Four discs worth of unreleased demos, alternate takes, rarities, and live cuts are on tap for hyper-influential altster band Big Star this fall when Rhino releases "Keep An Eye On The Sky" on Sept. 15.
The 98 tracks cull from 1968-1975 and include pre-Big Star bands Rock City and Icewater, solo work from Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, and unreleased material from the "#1 Record," "Radio City" and "Third/Sister Lover" sessions.
Never a household name band, Big Star's 1970s power-pop sound helped more well-known acts like Cheap Trick, R.E.M. and the Replacements find their respective sounds.
"Just when you're thinking everything has been released, apparently it hasn't," Big Star drummer Jody Stephens told Billboard.com.
Big Star broke up in 1974 after the commercial failure of their first two albums, "#1 Record" and "Radio City," before a third album, recorded that year, could be released. "Third/Sister Lovers" was rejected for release at the time for not being commercial enough, but finally made it into print four years later.


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