There's been a lot of great rock records made. Electric guitar songs have been a part of our legacy for more than half a century. Everybody knows that. A lesser known fact (opinion) is that back in 1973, Big Star made the very best guitar rock recording that will ever occur. "Radio City" was released to little fanfare. Few trade publications made much of the release. Just another rock record amongst the thousands. I picked it up when first released. the cover pic with all the extension cords run to the ceiling and the day-glo sex position poster in the corner reminded me of my buddy's band's practice house. The pic of the band on the flip side, in all their exuberance, sealed the deal for me.
This disc was a hard listen though. The grooves were there, the energy flowed, but there was some kind of, umm, angle to this music. It seemed like the typical simplistic rock playing everywhere, but there was something deeper going on between the players - Alex Chilton g. , Andy Hummel b. , Jody Stephens d. - had grabbed onto a spirit of the music that displayed pure teamwork. The instrumentation complements each other so perfectly. As a jangly guitar chord fades, a perfectly sycopated drum fill appears, to be followed by an exactly as-expected throbbing bassline. And the harmonies layered on top of it all spoke of a musical heritage you could just feel.That lp travelled everywhere with me. Can't tell you how many cassette copies, I made to have spirited away by friends and aquaintances. For years, I didn't even know if the name of the band was Big Star or Radio City. Early this year, I pulled the aging vinyl out of the sleeve to find it cracked! Great dismay, but at least the CD version has both the first two Big Star recordings on it.I know, I know, Big Star's first record "#1 Record" with Chris Bell is a masterpiece, But "Radio City" transcends that. It is an immortal document. They might as well have packed it up after the final mix and headed home, 'cause this was not to be topped.Many bands, now, recognize Big Star's contribution to rock - building on the Beatles / Stones / Who foundation of the sixties and giving us the next mutation. If you've never taken the time to listen to this recording - spend an hour or two with it. You won't be sorry, I gaurantee it.
Comments (16)
So for all the love Alex gets..the band was the thing..great post scot.
nice point, chemistry class
I love it when a thread suddenly comes back to life!
IT'S ALIVE!
(...and you thought you'd had the last word here...)
I'm not one who insists on having the last word. Are you?
Oh, I was just refing back to where this ended in Oct '07. Hey, anything to bring Big Star into the spotlight!!
good!