#1 Recordis the debut album by the American rock bandBig Star.It was released on April 24, 1972, byMemphis-basedArdent Records.
| #1 Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | April 24, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | May 1971 – February 1972 | |||
| Studio | Ardent Studios, Memphis | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:03 | |||
| Label | Ardent | |||
| Producer | John Fry | |||
| Big Starchronology | ||||
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| Singlesfrom#1 Record | ||||
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Many critics praised the album's vocal harmonies and songcraft but#1 Recordsuffered from poor distribution and sold fewer than 10,000 copies upon its initial release. However,#1 Recordgained wider attention in the late 1970s in the UK whenEMIreissued it withRadio Cityas a double LP package due to increasing demand.[5]The same combination was used when the album was released on CD in 1992.[6]It is now widely-regarded as a seminal work inpop rockandpower pop.In 2020 it was ranked number 474 onRolling Stonemagazine's list ofthe 500 greatest albums of all time.[7]Rolling Stonealso ranked the song "Thirteen"as number 406 on its500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[8]It was voted number 188 in the third edition ofColin Larkin'sAll Time Top 1000 Albums(2000).[3]
Composition and recording
edit6 years earlier, in 1966, when their hometown ofMemphis, Tennessee,became a tour stop forThe Beatles,primary songwritersAlex ChiltonandChris Bellwere 15 years old. Heavily influenced by the UK band, the pair—Bell in particular—wanted to model their songwriting on theLennon–McCartneypartnership, with the result that they credited as many songs as possible on Big Star's debut album to "Bell/Chilton".[9]In practice, they developed material incrementally in the studio, each making changes to the other's recordings. DrummerJody Stephensrecalled, "Alex would come in and put down something rough and edgy and Chris would come in and add some sweet-sounding background vocals to it."[10]Chilton once offered the following on Chris Bell's unique vocal contributions: "Chris and I did all the harmony vocals, and he had a brilliant mind that worked in a sort of contrapuntal way. It wasn't based so much on 'Oh you're singing the root. I should be singing the 3rd above,' he would just sing along with the line I was singing. He was a brilliant, instinctual maker of counterpoint."[11]
The pair also contributed songs to the album that were individually composed before Big Star was formed. Chris Bell brought the songs "Feel", "My Life Is Right", and "Try Again" to the recording sessions, which he had previously recorded with a band called 'Rock City' (which featured Big Star drummer Jody Stephens and Steve Rhea), and Chilton brought "The Ballad of El Goodo" and the acoustic ballads "Thirteen"and" Watch the Sunrise ".[12]"The India Song" was written and composed by Andy Hummel.[13]
#1 Recordis the only Big Star album on which group founderChris Bellis officially credited as a member. Bell had a major hand in the record through songwriting, vocals, guitar work, and the album's production. The polished sound of#1 Record,in contrast to the more raw styles of the band's subsequent albums,Radio CityandThird/Sister Lovers,is attributed by producerJohn Fryto the presence of Bell: "When Chris Bell was still in the band, he took more interest than anybody in the production and technology end of things. He had a good production mind...the reason why the second album is rougher, with fewer harmonies, is due to the absence of Chris's influence in the studio."[14]BassistAndy Hummelwould also credit Bell with having a hand in the album's production: "Chris was in charge. I would pretty well credit him with recording and producing that LP [#1 Record]. Of course, he had a lot of artistic help from Alex [Chilton] but Chris was the technical brains behind it. He was the only one of us at that time who knew how to record."[15]Alex Chilton would also acknowledge Bell's heavy role in the studio production: "Chris was really into recording. He didn't want the rest of us fooling around in the studio, that was his business."[11]Chilton would also give producer John Fry credit for achieving the album's high level of production quality: "John Fry was a genius in his way of mixdowns. We didn't put things on tape much differently than was the standard method of doing things, but he just had such finesse and great ears, and he was just a great meticulous mixdown engineer and producer. [...] He's the one responsible for making those records sound so fucking great."[11]In 2014 the album was re-released through Stax Records with liner notes byMike Mills.[16]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [17] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[18] |
| Classic Rock |   [19] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [20] |
| Rolling Stone | favorable[21] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[22] |
On its release in August 1972,[23]#1 Recordimmediately received widespread acclaim, and continued to do so for six months, although the inability byStax Recordsto make the album available in stores meant it sold fewer than 10,000 copies upon its initial release.[24][25]Record Worldcalled it "one of the best albums of the year", andBillboardcommented, "Every cut could be a single".Cashboxdescribed it as one where "everything falls together as a total sound" and one that "should go to the top".[26]TheRiver City Review'sreaction to the album was to state that "Big Star will be around for many moons".[26]
The album's reputation and influence have continued since then. As William Ruhlmann wrote inAllMusic,"The problem with coming in late on an artwork lauded as 'influential' is that you've probably encountered the work it influenced first, so its truly innovative qualities are lost. Thus, if you are hearing Big Star's debut album for the first time decades after its release (as, inevitably, most people must), you may be reminded ofTom Petty & the HeartbreakersorR.E.M.,who came after—that is, if you don't think ofThe ByrdsandThe Beatlescirca 1965. What was remarkable about#1 Recordin 1972 was that nobody except Big Star (and maybeBadfingerandThe Raspberries) wanted to sound like this—simple, light pop with sweet harmonies and jangly guitars. "[27]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written byChris BellandAlex Chilton,except where noted
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feel" | Bell | 3:34 |
| 2. | "The Ballad of El Goodo" | Chilton | 4:21 |
| 3. | "In the Street" | Bell | 2:55 |
| 4. | "Thirteen" | Chilton | 2:34 |
| 5. | "Don't Lie to Me" | Bell | 3:07 |
| 6. | "The India Song" (Andy Hummel) | Hummel | 2:20 |
| Total length: | 18:51 | ||
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When My Baby's Beside Me" | Chilton | 3:22 |
| 2. | "My Life Is Right" (Bell, Tom Eubanks) | Bell | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Give Me Another Chance" | Chilton | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Try Again" | Bell | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Watch the Sunrise" | Chilton | 3:45 |
| 6. | "ST 100/6" | Bell and Chilton | 1:01 |
| Total length: | 18:12 | ||
Personnel
editBig Star
- Chris Bell–guitar,vocals
- Alex Chilton– guitar, vocals
- Andy Hummel–bass guitar,vocals
- Jody Stephens–drums
Guest
- Terry Manning–electric piano,harmony vocals
References
edit- ^Tangari, Joe (March 22, 2010)."The Life and Music of Alex Chilton".Pitchfork.RetrievedJune 3,2015.
- ^"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".Rolling Stone.2020.RetrievedAugust 4,2023.
They mixed British Invasion pop finesse with all-American hard rock, from the surging "Feel" to the acoustic heartbreaker "Thirteen.
- ^abColin Larkin,ed. (2006).All Time Top 1000 Albums(3rd ed.).Virgin Books.p. 97.ISBN0-7535-0493-6.
- ^DiBlasi, Loren (July 23, 2020)."The 50 Best Southern Rock Albums of All Time".Paste Magazine.RetrievedSeptember 30,2024.
- ^"Big Star Discussion Board - Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, The Box Tops".frontlinearts.net.RetrievedJanuary 17,2018.
- ^"Big Star:#1 Record / Radio CityAlbum Review Pitchfork ".pitchfork.RetrievedJanuary 17,2018.
- ^"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".Rolling Stone.2020.RetrievedMay 3,2021.
- ^"500 Greatest Songs of All Time".Rolling Stone.December 11, 2003.RetrievedJuly 9,2017.
- ^Jovanovic 2013,pp. 6–13, 100
- ^Jovanovic 2013,p. 89
- ^abcGeorge-Warren, Holly (March 20, 2014).A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man.Penguin.ISBN978-0698151420.
- ^Jovanovic 2013,pp. 83–87
- ^"Big Star Bassist Andy Hummel Dies at 59".Rolling Stone.RetrievedJanuary 17,2018.
- ^"CLASSIC TRACKS: Big Star 'September Gurls' -".soundonsound.RetrievedJuly 9,2017.
- ^"Big Star - Andy Hummel interview".furious.RetrievedJanuary 17,2018.
- ^"Big Star's First Two Records Are Coming Back in Print".Rolling Stone.RetrievedJanuary 17,2018.
- ^Ruhlmann, William.Number 1 RecordatAllMusic.Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^Christgau, Robert(1981)."Consumer Guide '70s: B".Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.Ticknor & Fields.ISBN0-89919-026-X.RetrievedFebruary 21,2019.
- ^Lewis, Jonathan (November 2009). "Big Star – Reissues".Classic Rock.No. 138. p. 97.
- ^Larkin, Colin(2007).Encyclopedia of Popular Music(5th ed.).Omnibus Press.ISBN978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^Scoppa, Bud (February 1, 1973)."No. 1 Record/Radio City".Rolling Stone.RetrievedJuly 8,2017.
- ^Weisbard, Eric (1995). "Big Star". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.).Spin Alternative Record Guide.Vintage Books.pp. 40–41.ISBN0-679-75574-8.
- ^Jovanovic 2013,p. 115
- ^Borack, John M. (2007).Shake some action: the ultimate power pop guide.Shake Some Action – PowerPop. p. 12.ISBN978-0-9797714-0-8.RetrievedDecember 16,2011.
- ^Gulla, Bob (July 1996)."CMJ New Music Monthly".CMJ Network, Inc.: 16.RetrievedDecember 16,2011.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^abJovanovic 2013,p. 107
- ^Ruhlmann, William."#1 Record".AllMusic.RetrievedNovember 12,2021.
Bibliography
- Jovanovic, Rob.Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band.London: Fourth Estate, 2004.ISBN0-00-714908-5.
- Jovanovic, Rob (2013).Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band(Revised and updated ed.). London: Jawbone.ISBN978-1-908279-36-1.
- George-Warren, Holly.A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, from Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man.New York: Viking, 2014.ISBN978-0-670-02563-3.