When Magnolia Pictures releases the documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me to cinemas, On Demand and iTunes on July 3, it will be the culmination of a years-in-the-making adventure to bring the story of Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel’s band to the big screen. The commercial impact of Big Star was as minimal as its influence over an entire generation of musicians was enormous, but the legacy of the power pop heroes still blazes brightly today. Following the 2009 release of Rhino’s definitive box set Keep an Eye on the Sky, it would have been easy to believe that the last word on Big Star had been written. After all, the 4-CD box set towered over a catalogue that originally only consisted of three studio albums. But Omnivore Recordings has augmented that small but significant group of recordings with stellar releases like the 2011 Record Store Day edition of the Third [Test Pressing Edition] and Alex Chilton's Free Again: The "1970" Sessions in January 2012. Now, following a limited edition colored vinyl release for Record Store Day, Omnivore has announced the release of the soundtrack to Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me for June 25.
The 2012 SXSW Film Festival selection tells the story of the ultimate cult band, chronicling Alex Chilton’s ascent to fame as lead singer of The Box Tops through the recording of Big Star’s three albums, to the 1978 death of Chilton’s collaborator Chris Bell. Its landmark soundtrack features a lineup of 21 tracks. These unheard versions of classic Big Star songs - vintage unissued mixes, alternate takes, demos, and new mixes created specifically for the film – plus one “fly-on the-wall” track of studio chatter add up to a treasure trove for fans and collectors alike. The project was overseen by the documentary’s executive producer, John Fry, at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis. Nothing Can Hurt Me will be available on single-disc CD, double-LP vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with a download card included, and digitally.
Hit the jump for more details including the full track listings and pre-order links!
Big Star exuberantly channeled the sounds of London, Memphis and Los Angeles into something shimmering and original on 1972’s optimistically-titled # 1 Record. Bell departed the group prior to 1974’s Radio City, and the band called it quits after the dark Third/Sister Lovers, recorded in 1974 and released as a test pressing in 1975 but not commercially issued until 1978. Yet all three original Big Star releases were recognized by Rolling Stone as among the “Top 500 Albums of All Time,” and have been name-checked by artists as diverse as R.E.M., The Replacements, Belle & Sebastian, Elliott Smith, Wilco, Beck, Jeff Buckley and The Flaming Lips. Omnivore’s soundtrack aims to play like an audio version of the documentary film.
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me arrives from Omnivore Recordings on June 25, and can be ordered at the links below!
Original Soundtrack, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (Omnivore, 2013) (CD/Vinyl)
- O My Soul (Demo, 1973)
- Give Me Another Chance (Control Room Monitor Mix, 1972)
- In The Street (Movie Mix, 2012)
- When My Baby ’s Beside Me (Alternate Mix, 1972)
- Studio Banter (1972)
- Try Again (Movie Mix, 2012) - Rock City
- My Life Is Right (Alternate Mix, 1972)
- The Ballad Of El Goodo (Alternate Mix, 1972)
- Feel (Alternate Mix, 1972)
- Don’t Lie To Me (Alternate Mix, 1972)
- Way Out West (Alternate Mix, 1973)
- Thirteen (Alternate Mix, 1972)
- You Get What You Deserve (Alternate Mix, 1973)
- Holocaust (Rough Mix, 1974)
- Kanga Roo (Rough Mix, 1974)
- Stroke It Noel (Backward Intro, 1974)
- Big Black Car (Rough Mix, 1974)
- Better Save Yourself (Movie Mix, 2012) - Chris Bell
- I Am The Cosmos (Movie Mix, 2012) - Chris Bell
- All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain (Movie Mix, 2012) - Alex Chilton
- September Gurls (Movie Mix, 2012)
All tracks previously unreleased.
noyoucmon says
Are we SURE that none of these tracks appear on the box set? Anyone done an A-B comparison with these mixes? This seems like a barrel-scraper...
Joe Marchese says
The Omnivore team has put this soundtrack together with customary integrity each step of the way. Cheryl Pawelski of Omnivore was a producer of the Rhino box set, as well, and I'm happy to vouch that the tracks marked "previously unreleased" are indeed that. Hope this helps!