''Third'' (reissued in 1985 as ''Third/Sister Lovers'') is the third

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guiar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). The group broke up in early 1975, and reorganized with a new l ...

. Sessions started at

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. History Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Arden ...

in September 1974. Though Ardent created promotional, white-label test pressings for the record in 1975, a combination of financial issues, the uncommercial sound of the record, and lack of interest from singer

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...

and drummer

Jody Stephens Jody Stephens (born October 4, 1952) is an American drummer, who has played in Big Star (with Alex Chilton of the Box Tops) and Golden Smog (with members of the Jayhawks and Wilco). After the deaths of Chris Bell in 1978, and both Alex Chilton ...

in continuing the project prevented the album from ever being properly finished or released at the time of its recording. It was eventually released in 1978 by PVC Records. After two commercially unsuccessful albums, ''Third'' documents the band's deterioration as well as the declining mental state of singer Alex Chilton. It has since gone on to become a

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

album, and was placed at number 449 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine's 2012 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. Its reputation growing with time, the album moved up to number 285 on ''

'' magazine's 2020 listing. The album is also included in Robert Dimery's book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

''.

Composition and recording

After the commercial failure of Big Star's first two albums, '' #1 Record'' (1972) and '' Radio City'' (1974),

and

returned to

in late 1974—accompanied by what biographer Bruce Eaton describes as "a large and revolving cast of Memphis musicians"—to record, under producer

Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Lit ...

, "a batch of starkly personal, often experimental, and by turns beautiful and haunting songs that were anything but straight-up power pop." Ardent's John Fry, producer of the first two albums and also involved with the third, recalled that the sessions were burdened by severe personal issues; Eaton tells how Fry "finally called a halt to the escalating madness" and the album was mastered by Larry Nix on February 13, 1975.Eaton, 108. Different opinions exist regarding the categorization of ''Third'' as a Big Star album. According to Chilton, "Jody and I were hanging together as a unit still but we didn't see it as a Big Star record. We never saw it as a Big Star record. That was a marketing decision when the record was sold in whatever year that was sold. And they didn't ask me anything about it and they never have asked me anything about it." Stephens said, "I've seen it in different ways. To a great extent it is an Alex solo record ... It's Alex's focus, it's his emotional state of being but I brought in the string section for the one song I wrote and Alex hit it off with Carl Marsh ... and started using Carl and the string section for other things. What would that album have been like if it didn't have the strings?" According to Eaton, the mastering card identifies Chilton as the recording artist. Jovanovic, meanwhile, notes, "Whether the band was still called Big Star is debatable. The session sheets have the band name 'Sister Lovers' (Chilton and Stephens were dating Lesa and Holliday Aldridge at the time) clearly written on them. This may well have been a joke, although Chilton and Stephens did use the Sister Lovers name for a radio broadcast in early 1975." Lesa Aldridge, a cousin of photographer and '' Radio City'' album cover creator

William Eggleston William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...

, contributed vocals and was, in the words of Dickinson, "a big, big part of the record". Dickinson said that Chilton, whose relationship with Aldridge was stormy, "reached a point ... where he started to go back and erase her—there was a lot more of Lesa on the album than there is now". During the sessions, Chilton recalled, "Jim and I did all sorts of weird things ... in off hours here and there".

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...

contributed guitar to a cover of

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

's "Femme Fatale", while Eggleston played piano on a cover of

eden ahbez George Alexander Aberle (April 15, 1908 – March 4, 1995), known as eden ahbez, was an American songwriter and recording artist of the 1940s to 1960s, whose lifestyle in California was influential in the hippie movement. He was known to frien ...

's "

Nature Boy "Nature Boy" is a song first recorded by American jazz singer Nat King Cole. It was released on March 29, 1948, as a single by Capitol Records, and later appeared on the album, ''The Nat King Cole Story''. It was written by eden ahbez as a tri ...

Release

In 1978 the tapes were acquired by the PVC label and given their first official release. ''Third'' was first released by Aura Records in London in 1978. The PVC release in the US came later that year. Numerous reissues by other labels on vinyl and CD would follow, often varying the title, running order, and cover art, as no 'definitive' version had ever been agreed upon by the band. In addition to the original songs, covers of

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

' "'Till the End of the Day",

's "Nature Boy" and

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" were variously included or omitted. The 1992 CD release on

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...

, assembled with Jim Dickinson's involvement, was regarded as the first attempt at a presentation of the original album concept devised by Dickinson and the band in 1974. In October 2016,

Omnivore Recordings Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore Re ...

released ''Complete Third'', a box set that includes every demo, rough mix, outtake, alternate take, and final master from the ''Third'' sessions ever known to exist.

Reception

Like Big Star's first two albums, ''Third/Sister Lovers'' did not have commercial success at the time of its release but later attracted wider interest. In

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's retrospective review of the album, the website gave it five stars out of five, calling it a "shambling wreck of an album" while at the same time "among the most harrowing experiences in pop music; impassioned, erratic, and stark" and "the slow, sinking sound of a band falling apart".

Accolades

It was listed on

David Keenan David Keenan (born April 1971) is a Scottish writer and author of four novels. Career He used to run the Glasgow record shop, distribution company and record label Volcanic Tongue. Journalism His work for ''The Wire'' (who he wrote for from ...

's "The Best Albums Ever...Honest" by the Scottish newspaper ''The Sunday Herald''. In 2012, the album was ranked number 449 on ''

'' magazine's list of

the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...

. It was ranked #1 at the Top 30 "Heartbreak" albums of all time by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. ''Third'' was also listed at number 31 on ''NMEs "Darkest Albums Ever: 50 of the Best". "Kanga Roo" and "Holocaust" were both covered by

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating ...

on the band's debut LP, ''

It'll End in Tears ''It'll End in Tears'' is the first album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, an umbrella title for a loose grouping of guest musicians and vocalists brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell. The album was released on 1 Octobe ...

''. The 1992 Rykodisc CD release of ''Third/Sister Lovers'' includes a "thank you" to This Mortal Coil in the liner notes in acknowledgment of this. In 1984, the Paisley Underground all-star group Rainy Day covered "Holocaust" on its eponymous album, featuring Kendra Smith of

Dream Syndicate A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...

on lead vocals. "Holocaust" was also covered by

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

on the band's single for ''

Slave to the Wage "Slave to the Wage" is a song by English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released as a single from their third studio album, 2000's '' Black Market Music''. It reached number 19 in the UK Singles Chart. The song, inspired by the drudgery ...

'' in 2000 and can also be found on their compilation '' Covers''. "Take Care" was covered by

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...

on '' Summer Sun''. "Kangaroo" was released by

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

on his posthumous live album ''

Mystery White Boy ''Mystery White Boy'' is a live album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley released in 2000 (see 2000 in music). This is a compilation of live recordings that Buckley's mother Mary Guibert compiled from DAT recordings of his supporting to ...

''; another version can be found on the Legacy Edition of his album ''

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

''. In late 2018,

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

covered "Jesus Christ" on their first full-length Christmas release, '' Christmas Party''.

Track listing

The album sessions have been issued in three vinyl and four CD formats featuring different song selections and/or running orders, plus as a comprehensive 3 CD set including demos and rough mixes.

Ardent Test Pressing, 1975

Side A # "Stroke It Noel" # "Downs" # "Femme Fatale" (Lou Reed) # "Thank You Friends" # "Holocaust" # "Jesus Christ" # "Blue Moon" Side B # "Kizza Me" # "Sometimes" orking title of "For You"# "O, Dana" # "Nighttime" # "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" (Dave Williams) # "Kanga Roo" # "Take Care"

''The Third Album''

Aura Records UK LP, 1978 All songs written by Alex Chilton, except where noted. Side A # "Kizza Me" # "You Can’t Have Me" # "Jesus Christ" # "Downs" # "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" (Dave Williams) # "Thank You Friends" Side B # "O, Dana" # "Femme Fatale" (Lou Reed) # "Stroke It Noel" # "Holocaust" # "Nighttime" # "Kanga Roo" (This version removes "Sometimes" ("For You"), "Blue Moon," and "Take Care" from the test pressing and adds "You Can't Have Me.")

''3rd''

PVC US LP, 1978' All songs written by Alex Chilton, except where noted. Side A # "Stroke It Noel" # "For You" (

) # "Kizza Me" # "You Can't Have Me" # "Nighttime" # "Blue Moon" # "Take Care" Side B # "Jesus Christ" # "Femme Fatale" (Lou Reed) # "O, Dana" # "Big Black Car" # "Holocaust" # "Kanga Roo" # "Thank You Friends" (This version removes "Downs" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" from the test pressing and substitutes "You Can't Have Me" and "Big Black Car." This song selection was subsequently used for the non-bonus tracks (1 through 14) of the Rykodisc CD.)

''Big Star's 3rd: Sister Lovers'', ''Sister Lovers: The Third Album'' and ''The Third Album/Sister Lovers''

PVC CD (US), Castle/Dojo Communications CD/LP (UK), and Line Records CD (Germany), all 1987 (The three CDs feature the same 17 tracks, but in almost entirely different running orders. This order is for the US edition; the numbers following are the track numbers on the UK and German editions.) # "Jesus Christ" (6, 3) # "Femme Fatale" (3, 8) # "O Dana" (13, 7) # "Kizza Me" (11, 1) # "You Can't Have Me" (9, 2) # "Nighttime" (14, 11) # "Dream Lover" (8, 16) # "Blue Moon" (7, 15) # "Take Care" (17, 14) # "Stroke It Noel" (1, 9) # "For You" (12, 13) # "Downs" (2, 4) # "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" (15,5) # "Big Black Car" (10, 17) # "Holocaust" (5, 10) # "Kanga Roo" (16, 12) # "Thank You Friends" (4, 6) (These versions add "Dream Lover" to the 16 previously released songs. The US and UK running orders have no segues in common. The German edition shares "Kizza Me" / "You Can't Have Me" and "Downs" / "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" with the U.S. edition and "Blue Moon" / "Dream Lover" with the U.K.)

''Third/Sister Lovers''

Rykodisc Edition, 1992 This version created by Jim Dickinson is alleged to reflect the band's original intentions for the album. All songs written by Alex Chilton, except where noted. # "Kizza Me" – 2:44 # "Thank You Friends" – 3:05 # "Big Black Car" – 3:35 # "Jesus Christ" – 2:37 # "

Femme Fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

" – 3:28 (

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

) # "O, Dana" – 2:34 # "Holocaust" – 3:47 # "Kanga Roo" – 3:46 # "Stroke It Noel" – 2:04 # "For You" – 2:41 (

) # "You Can't Have Me" – 3:11 # "Nightime" – 2:53 # "Blue Moon" – 2:06 # "Take Care" – 2:46 # "

" onus tracknbsp; – 2:30 (

) # "

Till the End of the Day "Till the End of the Day" is a song by the Kinks, written by Ray Davies and released as a single in 1965 and later on their album ''The Kink Kontroversy''. It centres on a power chord, like many of the group's early hits, and was similarly succes ...

" onus tracknbsp; – 2:13 (

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...

) # "Dream Lover" onus tracknbsp; – 3:31 # "Downs" onus tracknbsp; – 1:43 (Chilton, Lesa Alderidge) # "

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (sometimes rendered "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On") is a song written by Dave "Curlee" Williams and sometimes also credited to James Faye "Roy" Hall. The song was first recorded by Big Maybelle, though the best-k ...

" onus tracknbsp; – 3:20 (Dave Williams)

''Complete Third''

Omnivore Recordings, 2016 Vol. 1: Demos To Sessions To Roughs # "Like St. Joan (Kanga Roo) (Demo)" * # "Lovely Day (Demo)" # "Downs (Demo)" # "Femme Fatale (Demo)" # "Thank You Friends (Demo)" # "Holocaust (Demo)" # "Jesus Christ (Demo)" # "Blue Moon (Demo)" # "Nightime (Demo)" * # "Take Care (Demo)" # "Big Black Car (Demo #2/Acoustic Take 1)" # "Don’t Worry Baby" # "I’m In Love With A Girl" * # "Big Black Car (Demo #3/Acoustic Take 2)" # "I’m So Tired" * – Alex & Lesa # "That’s All It Took" * – Alex & Lesa # "Pre-Downs" * # "Baby Strange" * # "Big Black Car (Demo #1/Band)" # "Kizza Me (Dickinson Rough Mix/Alex Guide Vocal)" * # "Till the End Of the Day (Dickinson Rough Mix/Alex Guide Vocal, Kept As Final Vocal)" * # "Thank You Friends (Dickinson Rough Mix/Alex Guide Vocal)" * # "O, Dana (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * # "Dream Lover (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * Vol. 2: Roughs To Mixes # "Big Black Car (Dickinson Rough Mix/Alex Guide Vocal)" * # "Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * # "Take Care (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * # "Holocaust (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * # "Nightime (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * # "Thank You Friends (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * # "Nature Boy (Dickinson Rough Mix)" * # "After Hours" * – Lesa # "Stroke It Noel (Backwards Intro)" # "Lovely Day (Fry Rough Mix)" * # "Nightime (Fry Rough Mix)" * # "Blue Moon (Fry Rough Mix)" * # "Till The End Of The Day (Alternate Mix #1)" # "Big Black Car (Fry Rough Mix)" # "Holocaust (Fry Alternate/Rough Mix)" # "Downs (Fry Rough Mix)" * # "Kanga Roo (Fry Rough Mix)" # "Femme Fatale (Fry Rough Mix)" * # "For You (Alternate Version/Alex Vocal)" * # "Thank You Friends (Fry Rough Mix)" * # "Take Care (Alternate Version/Alex Vocal)" * # "Kizza Me (Fry Rough Mix)" * # "Till The End Of the Day (Fry Rough Mix #2)" – Lesa # "Nature Boy (Fry Rough Mix)" # "Mañana" Vol. 3: Final Masters # "Stroke It Noel" # "Downs" # "Femme Fatale" # "Thank You Friends" # "Holocaust" # "Jesus Christ" # "Blue Moon" # "Kizza Me" # "For You" # "O, Dana" # "Nightime" # "Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On" # "Kanga Roo" # "Take Care" # "Big Black Car" # "Dream Lover" # "You Can’t Have Me" # "Till the End of the Day" # "Lovely Day" # "Nature Boy" # "Thank You Friends (New Remix – Vocals & Strings)" – hidden/unlisted track ''*previously unreleased tracks''

Personnel

; Big Star *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, vocals ; Additional musicians * Lesa Aldridge – vocals *

Tommy Hoehn Thomas Forbes Hoehn Jr. (November 2, 1954June 24, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and guitarist. Along with Jon Tiven, he led the Memphis power pop group Prix before embarking on a solo career. He also provided backing ...

– backing vocals * Lee Baker – guitar *

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, drums,

mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

– guitar * Richard Rosebrough – drums * William Murphey – bass guitar *

– piano on "Nature Boy" * Tarp Tarrant – drums * Jimmy Stephens – bass guitar * Tommy Cathey – bass guitar * Tommy McClure – bass guitar * Carl Marsh – reeds,

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, string arrangements

Notes

References

* Eaton, Bruce. ''Big Star's "Radio City" (33 1/3)''. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd, 2009. . * Jovanovic, Rob. ''Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band''. London: Fourth Estate, 2004. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Third Sister Lovers 1978 albums Albums produced by Jim Dickinson Big Star albums Rykodisc albums