BCB 100 - Big Star

geoffcowgill · Postby **geoffcowgill** » 25 Jul 2006, 16:15

Radio City is the top dog for me. The ultimate power pop album, perhaps, if you're interested in labelling stuff like that. There are probably about half a dozen songs that could fight it out quite admirably for their best, but I'm feelin' "What's Goin Ahn" right now. In some ways it's as desolate as anything on SisterLovers while maintaining that pop melody sensibility that is too often lacking on their last album.

Favorite Album - Radio City

Favorite Song - "What's Goin' Ahn"

Bungo the Mungo · Postby **Bungo the Mungo** » 25 Jul 2006, 16:17

I like them but don't love them. They are certainly underrated, but there's something missing, for me. No grit. Too breezy.

'You Get What You Deserve' is my favourite. I can't listen to an album all the way through.

Matt Wilson · Postby **Matt Wilson** » 25 Jul 2006, 16:29

Sir John Coan wrote:I like them but don't love them. They are certainly underrated, but there's something missing, for me. No grit. Too breezy.

Yes, but you'd say that about most great bands then.

Maxwell's Golden Pickaxe · Postby **Maxwell's Golden Pickaxe** » 25 Jul 2006, 16:56

I genuinely love this band. #1 Record and Radio City are two of the greatest albums ever IMO. I don't know how to describe how brilliant they are.

But they are.

Album - #1 Record (just shades it)

Song - September Gurls (one of the most perfect songs ever comitted to vinyl. and then CD)

toomanyhatz · Postby **toomanyhatz** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:07

A great band. All three records are great. One thing I love about them is that though they're a pop band, there's nothing sunny about them. Everything sounds jagged, jarring and slightly disassociated from reality. Which probably describes Chilton's head perfectly. They probably capture that post-adolescent angst of not being quite at home in either the teenage or adult world better than anyone except the Beach Boys. The ultimate song for me is "Back of a Car." Captures that stoned, inarticulate uncertainty better than any other song I can think of.

Album - Radio City
Song - Back of a Car

Snarfyguy · Postby **Snarfyguy** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:11

I don't play them as much as I used to. They were real big for me in the 80s. Still sound fine, though.

Album Radio City

Song Oh My Soul, a tour de force.

Sneelock · Postby **Sneelock** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:19

album: Number One Record
song: Don't Lie to Me

me, (spit-DING)
I'm an old Badfinger man myself.
still, Big Star sounds like Top 40 from another dimension superior to my own. They really rock, too. you know like proto-Cheap Trick practically.

Quaco · Postby **Quaco** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:26

toomanyhatz wrote:The ultimate song for me is "Back of a Car." Captures that stoned, inarticulate uncertainty better than any other song I can think of.

Let's do it on Saturday!

McBastard · Postby **McBastard** » 25 Jul 2006, 20:04

Album - Radio City

Song - September Gurls. Still in my all time top 3.

I think #1 Record has my all time favourite album sleeve, and perhaps title.

Shame the twofer CD's a bit of a mess.

Davey the Fat Boy · Postby **Davey the Fat Boy** » 25 Jul 2006, 20:17

Album: Sister Lovers

Song: Thirteen or Blue Moon

Penk! · Postby **Penk!** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:22

Sir John Coan wrote:I like them but don't love them. They are certainly underrated, but there's something missing, for me. No grit. Too breezy.

'You Get What You Deserve' is my favourite. I can't listen to an album all the way through.

The third album's got more than enough grit for their whole career. And prior to that they pretty much nailed what guitar pop is all about, so where's the problem.
I couldn't name a favourite album. Perhaps Radio City, because it's kind of a mixture of the ones either side.
Same goes for a favourite song, really - I'd probably pick Kangaroo, Thirteen, Blue Moon or September Gurls.

brassneck.. · Postby **brassneck..** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:33

No 1 Record is one of the most perfect albums of all time. Although i love several songs on Radio City i think it's overrated on here. It's just a tad too ramshackle, and it doesn't have Chris Bell on it.

So, clearly, No 1 Record.

Song: When my baby's beside me

This Here Dream Machine · Postby **This Here Dream Machine** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:35

Sir John Coan wrote:No grit.

Say wha? I can imagine someone thinking that about #1 Record (& being wrong, but still,) yet to say as much about Radio City is to suggest you mightn't be listening closely enough.

Album: Radio City

Song: Daisy Glaze/She's A Mover/Mod Lang (3-way tie.)

Bungo the Mungo · Postby **Bungo the Mungo** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:38

Mspecktor wrote:
Sir John Coan wrote:No grit.

Say wha? I can imagine someone thinking that about #1 Record (& being wrong, but still,) yet to say as much about Radio City is to suggest you mightn't be listening closely enough.

Album: Radio City

Song: Daisy Glaze/She's A Mover/Mod Lang (3-way tie.)

No. No grit. Those songs sparkle, there's an undeniable polish there. It detracts from the music for me.

toomanyhatz · Postby **toomanyhatz** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:42

Sir John Coan wrote:
Mspecktor wrote:
Sir John Coan wrote:No grit.

Say wha? I can imagine someone thinking that about #1 Record (& being wrong, but still,) yet to say as much about Radio City is to suggest you mightn't be listening closely enough.

Album: Radio City

Song: Daisy Glaze/She's A Mover/Mod Lang (3-way tie.)

No. No grit. Those songs sparkle, there's an undeniable polish there. It detracts from the music for me.

Wow. sparkle? Polish? Do you have some kind of bootleg of alternate takes or something?

In fact I've heard plenty of pop fans complain that the problem with them is that they're too loose and unpolished. Which is of course one of the things I love about them.

Bungo the Mungo · Postby **Bungo the Mungo** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:52

The sound of those guitars is the very definition of 'polished'. Come on!

Beno · Postby **Beno** » 25 Jul 2006, 22:24

Album: Sister Lovers

Song: Thirteen

Quaco · Postby **Quaco** » 25 Jul 2006, 22:26

This is just like the Yes debate: one side says how subtle they were, and the other, how unsubtle. The fact is they were both.

Big Star used different guitar sounds. "The Ballad of El Goodo" is played perfectly on perfectly chiming guitars. While "Don't Lie to Me" features crunchy guitars. Meanwhile, the guitars on "September Gurls" are clean and compressed but so piercing that they almost sound distorted. It's really futile to try to generalize about the guitar sounds on Big Star records.

I think of Chris Bell as the clean, polished guy and Alex Chilton as the rough, one-take guy. I don't kinow if that's true, but the albums seemed to get progressively more messy as they went along. Although I love a lot of songs on the first one, the second one is more my kind of record.

I personally like the fact that they are rougher than they could have been -- and certainly a lot rougher than so many of the people who revere them. There are a lot of moments captured on those records. They are definitely not sterile recordings.

Tom Violence · Postby **Tom Violence** » 25 Jul 2006, 22:29

Album: Third/Sister Lovers

Song: What's Goin' Ahn?

RcL · Postby **RcL** » 26 Jul 2006, 01:43

geoffcowgill wrote:
Favorite Album - Radio City

Favorite Song - "What's Goin' Ahn"

I could bore you all night on Big Star, but I'll stick with agreeing with Geoff in his initial post.

Mind you, I prefer Third, but I think RC is the better album. This is one of the few acts where I don't have to explain a comment like that!

Black Cat Bone

BCB 100 - Big Star

BCB 100 - Big Star

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