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Scott Miller broke in a new Game Theory lineup on their third album, 1986's The Big Shot Chronicles (a revolving-door cast of musicians was something he would get used to over the next decade or so). If the album lacks the narrative cohesion of the group's previous full-length effort, 1985's Real Nighttime, it's obvious from the album's first cut (the joyous and explosive "Here It Is Tomorrow") that the addition of Shelley LaFreniere on keyboards, Suzi Ziegler on bass, and Gil Ray on drums made Game Theory a stronger band in every respect. While Game Theory's attempts to rock out on Real Nighttime sometimes sounded a bit tentative, The Big Shot Chronicles reveals a band that's equally adept at flexing their muscles ("I've Tried Subtlety" and "Make Any Vows") or easing into a song's subtleties ("Regenisraen" and "Like a Girl Jesus"). Real Nighttime had a more ambitious concept in its tales of the perils of young adulthood, but The Big Shot Chronicles was meant to document a great band with a stack of top-notch tunes at the ready, and on that level it's even more exciting and engaging than Game Theory's breakthrough effort. As a songwriter, Scott Miller continued to grow ("Erica's Word" and "Don't Look Too Closely" are both smart-pop Heaven on Earth), and though he was fond of referring to his voice as a "miserable whine," he sure knew how to make it communicate. Finally, Mitch Easter's production guides the record through moody neo-psychedelia and uptempo hard pop with an equally sure hand; the record sounds just as good as the band plays. A superb set from one of the best (and most underappreciated) bands of the '80s, The Big Shot Chronicle may not have been their best album -- that honor would go to the wildly ambitious double set Lolita Nation -- but as a set of songs and performances, it's practically unbeatable.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
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Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Vince Gauraldi, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Todd Rundgren, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Hugo Montenegro, Writer - Ernie Sheldon, Writer - Jack Keller, Writer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Lou Reed, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Alex Chilton, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Bryan Ferry, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer, Writer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer, Writer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Scott Miller, Composer - Game Theory, MainArtist
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
Album review
Scott Miller broke in a new Game Theory lineup on their third album, 1986's The Big Shot Chronicles (a revolving-door cast of musicians was something he would get used to over the next decade or so). If the album lacks the narrative cohesion of the group's previous full-length effort, 1985's Real Nighttime, it's obvious from the album's first cut (the joyous and explosive "Here It Is Tomorrow") that the addition of Shelley LaFreniere on keyboards, Suzi Ziegler on bass, and Gil Ray on drums made Game Theory a stronger band in every respect. While Game Theory's attempts to rock out on Real Nighttime sometimes sounded a bit tentative, The Big Shot Chronicles reveals a band that's equally adept at flexing their muscles ("I've Tried Subtlety" and "Make Any Vows") or easing into a song's subtleties ("Regenisraen" and "Like a Girl Jesus"). Real Nighttime had a more ambitious concept in its tales of the perils of young adulthood, but The Big Shot Chronicles was meant to document a great band with a stack of top-notch tunes at the ready, and on that level it's even more exciting and engaging than Game Theory's breakthrough effort. As a songwriter, Scott Miller continued to grow ("Erica's Word" and "Don't Look Too Closely" are both smart-pop Heaven on Earth), and though he was fond of referring to his voice as a "miserable whine," he sure knew how to make it communicate. Finally, Mitch Easter's production guides the record through moody neo-psychedelia and uptempo hard pop with an equally sure hand; the record sounds just as good as the band plays. A superb set from one of the best (and most underappreciated) bands of the '80s, The Big Shot Chronicle may not have been their best album -- that honor would go to the wildly ambitious double set Lolita Nation -- but as a set of songs and performances, it's practically unbeatable.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 25 track(s)
- Total length: 01:19:45
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Game Theory
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Omnivore Recordings
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2016 Omnivore Recordings, a division of Omnivore Entertainment Group ℗ 1986, 1993 Scott Vanderbilt, 2016 The Estate of Scott Miller and Scott Miller Archives, under exclusive license to Omnivore Recordings
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