| Page Four For the next two and a half years there was a lull in Chris' music. He had opted for the responsibility of a normal job, managing a series of food restaurants in the family chain. I know that for him this was more of an exercise than anything else, but I believe the experience gave him other perspectives. In the background there was always music. He made occasional forays into the studio to test his ability. It was during this time that "Though I Know She Lies" was recorded. He had written the song in London and played it to me on acoustic there. It wasn't until several years later that I finally heard the song on tape. During this period I lived in Memphis. After a few months I moved to Denver, where I lived for the next year and a half. We wrote to each other, saw each other on holidays, and generally commiserated on the state of musical affairs and his desire to get back into the business. In the summer and fall of 1978, through a series of perfectly timed events, I found myself moving in a fairly radical direction and decided to return to Memphis. There I would spend some time with my family before moving on to a vastly different life. I arrived on Thanksgiving and happily was able to spend a month with my brother. It was easy to see his joy at the EMI release of the first two Big Star records as a double album. This, coupled with interest from small labels and his return to playing live had lifted his spirits. Also a six month gig with Keith Sykes' band had put him back into a frame of mind of a possible future in music. A single had been released on Car Records ("I Am the Cosmos" b/w/ "You and Your Sister", CRR6). It was well-received at the time and is a collector's item today. Both tracks appear here. The British press had bandied about the rumor of a UK BIg Star tour with all four original members, including Chris. Chilton seemed eager to make the most of this second chance at recognition, and while the two had discussed it, the project just died on the vine. On the early morning of December 27, 1978, returning home from a rehearsal with a new band, his white Triumph TR-6 struck a telephone pole on Poplar Ave., just half a mile from our father's restaurant. He died instantly. Six years later, having been contacted by Ardent Studios about the interest in Chris' unreleased material, I went into the studio with engineer John Hampton and compiled the present album, with a couple of exceptions. The additional tracks, (including "I Don't Know", "Though I Know She Lies" and the alternate versions of "You and Your Sister" and "I Am the Cosmos") were added later. Thanks to Jody Stephens and Rick Clark for digging them up. The years with Chris were the best of my life. He was Vincent to my Theo, and he had a sense of humor that made me wet myself. The sadness has been replaced with a humble gratitude and a desire to continue learning, even though the teachers may not be quite so brilliant. -DAVID BELL previous page HOME |