Big Star - #1 Record (Remastered 2024) (1972) [Hi-Res]

Stroke It, Noel: Big Star’s THIRD in Concert celebrates the musical legacy of one of rock’s most influential bands – Big Star – and their legendary Third album. Experience this classic of late ’70s power pop through the prism of a collective of immensely talented fans, including members of Wilco, R.E.M., Yo La Tengo, and, of course, Big Star.

The band’s devastatingly beautiful third album has long been revered by artists and critics as one of the most influential records ever produced. Written and recorded when the Memphis band was primarily a studio project, consisting only of guitarist Alex Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens, Third (or Sister Lovers, as it was alternatively known) had never been performed in public with the original string and wind arrangements. That changed in 2010, following Chilton’s untimely death, when friends and fans assembled from far and wide to play a fully-orchestrated gig in the artist’s honor. From there, the core players took the show on the road internationally, enlisting guest stars and orchestras in each city, and performing not only songs from Third, but also material from Big Star’s first two albums, #1 Record and Radio City.

Recorded at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA in April of 2015, this 2-LP album features songs recorded for the original Third album, performed by Big Star’s Jody Stephens with members of the dB's, the Heartbreakers, Let's Active, the Old Ceremony, the Posies, R.E.M., Semisonic, Wilco, and Yo La Tengo, with special guests Kronos Quartet, Skylar Gudasz, Brett Harris, Robyn Hitchcock, Blake Mills, and Jessica Pratt. The LP also includes six previously unreleased bonus tracks, including Chilton’s hit single with The Box Tops, “The Letter” and The Kinks’ classic song, “Till The End of The Day.”