Thirty Years Later, Big Head Todd and the Monsters' 'Sister Sweetly' Is Still a Classic Nineties Record

I missed the anniversary, but still want to talk about when this great band accomplished the rare feat of breaking out of the Colorado music scene.

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When I was growing up in northern Colorado, it wasn’t expected to come across much homegrown talent on the radio or have anyone break through to the national stage. Sure, there was an embarrassment of riches on the jam scene with groups like String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, and Yonder Mountain String Band, but the pop and alternative charts were out of the question.

This changed a bit when I had my time playing shows back in the aughts, as a few groups finally hit the airwaves. Too bad most are absolute dogshit, like The Fray, Pretty Lights, OneRepublic, and 3OH3!, but some are damn good ones, like Tennis and DeVotchka. Things are getting better (Julian Fulco Perron, Deth Rali, and Barbara are a few that I’ve written about on here before), but the breakthroughs in the meantime are usually for the twee big hat-wearin’, handclappin’ crowd like The Lumineers and Nathaniel Rateliff - it’s alright if you enjoy that stuff, but it’s certainly not for me.

Thirty years ago, one band defied the odds when Big Head Todd and the Monsters released their third album, Sister Sweetly. While the record never broke into the top half of the Billboard Top 200 chart, Sister Sweetly had staying power and moved around the sales chart for more than a year. For a band that made a name for themselves by playing college shows at the University of Colorado and Colorado State University, selling over a million copies and ending with platinum status is an enormous success, even with the inflated physical media sales that the decade enjoyed.

The high sales were thanks to a few reasons. First, Big Head Todd and the Monsters had already independently released two albums while building their regionally legendary live show repertoire. That all changed when they were signed to Giant Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, started by industry bigwig Irving Azoff a few years earlier. Todd and Co. were part of an effort to build out a younger roster, while Giant also poached well-established vets like Warren Zevon, Brian Wilson, and Chicago, which gave the band a nineties-sized budget for studio time, production, and advertising.

More importantly, though, the band’s pure talent and hard work led them to the radio waves. These dudes go way back to the mid-eighties when Todd Park Mohr and drummer Brian Nevin started the group. Picking up bassist Rob Squires in college, the trio has remained the same to this day. Everyone had Big Head Todd stories, like my middle school geography teacher constantly recalling the times they played at her sorority and wore it like a badge of pride while all the kids watched the band’s music videos flirt with MTV. During those early indie days, the band is said to have driven their van over four hundred thousand miles while grinding it out all around the West.

If there’s a chance you know a Big Head Todd song, it’s undoubtedly “Bittersweet,” one that may have put them on the map but had been simmering for years. Already a set staple, the band released an earlier recording on their album Midnight Radio. Returning to this version, there’s a raw indie quality that Sister Sweetly’s single version leaves behind. While my tastes are usually drawn to that more DIY sound, you can’t deny that the big-budget version is one of the best nineties songs. When it came time for their second attempt, the band recorded at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios with The Purple One’s producer David Z. on the boards, and that lavish sheen is heard throughout the album.

“Bittersweet” is still an absolute treat, especially with a good pair of headphones. The heavy chorus effect on the rhythm guitar rides the “Come As You Are” wave while Mohr’s lead guitar work shines, and Squires’ punchy bass tone leads the groove. I’ve always thought the mix on Nevin’s drums on this album is a bit busy but fits the era. If that racquetball snare sounds familiar, you’d be happy to know David Z. pioneered the sound on Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy” and evidently liked it quite a bit. If you’re into weird drum tones, listen to another single, “Circle,” as it reminds me quite a bit of Dave Krusen’s sound on Pearl Jam’s Ten. The nineties, man.

Besides “Bittersweet” and “Circle,” Sister Sweetly also produced another moderately successful single in “Broken Hearted Savior,” which is a flawless opening song for the album. Strangely enough, my favorite song on the album, the slacker-grooving “It’s Alright,” was never officially released as a single. Still, I recall it playing on local Todd-championing station KBCO hourly throughout the decade. Knowing the current radio and KBCO state, that’s probably still the case.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you Sister Sweetly is a top-to-bottom classic, as a few will sound like duds to the modern ear, especially when things get funky. I personally love the title track and “Groove Thing,” but everyone is clearly chasing Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rick Rubin’s work on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Then again, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Strategem would follow the next year, but Beautiful World in 1997 would be the effort that produced their last successful single with the powerhouse “Resignation Superman,” (“Please Don’t Tell Her” was another great one that got a load of local play) and an album that makes a great pairing with Sister Sweetly. Though I’m not always the biggest live album fan, Live Monsters is essential, but one you’ll have to find on a compact disc as it isn’t streaming. As someone who saw them a handful of times during this era, it captures just how phenomenal their concerts were.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters may long be out of the national spotlight. However, they’re still a Colorado staple, frequently showing up at Red Rocks and, of course, the parade when our beloved Broncos last won the Super Bowl (are they moving out of this eight-year Donkey phase? Things feel hopeful, but let’s revisit after the season is over). For me, they’re one of those bands that I’ve never stopped listening to. Sure, I may only dig ‘em out once or twice a year, but it’s always great to have them back, and it was great to have some hometown cooking back in alternative rock’s glory days.

(I also have to give a shoutout to Hazel Miller, who provides the backing vocals on these live clips. She is a Colorado institution and shows up everywhere. Even my senior prom.)

Any thoughts/memories for Big Head Todd and the boyz? Let me know in the comments!