Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City (1972/1974)

Big Star was a short-lived power pop group that hailed from Memphis in the early '70s. They never had any great chart success and, quite frankly, I had never heard of the group until the 1990's. That's when I noticed that many groups to which I listened were listing Big Star as an influence. Then it was one of those situations where, once you know a name, you become aware of its appearance everywhere. So I picked up this two-fer CD to see what the fuss was all about. Admittedly, I didn't get it at first, but upon repeated listenings I finally began to hear what everybody was talking about. The group didn't receive proper marketing support, leading to one of the biggest "what if" questions in rock n roll history.

#1 Record was the band's debut album and the songwriting duties were handled by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell and there's a definite complimentary difference between the two. I'd compare the two to Lennon & McCartney, but that's been done to death. Bell's songs rock harder than those of Chilton, but both were good songwriters and harmonizers. I listen to it and think, "Ah, so that's were R.E.M. lifted that." As Allmusic states: "The problem with coming in late on an artwork lauded as 'influential' is that you've probably encountered the work it influenced first, so its truly innovative qualities are lost." Ah, well. It's not like I could have appreciated this music when I was 5 years old. So the alternative scene of the eighties pinched much of their sound from groups like Big Star, just as Big Star pinched much of their sound from the British Invasion of the sixties - so what?

Bell left the group after #1 Record, so Chilton is the clear leader of the Radio City album. The most obvious differences are Bell's vocal harmonies, but I also notice that this album doesn't sound as good as #1 Record, so I have to conclude that Bell was very involved in the production/engineering of that first record.

I understand there's a recent documentary on the band. I'll need to check that out.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked #1 Record at #474 and Radio City at #359.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Neither album charted

Tracks:
#1 Record: The review from the September 9, 1972 issue of Billboard magazine puts it best:

To that, I'll add that I think the hidden gem on #1 Record is The India Song.

Radio City: Overall, this is a weaker album, but there are a few choice cuts: O My Soul, Back Of A Car, and September Gurls.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None