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Big Star - # 1 Record / Radio City
| Pitchfork |
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This is not a reissue of an album, but of a product. In 1992, Ardent/Fantasy released the first two Big Star records-- #1 Record (1972) and Radio City (1974)-- on one CD, which at the time seemed like a generous rescue project for two influential cult albums that were out of print in every format. Included were liner notes by pop historian Brian Hogg and journalist Rick Clark, along with a couple of fuzzy black-and-white photos of the band and a tear-off mail-in survey. For a Big Star newcomer with limited cash but a voracious musical appetite, it was a dream-- not simply more bang for your buck, but an instantly immersive introduction to the band. However, the decision to re-release this "2 Complete Original Albums on 1 CD" set is questionable, not least because it is a slavish reprinting of the original. There's no mail-in survey this time around, but the reissue preserves the crowded layout of the original, except the digital printing is just above Xerox quality and the images even fuzzier than before. Just how little effort went into this re-release? The running time for both albums is still listed in the little red box as 73:00, despite the addition of two bonus single mixes that push running time closer to 80:00....full text |
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| Blogcritics |
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With all of the cult fervor surrounding Big Star, it becomes difficult at times to sort out the music from the legend. In 1987, The Replacements released the tribute song “Alex Chilton,” on their last great record, Pleased To Meet Me. Cheap Trick covered the classic “In The Street,” which went on to great notoriety as the theme to the program That ‘70’s Show. The Posies basically abandoned their career recently to join a revamped version of the band. All of this fuss for a band who sold maybe 100 copies of their albums originally. Fantasy has combined the first two Big Star records onto one CD, and it is the place to go if you have always been curious about them. Actually, this set was originally released in 1992, with no extra tracks and the same liner notes as this re-issue. That release obviously spurred a lot of interest in the group in the Nineties. There are two extras in this version, the single mixes of both “In The Street,” and “O My Soul.” While those are nice to have, the original recordings work just fine. #1 Record came out in 1972, and Radio City came out in 1973. Both contained 12 tracks upon original release. Of the two, I’m a little partial to the debut....full text |
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| Rollingstone |
| This long-available twofer — the debut and follow-up by one of rock's seminal also-rans — ain't news, two (non-essential) bonus tracks and remastering notwithstanding. But classics are classics. #1 Record is a glammy swirl of Beatlesque hooks, Topanga Canyon harmonies and Southern-boogie outbursts mostly written by Memphis studio mystic Chris Bell and former teen AM-radio rocker Alex Chilton. The band stayed great after losing Bell; Radio City shows Chilton's songs getting odder and more emo, but no less tuneful. For a fuller story, stay tuned for a forthcoming four-CD box. ...full text |
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