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I Am the Cosmos
Participated by Chris Bell
Studio : Rykodisc
by Rykodisc
Release Date : 1992-02-21
Publisher : Rykodisc
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
EAN : 0014431022227
UPC : 014431022227
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 31 reviews)
List Price : $11.98
Our Price : $8.34
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Product Description |
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Big Star guitarist Chris Bell was one of the unsung heroes of American pop music; despite a life marked by tragedy and a career crippled by commercial indifference, the singer/songwriter's slim body of recorded work proved massively influential on the generations of indie rockers who emerged in his wake. Lyrically poignant and melodically stunning, this lone solo album is proof of his underappreciated pop mastery. 180 gram vinyl. Original artwork. |
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Mychildrensstore.com |
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The very first lines of Chris Bell's one and only album say it all: "Every night I tell myself I am the cosmos / I am the wind / That don't bring you back again." Recorded between his departure from the notoriously misbegotten power-pop group Big Star in 1972 and his 1978 death following an auto accident, Cosmos is the work of a man struggling to assuage his depression with spiritual succor. Musically, this collection (which was unheard by the general public prior to 1992) is reminiscent of John Lennon's '70s work. With the exception of Plastic Ono Band, however, Lennon never put out a solo album on a par with this one. The tragedy is that Bell never had a chance to try to match it. --Steven Stolder |
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... and he always will be the cosmos. |
Chris Bell was, along with Alex Chilton, one of singer/songwriter/guitarists of the seminal cult band Big Star. He left after the band's first album, the audaciously-named "#1 Record", flopped. In the six years he had left to live, he released one single, "I Am The Cosmos" with the "You And Your Sister" B-side, but continued recording. He died in a motorcycle crash in 1978. Over the next 14 years, his stray recordings were gathered and put out on this 1992 release. There are 12 original songs on the release, with the addition of a slow version of "I Am The Cosmos", and country and acoustic versions of "You And Your Sister." All of them are good. The two songs from the single also appear on the "Keep An Eye On The Sky" Big Star box set; that set also includes a live and a demo version of "There Was A Light" from 1973, Chris Bell's version of which appears on this release.
The songs are mostly good, and sound very Paul McCartney-esque (Chris apparently once met Sir Paul in France, a truly big star, after Bell's Big Star days were done). The CD opens with its powerful, hoary, spooky title track, then gets into the gloomy, sludgy "Better Save Yourself." "Speed of Sound" is an acoustic, drumless strummer that sounds like it was lifted right off a Big Star album. Later on there's some light percussion and a really weird keyboard sound. "Get Away" is a jaunty rocker with some truly bizarre drumming. "You And Your Sister" is a beautiful song, although maybe a bit overproduced with bleating "woah woah", and a grinding cello. Happily, the country and acoustic versions delete these, the arrangements getting sparer and sparer as they go along - the acoustic version is the best. "Make a Scene" is a groovy, catchy pop-rocker, but a little dull. "Look Up" is another cosmic song, full of sweet melodies and light acoustic guitar. "I Got Kinda Lost" is a sweet rocker with a good pace and simple lyrics. "Fight at the Table" is a groovy rocker with a cool bass sound, juke joint piano, and scorching vocals that roar like Paul McCartney's on "Oh! Darling." Ditto for "I Don't Know", which sounds like it would have been at home on either of the first two Big Star albums. Closing song "Though I Know She Lies" is a sappy tune that, unfortunately, sounds more like the mellowest of Chris DeBurgh ballads (ewwww...). Nice solo, at least, and later in the song Bell wrings some powerful emotion out of his sad lyrics. But having this song at the end of the list doesn't sour the album, since tacked onto the end are still the alternate versions of "I Am The Cosmos" (which comes in a "slow" version - as if it could be any slower than the original) and "You And Your Sister," still the real winners of the release.
Other bands have recorded Chris Bell songs, in particular the two from his single; This Mortal Coil recorded both of them, and Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson did "I Am The Cosmos", but of course none of them sound very good at all, a testament to the strength of the original. |
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Chris Bell On His Own |
This album was put together by Chris' brother David (who wrote the liner notes) and released in 1992. The tracks were recorded throughout the mid seventies and to me, they feel like an extension of his work with Alex Chilton on Big Star's excellent debut "#1 Record". A good companion to that LP with the compositions giving off a similar feel but this time without the background vocals that Chilton provided. In addition to Bell, Ken Woodley plays bass guitar/organ and Richard Rosebrough is on drums.
My favorite tracks are the title track, the ballad "You And Your Sister" (this one featuring backing vocals from Chilton), "There Was a Light" (features a great Beatles sounding melodic solo), "Look Up" and "Speed Of Sound" (great keyboard work).
The rockers are a bit more rough sounding ("Fight At The Table" is by far the weakest track) and of them, song number six "Make A Scene" is the best one for me. "Get Away" and "I Don't Know" are in fact the same song but different takes with the latter being the superior one.
The alternate version of "I am The Cosmos" sounds very similar to the original and the two different takes of "You And Your Sister" lack Chilton's back up vocals so I prefer the original.
The problem with this album is that honestly, is not one I pull out to listen to often. In fact I can't remember when was the last time I listened to it...definitely quite some time ago. To me, some of the songs are a bit melancholic and depressing which is not surprising since before dying in the car accident, Bell had tried to commit suicide twice (he even mentions this on the second track "Better Save Yourself"). Definitely not the best album to cheer you up...
Still the music is excellent though and if you liked Big Star's first record (I listen to this one much more often!), then check out what Bell was capable on his own!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later... |
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Not The Classic A Lot Of People Think |
Had it not been my recent infatuation with Big Star, this is a record that I would have never considered. I've just turned 50 and been a fan all my life of power pop such as Badfinger and Cheap Trick but Big Star was a band I never listened to until recently. Their first two records are genre defining, and I could not wait to listen to everything I could find recorded by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell.
There are several tracks on "I Am The Cosmos" that show the talent Chris Bell had- the title track is gorgeous (though I have to admit the Posies covered it better), "Speed of Sound", "Get Away", " I Don't Know" and "I Got Kinda Lost" sounds like they would fit well on a Big Star record. Several other tracks have an early solo John Lennon sound- "Better Save Yourself" and "There Was A Light". There are several versions of "You And Your Sister" that Bell recorded with Chilton that show how well they sang together. However, several other tracks on this disc are just plain awful and I wonder why they were included ("Fight At The Table, "Though I Know She Lies"). Of note- Chris' brother David Bell has written a brief history in the liner notes of his brother's influences, how he got involved with Alex Chilton and Big Star, his short solo career and his untimely death.
Overall I think this is a must have for any fan of Big Star, but it is by no means a classic record. |
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Before Kurt Cobain there was.... |
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Chris Bell did not have the easiest life. He founded Big Star, only to leave the band, eclipsed by Alex Chilton. He believed in Christianity but struggled through life as a musician and with his attraction to men. He was killed in a car accident in 1978. This record really is an experience to listen to. Much like anything by solo John Lennon to Nirvana's In Utero. When I heard this I was angered that he left Big Star. He was rock's Rimbaud and he left us much too soon. |
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Four-and-a-Half Star Guitar Pop Essential |
If Big Star's Radio City and #1 Record are five star records, this is four-and-a-half. The high points are just as high (the title track, You and Your Sister), the weakest tracks maybe a bit weaker. There is a real melancholy beauty to this music. It creates its own atmosphere.
Liner notes are rarely worth mentioning, but the ones here (by Bell's brother) are fascinating, telling the story of the recording and mixing of these tracks in Europe, including a brief encounter with Paul McCartney at Abbey Road. Bell's is a sad story in many ways, and his depression is palpable on Cosmos. One of those artists who was severely underappreciated in his too-short lifetime and still underrated today. |
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