Although Big Star were together for less than four years in the mid-1970s and had little commercial success, their influence reaches far and wide. In an era of glam and prog rock, they were addictive, radio-friendly pop tunes. Their records literally changed people's lives---including those of artists as diverse as Nirvana, REM, The Bangles, The Replacements, Wilco, The Dream Syndicate, The Shins, The Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Jeff Buckley, and Garbage. Alex Chilton had believed that he would become a big star; when he didn't, he engaged in a sort of musical self-sabotage. His co leader, Chris bell, died in a car crash after releasing the devastatingly sad single "I Am the Cosmos".
Drawing on new interviews with the band, family members, friends, and the major players at Ardent Studios in Memphis, this is the definitive story of Big Star, from their boyhood to their reunion tours. |
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