Alex Chilton is typically viewed as the main creative force within Big Star, but for my money the late Chris Bell is the guy who made the band good. Big Star's music went south after Bell left, becoming heavier, less poppy, and more experimental and fragmentary (which is to say more druggy). Part of my admiration for Bell admittedly comes from the fascination I have with the secondary figures in pop and my soft spot for tragic figures more generally. The harrowing liner notes for the posthumously released I am the Cosmos, written by Bell's older Brother, reveal that, while Bell was obviously deeply troubled - a clinically depressed heroin addicted Jesus guy - he was also a soft-spoken gentle soul who became overwhelmed by Chilton's more aggressive, mercurial personality. Tonight's song shows what Bell was capable of without Chilton. It's one of the most amazing tributes to the Beatles I've ever heard (and is actually mixed by Geoff Emerick). Bell's feel for subtle hooks are on full display, along with his gift for melding his solemn outlook on life to gorgeously piercing melodies. It's definitely not the perky, light 'n airy side of power pop. The refrain that closes the song - I'd really like to see you again - caps off a deeply haunting listening experience, one that'll have you marveling at the way Bell transforms his inner torment into sublime pop art...
I absolutely love Chris Bell. His solo album is one of my favorites of all time, alongside all the Big Star albums. I wish he would have continued to play with Big Star but it seems like he had too many personal hardships and didn't see the band going anywhere at the time... It's terribly tragic that he didn't live to see the band receive any real praise- I wish he would have known that the group became so incredibly important. I think he would have been happy to know that the band rose from obscurity in the '80s and are now considered "essential listening" for basically anyone who likes good music...
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