438 - Big Star - #1 Record

The only reason I can come up with why this album is not much higher on the list is the obscurity that Big Star has struggled with from their start in 1972 on Stax Records. This record is absolutely divine for me. Take the Beatles, a dab of the Byrds, and crank up the songs to Thin Lizzy and Grand Funk Railroad levels - thus "power pop." The harmonies, pop melodies, and pop structure are still there, but the songs RAWK!

"Feel" starts things up with vocals that go from sweet to near-scream...all of which are supported by harmonized backing vocals. Jangly guitars share time with horns punctuating sections of the song. "The Ballad of El Goodo" may remind folks of Badfinger with soft verses and sing-along choruses. And then comes "In the Street." Most folks would now recognize this song as the theme song from "That 70's Show" (although there are some differences). If the TV theme song sounds more like it is a Cheap Trick song, the original shows more influence from the Byrds.

"Don't Lie To Me" sounds like a great jam that the Beatles may have had while performing on the rooftop to me. Prefer George Harrison's Beatles songs? There's "The India Song" for you to use while meditating.

My favorite track on the album is definitely "When My Baby's Beside Me." The wah-wah guitars, the bass sounding like a boulder tumbling down a hill, and the sing-along chorus get me every time. I want to be driving down the road in my Plymouth Duster with this song blaring from my radio.

If the album has a weakness, it is that the rocking songs are clumped up front. The second half is filled with great ballads and slow songs and all of them clustered together would certainly be a turnoff for a teen listener. I love the tracks, but see how a listener could lose interest. That is especially sad considering that the last two tracks - "Watch the Sunrise" and "ST 100/6" are sublime and certainly were ripped off by many artists in decades to come (listen to just the instruments on "ST 100/6" and tell me you can't hear REM's Michael Stipe or Mike Mills singing over that).

Songs I knew I liked: I downloaded #1 Record/Radio City about a year ago and only recently spent time not listening to it. The songs are fresh in my mind, so I have nothing really to honestly state in this or the next section.

Songs I didn't know but now like: See what I said above

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: Nothing I would want to have removed from my life