the record, none of which match the track listing on Spotify. Big Star is one of those bands that I’ve always heard of, but had never actually heard until now. One of probably hundreds of bands that, for whatever reason, didn’t get any meaningful label support. Musically, it’s pretty interesting, and might’ve gotten some traction in 1974, when it was recorded. But in 1978, I don’t know where this album would’ve fit. I certainly never heard it, and it came out during my college years, when my musical tastes were broadening.it is sort of an album out of time. Anyway…. As I noted, this is interesting. I can see where bands like REM would cite them as influences. It’s kind of quirky. Maybe Byrds meet Velvet Underground? There’s some pretty strong moments, but also some flat moments. And it sounds like a collection of leftovers and other bits and pieces, not a cohesive album. Fragments. The Wikipedia article even states the band “didn’t see it as a Big Star record”. But some of these fragments are really solid. I’ll go 3/5 for now, but I think this will deserve a few more listens.
I agree with some other reviews I saw... meh. 2/5
This is a terrible introduction to Big Star. There are some stand outs, like Kanga Roo (Jeff Buckley’s cover of it is great too), but it doesn’t rise to the level of their debut.
- Never heard of Big Star, which probably makes sense because they seem to have dissolved before this album was released in its "proper" form. - Like "Holocaust" and "Nature Boy" (which I only knew from Moulin Rouge). The dark, moody pieces are legitimately interesting. - Unfortunately, the rest is extremely generic and out-of-sync with these tracks. I very much disliked "Big Black Car" and "Jesus Christ"...apparently those were packaged together on a single? Woof.
I really wanted to love this album since it was recently added to a saddest album list but I just could not get into it completely. It had its moments and there was one track with some just killer drums but overall it just didn’t hit the notes. The songs were great I think the vocals were a bit lacking.
This album seems to have something of a complicated history, with several versions having been released over the years - I think I played the 1992 Rykodisk edition, minus the bonus track. I was familiar with two of the songs ("Holocaust" and "Kanga Roo" through their covers by This Mortal Coil. I like the cover of "Femme Fatale". On first listen, I thought this album OK. On second listen, I liked several tracks, but not the whole album. I listened to the album a third time, and I felt it sounded a bit patchy and unfinished.
Meh
Worth a second listening
Did not know the band and after reading a review on it I expected something interesting. But no, it was not interesting. More boring than anything else.
4/10
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
Much more somber than I expected. Would have liked more upbeat "power pop", but it's fine.
I thought this was fine but nothing super special. Last track sounded like the Velvet Underground to me.
What a great record! Many missing tracks on Spotify which is a bummer. Great adventures in songwriting and melody here.
Flamboyant 70s music. It’s generic and didn’t interest me
This ?pop/rock really didn't appeal on first listen, but was okay the second time around. It is quite slow and not really my style. Listens: 2 Fave Track: ? Rating: 2
Bits of all sorts of styles, covers and songs that got covered
Not good IMO
I enjoyed this - 8/10
I listened to this on the bus so I was very eepy. I liked a few of the songs more than others, which is normal for most albums ig, so nothing special but overall fine, 6.5/10
Didn’t dislike it but nothing really stood out to me. 5/10
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.
The start of the album was terrible, the end was ok, but at the end of the day, it was a mid British album 4.5/10
Not the biggest fan of this, but I don’t really know why. The music is fine I guess, maybe it’s just the lead singer’s voice 5/10
Похоже местами на Radiohead, только, в отличии от них, это какое-то унылое говно.
Forgettable soft rock. Stand-out: Big Black Car
I immediately disliked the title of this album, but the majority of the music was pleasantly surprising. I could probably listen to this again, but most likely won’t.
Sorry I just don't get it. It's a nice album but I will struggle to remember any songs by next week except the nat king cole nature boy.
#1 Record, Radio City and Third should all 3 be in the 1001.
What a mess. It had its moments, but most of the time I felt like turning it off.
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.
Nice sound
3.5
I had never heard of this band, so lacked the context to understand why it is so highly regarded. It’s clearly very eclectic, and obviously never fully completed. Some great bluesy riffs hidden among the tracks.
Sounds good for its era.
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.
I enjoyed parts of it more than I thought I would. Overall, not my jam particularly. 3
zzzzzz
A second listen took this from a 2 to a 3. A few more listens might get me to 4, or possibly back to 2. In any case, there's some charm here but overall I'm not loving it. Best song; Big Black Car. I don't mind it being on the list.
This sounds so much like a bunch of unfinished demos. A bunch of guys throwing things together in the studio, seeing what's going to work and what's not. I have a bunch of demos from bands that I _LIKE_. Doubt I listened to them more than once; there's a reason they're demos and NOT the finished product. Same for this, there's just nothing in it that was like, oooo that's a keeper. Next.
What amazes me the most, other than how this album is so revered, is how Alex Chilton can be the same deep soulful voice of The Box Tops' The Letter. He has totally gone into a different vocal range and even sounds limited or strained, whereas in the Box Tops he sounded like he had no limits. I'm more looking forward to listening to Big Star's debut album. Because this just sounds like a disjointed bunch of songs pining after the sound of the Velvet Underground, or the Byrds. And I don't just mean their cover of Femme Fatale - which is actually one of the best songs on this album - but other songs where the instrumentals sound like some combination of psychedelic, folk, and avant-garde. Other songs where Chilton and the rest sound like Lou Reed/VU are Kizza Me (which I also quite like), Big Black Car (thumbs down), Holocaust (bleak, but impressive), Kanga Roo (not bad), Take Care (meh). Songs where they sound like the Byrds are Thank You Friends (pretty good), O Dana (cheery), Stroke it Noel (grandiose). Some songs have their own (sometimes weird) flavor - Jesus Christ, You Can't Have Me, Nightime and Blue Moon (touching), Nature Boy and Downs (they're running out of steam here). Till The End of the Day is one of those songs that has a sort of a 60's / 70's feel but is also unique, and I get why Big Star and Chilton in particular were an inspiration to 80's post punk and new alternative. It's not a bad album despite being all over the place. I just don't get how it's some masterpiece that depicts a man's descent into madness or a group's descent into breakup. Reading critics reviews is like having some art lover tell you that a swath of paint across a disheveled canvas is brilliance. I just don't see it. But I guess it's here because it's a jumbled mess that isn't a complete audio disaster. Fine, but moving on.
I've listened to this album a few times over the past 10 or so years. Even not being a fan of Indie music, it really is some creative pop music. There tracks really don't sound like anything else from the era it was recorded in. Overall it has a bit of a melancholy, rainy day sound to it with a few rockers. The strings on the later part of the album are beautiful too. Not an album I'd play all of the time but one I do throw on every so often.
Great album!
Kizza Me - 7/10 Thank You Friends - 7/10 Big Black Car - 7/10 Jesus Christ - 7/10 Femme Fatale- 8/10 O, Dana - 7/10 Holocaust - 7/10 Kangaroo - 7/10 Stroke It Noel - 7/10 For You - 7/10 You Can't Have Me - 7/10 Nightime - 7/10 Blue Moon - 7/10 Take Care - 7/10 Nature Boy - 7/10 Till the End of the Day - 7/10 Dream Lover - 7/10 Downs - 7/10 Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - 7/10 TOTAL - 134/190
I really like this. It's kind of funny the day before I listened to The Strokes' Is This It, and honestly this feels like it's of the same era. It holds up really well. I never would have guessed this was pre 80s music.
There were a couple songs I liked but didn’t like most honestly. Rating: 2.4
You can hear the changing influences in rock from the late 70s.
Beatles-esque, brilliant writing, beautiful melodies. Surprisingly good for a band I had never heard of.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Kizza me, Till the end of the day
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.
El disco va mejorando según lo escuchas. Te atrapa. Femme fatale.
I had never heard of this band, but apparently this album has a cult following. It reminded me of a couple other bands like the later Beatles and maybe some Oasis, but there were so many different things going on throughout the album that it's hard to categorize. I appreciated the piano and other instruments, though sometimes it was a bit chaotic. The lead singer has a nice voice. Kind of a strange album.
Nothing remarkable here - I don't get the hype. These guys are held up as one of the greatest power pop bands - whatever that means. I think it is just that Americans are not good at pop music, because this is pretty uniformly underwhelming
I think it starts strong, but really loses focus near the end. The Velvet Underground cover feels way too on-the-nose, since I find the latter half of the record to kind of sound like a drugged out stupor, akin to how I feel The Velvet Underground gets at times. I think if you're a big VU fan, this might be for you. Not so much for me. Favorite track: "Thank You Friends"
Kinda crummy grandpa rock
2-3
This album isn’t on Apple, that isn’t helpful. I didn’t get a great listen. It’s fair standard rock, Beatles influenced, folky at times. There is a haunting beauty to it. I liked it and need to listen more 6.2/10
Played this twice and still don't really get it. A couple of cute covers, but the rest seemed fairly standard Seventies rock fare. Never Mind The Ballads.
This isn't exactly an album to get the party started. I wasn't expecting the Femme Fatale cover. It's a far better version than the VU drone of a song. The slide guitar carried the album throughout. It falls apart a little towards the end - much like the band.
Something different. Zappa-esque vibes from the first song... ...5 tracks in and it's still completely off the wall. Ok. I've now gone through all tracks. Not one song I felt "I liked". This is for the recycle bin. It's a ♻️ 1
Sounds like what I imagine if someone decided to make a supergroup out of The Hollies and The Polyphonic Spree.
Singer is talented but the melancholy is never ending.
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.
Ummm…I don’t get it. What did I need to hear here? I mean, whatever.
My ears didn't really perk up until the quiet covers near the end. Really enjoyed Nature Boy over simple piano accompaniment. Brought a tear to my eye I must admit.
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.
This is the second Big Star album I've listened to on this list and I question why it's here to begin with. #1 Record is the better album but not by much.
It was just okay. Perhaps I was not in the right frame of mind.
Not what I expected. Interesting amount of emotions in a late 70s rock album. Would not be surprised if this went on to influence the goth movement in the 80s.
twas ok for what it was. didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.
Ok, was expecting more, tbh
Didn't do that much for me
Overall I was not a fan of this album or style of music. It's old timey and not my style. Having said that, I enjoyed the second half of the album more than the first. The first half included what seemed like a Christmas song ("Jesus was born today") and a song about your mother dying ("Your mother died and you're on your own"). Ready to move on.
Missing link from Beatles to REM/Elliot Smith. Love this record.
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
Some of the worst songs I have heard recorded, along with some of the best mixes I have heard. And then hidden among the midst of all the confusion is the best rendition of Nature Boy I have heard. It gets 3 stars for me.
Lyssnade till slut i lurar och det är fan bra. dock lite oklart exakt vilken utgåva det är som gäller
Best Song: Kangaroo. Feels like a decent David Bowie impersonation. Worst Song: Kizza Me. Ignoring the absolutely godawful lyrics, that wispy voice is doing the already bad song no favours. Overall: The musical equivalent of a baby bird singing. It feels intensely vulnerable, but not in an interesting way like Elliot Smith, instead in a sort of pathetic way. It's never good when the primary emotion an album evokes is pity.
I found no value to this album
good - femme fatale, holocaust not a fair score cuz 6 songs are gone from spotify, but its not making me want to hunt for them anyway
Over the three Big Star albums there is one absolutely knockout to be assembled. This is a third of a great album, and This Mortal Coil knew what they were doing when they picked out Kangaroo and Holocaust.
Power pop. Rollo. Un 2.
El disco va mejorando según lo escuchas. Te atrapa. Femme fatale.
no sabía que el power pop era una cosa, se parece a los beatles
Interesante hasta la primera mitad
big ugly mess
Meh album, interesting listen Top tracks: Blue Moon, Till The End Of The Day
Not unbearable. Wouldn't repeat
some classic rock that had a certain spice to it taht made me like it more than normal
I think this is great - sounds really ahead of its time and seems to have influenced the '90s Brit rock and psychedelia revival
This album is deeply confusing to me. It starts off bad, then gets a little better. I don't know if I kinda like it or hate it. I'll listen to some songs again, but probably not the whole album. 2/5
A couple songs are good, a couple songs are real bad, but mostly, this is just an album of normie music.
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
A tour of Alex Chilton angst ridden soul that can seem daunting if you read overly into the notices that accompany this album. Though there are no sunny power-pop songs like on the two previous Big Star albums it doesn't make Third any less worthy. the songs are sad and don't hide that fact but they are still at times brilliant. The covers; Femme Fatale and Nature Boy, Till the End of the Day are worthy additions to the setlist. A classic album that deserves your attention. 3.5 stars
Not feeling this one. Holocaust was a decent song, but the others weren't really my thing at all.
Of the things i could find on spotify, I liked this sound quite a bit but nothing really stuck with me tbh
Why? Just why is this album on anyone’s list?
This album has very little direction, odd shifts in tone, subpar vocals and effects, and a few covers that are just not memorable. Each song had jarring shifts in sound style, and while changes like that would be considered unique, it doesn't really work here in an album with too many songs, and most, if not all, don't match well here. It was not very enjoyable to listen to, overall a 2/5 kind of album. Notable songs: Holocaust, For You, Blue Moon Heavily disliked: Jesus Christ, Stroke it Noel, Downs
Oddly compiled which varied from songs that delighted to songs that I felt were dreadful. The tone felt all over the place, hopping around from upbeat swing vibes to downturned sad wintery songs. The album also included uninspired covers of classics like "Femme Fatale" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (Have they not taken enough from Big Maybelle?). Standouts included "Holocaust", "Kizza Me", and "Big Black Car". With songs like "Nature Boy", and "Downs" being very forgettable.
I quite liked it, it is slow and depressing in some ways but it got me through some of my work whislt listening
Sorry couldn't get further than track 2.
Just nothing but depressing power pop. I liked the upbeat songs but man I found this album hard to get through
I listened to this through twice and both times I forgot I was listening to something.
eh not for me
This was an interesting listen. I'm a bit surprised by the sound considering how early it came out. It wasn't perfect and at times felt like the vocals and instruments were fighting each other but it did have something strong at the core. My vote is a bit more towards what I felt vs just hearing it.
I was like maybe this isn't bad, but then Jesus song with saxophone. Incel song Femme Fatale. Kanga roo with a, "oh last second cow bell needed here" This thing is sloppy, there is potential. I don't know anything about this band.
Cover impressions: cult or lesbian incest? Yikes. Apparently that is the alternate cover and this is a male rock band featuring Alex Chilton-- who I only know of thanks to a song by The Replacements that was featured in Rock Band 2. "Kizza me" starts off poorly with a weird, almost constipated vocal and desperate, distressing lyrics. That same strained style of singing continues through most of the album. "Big Black Car" kind of escapes that, but is rather boring instead. "Holocaust" is deeply depressing. Had hopes for "Kanga Roo" but I can't imagine what it means to want someone like a Kangaroo. I didn't expect a rock album to be my first 1-star but I don't get this album."Get me out of here, I hate it here" is the most relatable lyric. Favorite track: "Til the end of the day" -- apparently this was technically a bonus track added in later releases and a Kinks cover. No wonder it was good. Otherwise "Nightime" would be my favorite original track. 1/5
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!!!
I much prefer the power pop of their first 2 albums.
Some of the songs I liked: "Kangaroo," "Stroke It Noel", and "Till the End of the Day". But the production quality in general seems raw and sloppy. It would have been interesting to hear what the band might have sounded like if they knew their way around a recording studio.
I'm not sure what to say about this album the description from the reviews has this being the final master work of a band. It wasn't bad, but I didn't think it was anything spectacular. It sounded like basic 70s rock, nothing stood out as groundbreaking, or as some underrated performance that no one's ever heard of.
third best big star album. rip chris bell and alex chilton
I can hear the influence Big Star had, but didn’t hold my interest
I enjoyed it, and see why it is the Citizen Kane of alternative music, but nothing stood out for me.
Ei toimi, ei edess vähää alusta.
Ei jäänyt mieleen erityisesti. Paikoin muistan ärsyyntyneen
Paar sehr gute Tracks, aber insgesamt etwas zu langatmig. Musikalisch und stimmlich gut, aber so ganz klickt es nicht.
There's a lot going on in this album, musiy. But the sound of the recording is trash. It's hard to distinguish instruments from one another.. Often coming off as just noise. The guitar tone is God awful. The vocals are cliche and uninspiring.. But at least I can hear what is being said as it's definitely in the front of the mixing. The song Holocaust was great. A slower tempo song with haunting backing vocals and string instruments. Slow piano and droning cello. The mix in this record is all over the place. Songs sound better than others... I had to investigate this because it felt really disconnected. Apparently this album had a lot going against it: financial burden, uncommercial sound, and lack of interest by the singer and drummer. Due to these factors it wasn't properly finished or released at the time of its recording. And it truly sounds like it. The songs with the string instruments definitely save this record from being a big stinker. In fact, every song that has string arrangements are vastly more interesting than the others. Or perhaps they are present in all songs and due to mixing, I can't really hear their magic. There isn't room to breath for the instruments in some songs. Which is a shame because there is soemthing there. It's too bad members didn't give a shit about this record. Oh well, that is their legacy. I find it interesting that a band can write a half written album, not be motivated to properly execute it, and then it makes a "prestigious" list of 1001 albums to hear.. As well as coming in at #285 on Rolling Stones, 500 greats records ever written in 2020 and previously in 2012 it came in at 449. I guess it's growing in popularity. Odd. Spotify doesn't have all of the songs available on this album. Which I find bizarre. Perhaps because it wasn't released correctly, the rights to the songs aren't all in one place? I don't know... It's annoying. Listening to this album was pretty annoying to be honest. Especially hearing that the band gave no shits, so why should I? I'm giving this a 3/5 it's more deserving of a 2. But despite being bothered by a lot of it, there is something in there.
Not the best big star...I really like the earlier stuff but could pass on most of this. 2/5
First thing to clear up up - Big Star are not a naff boy band from the early 90s. What an intriguing album this is. It's not really an album. It's a sketchbook of ideas for a third album that never happened. Until it did. It's a fancy sketchbook though. One of those nice ones you see instagram posts about. The sketches are of varying degrees of progress. Some are essentially fully formed ideas. Some are stripped back Beatlesque musings without the art supplies of Abbey Road. Some are little more than stick men. A couple of them are the type of sketches that would have the school ringing your parents to ask if everything is OK. Like I said - intriguing, in a good way.
Decent album, but most of it seemed to pass me by without really making an impact. Some notable songs which I enjoyed 'Holocaust' 'Kanga Roo' 'Take Care' Will probably listen to it again, it was good enough, glad to have heard it.
british invasion cult band that sounds like a hodge podge of a lot of different sounds - not necessarily super into it
Forgettable. One and done.
This is good rock! I am gonna add this to my library fs!
not much that i liked. pretty boring stuff. 5/10
Perfectly fine. Didn't really know what to make of it
The influence for so many great bands in the 90s
Fine. Unremarkable.
It's kind of a hot mess, isn't it? I can see the appeal in that for some. But for me, it just doesn't come together enough as a full album. Individual songs though... that's where the HOT part of the hot mess is. I think I've listened to big black car 4 times in the last hour already.
Surprising album, and I loved the femme Fatale rendition. A few stinkers on it, but the rest shone through.
I really really did not like this album.. Immediately from the start I knew from just the sound on this thing alone that this was not an album for me. I don't want to like rip an album apart because art is art, and its subjective to each and ultimately I just respect any form of art for being itself so I'll just leave it at a low rating for me personally. Overall: 1.2/5
Ett rungande Jaså!?
This was weird but I enjoyed it
Not bad!
Not heard of these before. Was ok, nothing special to my tastes but still a nice listen. If it was recorded earlier I could see it being quite influential but seems fairly standard for late 70s
How many points does a star need to have to be considered a 'star' ...? And does a 'big star' have more points than a standard star, or is it just larger? Truth: These guys are kinda squarish. Thought I could get into some of their stuff, but then the Femme Fatale cover came on and it was terrible. Holocaust was really weird, but with a title like that it... well, you know... It wasn't bound for greatness. Then, when you don't think it'd get weirder, they do a song on about Santa drinking all the wine and stroking it. I can hear a lot of seeds of greatness in here... but it's from a different era and hard to relate to today. Regardless, I wouldn't mind exploring more Big Star, but Spotify has grayed out six tracks and it's doubtful they'd elevate the album above a three.
Why have I heard of Big Star? Not only that, I’ve heard of Alex Chilton. But I have no idea why. It’s not because they have hits. Their biggest song was the out of nowhere non-Christmas carol about Jesus? “Third” didn’t help me understand why Big Star was a big deal. It got off to an odd start with “Kizza Me,” “Jesus Christ felt so out of place, “Holocaust” was a weird and dark mood killer, and they followed that song with one called “Kanga Roo?” The album is all over the place, but there are some signs of life and potential. “For You” and “You Can’t Have Me,” despite their contradictory titles, were the best songs on the album. “Til The End Of The Day” was great and I wish there was more like it. But apparently it wasn’t on the original “Third.” There have been several different versions - this seems like it was the 1992 version? Most of the “bonus tracks” are awful except for the Kinks cover “Til The End Of The Day,” so this version reflecting the bands “original intentions for the album” was best left on the studio floor. But at the end of that day, I’m left with one question above all to ask - why does Chilton sound British when he sings?
Terrible lyrics, discordant sounds, rhythms that were all over the place...it's hard to see what was redeeming/interesting enough about this album to warrant a place on this list.
Experimentation is great and necessary for progress, but some albums, like Third/Sister Lovers, deserve to remain undiscovered.
This wasn't that good.
Ah, the post modernist irony of picking a more-or-less unreleased album from a band that was in the middle of disintegrating as an album that should be heard before you, yourself, disintegrate. There are a couple of listenable tracks on here. There are significantly more that are uninspired, unfinished or just plain bad. Personally, I don't give a hoot about the meta of this album. I'm far more concerned about the fact that I wanted to turn it off before it finished of its own accord. You can wax lyrical about the meta if you like. Sure. Get yourself off on it. I'm sure you also enjoy Syd Barrett's solo album, you ghoulish poser. I'll put this in the bin, where both the record label and the band wanted it to be.
Reminded me of the Byrds. Really did not enjoy the first track, but the rest was ok. I feel no compelling need to come back to it.
Vocals sounded like they were played at the wrong speed, just horrible. I could not get through a song
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 understand its cult, but its bland cult
It's a bit unfair for this one coming up right after Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme... it's still my preferred genre but...it's like a shattered collection of great tune bits from that age
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
The VU cover is alright
This wasn't bad but I wasn't able to listen to every track. This likely messed up the albums intention, and I'm not sure why 5/6 are unavailable in Canada. So I'm giving it a 3 because while I liked it, I wouldn't be able to listen to the full thing at once.
Is this for children?
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 👍
Very meh.
Nothing interesting
Nah
Solid
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.......
Good rock/folk, Neil young/Nick drake-esk
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.
Meh
it was fine
I can’t even remember listening to this but I think it was ok
Mid.
I was unfamiliar with Big Star previously. Good jams. 3.1
I think there's some great stuff here somewhere, but it takes some looking, it's not bad though
Good album, nothing jumped out though.
Eh.
Some really interesting stuff, some not terribly palatable stuff. Not sure I'd put this one on the 1001 albums list before the first 2 big star albums, but there are moments that sound like the missing link between Brian Wilson and Elliott Smith.
10 sekuntia kului ja hymyhuulet ilmenivät suupieleen.. vihdoin saa kuunnella sontaa. menee maku touhusta kun kokoajan hyvää albumia. joku nuorukainen 70-luvun loppupuolela kuunteli ja nykyään saa nostalgiaa tästä.. mieti että ikimuistoinen musiikkihetki on jollain vittu tömmönen... itse oisin tapanut itseäni suicide boys... hups dark huumori eikö pälli kestä... jesus christ
Not a bad album, but the music was not really my type. The band description puts them in the same genre as the Beatles, but this album doesn't really reflect that. Kinda slow and soft, not usually my thing.
It's a bad imitation of what was happening at that time and context. It became a cult album due to other characteristics rather than the music. It's not a bad album, but it's far from the quality of other albums here.
Essential Tracks: Jesus Christ (Playlist)
2/5 kind of disturbing, I didn't like it.
Yawn.
Just okay
Boring album, sounds like everything else from this time period.
Really dreary
El disco va mejorando según lo escuchas. Te atrapa. Femme fatale.
Ok
Slower than I like, a bit of the same o every track. More background noise than anything
Litt varierende mtp sanger men overall, koste meg
I had never heard of them and I don't know what to make of this on only one listen, but I think I will listen to it again and to their other albums. Not least because I recognise a couple of the songs from This Mortal Coil and so they must be the sort of band that bands I like listened to. So it's a gap in an important influence and I intend to fill it. For that I might have gone to four but at the moment it's a curious three.
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
What a hot steaming pile of shit.
This was okay but I have no idea why this would be included on the list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die. It feels like I could have died and been fully okay with not hearing it.
The first half was not that great, but it recovered itself in the second half! 'Blue Moon' was a quite a good song. Overall I think a 3 makes sense.
Third/Sister Lovers sounds like it was made a decade earlier than it actually was. From the bland '60s folk sound to the lack of production polish, it all just feels very subpar. Within the context of these 1001 albums, this is one that you will have undoubtedly forgotten about by the end.
Nah... There is no passion in it. They try their hardest and that's the point. Too much whining.
Apparently this is one of the darkest albums of all time and the sound of a band falling apart. All that went entirely over my head. To me it sounded like a chunk of good power pop/rock (power pock if you will). Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Kizza Me Date listened: 23/09/23
Seichter Rock
Ok
Never heard of this band before, and Wikipedia says that this album wasn't a commercial success when it was released in 1978 (some 4 years after it was recorded) - I can't say I'm surprised. Depressing. Doesn't even make it to mediocre.
Ha ha ha ha what the fuck?
cool
This is the most boring glam rock album ever.
I liked it! Didn't really have anything outlandish that made me dislike it or remember it. Average. Should probably listen to it again, but for now, 3 stars.
It just kind of felt like some average 70s rock. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. It was fine.
I found i rock more with Big Star's power pop side, so like their #1 album is much more listenable to me. I can see why this one gets such rave reviews though, it's a top notch job of setting a mood. It's disjointed and melancholy and ironic which is all cool, but to me it just felt like, man i get it, you're sad. one cool part about it was all the influence that this band provided for future bands. you're listening and you just get smacked with "oh dang thats REM." or "why do i all of the sudden want to listen to elliot smith?"
Pretty average album. Didn’t have a lot of thoughts during it, so I don’t have much to say other than “Not bad!” I’d listen again.
Didn't really care about this one. It's listenable but just a bit boring and unmemorable. The first couple of songs had me expecting something good out of the album, but they turned out to be the high point of the album and it just kind of descended into a slow and boring drivel. I think I dozed off at times... Not for me. Favourite: Kizza Me
I was disappointed by this album because I remember enjoying their last one but this was too long and not super great overall.
Loved Big Star's first but ho lee shit this is a goddamn mess. Most of these songs are just ...dumb ("Kizza Me" is not a good choice for anything, let alone the first cut). Lost are most of the catchy melodies and good pop rock - 2tf happened? Those were all replaced by mopey bullshit reminiscent of the worst of Lou Reed. aka Lou Reed. At least Alex's voice is a mostly palatable topping. I know I'm not being generous here, as there are a few nice cuts such as "For You" and "Nightie" but does it / do they stick out because of how meandering and dull the rest is? I think so - rhese would/should have been among the lesser cuts on a better album. After one more challenging pass...yeah those are really the only decent ones. This just kept getting worse and by the end it's just an insulting collection of garbage. It may be titled "Third" but "#2 record" would have been more appropriate 3/10 1 star
4.0
Supposedly hyper-influential, I found them to be boring, with sedative qualities.
This album has moments that make you say to yourself “This music is incredible and sounds very ahead of it’s time.” None of these moments include vocals, which detract from each song.
Mid
I usually like power pop but I hated this. It was insufferable, with the only exception being "Till the End of the Day." I'd give it a 1.5 but meh.
As mid as the names and cover art suggest.
It's a very slow album, very discordant, but also very touching. I can see why this is considered an influential album. There's a very disheveled, surreal approach to the music.
I put off listening to this because I wasn't sure I had the patience for something from this era but I surprised myself by really liking it.
It was okay. Probably would be a good show.
Wow, I really disliked this album. It made me angry that no band I was ever in got a record deal.
Now I have heard this often-cited album. And I don't hear what the fuss is about. Perhaps it's because the ground they broke is thoroughly trodden by now, but it's just okay.
Big sad.
More brown dwarf than blue giant
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.
I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS