Now Available: Chris Bell, I Am the Cosmos

If you never travel far without a little Big Star, then not only do you likely already know who Chris Bell is, but you probably already own the lone solo album by the late Mr. Bell, who played guitar and sang on Big Star’s boldly-titled debut album, #1 Record, before departing the band’s ranks for a solo career which ended abruptly when, at the age of 27, he was killed in a car crash. It was a sad, sudden end for a songwriter who’d already begun to earn respect from his peers, and it seems all the more tragic in retrospect, given how many artists have found inspiration in I Am the Cosmos since it finally received its belated release on Rykodisc in 1992.

In 2009, Rhino Handmade offered up a two-disc deluxe edition of I Am the Cosmos, pairing the album’s original 12 tracks on the first disc with a second disc featuring three tracks by Bell’s pre-Big Star bands (two by Icewater, one by Rock City), nine alternate and extended versions and mixes of songs from the album, collaborations with Keith Sykes (“Stay with Me”) and Nancy Bryan (“In My Darkest Hour”), and concluding with the instrumental “Clacton Rag.” Here’s the full track listing for your perusal:

Disc 1

1. “I Am The Cosmos”
2. “Better Save Yourself”
3. “Speed Of Sound”
4. “Get Away”
5. “You And Your Sister”
6. “I Got Kinda Lost”
7. “Look Up”
8. “Make A Scene”
9. “There Was A Light”
10. “I Don’t Know”
11. “Fight At The Table”
12. “Though I Know She Lies”

Disc 2

1. “Looking Forward” – Icewater
2. “Sunshine” – Icewater
3. “My Life Is Right” – Rock City
4. “I Don’t Know” – Alternate Version
5. “You And Your Sister” –Alternate Version
6. “I Am The Cosmos” – Extended Alternate Version
7. “Speed Of Sound” – Alternate Version
8. “Fight At The Table” – Alternate Mix
9. “Make A Scene” – Alternate Mix
10. “Better Save Yourself” – Alternate Mix
11. “Get Away” – Alternate Version
12. “You And Your Sister” – Acoustic Version
13. “Stay With Me” – with Keith Sykes
14. “In My Darkest Hour” – with Nancy Bryan
15. “Clacton Rag” – Instrumental

If you’re already a proud owner of the Rhino Handmade release, then you’ve got no need to pick up this reissue, but if you’ve been cursing our name ever since that particular item went out of print, then you’re welcome, because here’s your chance to finally own it for yourself.