Big Star - Ballad of El Goodo

[Antinarella1]

House uses music as an overlay towards the end of every episode. This is one they used earlier this season...

[zstardust838]

House did not bring me here, I've been here the whole time

[LeWaterDrinker]

Such a great tune, only 200K?

[MartVhaB]

House always bring me to amazing songs like this one (:

[The5thBeatle2010]

I brought me here

[EddieTheDamned]

House!

[JustPeachyification]

This song is so intoxicatingly good

[Antinarella1]

Thumbs up if House brought you here :)

[deadhardy]

@Antinarella1

fuck u

[SethHesio]

@Antinarella1 I don't watch House... is it used prominently in an episode then?

[juliano66]

This song right up there with 'Children' by America--a song of hope after the end of the 60's dream--this could'a been a hit, no promotion, shitty label..it just wasn't in the cards. Took awhile but Big Star's music has worked it's magic over time to the 'kids' who needed it--me included!

[tubbythug92]

Awesome band.

[Evanthegreat98]

Fuck Hit Radio and The Company such a greatly musicaly talented band as Big Star aren't counted as greats it complete Bull...Alex Chilton Is One Of The Greatest Ever In My Book

[superdhebz]

Good vibes

[liambrawley]

The greatest band that never made it big - such a damn shame ...

[11xzxzxz]

Paul Westerberg before Paul Westerberg. Hey Alex didn't write much if at all with the Box Tops but he certainly turned on the lights after that.

[freudastaire]

Elliot Smith before Elliot Smith

[MrHfisher]

Wonder if Big Star has any live footage from the 70s. They were such a obscure band that didnt play too many shows so i would probably think not. Havent seen any footage yet, please post if its out there.

[bakismaki]

My second fave big star song after September Gurls! Very close second.

[zstardust838]

This song has had so much meaning for me and is one to be treasured forever.

[JBMV1973]

I wished Alex Chilton and Chris Bell were still with us...

[fablecio]

Wow, this is one of the greatest songs I have heard from the 70's

[postyesterdayman]

@fablecio And this isn't even the best song on the record.

[MrSlimjimk]

CLASSIC

[onthemoveagain]

Nice melodic stuff.

[KurtMoss]

alex i miss you

[romeosyne]

One of a kind tone. This is an incredibly subtle song, in my view.  It's not going away, as far as my car stereo is concerned.

[skankinjimbo]

One of my favorite albums. One of my favorite songs.

[Annatheprincezz]

So much passion on his face..

[shirgro1]

I wonder who was the stupid who didn't put Big Star in the playlist on the radio on the 70's.

[TimmytheGeek2009]

@shirgro1

um, that would be just about everybody running a commercial radio station. They're still a bunch of ball-less, no-talent wankers.

[soundboy3]

@TimmytheGeek2009 it wasn't the radio stations... it was the distributing record company that essentially shelved the albums. they were fucked by the record companies.

nice to see that what goes around comes around, bands can record their own music and distribute WITHOUT the corporate bullshit of a record contract now... big record companies are going the way of the dinosaurs, soon hopefully. Say hello to indie/internet dominance.

[thatsthewayitgoes09]

@soundboy3 Precisely - "nice to see that what goes around comes around, bands can record their own music and distribute WITHOUT the corporate bullshit". Now music is some ways back to what it should be - REAL music for REAL people with REAL meaning and LOVE.

All you need is lovex

[cosmicrider287]

jaw dropping good.

[relsismada]

They really deserve so much more than they got...Im just glad i know them. RIP Alex Chilton

[PAULisDEADMANnumber9]

god i wish these guys were more famous!!! the poor sales caused the tension in the band, which forced a break-up, and so few albums. imagine the good stuff they would have put out if they were famous. but thats the music business for yuh.

[TayBay016]

this song gives me hope(: im starting to like this band.

[mcboltron]

rip andy hummel.

[WhiteNacho]

Was Alex in the original Box Tops?

[edumota]

@WhiteNacho

yes, he was.

[bonham0423]

I'm embarrassed to say I hadn't heard of Big Star until a few days ago. Now I know where Elliott Smith learned how to be Elliott Smith.

[mark1800]

@bonham0423 No kidding! Can you see the similarity between this riff and the riff from "A Passing Feeling"? See also: his and Alex's guitar and vocal style on every Big Star song ;-)

[dashofchutmeg]

@bonham0423 It's not your fault. Big Star's label had almost no distribution for their records. And yes, Elliott Smith's debt to Chilton is huge.

[motherbrain86]

the chorus is pretty as hell

[ChrisRodgers5150]

this is like the beatles, the kinks, and james taylor allll into one. Awesome.

[zstardust838]

I've had this song on repeat for the past three days. I can't stop listening to it!!

[barkingchihuahua]

I just love this song.

[seaotteR79]

This is a beautiful song.

[Rotateitbaby]

Just another amazing songwriter/musician to add to the list of those gone too soon. Tragic, untimely death of a man who was probably done more for music than anyone could ever come to terms with.

Amazing songwriter, beautiful songs and a unique voice. You will be missed Chilton.

[punktuss]

beautiful

[hookyspick]

A perfect song, perfectly performed

[stevedet]

jangling perfection that blows me away.

[gonetowin]

What a geat song

[Eeli2008]

Really love this song:)

[ilovemagiceightball]

I said it before, but this is just perfection x

[derek4ur]

hold on.

[bassthing26]

Beautiful, Beautiful music. X

[thatpspguy]

So my real life name is Goo, it really seems that you guysspied on my life with this song. I've never cried so much when a song has been playing the first time I heard it. I'm in love and its broken, shes found another she's liken but I must remain here the same playing around in life's game till someday when she comes my to me until then I'll never be the same.....

[thatpspguy]

So my real life name is Goo, it really seems that you guysspied on my life with this song. I've never cried so much when a song has been playing the first time I heard it. I'm in love and its broken, shes found another she's liken but I must remain here the same playing around in life's game till someday when she comes my to me until then I'll never be the same.....

[cleitonprofeta1]

To viciado nessa banda.

[LerafoLuap]

Fabulous. It's to the world's undying shame that Big Star didn't become massively successful. RIP Alex.

[bassthing26]

We know, he died respectfully and influenced modern music. God Bless. x

[doire7]

To whom it may concern, i was paying big star a compliment by saying that razorlight have ripped off big star's sound. Some tit gave me a thumbs down.

[dylancaprotti]

they were clearly razorlight fans

[tynebar]

@doire7 ~ Comparing anything other than dog shit with Razorlight is an insult. Have another thumbs down.

[barkingchihuahua]

@doire7 Why is tit an insult? Darn it.

[doire7]

@barkingchihuahua I'm from ireland, in this part of the world if someone calls you a tit it's the same as someone calling you a dick.

[barkingchihuahua]

@doire7 Thanks, Doire. GRMA.

[Mercury91]

God I miss him!!

[bassthing26]

You could just say no. X

[ariem23]

ciao alex,grazie per tanti anni di grande musica,ma grazie soprattutto per la tua autenticità e semplicità.ciao Grande Stella!!

[h879xx]

I like the chord changes and the guitar FX

[seamus1967]

Bright, beautiful chorus.

[ilovemagiceightball]

My dear lord, this is perfection. Goodnight Mr. Chilton x

[theta00]

RIP alex

[Yakovlievich]

If I'm not mistaken, this song about one of the Civil Rights marches. I think I heard these words in a speech by Martin Luther King.

But I could be wrong - does anyone else know for sure?

[Cabal468]

Yakovlievich-It's actually a war protest song "There's people around who tell you that they know/The places where they send you, and it's easy to go/They'll zip you up and dress you down/stand you in a row/But you know you don't have to/You can just say no". I can see how some of the lyrics could pertain to the civil rights movement though.

[peterzang]

@Cabal468 Yes and apparently in an early version they mention landlords/lawyers/and draft boards. This probably makes it more timeless, though.

[pulyapudoff]

@Cabal468 I still consider it a personal anthem.

[davidgrahamscott]

Great...RIP Alex!

[beeblebronx]

This is no less than an eternal hymn.

[MrJforbus]

Thanks for the music Alex. At your side is God.

[camperlawrence]

RIP Alex

[FaFaFoFoBawth]

Alex's finest moment...makes me weepy every time...RIP Alex...

[paganklh]

sorry it was you, not me...peace alex!

[beeblebronx]

I never heard of this band until the death of Alex Chilton.

What a fantastic tune!

[Scumbagization]

I had never heard of them until the Fresh Air show. What a talent.

[kumisucontentus]

see you in the next life

[TijucaWeirdo]

My heart is Crushed! This man's music helped shape my life.

[vampira1409]

Seems all I do lately is post "RIP" messages to YT. This is truly a sad day for music lovers.

[tineville]

one of my all-time fave song. R.I.P. Alex Chilton

[suzette2883]

You're beautiful, Alex! Rest In Peace!

[verlaine067]

Obra Maestra!!, gracias Alex.

[juliano66]

This song woulda been a hit for America--this song always reminds me of the movie, Bless the Beasts and the Children--innocent 70's wonder and flyin down the road...

[peterzang]

Yes, beautifully done. How did this stuff NOT dominate radio in the 70s?

[g7ff54R]

@peterzang

It did in a way. It's been said that only 100

copies of their 1st album was sold, but

everybody that bought it formed their own

band. You can hear Big Star in a lot of later

bands. R.I.P. Alex

[doire7]

The start of this song is the same sound that the british band razorlight use. Rip off merchants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheSaxby]

Yes, from what you are saying, I can say with confidence that Razorlight are rip-off artists.

[g7ff54R]

@doire7 Just another example of how Big Star, who released this song in the early 1970's, are still influencing artists today!

[potaluca]

Part of the problem with sales on both of Big Star's album was that Stax, which distrubuted Ardent, was in the process of being sold, and as a result there weren't a whole lot of albums in stores for anyone to buy.

Big Star is like a day in warm sunshine...

[cosmicrider287]

@peterzanga great mystery,it s beyond me.

[peterzang]

@cosmicrider287 Their loss Cosmicrider! And our bounty.

[dashofchutmeg]

@peterzang Failure of their record label to secure decent distribution. Kinda hard to listen to Big Star when you can't find Big Star, y'know?

That said, it's nearly forty years later and just now are Big Star getting the distribution they deserve. Perfect timing for those reissues, especially since A.C.'s dead. Gotta love the biz.

[happygleason]

@peterzang in a word ' money'

[soundboy3]

@peterzang the record company essentially didn't release the albums... nobody heard it because nobody could get the albums.

[pointlesspeasant]

@peterzang Apparently, despite great reviews, Stax Records failed dismally in distributing #1 Record. One of rock's greatest shames. Big Star could've been the Great American Band of the 1970's instead of the fucking Eagles...

[nycalling72]

@pointlesspeasant

You are so dead on. How Big Star and the Flying Burrito Bros never 'made it' and the fucking Eagles did is one of the biggest musical travesties ever. 

[stevenb130]

@nycalling72

One of the dudes from The Flying Burrito Brothers was a founding member of The Eagles.

Also, The Eagles suck ass.

[peterzang]

@nycalling72 I agree, but it has to do with polish and presentation. BS and The Burritos were magnificent, but a little rougher musically and lyrically. There's a certain sheen that makes hit singles if not necessarily better records. The Raspberries had it.

[deadhardy]

@nycalling72

not that im saying the eagles deserve it...but big star never put out a lot of music

[jewfoo2693]

@deadhardy They did put out three albums, all of which are in the Rolling Stones Top 500 Most Important Albums of All Time. However, the third of those albums lacked Chris Bell and Andy Hummel for various reasons. The real reason why never made it has to do with distribution: they were the first band that Ardent Studios was doing for a catalogue with the intent that Atlantic Records, who had just bought Stax Records, would distribute it. But they didn't, so John Fry ended up having to do it.

[peterzang]

@nycalling72 Not fair, but totally understandable. The Burritos and Big Star didn't make slick, perfect records. That was when radio liked such things. There are missed notes and flubs and weird production glitches here and there. It doesn't make you love 'em any less, but The Eagles were 'perfect.' And I don't even like them.

[sGrK2112]

Rest peacefully Alex.

[tommyrock69]

That's a mighty Big Star that just fell.

[myycaar]

this is a sad sad day folks, i don't even know what to think... r.i.p mr chilton

[milode1]

Grande!!!!

[misterpress]

One of the best songs ever written.

[newspapertaxy]

So sad about Mr. Chilton....being from Memphis and shopping at Big Star as a kid...feel connected to them in some way. RIP Alex Chilton :( can't believe it.

[dharpe13]

r.i.p. alex chilton and chris bell. you guys never got the audience you so deserved...here's hoping that you will now

[jamsee1]

Big Star were many bands influences ie. Teenage Fanclub (1 of my favourite bands) REM & many more. They showed their hearts in their lyrics & their beautiful melodies. They will always remain in some people's hearts & will always live in & never be forgotten who love Big Star's music. RIP also too two geniuses that were the making of Big Star. My favourite Big Star song of all. *

[wovokanarchy]

@dharpe13 Well most great bands don't get the fame and recognition they deserve. One only has to look at The Replacements, The Jam, Small Faces, The Stone Roses and many others I'm sure your more aware of than me.

[dharpe13]

@wovokanarchy very true...in a sense i treasure the great undiscovered bands even more, it's as if we're members of a secret club lol

[roneugenius]

@dharpe13 I could not have said it better Mate !!

[dharpe13]

@roneugenius thanks man

[honuman39]

@wovokanarchy nice choice of bands to compare Big Star to. Stone Roses got huge though not in the US. Replacements definitely deserved to be. Other small band that never got their due is The Cavedogs.

[gardnerc]

Thanks for this lovely tribute. RIP Alex Chilton.

[Salguine]

RIP Alex Chilton 1950-2010

[peregrinatious]

this song was in my head these last few days. i miss you alex.

[aviator100]

RIP Alex

[TheConstellation72]

RIP Alex Chilton......:-(

[R0bDerkin]

RIP AC

[summerteeth99]

RIP ALEX

[lordkoos]

Sad news

[catherkidd]

I'm gutted tonight ... but so thankful to Alex Chilton for sharing his immense talent.

[futurebutterfly444]

rip!

[TheCrippledSilence]

Take care, please take care.

[tarmadilo]

That was the late, great Alex Chilton, who just passed away today. R.I.P. Alex!

[kingalow1]

Thanks, Alex

[whirlawaysteven]

good night alex

[ryanjones1983]

R.I.P. Alex .

[tonyhercules]

Very Very Sad. I'm happy his genius is being respected.

[motivatdguy2000]

RIP Alex...

[marchomeslice]

Alex will always be one of my heroes. RIP.

[summerteeth99]

RIP ALEX.

[myonlyhome]

rip alex

[EliGee]

RIP Alex.

[EpicureMammon]

RIP Alex

[psmith]

R.I.P. Alex Chilton

[Rladue11]

It's Alex Chilton. He died today. RIP.

[NoItsRoman]

RIP Alex Chilton :-(

[Groovecat68]

RIP Alex... thanks for the music....

[itsstillfriday]

RIP!! Alex Chilton! :(

[henchconsort]

RIP, Alex. goddamit

[headphone355]

Who's singing the lead?

[thegoldenyear]

The great Alex Chilton, who first came to public attention as the 16-year-old lead singer for The Box Tops ("The Letter" was a #1 U.S. hit in 1967; "Cry Like A Baby" hit #2 U.S. a year later.) Chilton died earlier today, aged 59. This song is possibly my favourite of the bunch.

[GrigoriSom]

Alex Chilton, who died earlier today at the age of 59. RIP, Alex.

[kingofgrief]

That's Alex, rest his soul.

[sejrec56]

ALEX CHILTON

[SuperGogetem]

@headphone355

I think its Chilton.

[misterpress]

@SuperGogetem

Yep, its Alex.

[TheJamesVincent]

"I've been trying hard against unbelievable odds."

Gosh do I love that line.

[peppercub]

simply sublime.

[seaotteR79]

Gorgeous tune.

[paralisispermanente]

grandes!

[81MJT]

This is a wonderful song, I've loved this for years. Been reading about Chris Bell tonight, it's a sad tale. Are those lovely soaring backing vocals his?

[TheHeidiGame]

big star is very seasonal for me; I always end up listening to them around fall....prob because of sept gurrls.

[2rhodesia]

this is an amazing comment

[TheHeidiGame]

haha, I know, thanks for reminding me how profound I am.

[jedipapaw]

omg how thisz breaks my heart...

[Amootto]

omg the guy at 1:26 looks like my cousin!^^

[cosmicrider287]

it s difficult to pick one of them,but this got to be up there with their best.

[EverElizabeth]

this song is amazing......an awesome share Gary !!!

[blondiebabs]

babsie loves this s ong x

[anitashelby]

What an Amazing Song!!! 5*s Thank You Gary.....Anita...