Reviews (page 6 of 7)
I just didn’t get this one. It sucks in a way that I often find appealing, but it didnt connect with me in this case. Other than a few exceptions, The songs aren’t memorable, the hooks weren’t catchy, the playing feels amateurish, the production is questionable, and the overal sound just isn’t that interesting. Not irritating but completely forgettable.
I hadn't heard of Big Star at all. Slightly raw and chaotic, with slightly ramshackle vocals and weird experimental recording techniques just poking through. But even before the Femme Fatale cover I was thinking: this does sound a lot like velvet underground with less songs about heroin, and it just gets stronger as the album goes on. Not bad, but I'd rather be listening to the real thing.
I find no redeeming virtue herein. None. Zero. Nada.
Kind of boring. Not that interesting. 2/5 Won’t listen again
😴 2/5
yeah... ok! I liked a couple of these. I could get behind this.
Dang, Third/Sister Lovers. I friggin love Radio City and #1 Record, and I have to assume those are on this list somewhere. But this one is tough. It's a sad, half-cooked mess. With Chris Bell and Andy Hummell gone, this was a different band than those two records, and it almost seemed like Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens had one foot in, one foot out on these sessions... and even they didn't exactly see it as a Big Star record at the time. There's some good stuff here, but if you didn't have the first two albums under your belt, I'd bet you'd wonder what the hell the big deal was about this band. Stroke It Noel, For You, Blue Moon, Thank You Friends, Kizza Me, these all work for me. Mostly nothing else really does, even as "difficult art". Even the semi-catchy single "Jesus Christ" is like... really? Is this a Christian band? WTF is happening here? There's nothing happy about the Big Star story, other than a) Alex Chilton was celebrated 15+ years after Big Star broke up by the Replacements, and had a subsequent reappraisal and could do some victory laps before he passed away, rather than languish in obscurity, and b) that Jody Stephens is (2023-2025) doing gigs as "Those Pretty Wrongs" and writing decent songs. But most of their legacy is based on the first two records, not this one.
Very similar style like Rolling Stones but a little bit borring.
I don't know. nothing to look at here. Move on
3/18, 17%
Wow, the first song on this album is absolutely awful. The next couple aren't great either, but it picks up starting with the Lou Reed/Nico cover and salvages it a bit. Still didn't like it overall, but it felt like an easy 1-star halfway through "Kizza Me". 2.5 stars (After listening, I realized the Spotify version is not the same as the intended album. It's close though and I really don't feel like listening to the real thing after this)
Wow. Kizza Me was really bad and then Jesus Christ was both awesome and bad and then the Femme Fatale cover makes you want to kick this guy's ass. It's like hearing Bread do VU. My day is enriched for having listened to this album but, yeah, it's gonna be a no from me, Simon
Meh
I dont get the Big Star love. Pretty dull stuff
I kind of hated this one, it sounded like half the album was a protracted fade-out. I know the history. But other reviews have called it something great. I’m going to give another listen; for now, it doesn’t work for me.
Ach, das Stimmli isch dänn dünn. Sorry, sicher gueti Musiker, aber es begeischtered mi nöd.
soo mal luegeee I want to feel you deep inside 👍 hahaha nei finds eig na cool hmm big black car und jesus christ findi langwilig femme fatale no en bangeeer OHHHH DANAA, OOOOH DANAAA hahahah joaaa d begeisterig het sich wieder gleit, spötistens bi kanga roo HAHAH wie meinsch bi you can't have me es 3 sekündigs drumsolo mitme fade-out?? take care hani jz eig nomal seehr schön gfunde ah wow scho fertig? o, dana, take care und femme fatale hani no cool gfunde, alles andere isch aber weird oder langwilig :( und luca du hesch scho au recht, weiss au nöd wiso dass das sött uf de liste sii. wiedermal es protest 2?
Third/Sister Lovers is a fascinating mess—more a document of Alex Chilton’s unraveling than a fully realized album. The songs veer between hauntingly beautiful (Nighttime, Take Care) and outright disjointed (Kanga Roo, Downs), with the production often feeling half-finished, as if the band lost interest halfway through recording. While moments of brilliance shine through, the album’s lack of cohesion and its bleak, meandering nature make it a difficult listen. There’s an undeniable rawness here, but rather than feeling like an intentional artistic statement, it comes off more as a band falling apart in real time. A cult curiosity for sure, but not an easy or particularly rewarding experience.
A hot mess of an album that would probably be good for someone whose life was also a hot mess. No real faves but Femme Fatale was recognisable.
"After two commercially unsuccessful albums, Third documents the band's deterioration... " A deterioration from the efforts that resulted in two commercially unsuccessful albums pretty much sums up this album perfectly. It's boring, aggressively unmemorable, it has an apathetic/unimaginative title and pretty crappy vocals. There's also some truly awful songs. This could easily be a 1 star album but it wasn't quite bad enough to stir up hate.
Just kind of boring
Really bored me.
Like the other albums here, there's nothing to brag about, but it could have been worse.
I got nothing from this album
Insipid, a bit dul in parts.
Kind of boring.
Not getting much from this. 2.
This was an album Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5
2.5 Early blueprint for 2000s alt-indie, but just isn't there yet and not really standing out on its own.
eh
Weird sad rock, not for me.
Didn't hate it but didn't like it either
12/26/24. Just okay.
Bland but listenable.
I can see some influences on future bands I would listen to but I couldn’t really get into it, kind of dragged. Quite surprised to find a song in there covered later by the mighty The Family Cat but not sure that was a good enough reason to raise the rating to 3 stars.
Only heard of this band as they are mentioned in a Spiritualized song! I somehow pictured them to be better than this, but sadly none of these songs grabbed me. Maybe it’s a grower?
Ah, the supposed godfathers of melodic indie pop. I’ve listened to them plenty of times to see ‘if I get it yet’. While their first album is kind of OK when they do a sort of thing that sounds like a slowed down Status Quo (which has subsequently been done better e.g. Bandwagonesque). This album pretty much entirely ditched that sound and let’s be honest, this album drags. Not a great vocalist singing some quite dull songs over some dull guitars, and adding a few strings does not shine the turd.
They had lost it by this album, confused as to why it's here. Hopefully earlier stuff appears otherwise it's a travesty
Not very interesting
Listened to it, forgot most of it instantly
这声音真的，一听就杨威
I listened to this once yesterday and struggled as it seemed really bland. I now have to write a review and cannot remember a single note of it which tells you all you need to know.
Primeiras impressões é de que falta a pitada de algo no som. Falta balanço. Já nas segundas impressões, tome cuidado para não dormir... zzz.
Boooooooooooriiiiiiiing
Didn’t finish, didn’t particularly like
Power pop you say? Loved by REM you say? *fires up excitedly" Oh.
Occasionally adding strings/piano/woodwinds to crappy alternative music does very little to make the final product good. The uninspired cover if femme fatale and the fact that there are a ton of different versions of this album with the tracklist shuffled along makes me question the integrity of this as an album-listening experience. Not great. 2/5
This album didn’t leave much of an impression on me. Up until this point, I was only familiar with their song used for That 70s Show. As the album progressed, I thought wow I think maybe I like some of this slower stuff more. And by the end I couldn’t wait to get through the slower stuff. It wasn’t terrible but I’m not sure I really liked any of it.
songs mit singer/songwriter-charme, viel piano.. schlussendlich dann aber kein highlight, welches bleibt.
Not sure
I was quite disappointed by this album. Never even heard of Big Star. The first song was garbage. A few gems saves this album from being a total disaster. Looks like I’ll be forgetting this album. 2 stars for “Third/Sister Lovers”.
Bizarre christian stuff I don't get it. Also, if you're going to cover the Velvet Underground do something interesting.
Couldn’t get into this at all, slow folksy crap
Hmm. I don't know what to say about this one. I just wasn't feeling it. I listened to the version with 19 tracks, but I don't believe I'd like the shorter tracklist any better. The lyrics cheesed me out far too often. Even on the song I liked best, Nightime, we have "Glanced in your eyes and fell through the skies" which is lovely, but then there's "And when I set my eyes on you, you look like a kitty" which - blech. Enjoyed the uncredited SpongeBob feature at the end of Thank You Friends.
Melko löysä levy, en juurikaan tykännyt. 2/5
Big Star is not great. There is a reason they weren't a big band.
My reaction to this album might be negative because of other things going on in my life, bur this guy’s voice really grinds my gears.
Getting bogged down by dull lyrics and poor mixing seems like just the surface for this one. It’s full of mostly boring, generic 70s rock besides the last couple of tracks which seemingly save it a bit. Regardless of which came first, this feels like it walked so Bread and the likes could run. There’s so many other albums of this era with a similar sound that do it better.
I can see how they might have influenced a number of later indie bands and a couple of songs weren't bad, but overall no a great album.
Was ok - prob will not listen again
This album made me realize that maybe I don't like Big Star as much as I thought.
I found this album to be pretty blah! I listened to it twice just to make sure. 2 stars for nature boy (one for each listen)
Big Star's Third(/Sister Lovers) is a big mess. The behind-the-scenes drama impacted this album, and not in a good way like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Third lacks cohesion, like the album was shoved together recklessly. There are hints of a new sound--I guess that's in part to the experimental nature. Not a chore to listen to necessarily, but not an enjoyable listen either. Sometimes you just don't understand why an album has cult status.
This album was not hard to listen to, and yet somehow still underwhelming. The chaotic state of the band and the unwell mental state of the lead singer shows, in my opinion. Most of the album seemed to be pervaded by a general lack of interest from the band. Even though the band was falling apart, figuratively and mentally, some people seem to like this album for that very reason. Looking at this album as an art study case, I can understand the draw to this , but actually liking it BECAUSE it's a train wreck of an album seems a bit foolish.
Etwas seicht.
Jaa-a ganska forgettable, vissa bra låtar
Really boring
Heh perus setit tässö perus koiranpaskat polulla
A cut price Velvet Underground. Cruel but true.
This made for a rather slow start to my day. I liked the strings on “for you”, and there were some other flashes here and there. Based on the street cred this artist gets in some circles, I’ll give it another spin at some point and check out their first two albums. 2.5/5
Could not get into this at all. Very meh.
Kind of sounded like a Thin Lizzy rip-off for the first several tracks. Couldn’t get into it. But a dear friend of mine says I need to give their earlier albums a try. So I shall, but this record gets a low score. 2.25/5
Pretty. But I’m very bored listening to this.
I liked #1 Record but it's fair to say I didn't really 'get' this one. There are some pretty ballads and, sure, there's an audible atmosphere of stark despondency that you don't hear too often. But just because the singer was tortured doesn't make the album a work of tortured genius.
Not feeling this one
Bout a week straight of ass albums lol
Jangly twaddling. The strings on “For You” are nice though.
Eh, kinda boring and generic. I really liked "Holocaust" (for the love of God please do not take that out of context), that was a beautifully haunting song, but other than that this was really uninteresting.
Just full and uninspired
Another odd album. Mostly slow ballads with piano, but with a couple of rock songs thrown in. I wish they had leaned more into the rock stuff, I liked it a lot more.
I did not like this. Poorly executed, sappy nonsense.
I don't know... I wasn't feeling this. It felt like an overcooked noodle of rock.
Ik ben in slaap gevallen tijdens dit album. Was dat de bedoeling? Want dan was dit beter dan Shleep van meneer Wyatt. Wat is dit ongelooflijk saaie muziek zeg... Nightime vat dit album het allerbeste samen: "Get me out of here.. Get me out of here.. I hate it here" En eerlijk; ik ben het hier volledig mee eens, wat een saaie muziek en wat een saai album. 1 ster? Dat nog net niet, want het is wel gewoon muziek en niet onluisterbaar, maar wat zitten ze er dicht in de buurt! FAVO: Het dutje dat ik tijdens dit album heb gedaan
I see the connection to later music (R.E.M., maybe 'emo' like Sunny Day Real Estate) but I think my appreciation of this stops at 'influential'. This felt like listening to a hangover.
This felt like an almost less than basic rock album. I see it’s on a bunch of lists but I’m not sure why. Maybe because of it tracking the downfall of the band and singer. People love watching car crashes.
Yeesh. I think we had another from Big Star, and it was pretty good from what I recall. This one though, no thanks. Very whiny, grating vocals, music feels unfocused. I liked the cover of "Femme Fatale," the voice fit that one, did NOT like the cover of "Nature Boy," that's an atrocity compared to the likes of Nat King Cole. I don't know man, generic '70s rock from a band apparently in decline. Doesn't need to be here in my opinion. Favorite tracks: Femme Fatale (yeah, not a good look when the only song I like on your album is a cover). Album art: A bunch of ladies laying in a sort of sun or star pattern on a beach. Think this was a reissue cover too, the original is just two guys. I read that the name "Sister Lovers" was maybe a band name change they were contemplating because the two dudes were dating girls who were sisters. No idea, too much lore for an album I'll never listen to again. 2/5
Not sure about how I feel when I listen to this. 2/5
Mmm it’s just barely okay. Nighttime and Blue Moon turned the rating around for me a bit.
Uninspired, mediocre, boring, middle-of-the-road, basic, pedestrian, unexeptional... Do you get the idea? And that cover is ugly beyond words. "Hey man, what did the graphic designer propose for the cover? The ugliest fonts known to man, nice! And oh, what a great idea, yeah, let's put the same photo twice!"
Not bad but generic. 2 stars
Velvet Underground cover was pretty good - but Femme Fatale is just not the same without Nico’s pronunciation of “clown” - otherwise pretty forgettable.
I found this one largely unremarkable
Not 1001 worthy.
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
This has been on my list for a while. Not bad.
ok, aber nicht brauschend, rock, kl. gesxhw. von..
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Can’t get behind the lead singer’s voice. Waited for it to be done.
Mediocre, no standouts and just felt old and not very special
There were a couple good songs, but overall this was kind of a mess
I don’t know what this is… the lyrics and the vocals ouffff
Meh
Meh.
Very different to the other album from Big Star I've had, and much worse.
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
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.
Some decent songs but a lot of songs that sounded like the band wandered into the studio hammered and didn’t bother editing.
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.
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
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
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
Похоже местами на Radiohead, только, в отличии от них, это какое-то унылое говно.
What a mess. It had its moments, but most of the time I felt like turning it off.
zzzzzz
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.
There were a couple songs I liked but didn’t like most honestly. Rating: 2.4
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"
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.
Singer is talented but the melancholy is never ending.
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.
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.
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
Power pop. Rollo. Un 2.
Meh album, interesting listen Top tracks: Blue Moon, Till The End Of The Day
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.
Not feeling this one. Holocaust was a decent song, but the others weren't really my thing at all.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ei toimi, ei edess vähää alusta.
Ei jäänyt mieleen erityisesti. Paikoin muistan ärsyyntyneen
Not the best big star...I really like the earlier stuff but could pass on most of this. 2/5
not much that i liked. pretty boring stuff. 5/10
Ett rungande Jaså!?
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?
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.
I understand its cult, but its bland cult
Very meh.
Nothing interesting
Meh
it was fine
I can’t even remember listening to this but I think it was ok
Mid.
Eh.
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.
2/5 kind of disturbing, I didn't like it.
Just okay
Really dreary
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.
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.
This is the most boring glam rock album ever.
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.
Supposedly hyper-influential, I found them to be boring, with sedative qualities.
Mid
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.
More brown dwarf than blue giant
Completely and totally forgettable. Just who cares - horrid singing. 4/10
Not what I expected but mostly pretty boring and moody to me.
Ennen kaikkea tämä levy on outo. Silloinkin kun kappaleet ovat tavanomaisia, mukana on jokin kummallinen elementti: kumeus, kaiku, luonnoton värinä laulajan äänessä. Missään nimessä biisimateriaali ei ole kummoista. En siltikään ole valmis tuomitsemaan tätä lopullisesti. Onko levyn saundi "vanginut" minut, vai pidänkö vain Alex Chiltonista, koska Replacements teki hänestä keskitason hittibiisin?
Boring.
- doesn’t feel like anything special - Femme Fatale is a fantastic song
Ging volledig aan mij voorbij, maar als ik dan Arie's reactie hierop leest, krijg ik 't gevoel dat ik nog eens moet proberen. Maar in lijn met de eerste draaibeurt 2 minzame sterretjes voor nu dan.
Dit zou dan de grote inspirator van REM en Posies zijn geweest. Je hoort het ergens wel, maar dan draai net zo lief voorgenoemde bands.
Not in Apple Music. Listened through YouTube. Pretty sappy music. It has a 60's vibe. Not my fave.
Just didn't do anything for me. Pretty uninteresting and unremarkable.
Femme fatale is slower than I thought, but very beautiful sung
The vocals grew on me a bit as it went on and I appreciate the sparseness and delicacy of everything but yeah, it seemed pretty underdeveloped and just not too engaging. I gave up part way through and relistened to E.MO.TION instead and that fucking slaps
Man this one did not connect. Just felt kinda bland throughout. Cant remember a single part of it, except I recognized the Femme Fatale cover, but only because I got that Velvet Underground album like 2 weeks ago. So not bad per say, but immediately forgettable
I listened to this about three times and can't remember a thing about it now. Not for me, but I can see how it might be considered influential.
meh
Sounds like it quickly became irrelevant. Found the vocals whiney and backing tracks plodding. Village fayre album.
It’s very apparent that it’s un-finished. I just didn’t appreciate the music like I see that others do. Too many slow sad songs, but not in a good way.
Side A: Kizza Me: This is just an ok track. Thank You Friends: Ok but I couldn't pay full attention to it beacuse I was looking at a gc argument. Big Black Car: It started off different and I realized that it sounded like something Lana Del Rey would make and that made me appreciate it. Jesus Christ: It's lyrics are a little on the nose but it does have good production. (Note: I just found what Thank You Friends is about and I think I might relisten to it after the album) Side B: Femme Fatale: It has a good style but it really doesn't stick out to me O, Dana: I love this bop Holocaust: Wow, just wow Kanga Roo: Sounds like a 70s song (I am running out of things to say) Okay now I stop giving track reviews for every track. Okay For You sounds good. I actually love this production for You Can't Have Me. Now its my favorite. On to Side D. FINALLY another good track (I'm referring to Til The End Of The Day). What is going on in Downs. Finally I am done. 2/5
first time listening
Not my cup of tea
I don't know, man. Maybe the band was right. Maybe this didn't need to be released. I can see why they lost interest in finishing this album. It's mostly uninteresting.
This album was kind of all over the place - several songs were super rough and seemed almost unfinished - and stylistically there was a lot going on. Though a couple of the songs were solid, it ultimately didn't cohesively impress me
I can't really put into words why I didn't like this but something was just off about the album.
If I were depressed and high all the time I think I could vibe with this.
Another 70s rock band nobody’s heard of. No thanks.
I don’t have an issue with Big Star as a band. Thirteen is a great folk tune, and #1 Record is a solid album all the way around. But this album is a snoozer that in between blatant attempts to sound like Zeppelin, offers nothing of interest. At most, some tracks here could be considered influential on modern folk rock bands, but at worst, I’m struggling to retain interest in songs comparing a dead mother to the death of 6 million people. Nature Boy cover is solid though.
Big 2-Star Energy.
It was okay
Luisterbaar en niet tergend maar niet meer dan dat
the definition of skippable
14th April 2023 Listened in the afternoon having a mega chill work day / watching movies. Out in the evening with Tess and Ollie to the Mexican place in Stroud. Did not get this. Sounded like a weak version of the Shins.
They were apparently Grammy award winning,I'd never heard of them. The album was alright but it felt very generic.
Not bad overall, but there are a couple of horrible, horrible tracks (Kizza Me for instance.)
Feel like this album is somewhat overrrated for what it is. It takes from the velvet underground and the stones and tries to be a darker deeper album from the 70s. I don’t really enjoy any of the songs and probably won’t revisit them. It has done decent instrumentals and overall sound but there’s just too many albums from that era that did it better. 5.3/10
Aparte muziek. Sommige up-tempo nummers zijn wel aardig, mar ook veel nummers zijn wat slaapverwekkend. **
Pretty dang bland. 4/10
Not really my thing. It's not bad, I just can't get into it. There aren't many unique details. Also not a fan of the album cover. Fave track(s): Big Black Car, Take Care
Third/Sister Lovers is pretty one-speed moody indie from a long time before it became a think. A little glam too, 2/5.
Probably a bit ahead of its time - it sounds like not very good Radiohead, which is impressively forward for 1978, but ultimately it's not that good. Vocals are okay, a bit strained, lyrics are pretty dull, and there's not much going on musically to grab your attention. Not unpleasant, 2/5.
a big step down from other early 70s rock group 2.5
Fav Song: Nightime
I'm beginning to start thinking maybe I don't even like music. I don't get it. This just doesn't click with me and he whimpers more than he sings. Maybe it's just his voice I don't enjoy, whatever, I won't be adding this to my collection.
Ça me fait penser à Velvet Underground (pas juste à cause de Femme fatale), mais le ton geignard et plus convenu me laisse froide
Slow and corny feeling for my taste.
This was a little dreary for many songs. Also spotify didn't have all the songs. I preferred the first Big Star album.
I found very little to enjoy in this album.
Dit album ontbreekt wat enthousiasme. De integere songs waren saai, de opgewekte misten 'schwung'
American Cult act with definitive British Invasion era influences. A rebellious structure in musicality.
Perfectly competent, but I'm struggling to find the appeal. It's just boring. 2/5
There's so much better music to represent the genre and the period than this bland and uninspiring album.
Garden variety talentless crap. Usually when I say "what's this in the list for?" it's because I hate the album. But this... is too bland to hate. Or like. I couldn't imagine anyone going UGGHHH THIS IS THE WORST THING EVER any more than OMG FINALLY A REASON TO LIVE. Maybe if the whole album was on spotify and I'd had to hear all 55min I would have had stronger feelings. At ~30min it was just mildly boring. 2/5.
It was okay. Not gonna go back to it
I didn't hate it
Not my cup of tea
Not a huge fan of this album at all.
Like if all the Beatles were sad
meh, pas mon style, titre 1 = bon morceau
AllMusic's retrospective review of the album gave it five stars calling it a "shambling wreck of an album" while at the same time "among the most harrowing experiences in pop music; impassioned, erratic, and stark" and "the slow, sinking sound of a band falling apart". Yep, that's pretty much what it sounds like
Yet another case of a band/album, that is on the list due to 'innovation', or a historical context. Big Star is apparently a big influence to a myriad of Alternative pop/rock bands of 90s, so as a precursor to a whole generation, it is celebrated now across the world (the world of critics, at least). My problem with this album is that whenever a record is on this list because of the musical context, it doesn't have any standalone power. It is a very bland album, just with a new concept, or a new way of post-production. This is the case with Third/Sister Lovers. After listening to whole album I am not able to pinpoint anything I liked. Or even anything that pick up my attention. I can agree that songs sounded very modern, not like made in 90s, but that doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't listen to it right now. I'll leave it to professional critics howmuch this band change the course of musical history, but for my amateur-self, it is a very boring album.
I feel the need to specify that Big Star's third album (aptly named Third), has had a few different releases with different tracklists over the years. Looking iy up in the book, 1001 specifically calls on the 1992 release which has 19 tracks total. This version, sadly, is not available on Spotify. I'll be listening to a copy of the 1992 release that I've found myself. This is a very strange album for Big Star. Recording was marred with issues as the band fell apart. The original 1978 release was completely macgyvered from the tapes acquired by PVC. Listening to the 1992 version, it still feels like a mess. Some parts of the albums have lots of strings which, while adding a certain dramatic flair, do little to enhance the songs. Other songs feel somewhat incomplete or lack a proper ending. Normally I would chalk this up to creative decisions, but given the history surrounding this album I would be hesitant to do so. It's a shame because these songs are still good. Alex Chilton is an amazing song writer, we know this from Big Star's previous two albums. While I can recommend those wholeheartedly, I'm not sure I can say the same for Third. Third should be left as a sort of black sheep for fans who are already familiar with Big Star. I tend to take issue with albums that are messy like this, so I'll be giving it a harsh rating, but don't let it deter you from enjoying it.
A few songs were missing from Spotify but I definitely got the jist. Completely unfocused and all over the place. Some pretty cool moments, but still a mess overall. Also not a fan of the vocals.
It sounds like a half-finished jumble. I know that’s sort of because it was, but it doesn’t really excuse the fact it’s a bit all over the place.
This one didn’t do much for me.
Did I really need to hear this before I die?
Not my fav
God this was boring and whiny. I did not enjoy this album at all.
This album was putting me to sleep until Nature Boy came on and then I wanted to watch Moulin Rouge. I was really not into this album
Genre: Pop Rock 2/5 Big Star, led by guitarist/vocalist Alex Chilton, who in his own right was a figurehead amongst many who succeeded in the 80s rock scene, made this album we have here. This particular release is a deluxe reissue, with some bonus tracks thrown in at the end, I guess as some sort of treat for us listeners. Unfortunately for us listeners, this thing is a mess. And not in a cleverly produced, well-written, White Album kind of way. The album, which is sequenced slighty differently than it was upon its initial release, jumps between soft, gentle ballads to erratic, unfinished-sounding jams at the flip of a coin. There are moments of tranquil and beauty here, For You and Nighttime stand out, and moments where the instruments go on much more interesting tangents than what the song was originally doing, like You Can't Have Me, which had some great drum breaks. But the overwhelming majority of the songs sound like Chilton is just not giving a shit. Bad singing, inconsistent songwriting, and a project that even without the bonus tracks feels too long. Days of Future Passed is not in this book. Albums like this remind me of that fact.
Disco muy raro, de esos que no tienen sentido de estar en la lista. El sonido es a veces de banda setentera y a veces de alternativo de los noventa, pero en definitiva nada memorable. Next!
big star gets two star on thars
Low key bland indie.
This hasn't left much of an impression on me and I've attempted to get through it a few times. Confusing really. I think just a bit beige rock.
I just found this a bit dull, nothing much going on. Sometimes I like that really simple, stripped back rock ballad stuff but usually it has to come as a one off amongst so really good stuff and this didn't have enough good stuff.
these guys were depressed. Couldn't listen to the whole album bc parts weren't available. Not bad though but not my fav
I found it a bit underwhelming. The singer does not sound very confident in himself I probably could enjoy a couple of these songs on their own, but as a collection it's just a bit too much Also what a lame cover of Femme Fatale lol
"Kizza Me" is really fucking bad. But from there on it's ok. I always loved "Nature Boy" but they don't quite do it justice on this one. Eh ok, but I need a little more time.
Classic 70s but just too depressing for me
Kinda dull, I don't get it. Femme Fatale was a nice track, which surprised me, so I googled it and it turns out they didn't even write that one
#1 Record is a good album. This is not. I tuned out when they started singing about Jesus.
Not a bad time but nothing wowed me.
Some interesting textures and ideas here and there, but not nearly enough to unify these scattershot tracks into a cohesive whole.
Nothing exceptional. Voice didnt do it for me.
Það er einhver kaos tilfinning í þessari plötu. Áhugaverð, en þarf ekkert að hlusta aftur.
4/10. Based on the first song, this album is not worth the additional hassle of not being on spotify and having different song orders for several different releases… Overall, I don't love the singer's voice, and while the music is not as boring as it could have been for an album of this length, it is not really pleasant to listen to either.
A lot of drivelers. This sort of vocals in particular are not too appealing
I want to feel you deep inside. Given the names of some of the songs (Holocaust), I was expecting more than soft rock pop. If it was a sexual experience, it'd be premature ejaculation followed by uncontrollable weeping and deep shame.
Wee bit disappointed. No real grinders to be had here
I was not familiar with any of the songs. I was familiar with the band. Some decent songs. Some songs were just meh.
What a mess. Apparently there are two similarly named albums? It's listenable, but not memorable. It's one long... expansive album.
I'd rather die than listen to this again
This is the third album from Big Star and it's a pop album that documents the decline of the band. This album became far more popular - a cult classic even - years after release when it was re-released multiple times. It is beautiful but haunting, personal & experimental, but also erratic and impassioned. Critics described the album as the sounds of a band sinking and slowly falling apart, which I agree with. It makes a great "heart break" album. The album is not horrible, but you can tell something was off during recording.
Nope
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.
Eh.
Pretty unmemorable
I liked the song that was in Moulin rouge but not really the others.
Based on when this album came out, I can hear how it is part of the continued evolution of many sub-genres of rock. It's got a late 60's rock sound to it but also sounds a bit precursive to some "alt-rock" styles. Very talented band, but I'm not a fan of the vocals and this is not the kind of music I would like to listen to regularly.
Ganske lite minneverdig poprock.
Mediocre 70s Garage rock and balladeering. Not special.
Actually listenable. Different sounds/styles, not great though, almost 3 star
Sin pena no gloria
Discovered a song from Mouling Rouge, which was cool, the rest was meh though.
En Spotify no está completo y tal cual lo enlaza la lista tampoco está en Youtube Music, así que lo escuché mezclando canciones de las dos plataformas. Big Star es uno de esos grupos del que todos los entendidos hablan y que en general nunca tuvo éxito. Este disco supongo que es un buen ejemplo de ellos. Está bien, tiene canciones bonitas pero no termina de ser gran cosa. Lo siento pero para mí es un disco normalito.
Kinda cool 70s/80s type rock vibe
People really talk up Big Star and their stature, but I just don't get it. It's... fine?
Didn’t really do it for me
Surprised how much this sux
I'm sorry, but I've never heard of "Big Star," so I'm skeptical about the "big" part. Okay, maybe it was more popular in the US, I don't know. The album and the songs don't really make a big impression on me. The singer's voice is really weak, and I don't know, more like detached. The song "Downs" on the album is simply awful. The "cult album" status, as Wikipedia calls it, completely escapes me. But oh well, that's the nice thing here: you get to know unknown bands and artists, hear new music, and even get to rate it. In conclusion, I'll give it one star for the attempt at recording an album.
this is not good
Olvidable, ¿Qué me hiciste escuchar?
What is this mess? Sure, Big Star eventually make some nice music, but none of it is on this album. Is this a collection of demos or a production release? Blimey! Hated it. 1 star.
It sounds like this album was shelved because it sucked and the band was falling apart. Then someone decided to release it years later. Shelving it was the correct thing to do. This album is half bad and half terrible. 1.5