Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star, not much to be said about Alex Chilton's Big Star. One of the most influential bands of all time, Big Star served as the prime vehicle for Alex Chilton's music, combining british invasion and american sensibilities and adding a dark, nihilistic sense of despondency to create a very singular brand of pop music, one that predicted oncoming alternative culture by at least a decade or so. Whether it was big, shiny choruses or dirge like balladry, Alex Chilton was a master of it all. This is my favourite album of theirs, Third/Sister Lovers.

A band on the brink of disintegration after commercial failure. A genius and troubled songwriter bares his soul for the world to see. This is the sound of fragility, as honestly as was humanly possible from a pop record in 1974, though it wasn't released for another 4 years due to internal issues. Watch in wonder as the world cracks and falls apart at your feet.

this sounds a bit like goodbye
in a way it is, i guess
as i leave your side
i've taken the air, 
take care, please
take care


you're a wasted face, you're a sad-eyed lie

Alec R. Costadinos - Romeo & Juliet

Wut? Cheesy cover? yeah I know. I can't help it. For some reason disco records come with some of the kookiest covers ever. To add to the perplexity of this situation, this is a concept disco album. About Romeo and Juliet. Yeah. 


Couple of things though, objectively speaking - this was made in 1978. Disco gets a lot of unwarranted hate, for reasons that are quite confusing to me at this point - its popularity in the predominantly gay culture pissed off the homophobes (and still do), and its chart topping section of the genre which was at worst, inoffensive (K.C and the Sunshine Band, for example) and at best, decent, caused people to stereotype the whole genre as dismissive. Now, if you applied these standards to rock music, it would be the equivalent of someone hating rock music because of Nickelback and Creed. Disco artists like Moroder and Chic changed the game and were studio innovators - incorporating soul and funk influences to the then contemporary electronic styles. And then you have Costadinos, who released this in '78; this is probably my favourite of the genre in its original form. Stunning production, mind you.

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