Big Star, Keep An Eye On The Sky

Disc Three

“Lovely Day,” (an early, unreleased version of “Stroke It Noel” with different lyrics) is included on Disc Three of this compilation. Many demos (most previously unreleased) of tunes from Third/Sister Lovers also appear.

“Kizza Me” has more classic lyrics: dreams and wishes/like shooting stars/coming up rushes/I want to white out/I want to feel you deep inside/Kizza Me. This is a special song, the sort that comes around once in a long while and shouldn’t be forgotten. Maybe it was all just an effort to get laid, but odds are it worked. Over and over. Women are suckers for a well written pop song.

“Jesus Christ” is a religious song, a Christmas song. And it even has a saxophone, and people who don’t particularly love Jesus (or saxophone in rock songs) can truly love this, anyway. It should be on every Christmas rock compilation, right up against “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues (for proper balance).

“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” is covered, with joy and frantic rock guitars, but less fiery piano stylings than Jerry Lee Lewis’s original, to be sure. It’s not the best cover version, and could have been left off this set but as long as they’re pulling out all the stops, they must have figured: throw it into the stew. Die hard fans who are completists will want it.

“Holocaust” is a beautiful song with haunting lines so perfectly expressed but seeming as if they were absolutely dreamed into existence with no effort. How did they do that? That, in a nutshell, is the essence of Big Star. Effortless genius.

There is also a demo version of “Kanga Roo” featuring creepy guitar effects, interesting percussion (is that a clanging cooking pot?) and an undeniably charming vocal delivery.

“Nature Boy” was a song before Moulin Rouge. And it was a Nat King Cole Song before Big Star had their way with it. The version included here has a member’s crutch falling against the drum set and a bit of a chuckle. It’s moments like these that make the extras precious in a way that makes us feel privileged to be hearing them, much less owning them. . . finally.

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Disc One
Disc Two
Disc Three
Disc Four

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