A little Big Star

Paul Westerberg half sings, half croaks, "I never travel far, without a little Big Star" on the Replacements (tribute) song 'Alex Chilton' from their 1987 Pleased To Meet Me album. I can certainly see why he wouldn't want to. Big Star were an amazing, neglected 70s rock band from Memphis, TN and with the recent release of the Keep An Eye on the Sky box set, Big Star's name should be cemented in the skulls of rock fans far 'n wide for certain now. Similarly, Chris Bell and Alex Chilton should be taking their seats in the group photo for best songwriting duo(s) of all time. Ok, that probably won't happen, but maybe it should and the revision of history can begin with us, you and me. Ringing and chiming guitars, towering and crumbling bombast, fragile acoustic songs, it's all there. For a few short years and three albums, they were as simultaneously desperate and hopeful as any rock band on the planet. I've been on a steady diet of Big Star since this box set was released and I figure it's past time I spread the word so that somebody can join me. There's been so much written about them already that I couldn't top, I'll get you started with a couple of
reviews.