Album Reviews

Caught in 1972 between The Beatles and Byrds pop/folk undertow and too early to catch the indie rock wave pioneered by bands like REM later in the decade, commercial failure was all but assured for Big Star, aided by what many at the time considered was a bad Memphis, TN based record company roll out with spotty distribution and less than stellar promotion.

You can bet the Ardent label tried, but back then indie label distribution was challenging. The release dropped quickly from radio’s radar screen.

Nonetheless Big Star wowed the critics, many of who saw Big Star as the second blossoming of American pop/rock. The critics didn’t manage to wow the public though and the album stiffed.

It seemed inevitable for those of us who were big fans at the time that eventually the earnest sounding group fronted by former Box Topper Alex Chilton would catch up with time and be given their due.

That has happened. In fact, the group’s first two albums helped spawn the indie rock scene and its echoes can still be heard today in the genre, which lately seems to have been adopted by television advertising music consultants.

Power pop chording, chiming electric guitars, folky innocence and youthful exuberance permeate this set of twilight teen/young adult oriented tunes. The lyric “Rock and Roll is here to stay, come inside well it’s okay,” from the song “13” pretty much sums up the vibe.

You’ll hear the unmistakable influence of The Beatles on a tune like “Don’t Lie to Me,” and if you’re a fab four fan, love every minute of it. You’ll hear echoes of The Byrds and perhaps a bit of The Who. The textures are more UK than American, but the flashes of soul and funk bring it home.

If you’re a power/pop lover but don’t know this record, you’re in for a treat. This timeless album combines in equal parts tunefulness and hard edges, grit and warmth, introspection and the usual adolescent exuberance. There are teen concerns as well as adult ones, both wrapped in brightly lit melodic packages.

If you’ve not heard this record before, when you finally do get to hear it you’ll wonder why you haven’t heard it before. If you’re familiar you’ll find Classics 200 gram Clarity Plus vinyl reissue an incredible improvement over what you’ve previously heard from this production. The chiming, ringing electric guitars exude a pristine clarity and transient cleanliness that’s not previously been heard.

The recording (in part engineered by the group itself) is purposely bright. Here the brightness is tempered somewhat by the extreme clarity and cleanliness of the transients. As someone who has owned and enjoyed the original since it was first issued, I can tell you that this reissue offers brilliant sonics that adds luster and grace to the production, without taking anything off the purposeful edge. Highly recommended!