ALBUM REVIEW: Big Star - #1 Record

    By 1972, the genre and term of "power pop" had already become ubiquitous in the world of rock and roll - Pete Townshend had initially coined the term to describe The Who's new "Pictures of Lily" single, but by 1970 it had become more than a fancy marketing term. Cut from the same fabric of groups like The Who, The Beatles, and The Kinks, power pop was all in on energetic arrangements, clean vocals and harmonies, and relatively simple arrangements - aim for the ear and the feet. Badfinger immediately comes to mind as one of the big acts, but just one year after their own landmark Straight Up album, Big Star hit the scene. #1 Record is an impressive view of a band already fully developed and certainly true to the power pop mold. Catchy melodies, simple lyricism, tinges of folk, and a bona fide ear for melody, Big Star's debut isn't exactly Earth-shattering, but it certainly knows how to have a fun time.

    The same thing that makes Big Star strong is, partially, the same thing that makes a group like Badfinger strong, although personally it's not to the same height. For one, Big Star are a damn-tight four man group, and everyone pulls their weight incredibly well. Aside from the fact that all of the members are soaring musicians in their own right, the fronting duo of Alex Chilton and Christopher Bell are the ideal power pop archetype of Lennon-McCartney wanna-bes in their brand of susceptibly infectious pop hooks that are still used fairly well throughout - if you're expecting any incredibly deep lyrics than I'm sorry, but Big Star is a fairly straightforward group that doesn't necessarily rely on a bunch of deep lyricism. Instead, it becomes a vehicle for the group's brilliant compositions and melodies on songs like the acoustic "Thirteen" or the soaring rock opener "Feel", the latter of which may probably be my favorite thing on the album.

    One thing to keep in mind with this album is that it most of #1 Record can be split into two types of songs - you have your rock numbers like "In the Street" or "Don't Lie to Me", and then you have the sweet soft ballads like "Thirteen" or "Give Me Another Chance". With some exception, I think you'll find the best of this album to be in these ballads. "Thirteen" has huge single potential, and it's only a little amazing to me that it never charted. "The India Song" is one of the more peculiar songs instrumentally, but it helps break up the more traditional sound of the album a bit, and it's a fun enough tune. "Give Me Another Chance" is up there as one of the finest power pop ballads I've heard in recent memory - this is Big Star's "Love Time" to me. "The Ballad of El Goodo" is probably the ideal representation of Big Star's songwriting approach, and a very fun song in its own right, although admittedly I don't think I put it on the same pedestal that others do. This isn't to say that the rock numbers don't hit hard with iconic moments like "In the Street" and the simple energy of "When My Baby's Beside Me", which may be the album's most enduring rocker in my book not named "Feel". Still, I found myself disappointed by moments like "Don't Lie to Me", which felt like little more than a semi-standard rocker with a pinch of blues in the recipe.

    Power pop is a genre that I have a big spot in my heart for - its driving rhythms, clean harmonies, excellent hooks, and simple-but-fun lyricism all just do it for me. Big Star is a group I also had some familiarity with from a past listening of Radio City, but I had never had the chance to explore their debut - I was surprised to hear a group so matured and realized straight out of the gate here. While it isn't a groundbreaking album, and not every moment is an A-Side in the making, a good chunk of #1 Record manages to be a fun listen of some great pop tunes from a sharp group. I may be more a Badfinger guy, but Big Star's debut certainly shows a shining group.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to #1 Record.