Big Star - Big Star Live

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Music reviews of Big Star Live

Music Review: Legendary live recording finally reissued!
Rating: 5 Stars

Of the 12 musical tracks here, I am, initially at least, more drawn to the acoustic performances, that has Chilton just singing along with his own guitar playing. "The Ballad of El Goodo" "Thirteen" "I'm in Love With a Girl" and the previously unreleased cover of Loudon Wainwright's "Motel Blues" all feature very emotional, affecting vocals. Chilton's vocals are all the more highlighted for the lack of the studio's backing voices. The segue back into the full band (with "In the Street") sounds a bit like a tape-edit, but it's still a very effective transition, from the light acoustic blues to the great intro electric lead.

What at first seemed like a very ragged band sound on the electric tracks has settled more in my ears. After having listened to the studio versions of these tracks for so many years, it's taking awhile to adjust to hearing them played and sung any differently. But it's worth it: they're the same songs I've known and love for a long time, yet they're different enough to be a new experience. Chilton's emotional emotion-charged vocals (e.g., on "You Get You Deserve", among others) really pushes the songs to a new place. Some of the musical breaks (like the extended guitar jam on "She's a Mover") also change the songs in unexpected ways.

I think part of Robert Gordon's liner notes capture the essence of this disc quite well:

"You find an old picture of your lover. It dates from before you'd met, and though you'd heard about this period in his or her life, seeing it adds a whole new dimension to the person who sits across from you at the breakfast table. You study the photograph and its wrinkles, looking for clues that might tell you more about this friend you know so well--can you see anything in the pockets of that jacket, can you read any book titles on the shelf in the background. You think about an archeologist's work. When you next see your lover, you're struck by things you'd never noticed. The skin tone, the facial radiance--though the lamps in your house are all the same and the sun does not appear to be undergoing a supernova, he or she carries a different light. As strikingly similar as the way your lover has always appeared, he or she is also that different. You shrug and smile. Whatever has happened, you like it.

"That's what this recording is about."

Good (FM in-studio quality) sound, a ragged but energetic performance, and great songs. Five big stars.

Description of Big Star Live

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock