Big Star Vinyl Records

Although the original members of the Memphis quartet Big Star recorded only the album, #1 Record together and were dissolving rapidly by the time the second, Radio City, was completed, those records have influenced countless 80s and 90s rockers on both sides of the Atlantic, from the Replacements and R.E.M. to Englands Primal Scream and Scotlands Teenage Fanclub. That Big Stars impact should extend so far afield is less surprising in light of the bands own inspirations. Taking the gritty soul of Memphis rhythm and blues and fusing it with the artful melodies and vocal harmonies of British power pop, and injecting it all with a flailing, pre-punk, garage-band energy, Big Star created a unique sound with a universal appeal.

Originally released in 1972, Big Star's legendary debut, #1 Record was the second release for the newly formed Ardent Records. Their simple, light pop and jangly guitars mixed with sweet harmonies was ahead of its time, garnering a die-hard cult following and receiving widespread critical acclaim. A remarkable document of innovative craft and content!

Track Listing:
1. Feel
2. The Ballad of el Goodo
3. In the Street
4. Thirteen
5. Don't Lie to Me
6. The India Song
7. When My Baby's Beside Me
8. My Life Is Right
9. Give Me Another Chance
10. Try Again
11. Watch the Sunrise
12. ST 100/6

Also known as Sister Lovers, Big Star's legendary third album has been released and re-released countless times around the world with different track listings, different mixes, and different cover art. Now for the first time since it's debut release in 1978 is a re-release of the vinyl LP with the original cover art, including the inner sleeve with the complete detailed liner notes and the original mixes and track listing. The master tape coming directly from Ardent Studios provides the highest sound quality of this vinyl classic -- available as it was first released for the first time in 28 years.

Track Listing:
1. Stroke It Noel
2. For you
3. Kizza Me
4. You can't Have Me
5. Nightime
6. Blue Moon
7. Take Care
8. Jesus Christ
9. Femme Fatale
10. O, Dana
11. Big Black Car
12. Holocaust
13. Kangaroo
14. Thank You Friends

For the past year, Chilton had been strapped in a creative, professional, and personal straitjacket. He was the lead singer of a million-selling band, The Box Tops, but felt like little more than a puppet of the groups producers. In the era of free love, hed been pressured into a shotgun marriage and fatherhood. And hed ultimately come to see himself as the pawn of an unscrupulous business machine, sent to grind it out on the road in a series of silly lip-synched TV performances and one-night stands while someone else cashed his checks.

As he entered the studio that summer to make his first solo recordings, the man who would come to define the very spirit of musical independence was still bound in chains. At a time where liberation and self-expression were rallying cries, Alex Chilton was about to break free. Free Again: The "1970" Sessions features the first solo recordings from Chilton post-Box Tops, pre-Big Star mixed and engineered by Terry Manning.

Track Listing:
1. Free Again (original mono mix)
2. I Can Dig It
3. Something Deep Inside
4. Just To See You
5. The EMI Song (Smile For Me)
6. All I Really Want Is Money
7. Come On Honey
8. I Wish I Could Meet Elvis
9. Every Day As We Grow Closer/Funky National
10. The Happy Song
11. Jumpin' Jack Flash
12. All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain (previously unissued)

Bell died tragically in a car crash in 1978, and only one single ('I Am The Cosmos'/'You And Your Sister') was released in his lifetime, on Chris Stamey's tiny Car label. Both single sides are included here, along with newly-discovered alternate takes. The fifteen tracks highlight Bell's ethereal vocals, his uncanny sense of song structure and insightful, melancholy lyrics, all of which illuminate his often-overlooked contribution to Big Star. I AM THE COSMOS features rare photographs and liner notes by Chris's brother David Bell. Recorded all over the world (including sessions at the famed Chateau D'Heurville and Air studios), I AM THE COSMOS is a haunting pop masterpiece ripe for discovery.

Track Listing:
1. I Am The Cosmos
2. Better Save Yourself
3. Speed Of Sound
4. Get Away
5. You And Your Sister
6. Make A Scene
7. Look Up
8. I Got Kinda Lost
9. There Was A Light
10. Fight At The Table
11. I Don't Know
12. Though I Know She Lies

2011’s RSD saw an Omnivore vinyl reissue of the “test pressing” of Big Star’s 1975 swansong Third, meticulously recreated right down to the master tape box and tracking sheets. Early in 2012, the band’s frontman Alex Chilton was celebrated via the label’s release of Free Again: The 1970 Sessions. Now, Omnivore is handling the soundtrack to the Magnolia Pictures documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, and it will premiere as a RSD-exclusive yellow double vinyl edition limited to 4,000 copies worldwide. The 2012 SXSW Film Festival selection tells the story of the ultimate cult band, a group that never saw any considerable commercial success but influenced an entire generation of pop musicians. Nothing Can Hurt Me chronicles Alex Chilton’s ascent to fame…

As lead singer of The Box Tops through the recording of Big Star’s three albums, to the 1978 death of Chilton’s collaborator Chris Bell.

The 21 previously unreleased tracks on the soundtrack’s four vinyl sides encompass vintage unissued mixes, alternate takes, demos, and new mixes made for the motion picture of Big Star, Chilton and Bell songs. The soundtrack includes 21 previously unheard period mixes, new mixes made specifically for the film, and alternate takes and demos. For the limited, first-edition RSD pressing, the 2-LP set will be released on 180-gram RTI HQ translucent yellow vinyl, with mastering by Larry Nix at L. Nix Mastering. The project was overseen by the documentary’s executive producer, John Fry, at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis.

Track Listing:
LP1
1. My Soul (Demo, 1973)
2. Give Me Another Chance (Control Room Monitor Mix 1972)
3. In The Street (Movie Mix, 2012)
4. When My Baby's Beside Me (Alternate Mix 1972)
5. Studio Banter (1972)
6. Try Again (Movie Mix, 2012) - Rock City
7. My Life Is Right (Alternate Mix, 1972)
8. The Ballad Of El Goodo (Alternate Mix, 1972)
9. Feel (Alternate Mix, 1972)
10. Don't Lie To Me (Alternate Mix, 1972)
11. Way Out West (Alternate Mix)

LP2
1. Thirteen (Alternate Mix, 1972)
2. You Get What You Deserve (Alternate Mix, 1972)
3. Holocaust (Rough Mix, 1974)
4. Kanga Roo (Rough Mix, 1974)
5. Stoke It Noel (Backward Intro, 1974)
6. Big Black Car (Rough Mix, 1974)
7. Better Save Yourself (Movie Mix, 2012) - Chris Bell
8. I Am The Cosmos (Movie Mix, 2012) - Chris Bell
9. All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain (Movie Mix, 2012) - Alex
10. September Gurls (Movie Mix, 2012)

As lead singer of The Box Tops through the recording of Big Star’s three albums, to the 1978 death of Chilton’s collaborator Chris Bell.

The 21 previously unreleased tracks on the soundtrack’s four vinyl sides encompass vintage unissued mixes, alternate takes, demos, and new mixes made for the motion picture of Big Star, Chilton and Bell songs. The soundtrack includes 21 previously unheard period mixes, new mixes made specifically for the film, and alternate takes and demos.

Track Listing:
LP1
1. My Soul (Demo, 1973)
2. Give Me Another Chance (Control Room Monitor Mix 1972)
3. In The Street (Movie Mix, 2012)
4. When My Baby's Beside Me (Alternate Mix 1972)
5. Studio Banter (1972)
6. Try Again (Movie Mix, 2012) - Rock City
7. My Life Is Right (Alternate Mix, 1972)
8. The Ballad Of El Goodo (Alternate Mix, 1972)
9. Feel (Alternate Mix, 1972)
10. Don't Lie To Me (Alternate Mix, 1972)
11. Way Out West (Alternate Mix)

LP2
1. Thirteen (Alternate Mix, 1972)
2. You Get What You Deserve (Alternate Mix, 1972)
3. Holocaust (Rough Mix, 1974)
4. Kanga Roo (Rough Mix, 1974)
5. Stoke It Noel (Backward Intro, 1974)
6. Big Black Car (Rough Mix, 1974)
7. Better Save Yourself (Movie Mix, 2012) - Chris Bell
8. I Am The Cosmos (Movie Mix, 2012) - Chris Bell
9. All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain (Movie Mix, 2012) - Alex
10. September Gurls (Movie Mix, 2012)

Although the original members of the Memphis quartet Big Star recorded only the album, #1 Record together and were dissolving rapidly by the time the second, Radio City, was completed, those records have influenced countless 80s and 90s rockers on both sides of the Atlantic, from the Replacements and R.E.M. to Englands Primal Scream and Scotlands Teenage Fanclub. That Big Stars impact should extend so far afield is less surprising in light of the bands own inspirations. Taking the gritty soul of Memphis rhythm and blues and fusing it with the artful melodies and vocal harmonies of British power pop, and injecting it all with a flailing, pre-punk, garage-band energy, Big Star created a unique sound with a universal appeal.

Much of the tension that fueled Big Star's wonderful harmonies apparently came from the undercurrents of competition instilled by the medias perception of Alex Chilton as the leader of the band, one which Chris Bell once steered. Near Christmas of 1972, Bell left the band. Chilton, Hummel and Stephens continued as a trio, but Big Star was clearly on the rocks. They pulled themselves together enough, however, to record 1973's Radio City, which has been called one of rocks most seminal albums, and while Bell was not a formal participant, his lingering spirit is evident in several of the albums 12 tracks.

Track Listing:
1. O My Soul
2. Life Is White
3. Way Out West
4. What's Going Ahn
5. You Get What You Deserve
6. Mod Lang
7. Back of a Car
8. Daisy Glaze
9. She's a Mover
10. September Gurls
11. Morpha Too
12. I'm in Love With a Girl

Seemingly snake-bit from the start, Big Star's pure innovation and creativity exploded onto the music scene with their first two albums, both of which would eventually become iconic in the American power pop lexicon. The Memphis quartet, originally founded by Chris Bell in 1971 and joined shortly thereafter by the legendary chameleon Alex Chilton, unfortunately would suffer due to personnel issues and distribution problems by their label, delaying their place in musical history. One of the ultimate cult bands in popular music, #1 Record and Radio City influenced countless 80s and 90s artists on both sides of the Atlantic, from Tom Petty to the Replacements and R.E.M. to Englands Primal Scream and Scotlands Teenage Fanclub among others. Both titles placed within Rolling Stone magazine's poll of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Big Stars sophomore effort Radio City (1974) does feature a few uncredited contributions by Chris Bell but for the most part, this is Alex Chilton's baby. Critically acclaimed almost unanimously upon release, Radio City is now considered the band's masterpiece. The stop-and-start recording history, including the actual break-up and then reuniting of its members, only makes it that much more incredible. Features two of the group's most memorable songs with the infectious Back Of A Car and September Gurls. Mastered and cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood California directly from the original ¼ 2 track analog master tapes and pressed on Classic Records proprietary 200g Clarity Super Vinyl Profile II for maximum fidelity in playback!

Track Listing:
1. O My Soul
2. Life Is White
3. Way Out West
4. What's Going Ahn
5. You Get What You Deserve
6. Mod Lang
7. Back of a Car
8. Daisy Glaze
9. She's a Mover
10. September Gurls
11. Morpha Too
12. I'm in Love With a Girl

Crows will release their first new album in over 4 years on April 10, 2012 on Collective Sounds. Underwater Sunshine is a collection of songs, bothfamiliar and obscure, interpreted by one of themost soulful and recognizable bands of the past two decades.

Underwater Sunshine is a testament of a band geek-obsessed with music. “There’s a million great songs written every day that you discover, and wish your friends could appreciate as much as youdo,” says singer/songwriter Adam Duritz. “These songs come from bands young and old, stretching from the early 60s to last year. They’re all great and will hopefully be heard by a few more people now.”

As their first independent release, it was the right time for the Crows to make this album. “If you wonder why we didn’t just write our own record, it’s simply because we wanted to do THIS one,” says Duritz, We now have the creative freedom to release albums like this and offer our fans more music than ever.”

Track Listing:
LP 1
1. Untitled (Love Song) - By The Romany Rye
2. Start Again - By Teenage Fanclub
3. Hospital - By Coby Brown
4. Mercy - By Tender Mercies
5. Meet On The Ledge - By Fairport Convention
6. Like Teenage Gravity - By Kasey Anderson & The Honkies
7. Amie - By Pure Prairie League
8. Coming Around - By Travis

LP 2
1. Ooh La La - By The Faces
2. All My Failures - By Dawes
3. Return Of The Grevious Angel - By Gram Parsons
4. Four White Stallions - By Tender Mercies
5. Jumping Jesus - By Sordid Humor
6. You Ain't Going Nowhere - By Bob Dylan
7. The Ballad Of El Goodo - By Big Star