THIRD/SISTER LOVERS

'''Third''', also known as '''Sister Lovers''' and '''Beale Street Green''', is a rock album recorded by Memphis power pop group Big Star in 1974 and released in 1978. The album was produced by Jim Dickinson.
After the first two Big Star albums, 1972's ''#1 Record'' and 1974's ''Radio City'', failed to achieve commercial success, Alex Chilton went back into Ardent Studios in late 1974 to make a series of recordings. The resulting album, which included guitar work by Steve Cropper (on a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale), as well as drumming by Jody Stephens, was deemed too uncommercial for release at the time, and only saw the light of day in 1978. Since then, other tracks from the sessions, including covers of songs by Jerry Lee Lewis and the Kinks, have been reissued on various versions of the album, which seems to have been left uncompleted.
''Third'' takes the original Big Star sound and abstracts it, with synthesizers, strings and saxophones emerging from the mix. The album deals with bitterness, loneliness and emotional devastation, but does so in a way that retains some elements of pop music, as on "Thank You Friends," which features female backing vocals reminiscent of those found on Elvis Presley recordings of the late '60s. "Kanga Roo" and "Holocaust" have often been compared to some of the raw recordings of Yoko Ono and John Lennon. "You Can't Have Me" is akin to a deconstructed song by the Who, and the halting ballad "Dream Lover" contains the famous line about "Beale Street green." Although many critics regard ''Radio City'' as the definitive Big Star album, ''Third'' is perhaps the most innovative album the group ever recorded, and influenced many subsequent bands, including Primal Scream and His Name Is Alive. In addition, the album contains what are arguably Alex Chilton's finest vocal performances.
It was listed in David Keenan's "The Best Albums Ever...Honest" by the Scottish newspaper ''The Sunday Herald''.
It was ranked #1 at the Top 30 most heartbreak albums by NME.

Contents

Track listing

Credits

Track listing

★ Note: this is the tracklist of the 1992 Rykodisc edition. This is the order of songs that Alex originally wanted on the original release.
#"Kizza Me" – 2:44
#"Thank You Friends" – 3:05
#"Big Black Car" – 3:35
#"Jesus Christ" – 2:27
#"Femme Fatale" – 3:28
#"O, Dana" – 2:34
#"Holocaust" – 3:47
#"Kangaroo" – 3:46
#"Stroke It Noel" – 2:04
#"For You" – 2:41
#"You Can't Have Me" – 3:11
#"Nighttime" – 2:53
#"Blue Moon" – 2:06
#"Take Care" – 2:46
#"Nature Boy" [bonus track] – 2:30
#"Till the End of the Day" [bonus track] – 2:13
#"Dream Lover" [bonus track] – 3:31
#"Downs" [bonus track]" – 1:43
#"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" [bonus track] – 3:20
The 1978 Vinyl on the Label PVC had the following track order:
#Stroke It Noel
#For You
#Kizza Me
#You Can't Have Me
#Nightime
#Blue Moon
#Take Care
#Jesus Christ
#Femme Fatale
#O, Dana
#Big Black Car
#Holocaust
#Kanga Roo
#Thank You Friends

Credits

★ Alex Chilton--Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards

★ Jody Stephens--Drums, Vocals

★ Lesa Aldredge--Vocals

★ Lee Baker--Guitar

★ Jim Dickinson--Bass, Drums, Mellotron

★ Steve Cropper--Guitar

★ Richard Rosebrough--Drums

★ William Murphey--Bass

★ Tarp Tarrant--Drums

★ Jimmy Stephens--Bass

★ Tommy Cathey--Bass

★ Tommy McClure--Bass

★ Carl Marsh--Reeds, Woodwinds, Synthesizer, String Arrangements