Their records never found their way tothe mainstream, or even into many record stores, but into the hands ofmusicians and collectors. During the ‘80s they became a posthumous influence oneveryone from REM and Cheap Trick to the dBs and the Replacements. Theirfailure in the marketplace became a badge of integrity and the rarity of theirrecordings only enhanced their importance in High-Fidelity circles where obscurity was cool.
After psychedelia, rock reached a forkin the road. Where many bands went down the heavier path toward metal, Big Starfollowed the pop direction of Badfinger and the Raspberries. The Beatles werecertainly an inspiration, but Big Star’s songs also echoed the Byrds andsometimes had a country-rock guitar accent. A track from their 1971 debutalbum, “The India Song,” heard on Keep anEye in two alternate versions, sounds closer to Traffic with its acousticguitar-mellotron mix. Big Star could rock, but some of their softer songs wouldnot have sounded out of place on AM radio alongside America and Bread. However,the Top-40 was nowhere in reach for Big Star, who recorded three albums beforedisappearing into an unanticipated, subterranean level of cult success. Theybecame one of the great paradoxes of ‘70s rock, the unpopular pop band.
Aside from tracks and alternate mixesfrom Big Star’s trio of LPs, Keep an Eyeon the Sky collects sketchy early demos, Chris Bell’s post-Star and a fulldisc of live recordings. Anyone who ever cared about the band (and their numberhas grown through the years) will want this lavishly produced set.
