Singer/songwriter
Chris Bell was one of the founding members of the alternative rock band
Big Star, before pursuing a solo career after the release of Big Star's
first album, "#1 Record." He worked as a solo artist through the
mid-seventies, recording only one album "I Am The Cosmos," which was not
released until 15 years following his untimely death in 1978. Bell was
only 27 when a car accident claimed his life.
On
September 15th, Omnivore Recordings is re-issuing his album as a deluxe
2CD set. It includes the original 12-track album, with an additional
23-tracks (8 previously unreleased). The songs that made up the original
"I Am The Cosmos" album combines elements of blues ("Better Save
Yourself"), folk ("Speed Of Sound") and rock ("You And Your Sister") and
showcases this bright, young, energetic spark in the music industry. An
additional four bonus tracks are added to the first disc. They feature
acoustic mixes of the title song, "I Am The Cosmos" as well as "You And
Your Sister," "Look Up" and a beautiful, 2-minute untitled piece.
The
second disc is where we find the treasure trove of recordings that went
into this album. Although all of the original recordings were produced
by Chris Bell, this new compilation includes the help of Alex Palao,
Cheryl Pawelski and Adam Hill. Digging through the vault of recordings,
we get alternate mixes of songs like "Get Away" and "Make A Scene." The
highlights of the second disc feature duets with Keith Sykes on "Stay
With Me" and Nancy Bryan on "In My Darkest Hour." The 35-song set
finishes up with an untitled electrifying instrumental rock track and
the gentle acoustic movie mix of "Though I Know She Lies."
This
new set also includes a full-color 28-page booklet that includes
updated lines notes from Memphis author/journalist Bob Mehr and
previously unseen photos of Chris Bell. This set also leads the way for a
6-LP set titled "The Complete Chris Bell," which arrives this November.
To find out more about this newly released expanded edition of "I Am
The Cosmos," please visit omnivorerecordings.com.
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