I never travel far, without a little...
February 14, 2022 11:29 AM

I obviously know about The Bangles, and I know about Yo La Tengo, but what are your favorite Big Star cover songs?
posted by 1970s Antihero to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 11 users marked this as a favorite
A little too obvious? But Cheap Trick's cover of In the Street (for That 70s Show) is fun.
posted by General Malaise at 11:34 AM on February 14, 2022


Not strictly speaking Big Star, but the cover of Chris Bell's You and Your Sister by This Mortal Coil (in this instance Kim Deal & Tanya Donnelly) is a lovely thing.
posted by misteraitch at 11:38 AM on February 14, 2022


This sent me down a little rabbit hole of cover song forums I haven't been in for ages. I found there this lovely video of Nakia (new to me; apparently he was on The Voice a year later) doing Thirteen live at SXSW.
posted by knile at 11:38 AM on February 14, 2022


Hole - Thirteen this is a Courtney Love [channeling Stevie Nicks] solo version, but I'm pretty sure they had it on a CD single back in the day.

Loud Family - Back of a Car
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:42 AM on February 14, 2022


I've always liked Evan Dando's cover of The Battle of El Goodo from the Empire Records soundtrack.

There was also the tribute album Big Star, Small World which was shelved for a long time then finally released in 2006 featuring covers by the Afghan Whigs, Whiskeytown, Wilco, Juliana Hatfield, and others that you may give a few spins. I haven't heard it in ages, so I don't remember any particular favorites myself.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:43 AM on February 14, 2022


elliott smith covered 'thirteen' very regularly at live shows. there was a posthumously released studio version. he did a couple others live as well (nighttime, stroke it noel) that are on youtube.
posted by noloveforned at 11:54 AM on February 14, 2022


From the tribute album Ufez Jones referenced, I like Matthew Sweet's straightforward cover of The Ballad of El Goodo.

He and Susanna Hoffs cover "Back of a Car" on the second volume of their Under the Covers series. (Here's a live acoustic version of that one.)
posted by AgentRocket at 11:58 AM on February 14, 2022


Hooray for the Riff Raff/Waxahatchee - Thirteen

Souvlaki - Take Care

Jeff Buckley Kanga Roo

Lucero - I'm in Love with a Girl

The Lovely Sparrows - Take Care

Travis - Thirteen

Scarlett Johansen (with Pete Yorn) doing Chris Bell's I am the Cosmos

Dum Dum Girls - September Gurls

Sondre Leche - Take Care

Julien Baker - Thirteen

The Lemonheads - Mod Lang

Bubblegum Lemonade - Holocaust

Paranoid Park - Kanga Roo

The Jayhawks - I Am the Cosmos

this Alex Chilton tribute is heavy on Big Star.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:25 PM on February 14, 2022


¿Quieres bailar?

Two Spanish language covers of "Stroke It Noel": IVI POP and Kiev Cuando Nieva
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:24 PM on February 14, 2022


I know your post title is a reference to the Replacements' "Alex Chilton," but the Shit, Shower, and Shave mixtape has them doing a cover of "September Gurls."
posted by Leontine at 2:15 PM on February 14, 2022


Recently released Big Star tribute album, various artists
posted by music for skeletons at 2:53 PM on February 14, 2022


I adore the Garbage version of 13.
posted by Candleman at 6:36 PM on February 14, 2022


Here's The Potential Lunatics covering Thirteen. The singer was actually 13 at the time she recorded it.
posted by platinum at 10:01 PM on February 14, 2022


« Older [Tax season filter] Should I use a tax preparer?   |   Is there a book on the GLOBAL history of walking? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.