Why Daisy Glaze?
It's the name of an obscure song from the greatest band you've (likely) never heard.
When I saw I could give a name to my Substack, two words immediately came to mind:
Daisy Glaze.
It's the name of an obscure song from the greatest band you've (likely) never heard. But it's a band that ranks Top 5 as the most impactful on my life, along with Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, R.E.M., and Joy Division/New Order (who I count as one - I'll share that unique story another time).
But the band who recorded “Daisy Glaze” was Big Star, the star-crossed cult band out of Memphis featuring Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens. They have one of the most compelling stories in the history of music.
It's a shame so few people know about it. But when you hear their story, you'll say to yourself, “Well, that figures.”
The story of Big Star traces back not only to Memphis, but also to one of the most recognizable song intros in rock history:
Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane/Ain't got time to take a fast train...
Alex Chilton grew up in Memphis, encouraged by his musical family and inspired by the sounds heard on Beale Street. At just 16, he was recruited to sing with local band Ronnie and the Devilles, who shortly after changed their name to the Box Tops.
When Alex was just 16, his first professional recording - “The Letter” - was No. 1 internationally. Even today, listening to that instant classic, it doesn't sound like a teenager singing it.
The Box Tops were done by 1970, but Alex was only getting started.
After a period in New York City, he returned to Memphis circa 1971 where he reconnected with Ardent Studios, a place where legends such as Isaac Hayes and Led Zeppelin recorded. But it also was a laboratory for young musicians such as Alex and a fellow Memphis acquaintance and guitarist, Chris Bell.
By now, both Chris and Alex were disciples of the British Invasion that had shadowed America in the Sixties. That influence led them to collaborate on a sound that would end up with a perfectly suitable name:
Power pop.
The collaboration included drummer Jody Stephens and bassist Andy Hummel, assisted by engineer and father figure John Fry who was sympathetic to their cause. As they recorded their debut album, the band named itself Big Star after a chain of supermarkets and also came up with an audacious album title:
Sure, it means it was their first record. But it also not-so-subtlely implied immediate commercial success.
Well, maybe you can guess how that went. Due to poor distribution, the 1972 album tanked.
(Do yourself a favor. Watch the Big Star documentary Nothing Can Hurt Me currently streaming on Max. I can't do the Big Star story full justice in a single post, and the doc does a pretty good job of covering all of the crazy details.)
#1 Record was (and is) brilliant. It's also the only Big Star album to include Chris, who left after the record's failure as well as battles over who led the band. (Bell tragically died at 27, but not before he gifted us “I Am the Cosmos” - a must-hear.)
Alex, Jody and Andy regrouped as a trio in '73 and started recording the follow-up, called Radio City. (Again, implying these songs would dominate radio? These guys had a thing with album titles.)
The smooth pop of #1 Record gave way to something much more rough and jagged. Alex had a lot on his mind, not to mention an increasingly wild personal life.
But Radio City was just as brilliant as #1 Record. “Back of a Car” and “September Gurls” are just two of the stone-cold classics.
Enter “Daisy Glaze” - track 8.
Great, memorable title. It starts off with Alex sounding sleepy (or druggy) trying to figure out why his girl left him. The slow part gives way to harder guitar and faster tempo. Now, Alex is in a bar. There's dancing and fights. Girls he doesn't know. Disoriented, he asks Christ to nullify his life before declaring “you're gonna die” and “you're gonna decease” as the tune comes to a crashing halt.
The phrase Daisy Glaze is never uttered.
Not exactly radio fare on an album called Radio City. And predictably, more distribution woes sink the 1974 album and drive Andy out of band for good.
That should've been the end of Big Star, right? But within a year, Alex was back in the studio with Jody and another producer, the eccentric Jim Dickinson, who decided to feed rather than tame the beast.
Alex was done with power pop, or anything resembling “commercial” music, resulting in the third Big Star record - an album that veers from sarcastic and vitriolic to shambolic and numbingly beautiful. And yes, even unsettling, if you can bear to listen to “Holocaust” all the way through.
A working title for the record was Sister Lovers (!) - but hang on, that's because Alex and Jody were dating the Aldridge sisters. But this Third album was just as star-crossed as the first two.
By 1975, Big Star could no longer attract interest from a record label, so the work just stopped abruptly.
As did Big Star. It was over.
The postscript? The third album saw a belated release overseas around 1978, making its way back to America as an import and indie release. This, along with the first two albums, found a receptive audience with musicians. You may have heard of some of them.
R.E.M. The Replacements. Primal Scream. The Posies. Matthew Sweet. Teenage Fanclub.
Just to name a few.
After Big Star, Alex embarked on a truly renegade career that eventually saw him relocate to New Orleans. He had to make due washing dishes at local restaurants before the Bangles did him a solid by covering “September Gurls” and bringing Big Star to light. He even appeared on MTV's seminal alternative show 120 Minutes.
Alex ultimately reconciled with his past through live reunions with both the Box Tops and Big Star as well as a reconstituted studio record under the Big Star moniker in 2005 called In Space. He tragically died in 2010 just before a scheduled appearance at South By Southwest in Austin. Andy also died around that time.
Jody is the sole surviving original member of Big Star, still supporting Ardent Studios in Memphis and still making music with the Pretty Wrongs and other ensembles.
So, that's why my Substack is called Daisy Glaze. It's in honor of a really cool band. Have a listen!
