4 Reasons Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers Wasn’t Released Until 1978

Financial trouble at the label Ardent Records ran out of money, so there was no budget to manufacture or distribute the album in 1974.

The sound was deliberately uncommercial The songs were sparse, dissonant, and emotionally raw — a sharp turn from the power-pop of the band’s earlier records that radio wouldn’t touch.

Alex Chilton’s indifference Chilton lost interest in finishing the project, leaving the tapes incomplete and unmixed for years.

The band was falling apart Internal tensions and drug use made it impossible to rally for a proper release, so the album sat until 1978.