1992 studio album by Chris Bell
I Am the Cosmos is the only solo
album by the
American pop-rock musician
Chris Bell , posthumously released in 1992 by
Rykodisc , having been recorded over a period of two to three years during the mid-1970s. Bell had previously been a member of
Big Star .
In 2009, the album was remastered and re-released in a deluxe two-CD version by
Rhino Handmade with alternate versions and additional tracks, and three songs by Bell's pre-Big Star groups, Icewater and Rock City.
[1] Some copies included a bonus 7" single of "I Am the Cosmos"/"
You and Your Sister ", a replica of the original single.
[5]
The booklet notes for the album were written by Bell's brother David, who also took the photographs used on the cover and in the CD booklet. The cover features a picture that was taken near
Nendaz in
Switzerland , it shows the opposite side of the valley with
Ardon and the south flank of the snowy massif of
Les Diablerets in the back.
The 2017
Omnivore Recordings edition comprises 35 tracks, including eight previously unreleased tracks and two that appear on CD for the first time. Three pre-Big Star tunes that appeared on the 2009 edition are omitted; these are now found on Omnivore's Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star (also 2017).
Cover versions and other uses
"Speed of Sound" was used over the opening credits of the
Peter Sollett film
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist . This song also featured on the various artists compilation album compiled by
The Flaming Lips ,
Late Night Tales: The Flaming Lips .
"I Am the Cosmos" has been played live by
Big Star ,
Beck ,
The Posies ,
Gigolo Aunts ,
The Jayhawks , and
The Drams , and has also been covered by
This Mortal Coil , together with a version of "You and Your Sister".
Scarlett Johansson and
Pete Yorn recorded "I Am the Cosmos" for their 2009 album
Break Up .
"I Am the Cosmos" is mentioned in the song "Paradise" on
Richard Ashcroft 's 2002 album
Human Conditions .
"There Was a Light" was used in the soundtrack to the
Patriot (TV series) 2018 episode "Loaded."
[6]
Track listing
All songs written by Chris Bell.
Rykodisc CD, 1992
"I Am the Cosmos" – 3:46
"Better Save Yourself" – 4:25
"Speed of Sound" – 5:11
"Get Away" – 3:26
"
You and Your Sister " – 3:11
"Make a Scene" – 4:09
"Look Up" – 3:14
"I Got Kinda Lost" – 2:42
"There Was a Light" – 3:19
"Fight at the Table" – 3:41
"I Don't Know" – 3:22
"Though I Know She Lies" – 3:35
Bonus tracks
"I Am the Cosmos" (slow version) – 3:40
"You and Your Sister" (country version) – 2:56
"You and Your Sister" (acoustic version) – 2:53
Rhino Handmade 2CD, 2009 (bonus tracks)
"Looking Forward" – 3:39 by Icewater
"Sunshine" – 1:45 by Icewater
"My Life Is Right" – 3:08 by Rock City
"I Don't Know" (alternate version) – 4:18
"You and Your Sister" (alternate version) – 3:03
"I Am the Cosmos" (extended alternate version) – 5:07 (full length version of the above-mentioned "I Am the Cosmos" (slow version))
"Speed of Sound" (alternate version) – 5:13
"Fight at the Table" (alternate mix) – 4:11
"Make a Scene" (alternate mix) – 4:11
"Better Save Yourself" (alternate mix) – 4:29
"Get Away" (alternate version) – 4:21
"You and Your Sister" (acoustic version) – 3:00
"Stay with Me" – 2:49 with Keith Sykes
"In My Darkest Hour" – 3:01 with Nancy Bryan
"Clacton Rag" – 3:30
Omnivore 2CD, 2017
Disc 1
"I Am the Cosmos" (Original Single Version)
"Better Save Yourself"
"Speed of Sound"
"Get Away"
"You and Your Sister" (Original Single Version)
"I Kinda Got Lost"
"Look Up"
"Make a Scene"
"There Was a Light"
"I Don’t Know"
"Fight at the Table"
"Though I Know She Lies"
"I Am the Cosmos" (Acoustic Mix) *
"You and Your Sister" (Acoustic Version)
"Look Up" (Acoustic Movie Mix) *
"Untitled Acoustic Instrumental" (Movie Mix)
Disc 2
"I Am the Cosmos" (Extended Alternate Version)
"Better Save Yourself" (Alternate Mix)
"Speed of Sound" (Alternate Version)
"Get Away" (Alternate Version)
"You and Your Sister" (Alternate Version)
"Make a Scene" (Alternate Mix)
"Fight At the Table" (Alternate Mix)
"I Don’t Know" (Alternate Version)
"Speed of Sound" (Alternate Version Backing Track) *
"Stay with Me" (with Keith Sykes)
"In My Darkest Hour" (with Nancy Bryan)
"So Long Baby (a.k.a. Clacton Rag)"
"Fight at the Table" (Outtake with Partial Vocal) *
"You and Your Sister" (“Country” Underdub Mix)
"Get Away" (Outtake Track) *
"Better Save Yourself" (Outtake Track) *
"I Am the Cosmos" (Alternate Backing Track with Piano) *
"Untitled Electric Instrumental" (Movie Mix) *
"Though I Know She Lies" (Movie Mix) *
Personnel
[Details from the 2009 edition]
Track 5 recorded at
Ardent Studios ,
Memphis, Tennessee
Tracks 1, 8 & 11 recorded at Shoe Studios & Productions,
Memphis, Tennessee by Warren Wagner.
Digital mastering – Dr. Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital Recording, Inc.,
Southborough, Massachusetts
NoNoise Processing on selected tracks by Scott Leviton at Fantasy Studios,
Berkeley, California
Package design – Steven Jurgensmeyer
Photography and booklet notes – David Bell
References
^
a
b
c Klein, Joshua (September 29, 2009).
"Album Reviews: Chris Bell: I Am the Cosmos [Deluxe Edition]" .
Pitchfork . Retrieved November 2, 2018 .
^ Ankeny, Jason.
"I Am the Cosmos - Chris Bell" . Retrieved February 27, 2020 .
^ Puterbaugh, Parke (March 19, 1992).
"I Am The Cosmos : Chris Bell : Review : Rolling Stone" .
Rolling Stone . Archived from
the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2020 .
^ November 2009 edition, pg. 82
^
"I Am the Cosmos at Discogs" .
Discogs . Retrieved April 16, 2012 .
^
" "Patriot" Loaded (TV Episode 2018) - IMDb" .
IMDb .