Comments on: Chris Bell “I Am The Cosmos”

By: Cu Con

Cu Con — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:23:33 +0000

Anyone have the deluxe edition from Rhino?

http://www.rhino.com/shop/product/chris-bell-i-am-the-cosmos-deluxe

I’m curious if the extras really add anything.

By: e hurt

e hurt — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:51:28 +0000

the thing about Bell is that he was half a rocker and half a wimp. which isn’t a bad thing–but I do prefer the rocking stuff here like “I Don’t Know,” which gives listeners the skinny on the mannerist approach Memphis powerpop groups took to their basic British Invasion materials. The wimpy stuff like “Speed of Sound” is nice too, and listening to the Big Star box late last year I found I quite liked Bell’s folkieisms on songs like “Country Morn.” The other thing is perspective: most all these tunes were bootlegged on cassette for years here in the South, so we’d heard it all by the time Ryko put out the reissue. The other thing I’d note about Bell is the general unhealthy feel of it all; Chilton kinda took the approach that the simple forms of Stax and rockabilly and so forth were a good antidote to the depressive aspects of what he and Bell did in Big Star. Grew up. Bell probably believed in his British Invasion a bit too much, and it’s the distance between his reality (altho he was a rich kid from the Memphis ‘burbs, but still…) and what he though Merry Olde England was like. So “Cosmos” isn’t a record I listen to very much any more; if I want depression I’ll go with the third Big Star album.

By: Brad Barrish

Brad Barrish — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:15:37 +0000

I bought this based on your review and I couldn’t be more happy about it. Thanks for your passionate review and history lesson. Having been a Big Star fan, I’m not sure how I was not familiar with this, but it’s incredible stuff.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:33:15 +0000

I must tip my hat to the song choices. Most reviews of this record would have focused on the title track or “You and Your Sister,” a genuine masterpiece. That’s the value of an album that has a slow reveal. Sometimes you need to be in the correct mindset for a song to hit you. This record has its share of heavy hitters. (I tend to gravitate to “Look Up.”) To paraphrase Jimmie Dale Gilmore, sad songs can make you feel good. Lord knows Chris Bell could verbalize heartache. Sadly beautiful, as another songwriter said.

By: Len Liechti

Len Liechti — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:40:58 +0000

Thanks for the kind words, dk. I should have pointed out that this album, as with most other tragic masterpieces, is by no means a first-hearing winner; I had to play it half-a-dozen times over a period of a couple of weeks to appreciate what’s going on below the surface. Also, as with most art some knowledge of its circumstances of production is indeed benefical (I was always fascinated by the abstract painting of Pollock and Rothko, but learning the WHY as well as the WHAT greatly increased my appreciation). Best of luck in your rediscovery.

By: dk

dk — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:29:40 +0000

A trustworthy music friend gave me a CDR of this one right when it was re-issued. I gave it a few spins and didn’t think much of it (never been a huge Big Star man myself), but your write-up provides some much-needed context and has me pulling it off the shelf for a re-evaluation.

Another excellent review Len – you’re knocking them out the park left and right lately…