As we noted in our Year in ReView series a few weeks back, Tim’s Twitter Listening Party held up as one of the few things to actually feel good about in 2020. And as we note pretty much whenever we get the chance, Belly’s classic 1993 debut album, Star holds up as one of the best things about the 1990s.
Now, the two shall tangle March 2, as Star will be the subject of the 700th edition of Tim’s Twitter Listening Party. For the uninitiated, the series was started by The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess last year at the onset of the pandemic age and subsequent lockdowns, where an album is played in unison, and everyone hangs out on Twitter to discuss it track by track, with the artists included, leading to some wonderful insight and a much-needed moments of musical enjoyment.
For the Star discussion, which starts here on the East Coast at 4 p.m. EST, Tanya Donelly notes on Twitter that all four members of the band — bassist Gail Greenwood, guitarist Thomas Gorman, drummer Chris Gorman, and singer/guitarist Donelly herself — will be present and participating in the session.
After the release of two 1992 EPs, Star was a true breakout release for the Rhode Island band. Debuting on January 25, 1993, it spawned four singles, including MTV buzz bin hit “Feed The Tree” and fan favorite “Gepetto,” and was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the ’94 Grammys (Belly were also nominated for Best New Artist). After splitting a few years later, after the release of 1995 sophomore album King, Belly reformed in 2016, releasing a third LP, titled Dove, to critical acclaim three years ago.
Check out our coverage of the reunited Belly here.