Record Store Day, Big Star Third Vinyl Reissue
April 8, 2011 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under Announcements, Ardent History, Ardent Records, Ardent Studios, Featured
For Big Star fans and record collectors the world over, April 16 is going to be a big day. BIG. Aside from just being Record Store Day, it also marks the release of the newest Big Star reissue: The ultimate version of the mysterious, occasionally misunderstood, and almost always under-appreciated Third. Along with a Buck Owens 7″ (featuring early and unreleased recordings), this special edition of Third will be the inaugural release from Omnivore Recordings, and it’s a doozie. Take a look at this exploded view:
From Omnivore’s official press release:
Big Star Third [Test Pressing Edition] is a special edition vinyl release limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide. The album has been described as a lost record re-discovered years after it was recorded, one that has seen many track listings, titles and album covers. It’s been dubbed a classic, and an enigma. The Omnivore Recordings edition comes complete with replicas of the original tape box, tracking and lead sheets, mastering card and is pressed on 180 gram vinyl. The new pressing was cut from the original assembly reel, on the same lathe at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis and by the very same engineers who cut it the first time, Larry Nix and John Fry. Pressed on high quality vinyl at RTI, this is the definitive version of this album. In the limited run of 2,000, five copies of the original test pressings signed by Big Star’s Jody Stephens, original mastering engineers Larry Nix and Ardent’s John Fry will be available at retail, randomly, worldwide. Take a peek inside Larry Nix’s Mastering room at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis as Larry, John and Jody prepare the actual new master being used for the new “test pressing” edition on YouTube.
About Omnivore Recordings:
Founded in 2010 by long-time, highly respected industry veterans Cheryl Pawelski, Greg Allen, and Brad Rosenberger, Omnivore Recordings’ vision is to preserve the legacies and music created by historical, heritage and catalog artists while also releasing previously unissued, newly found “lost” recordings and making them available for music-loving audiences to discover. Distributed by EMI in North America and Ace Records UK in Europe, Omnivore Recording’s current artist projects include limited edition releases by Big Star and Buck Owens with future projects by Townes Van Zandt and Leon Russell to be announced soon.
Omnivore Recordings official website: http://omnivorerecordings.com/
Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/omnivorerecordings
DeGarmo & Key Announced as GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inductees
January 24, 2011 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under Announcements, Ardent History, Ardent Records
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – October 26, 2010 – The GMA Foundation (GMAF) will induct Johnny Cash, DeGarmo & Key, Golden Gate Quartet, and Bill “Hoss” Allen into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame on January 24, 2011.
From the GMA’s official press release:
From coffee houses to MTV, the legendary Christian rock duo of DeGarmo & Key did more than just leave their mark on the world of gospel music – they changed the very face of it.
Friends since the first grade, Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key grew up together in Memphis, Tenn., listening to “old blues guys” performing street-side on egg crates and apple boxes. At the age of 16, Eddie and Dana landed their first record deal. It was shortly after this record deal that the friends were brought to Christ, and the direction of their lives and careers took a sharp turn.
Over the next 17 years, DeGarmo & Key created 15 albums of faith-filled, blues-influenced rock music, earning seven GRAMMY and 17 Dove Award nominations. The duo created some of the first in-roads into the world of Christian music videos and was the first contemporary Christian artist to be aired on MTV. Inspired by the work of Larry Norman, the group consistently made it their goal to get their music and the message of the Gospel to those who did not know Christ, expanding the world of Christian music beyond the boundaries of their day. Billboard Magazine once raved that DeGarmo & Key’s albums contained “one of the most consistently inventive bodies of music in Christian music.”
Always looking for ways to use their music as a ministry, they also created a 13- week Sunday school curriculum based on songs from their album Go To the Top, worked with Zondervan to promote the NIV Student Bible, contributed efforts to the ”True Love Waits” campaign and the Biblical Literacy Foundation, and gave away over 150,000 copies of their D & K album to unsaved youth.
DeGarmo and Key disbanded in 1995, but both Eddie and Dana continued to influence gospel music through their roles as executives – together the two co founded Forefront Records with Dan Brock. Today, Eddie continues as an executive in his role as President of EMI CMG Publishing, while Dana served as pastor of TheLove of Christ Church, which he founded in Memphis. Dana Key passed away on Sunday, June 6, 2010.
Jody Stephens Joins Performance of Big Star’s Third in Carborro, NC
December 15, 2010 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under Ardent History, Ardent Records, Artist Spotlight, Featured
On December 9th and 10th, at the Cat’s Cradle in Carborro, North Carolina, the stars aligned as a project first conceptualized 5+ years ago came to full realization. Big Star‘s Third, believed by many in the Big Star circle to be the band’s most emotionally diverse and darkest work, received its proper live orchestral debut to a sold out crowd for two nights.
Lisa Sorg of Indieweek.com had this to say of the evening:
“I always have thought Big Star’s Third was intended to be heard in the wintertime because of the record’s imagery of scarves flying behind, air going cool, blue moons and fireplaces burning bright. The movie in my head was filmed in high contrast: white snow and black trees, as the main character battles the chill of urban canyons while struggling to calm his inner demons. After experiencing last night’s show, where I once saw darks, mid-tones and whites, I now see color. It is the difference between viewing black-and-white Depression-era photographs and then seeing the recently discovered versions that had been shot on Kodachrome.
“Because of Chilton’s death last March, there was an unspoken, dutiful responsibility to the material. The performers not only honored it; they also expanded the tonal palette of the original. It was brilliant and beautiful. Again, I have been psychically reassembled.”
From Jody Stephens, Big Star‘s original and current drummer, and the last surviving original member of the band:
“Sometime around last December John Fry and I got an email from Chris Stamey (The dBs, and producer of the Big Star Third live production). In the email he talked about producing a live performance of Big Star’s Third LP and was asking if I would participate. He also was hoping Alex would join in. I walked over to John’s office to see if he had read the email… he had. I think we both said “Is he crazy?”
“Chris approached Carl Marsh (brilliant Third arranger and player) about recharting the string arrangements. Carl agreed, then John agreed to pull the stings off the multitracks to facilitate the process. The project was moving forward… slowly.
“Alex’s passing away in March added a new sense of purpose to the project and we all started thinking that Chris’s crazy idea was actually a very sincere way for us all to share a fascinating experience.. it became a blue moon in the sky.
“We got this email from Chris: “We just had our first reading of the string parts for the Big Star Third concert. just with a quartet of the four first-chair players, all excellent musicians. It was an unforgettable experience to hear that music come back to life in the room. I wish you all could have been here. I guess you will, eventually.
“We didn’t get the score for ‘For You’ until 10 minutes before they arrived, at 10 AM this morning. We started with it, and the room filled up with that great beauty. After that it was revelation after revelation.“
“When we all came together at Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC on Decembner 8th for the first rehearsal together it was indeed revelation after revelation. Odd how a dark and melancholy record can bring out the best spirits in people. Everyone was so committed to the performances.. players and audience alike. I wish everyone could have been there.
“All the crazy ideas are the best ones!”
(Photo by Daniel Costen)
Check out Flickr for more pictures of the event.
Read the Indieweek.com review of the show.
Listen to Frank Stasio’s radio interview with Jody about the two shows.
Check out Big Star on Amazon.com.
Chris Stamey’s blog on the whole experience.
Big Star Receives Brass Note on Beale Street
November 18, 2010 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under All About Memphis, Announcements, Ardent History, Ardent Records, Ardent Studios, Featured
Big Star will soon take their place in front of BB King’s on historic Beale Street in the form of a brass note, which was presented to the original members – Jody Stephens, Chris Bell, Alex Chilton and Andy Hummel – on Saturday, November 13th. Ardent Studios’ owner and founder John Fry, along with Dean Deyo of the Memphis Music Foundation, Susan Murrmann, and author Bob Mehr all had kind words to say about Big Star and its history with Ardent. Jody Stephens accepted the note on behalf of the band and all its members, and lots of friends and family were in attendance to help celebrate.
To view more pictures of the event, check out the Memphis Music Foundation’s facebook page. Thanks to all who made it out!
In the picture, L to R: Engineer Mike Wilson, booking manager Daniel Russo, new media specialist Rachel Hurley, controller Elizabeth Montgomery, Jody Stephens, John Fry, engineer Jeff Powell, Susan Marshall, and Dena Wheeler.
Memphis Songsmiths to Play Showcase at Nashville’s Storied Bluebird Café
March 23, 2010 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under All About Memphis, Ardent Records, Memphis Music News
From Mark Jordan at GoMemphis.com:
Any list of the world’s most storied and celebrated music venues must surely include the Bluebird Café, a singer-songwriter’s haven just a few hours up I-40 on Hillsboro Pike in Nashville. Since opening its doors in 1982, the Bluebird has helped launch the careers of performers like Kathy Mattea and Garth Brooks as well as those of countless, mostly unknown hit songwriters. The club has been the star of movies like “The Thing Called Love” and its own television show. It is even credited as the birth place of the “in the round” show, where performers sit in a row on stage and trade tunes back and forth, a format that has become standard for songwriters’ nights from Akron to Yazoo City.
This week a handful of Memphis artists will try to become part of the Bluebird’s legacy when they take part in a unique Memphis music showcase organized as a part of a new partnership between the Memphis Music Foundation and Nashville Songwriters Association International, the nonprofit group that took over the listening room in 2008.
On Tuesday, Memphis musicians Jason Freeman, Jeremy Stanfill, Joy Whitlock, Billie Worley and Cory Branan will play a Bluebird showcase hosted by foundation chairman and former Stax Records head Al Bell and Memphis-born Nashville songwriter Rivers Rutherford.
“The Bluebird is 28 years old, so I bet there was something like this before, but we haven’t done anything this specific in an really long time,” the Bluebird’s COO, Erika Wollam Nichols, says of the unprecedented nature of the show.
The showcase is being held on the opening night of the 18th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, an event that draws over 9,000 fans and nearly 300 artists to eight venues for what is billed as the “world’s largest all-songwriter festival.”
“I think certainly this is the place to be [during the festival],” says Nichols of the high-profile slot being given to Memphis. “The Bluebird’s reputation as a home for songwriters and as a platform for people’s careers gives it a certain stature among the venues. Certainly not everybody’s going to be signed to a record deal overnight, but it is recognition or a nod. If you’re playing the Bluebird, you’ve made some kind of steps.”
Before heading off to Nashville, the artists will perform a free show Saturday afternoon at the Hi-Tone, dubbed “The Road To Bluebird.”
For Memphis, the road to the Bluebird began with a meeting between Memphis Chamber of Commerce senior vice president Mark Herbison and foundation head Dean Deyo. Herbison introduced Deyo to his brother Barton, executive director of NSAI. And at a meeting in Nashville, Deyo was pleased to discover that, despite its name, the NSAI was about a lot more than Nashville.
“It’s a weird title because while they are the Nashville Songwriters Association, they actually have chapters in over 100 cities,” says Deyo. “They do a lot more than just what their name says.”
Looking to expand their reach into Memphis, NSAI collaborated with the Foundation on one of their “Backstage Pass” industry insider events featuring Rutherford, a native Memphian who has penned No. 1 hits for Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry and Tim McGraw among others. That partnership led to Bluebird showcases.
“Coming to Memphis for meetings with the foundation, it has been really exciting to hear the music people are making in Memphis,” says Nichols, adding that Nashville today is looking beyond just country to other kinds of music. “(Memphis has got something) a little bit different. It’s exciting. It’s kind of fresh.”
The artists for the first showcase were chosen a variety of ways. Branan was selected because he is a Bluebird veteran and an established name in Music City. Other artists like Stanfill and Whitlock were chosen from among the artists with whom the foundation already regularly works. The husband of the foundation’s director of development and communications Pat Mitchell Worley, Worley was selected by Bluebird representatives through a blind, open audition process that will likely become the standard for future events.
At least one more showcase will be held in the fall, and if they both go well, this could become a quarterly event.
“We’re hoping it becomes a regular thing,” says Deyo. “We certainly think we have the talent. And the Bluebird is discovering that as well.”
The Road To Bluebird kickoff concert
4-6 p.m. Saturday
The Hi-Tone Café, 1913 Poplar
Admission: Free. For more information, call (901) 278-8663, or visit hitonememphis.com.
Jody Stephens Interviewed for Memphis Music Foundation’s M3 Moment
December 29, 2009 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under All About Memphis, Announcements, Ardent History, Ardent Records, Ardent Studios, Featured, In The Studio
Big Star drummer and Ardent Studios manager Jody Stephens was recently interviewed for the Memphis Music Foundation’s M3 Moment video series. Watch the video below to hear Jody speak about Big Star’s legacy and history with Ardent, Keep an Eye on the Sky (the Big Star box set), Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story, and the reissue of Chris Bell’s I Am the Cosmos.
The I Am the Cosmos Deluxe Edition was released in late September of this year, just two weeks after another very exciting release for us – Big Star’s Keep an Eye on the Sky Box Set. From Rhino’s Web site:
“Chris Bell was an immensely gifted songwriter, performer and producer. As a founding member of Big Star and as a solo artist he struggled to have his songs heard. Sadly, the Memphis-born artist did not live long enough to see the enormous impact his music – both with Big Star and as a solo artist – would have on future generations. Bell’s influential legacy grows thanks to the release of his solo album I AM THE COSMOS – DELUXE EDITION, and Rhino Records’ September 15 release of KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY, the definitive Big Star anthology. The two-disc deluxe edition of I AM THE COSMOS contains more than a dozen unreleased recordings. As a special bonus, the first 1,000 orders will receive a free 7″ single of “I Am The Cosmos” b/w “You And Your Sister.”
Watch the video below for some footage from the compiling/remixing/remastering of I Am the Cosmos, featuring John Fry, Richard Rosebrough, and engineer Adam Hill.
Keep up with the Memphis Music Foundation at the Memphis Means Music Blog.
Big Star Boxed Set Announced
August 5, 2009 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under Announcements, Ardent History, Ardent Records, Ardent Studios
Rhino Records has announced the release of the long awaited Big Star boxed set, entitled Keep an Eye on the Sky. From the Rhino Web site:
Big Star inspired a fevered allegiance among fans of power pop, giving rise to a cult of believers who spent decades spreading the gospel. Their enthusiasm turned this obscure Memphis pop band-one that got little airplay, sold few records, and only played a handful of times- into a remarkable rock and roll resurrection story. Big Star’s trek from obscure Memphis band to standard bearers for an entire genre of music has never been fully mapped-until now. Rhino presents the definitive look at the definitive power-pop band with a four-disc boxed set divided between key cuts from Big Star’s three studio albums and unreleased music. KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY will be available September 15 from Rhino Records at all retail outlets, including www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $69.98 (physical), it will also be available as a digital release the same day. A Deluxe Edition release of Chris Bell’s solo album I Am The Cosmos is due September 29 from Rhino Handmade.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY spans 1968 to 1975 and shows the progression of Big Star through selections from such studio precursors as Rock City and Icewater; music from Big Star’s acclaimed recordings (#1 Record, Radio City, and Third/Sister Lovers); and relevant solo work by group principals Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, who formed Big Star in 1971 with bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens. The collection also uncovers a trove of unreleased demos, unused mixes, alternate versions of songs, and a 1973 concert recorded in Memphis.
In these 98 tracks you can hear what turned artists as diverse as Cheap Trick, R.E.M., and The Replacements into Big Star fans. Spotlighting the band’s roots, the boxed set opens with several songs recorded before Big Star formed, including “Try Again,” one of the first songs Bell and Chilton wrote together. Those early cuts are followed by Big Star’s 1972 debut #1 Record, reimagined here using a mix of album tracks and unreleased alternate mixes of favorites like “Thirteen,” “When My Baby’s Beside Me,” and more. Among the disc’s rarities are “Country Morn’” (issued as a flexi-disc single by a Big Star fanzine), the demo for “I Got Kinda Lost,” and an unreleased acoustic demo of Chilton singing Loudon Wainwright’s “Motel Blues.”
Ardent Records, the band’s label, experienced problems with distribution that hindered any chances at success for #1 Record. Its failure was a major blow to Bell, who quit the band to go solo. In 1974, the Alex Chilton-led Big Star regrouped and released Radio City, an album more attuned to the band’s live energy that featured the power-pop confections “September Gurls” and “Back Of A Car.” The second disc of KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY opens with a trio of unreleased demos: “There Was A Light,” “What’s Going Ahn,” and “Life Is White.” The original song sequence for Radio City follows, combining album versions with unreleased alternate mixes (“Way Out West” and “You Get What You Deserve.”) The disc features unissued versions of “She A Mover” and “Mod Lang,” several unreleased demos for Big Star’s third album, plus Bell’s acclaimed 1978 single “I Am The Cosmos” and its B-side “You And Your Sister.” Sadly, Bell died in a car accident a few months after the single’s release.
When Big Star reconvened in 1975 to record Third/Sister Lovers, only Chilton and Stephens remained (Hummel left shortly before Radio City’s release). Famed Memphis maverick Jim Dickinson was enlisted to supervise the recording, which languished on the shelf for years before its release in 1978. Despite its bleak timbre, wild dynamics, and fragility, the music possesses a startling grace. KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY’s third disc opens with seven demos (most previously unreleased) for songs that appear on Third/Sister Lovers, including “Jesus Christ,” “Take Care,” and “Holocaust.” Among the album’s 19 songs collected here is “For You,” “Kizza Me,” and “Kanga Roo.” Also featured is “Lovely Day,” an early, unreleased version of “Stroke It Noel” with different lyrics; Chilton vamping with photographer Bill Eggleston at the piano for Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy” and a raucous cover of The Kinks’ “Till The End Of The Day.”
The collection’s final disc contains unreleased highlights from three sets Big Star performed at Lafayette’s Music Room in Memphis in January 1973. It is the best live recording ever of the band. The show captures Chilton, Hummel, and Stephens playing many of the songs on #1 Record, which had just recently been released. The set list includes a retooled version of “ST 100/6” lengthened by both guitar and drum solos (with a middle eight heisted from the Rock City song “The Preacher.”) Also in the repertoire are “There Was A Light” and “I Got Kinda Lost.” In addition, the concert includes fully formed versions of several songs recorded later for Radio City: “Back Of A Car,” “Way Out West,” “O My Soul,” and a particularly rocking “She’s A Mover.” Those originals are mixed with a selection of covers: Todd Rundgren’s “Slut,” T. Rex’s “Baby Strange,” The Kinks’ “Come On Now,” and The Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Hot Burrito #2.”
The lavish packaging for KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY includes extensive liner notes, rare and never-before-seen photos, and insightful essays about the cult of Big Star and the band’s history. In the notes, Stephens reflects on the band’s belated triumph. “Sure, it would’ve been nice to have been huge at the time. But, here we are, 30 years later, and Big Star is still playing, our music is turning up in movie soundtracks, and young people are still excited to discover the records. I mean, if that isn’t success, I don’t know what is.”
The set is available on Amazon.com right now!
UPDATE: There is now a video unveiling of the remarkable packaging for the boxes set available here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2VV5AGJ3C6M70
Todd Agnew with Curry Weber, Scott Hardin, and James Joseph
June 17, 2009 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under Ardent Records, Ardent Studios, Artist Spotlight, Featured, In The Studio
In the picture: Co-producers James Joseph, Curry Weber, Scott Hardin, and Todd Agnew.
Ardent Records artist Todd Agnew has been spending time in the studio working on a variety of material for his new record. What started as more than 30 songs (Todd is extremely prolific in his songwriting efforts) has been pared down to 12, and the record is now very close to being finished and ready to go. Six of the songs on the record were co-produced by Todd, Ardent’s Curry Weber, James Joseph, and Scott Hardin; the rest were produced by Todd and Curry only. Scott mixed the whole record with Curry engineering the tracking portions. The record will be entitled Need and is slated for an October 6th release of this year.
The first single will be entitled “Joy Unspeakable” and is due for release to Christian radio on July 10th. Stay tuned to the all new ToddAgnew.com for more details on a tour starting in the fall. For an hilarious video preview of the work on the album, click here (trust us, it’s worth your 30 seconds!). In the meantime, check out any of Todd’s back catalogue at Amazon.com!
33 1/3 Series Presents: Big Star’s Radio City
June 4, 2009 by Daniel J Russo
Filed under Announcements, Ardent History, Ardent Records, Ardent Studios, Artist Spotlight
The acclaimed 33 1/3 book series has featured Big Star’s Radio City for an upcoming release. Each of the books tells the story of the making of a record, and previous releases have included everything from Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis to Jeff Buckley’s Grace to Radiohead’s OK Computer, and everything in between.
The Radio City book is available for order on Amazon.com
