Attack of the Killer Track! is a series that explores tracks from artists from a variety of genres. Some of the tracks were singles, some of them were obscure b-sides or long forgotten album tracks. One thing is certain – all of them are killer tracks.
The Big Star story is full of “what ifs”. What if the 1st record had proper distribution and had become an International hit? (1972’s modestly titled #1 Record). What if Chris Bell hadn’t left the band and had carried on his songwriting with Alex Chilton? Would the world be in awe of Big Star’s mythic 3rd record, Third / Sister Lovers? Would the world be blessed with the equally haunting solo LP from Chris Bell, I Am the Cosmos? That’s a lot of questioning, and sadly the story remains the same – Chris Bell left Big Star after the 1st record and faced personal problems and difficulties in getting his music heard (Alex Chilton & the rest of Big Star faced these issues concurrently, to be discussed another day). Sadly, Chris Bell’s story came to an end with a fatal automobile accident in late 1978. Earlier that year he had released his 1st officially released solo single I Am the Cosmos b/w You And Your Sister. Bell had a spiritual yearning and had an interest in Christianity – I Am the Cosmos alludes to a higher power, interjecting romantic insecurity along the way. Chris Bell’s voice conveys pain and hope in equal measures, whilst the melodic guitar refrain / solo running through the track might be the finest playing of Bell’s career. Truly, one of my favorite songs of all time. It wasn’t until 1992 that the single was compiled along with unreleased recordings to give the world a solo Chris Bell LP also titled I Am the Cosmos (reissued in 2009 with tons of more goodies). “Every night I tell myself / “I am the cosmos, I am the wind” / But that don’t get you back again”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR594Kkxmzg]