#1 Record

It's like... They're almost good. The elements are there. There's egg, sugar, and flour, but it's not a cake. Close, but no cake.

The most underrated overrated band of all time. The Velvet Underground of power pop. Call them whatever you want, this was lightening in a bottle that only found its way to the likes of R.E.M's Peter Buck and Mike Mills upon release. Who knew the singer of The Box Tops could pull off something as magical as this? Eventually, more of the world caught up to Peter Buck - or rather, R.E.M. hit it big and Buck and Mills praised Alex Chilton and Big Star in damn near every interview he sat down for. Those of us who knelt at the R.E.M. altar were all in. Big Star didn't stick around long enough to build any sort of following, but the three albums they left us are close to pop perfection. Every track here works, and truth be told, the album warrants a 5 for the timeless beauty of "Thirteen" alone. A halfway decent record label would have pushed at least two songs from this album into the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. But at least we got R.E.M. from this, and we'll always have this music.

Wow, what a surprise this was. Didn't expect anything going in and was blown away by a great album. Every song is a jam and belongs on there, great runtime and an feel-good sound that is very reminiscent of CSNY, Eagles, Byrds and other greats

Not a bad rock album. Good songwriting but is missing something to make it more memorable.

Between songwriting, performance and production, #1 Record should be considered among the greatest debut albums of all time. Sadly, Big Star didn’t see much success in their time, but their influence can’t be understated. This is truly a record you need to hear before you die and while you’re at it, give Radio City a listen - It should really be on this list.

10/10 men will hear this and say ‘hell yeah!’

Big Star fully deserve their reputation as a key progenitor of power pop. The first four tracks of this debut alone justify the inclusion of the whole album in such a list, from Alex Chilton's ballads "Thirteen" and "El Goodo", heartfelt and evocative, to Chris Bell's edgier "Feel" and livelier "In The Streets" -- of *That 70's Show* fame.  So the songwriting is good, but one of the assets of this album, not praised enough in my sense, is its pristine, dynamic production, with a lot of sonic details that go over your head on first listens, but then shine on the next ones. John Fry (and Chris Bell) can be praised for that. The only (minor) issue I have with this record is that there are too many ballads on the second side. They're good, some of them are even excellent, but the succession of songs in a similar mode hurts the album's momentum. I would have taken one of those slower cuts out, and added one more straightforward rock number such as "When My Baby's Beside Me" to this second side. I guess I could even have taken out a point to this debut because of this, yet I didn't, because of the thematic cohesiveness of those songs. You really feel like this record is the soundtrack of a movie about teenagers living in "Smalltown, America" during the early seventies. That line about "Paint It Black" and how the father of the singer's girlfriend is always on his back cracks me up every time. Simple, at times almost *simplistic*, lyrics. Yet lyrics that are so effective in conveying the mood of a time and place. A dozen of albums released in 1973 were probably better than this one. Yet this debut was "#number 1" when it comes to how "evocative" a record can be.  4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums (rounded up to 5), which translates to a 9.5/10 grade for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: less than 400 (I've temporarily lost count here) Number of albums I'll include in my own list: half so far, approximately (including this one) Number of albums I *might*  include: a quarter, approximately Number of albums I'll never include: another quarter (many others are more important to me).

Nice finding, even my dad didn't know this band... Or he forgot about it... It's hard to remember stuff when you've been partying since the 70s

This is like the textbook definition for a 7/10.

I love Big Star and I love this album. The songs where Alex Chilton sings lead are my favorites, but they’re all good. The standouts for me are “The Ballad of El Goodo,” “Thirteen,” and “Give Me Another Chance.”

I've never heard of Big Star and #1 Record was all new music except that I've heard a cover of "In the Street". This album had a mix of styles. There were tracks using electric intruments that that reminded me of the retro sound that Space Hog has used and tracks that sounded like a pre-cursor to glam-rock. There were acoustic tracks that reminded me of Fleet Foxes, or the vocal delivery and overall tone of Elliot Smith. The middle zone between the more electrified and more acoustic tracks reminded me of the Bay City Rollers, and I could hear the influence of the Beatles. There was a lot of variety in the tracks from the start. My favorite track was "Feel" which drew me in with the the overlap of horns, guitar and keys. "The India Song" and "My Life Is Right" were also good tracks. I could come back to this album again to find out what I missed the first time.

This is an early power pop record characterized by emphasis on vocal melody and harmony. There are elements of glam rock in places and folk rock. The influence of the Beatles and the Byrds are obvious but this music sounds a lot like what would come later in the form of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and even college rock with their emphasis on vocals and jangly guitars. It's a shame this album wasn't promoted the way it should have been.

I think this album starts strong, but by the second half the jangly guitar sound started to get to me and the songs weren't holding my interest.

Finally, a disc worthy of 5 stars! How can so many great songs be jammed into 37 minutes??

Proto-Power Pop.

One of the greatest records ever

An underrated band and album. Pioneers of a power pop era.

As a renowned fan of jangle pop and power-pop, it still took me into my late 20's to discover Big Star. I bought the double album with #1 Record & Radio City on it and it was a great discovery for me. I do understand what some of the reviews are saying about something being missing with them and whatever that something is I don't think it affects my enjoyment of the music but certainly affected their ability to make it big. I love every song on this album and they are an incredibly influential band. Many 90's bands like Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Cheap Trick and others identify Big Star as a huge influence. In the Street was the theme to "That 70's Show" as well. The influence runs deep. One bit of trivia that always gets me is Alex Chilton, the lead singer, was the vocalist for the Box Tops and he sang "The Letter." He was a teen at that time and the song sounds like it was sung by a 45 year old man who has spent a lifetime in bars. How that vocalist is the same guy who sings here amazes me. Thirteen is a fantastic song, though I don't like the shade thrown at Paint It Black. That's a great song and I will hear nothing different.

The greatest power pop album ever committed to tape. There are moments that are almost transcendent here. 'Thirteen', 'In the Street', 'Don't Lie to Me', 'Try Again' - essential, essential music. Have I, in my callow youth, stuck all of these on mixtapes in a forlorn attempt to impress girls? That's for me to know, and you to guess!

I first learned of Big Star when I watched the excellent documentary on the band (Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me) around ten years ago as of this writing. I’m so glad I took a chance on that film, because otherwise it’s not certain that I would have found the band. I won’t educate any reader of this anonymous review of Big Star’s debut about the band, but I will encourage you watch that documentary if you can find it, and will certainly recommend their three albums to anyone who loves rock music. I’ll only add for context that while it’s a terrible shame that the distribution and marketing issues that plagued the band caused them to never find the success they very much deserved, it’s this very lack of success that informs their cult status today. I think they’re not just the best “cult band” of all time: I think their limited output is good enough and their influence strong enough to make them one of the best American bands of all time. #1 Record is personally my second favorite of their albums (Radio City is sublime), but it’s still a masterpiece and the only record that features the brilliant Chris Bell. Bell/Chilton is a combo that could have been in the same esteem as Richards/Jagger and McCartney/Lennon (no, seriously!). Chilton is the overall star here. His first work of genius is The Ballad of El Goodo, which may sound like standard 70’s soft rock fair until you realize this was released in 1972: 4 years before Hotel California and 5 years before Rumours. It’s ahead of its time and a brilliant song. Thirteen is Chilton’s next masterpiece. While I wish the song was called “Eighteen” with its NSFW allusions, it’s a coming of age ballad as good as any released in the 70’s. Chilton’s last masterpiece is Watch The Sunrise, a sister song to Here Comes The Sun. Bell contributes his best known work on this album (his masterpiece is the song I Am The Cosmos, a song every human should hear). Feel is a solid album opener, and In The Street (made famous by That 70’s Show) is a fun rocker. His best song on the album is My Life Is Right, a sunny spiritual song that helps lift the back half. Radio City is their best and the clearest example of Chilton’s genius, but #1 Record is the most “Big Star” album. It’s a wonderful record from a band that hopefully more and more people will discover with time.

4.5

another album that i cannot be unbiased about. i adore this record. the pinnacle of power pop songwriting. every song has an incredible hook. it's just so well written, so well performed. i love the shit out of this one. but to be a little critical, there are a couple of songs here that are a little more inessential - in particular, the closing track - that perhaps i could do without. but man, the first side of this record is pretty much perfect in my eyes.

The album is so intricately beautiful and musically smart without feeling indulgent. Chilton and company give us pop gems across styles. Love it and will listen some more.

Big Star, little revelation. Had never heard of this band before, but this sounds like it could have been recorded any time between 1972 and 2022. A lot like Led Zep's more chilled tunes, but still decent in its own right.

More people should listen to big star.

Astonishing that this was virtually ignored at the time.

Insanely well produced 70's record.

i have a pet theory that #1 Record invented the 70's. not the decade itself, but the sound, the feel of the thing. i thought i would be able to look back at this and go "oh well there's some Stones here and some Beatles there" but to the extent that those bands are there, they're obscured, dressed up in colorful clothing and leather jackets. chalk it up to 50's nostalgia but by combining that with the psychedelic tendencies of the 60's, Big Star made something wholly unlike what came before it. in the past i think i judged this album a bit harshly due to its tendencies towards folk over the power pop we typically associate Big Star with. "where's my album of El Goodos? my Feels?" now that it's been a few years, you grow to appreciate the trick 1# Record plays. you're invited in by loud, raucous rock before the guitars settle down on the other side. the album grows up; eventually, so do you. watch the sunrise.

Never heard of this band. Loved this album! 5/5

Damn good album in my top 100, probably favorite album of summer of 2019 next to IGOR

How have I not heard of this band before?! Excellent album, which will definitely be on my rotation now!

WOW! Not a bad song on this album. However, I don’t quite understand why it is on the list. It doesn’t break any ground, I really enjoyed listening to it and will listen to it again. But it seems unremarkable, if that makes any sense. I give it 5 stars because it is a gem that fits in my wheelhouse of music.

Solid and chill. That 70s show song

YEAHHHHHHH immediate 5/5 I love this album and “Thirteen” is one of my most favorite songs ever. I love this album because it has “Feel” and then a song like “Thirteen” on it. And the “Ballad of El Goodo” my favorite “Desperado” knock off. Or prequel. I forgot “when my baby’s beside Me” was on this album!

This is a fun one! I haven't had many seminal "they sound like the Beatles" moments in my music listening, so I'm glad I got to finally experience that. And it's really good! Very, very cohesive project with cool sounds and feel switches throughout. Great new discovery. Favorite track: Feel

Fantastic album!

I had heard of Big Star, but never had listened to them…this is one of those times that I’m glad for this project. Sweet, fun pop that’s catchy but not saccharine, sometimes CSNY, sometimes 90s Matthew Sweet. This is definitely on my playlist.

Magnificent and epic, capturing folk and classic rock sounds, excellent vocals and guitar sounds. Harmonies are incredible capturing something like the Eagles and CSNY without as much of a southern sound. Beautiful album.

Love this album.

Heard this album in my early 30's ... 20 years after it was released...still sticks with me into into my 60's ...

Fantastic power pop record!

They capture (created) perfectly that jangling power pop sound that would be copied starting in 80's and to this day really. Just a great record to actually sit and listen too. And if Thirteen doesn't somehow stir some emotion then you your soul is chunk of ash.

Excellent record all the way through and Thirteen is a highlight among the many great pop songs. This is one to go back to over and over that never gets old.

I found this band through the Replacements. You can hear the influence on a lot of 80s/90s bands. Even without that pedigree, this is a good listen. 13 is a great song.

This was an unknown to me album going into this and is the entire reason that I like doing this whole challenge. What a great record. So much heard here is present on other artists that I like, I'm a little surprised I hadn't listened to this before. It's great, and I can't wait to listen to it again.

This is your perfect “70’s summer rock” album. No-Skips, All-Bangers.

Perfection. Songs, performance, sound - just a truly wonderful album.

Excellent

I know absolutely nothing of these lads, but this slapped. It was right in my wheelhouse. I was umming and ahing about whether to give a 4 or 5, as I’ve yet to give a 5 to something unknown, most of my 5s are things I’ve heard before. But this was tasty stuff, and I’ll be listening to a lot more. Simpsons: No

First time giving a 5 to a group I never heard before. I loved this album! Reminded me of all my favorite music from that time.

Honestly this was a really solid album. It's really clear how much this group pulled inspiration from British rock groups like the Beatles, but also how their unique sounds went out to inspire classic rock groups like Boston and the future alternative rock genre itself.

Ain’t no one going to turn me round

This record is so beautiful. It's almost perfect for me.

#1 Record, Radio City and Third should all 3 be in the 1001.

After a couple of spins this albums starts blossoming. It is a collection of wonderful melodies, without a single weak point.

Amazing - I hated the Third/Sister Lovers album (1* rating!) but absolutely loved this! What happened in the meantime?

I enjoyed this so much, I especially loved the vocals.

The Best album of a great band!

Enjoyed the 70s sound. Great vocals and strong guitar

Very enjoyable album, good time listening.

Best album I have on this site yet!

Oh this was great. This is always an album I had been recommended but never checked out. Right up my power pop alley.

A masterpiece. A band and album too few people know about.

Dug this rock album - solid!

Where would indie rock be without their #1 Record?

Cool

It takes a certain confidence to name your unknown band Big Star. It takes some next level audacity to then call your debut album "#1 Record." These are guys who know they're good. Sadly, the band's star would crash rather inauspiciously in the end, but what they left behind was nothing short of a musical treasure. You can hear echoes of Big Star in all kinds of bands that came after them - in power pop, alternative, jangle pop, Indie. For an album that came out over 50 years ago, this album sounds as fresh and vital as the day it was made. #1 Record is an album full of hooky, bittersweet melodies and masterful guitar work that can turn from jangly and ethereal to muscular and hard rocking on a dime. Lyrically, the songs range from the easygoing slacker anthem "In the Street" to the sweetly intimate "Thirteen." For every moment of raw and earnest vulnerability, there are nearly as many full-tilt, cruising with the windows down rockers, and somehow the band makes this all work. Essentially this is an album that speaks to the essence of being young - innocent but headstrong, freewheeling but frustrated, awash with feelings you don't quite understand. I can't really think of another album that captures that feeling better and it's a true joy to listen to. If you enjoyed this, I strongly recommend taking the time to listen to the albums Radio City and (Complete) Third. Also, the documentary Nothing Can Hurt Me is a must see. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Thirteen, The Ballad of El Goodo, Try Again, Watch the Sunrise, Give Me Another Chance, In the Street, My Life Is Right, Feel, Don't Lie to Me, When My Baby's Beside Me, ST 100/6, The India Song

Fantastic album, highly recommend. Beetly mixed with zepp.

I very much enjoyed this album. The groove of the 70s felt extremely satisfying today.

Reading the description of this album, I was prepared to be wowed. I wasn't immediately but by the time we got to When My Baby's Beside Me, I was into it. When it ended, I started it over and enjoyed the whole thing the second time. Rounding up from 4.5.

This is very much within the realm of what I would think of if you told me to think of early 70s rock. So even though I didn’t recognize anything on this album it felt familiar, although I feel like I have heard Thirteen maybe somewhere before? Big Star has great harmonies, some good rock, some moving ballads, and they feel like something I really should be more familiar with. I really enjoyed this album! Nice song variety, interesting performances, great lyrics. An excellent representative of its era for this list!

This album is a Rock'n'roll classic. Every song just bleeds heart and groove and energy. There isn't a lot more to say, because it should be heard and studied by anyone that likes rock music and is nearly perfect. I think there are a couple flubs in the flow of the album, but it doesn't take away from an overall 5 star score.

Este disco representa como ninguno la razón de por qué quería escuchar esos 1001 discos. Para descubrir joyas como esta. Un absoluto diez de diez. ¿Dónde has estado toda mi puta vida?

This is near perfect. One of the greatest albums of all time by one of the greatest bands of all time, which most people will never know.

Good ole fashioned Americana 9/10

So good.

Pop perfection

Of the 3 original Big Star albums, this is actually my least favorite but it's still amazing. Great songs, great production, great energy, great variety. It's a classic. 5 stars.

som massa, das antiga 72 o rockzao mais palatável bem bom de se curtir

perfection

Memphis magic, baby

Amazing

I never got too big into Big Star but I feel like they’re always a solid listen. Man, Thirteen is a great song. Very influential and I have to assume the level of lyricism was pretty uncommon for this type of band in the 70s.

Have you ever wondered what The Beatles would sound like if they didnt break up and didnt get better? If so this album is for you. Try Again, for instance sounds exactly like George Harrison's solo material from this time. This album does have great moments, like the harmonies in “Give me another Chance”, and the riffs in “Dont Lie To Me”, but I don't think the melodies on this album were strong enough and while I just listened to this I couldn't sing you the songs back. That would never happen with a Beatles album (as a comparison). A solid rock and roll record that gave us the theme song to That 70's Show.

The sheer number of bands that I listen to that list Big Star as an influence led me to listen to them when I was younger. There are some great songs on here.

Really good 70s rock. Shame to hear about how poorly their albums were marketed. Should have been a much bigger band

This sounds like a band that should be more well known than they are. Whoa that 70s show theme song was written by these guys?? Now I'm definitely thinking these guys should be more well known than they are. Thirteen is an excellent song and way too short. I feel like they're somewhere in between The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC.

So easy to listen to, power pop classic, will come back to over and over, got to see em in GGP! Hardly strictly for life!

I never travel far, without a little Big Star! One of the best examples of "your favorite band's favorite band." Highly underrated band led by one of the more influential song writing duos, Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, #1 Record is a masterclass in power pop. Seriously, it was a landmark record when it was released and more people would be familiar with it had their label not completely bungled the release by failing to properly promote it or even get it into stores for purchase. I'm happy this album made this list as it's an all-timer

Big Star - #1 Record as your band's first album totally rules. Album art rules. It's all so funny and so awesome. The opening to Feel rocks, & could easily be the open to an indie rock guitar album two decades later. Thirteen is a good song when Big Star does it and an atrocious song when people cover it. Nighttime from the last Big Star album is like that too. Overall I think I underappreciate this one a bit because the best had been absorbed into other bands I'd heard first. Very cool rhythm throughout, all the walking lines in the guitars are very rockin. I want more of how they started Feel or the dissonance they'd bring in on Third. I think about these songs enough that I'm still rounding up. record: #1. (⌐■_■)

Best song was the one was later featured in, "That 70's Show".

It’s just so damn good. Full of catchy songs and a great classic vibe. I love it. If you don’t know already, go read the story behind this band - and listen to their two other records also. They are also amazing. Their second album might even be better than this.

I’ve tried to get in to this album before but it never seems to have clicked. However on this listen, I feel like I finally got it. I really enjoyed it, and I can see myself coming back to it. The slow ones slightly outweigh the upbeat ones for me, but it really is a great listen front to back

This one was very enjoyable

a wee cracker

3.5

9.33 ★★★★½

Enjoyable album, even if power pop is not my favourite genre. 4 stars

like Big Star, but I prefer the next two albums by a good margin. I think they got better after Chilton took more control over the band. His songs here are really the cream of the crop, where Chris Bell's stuff is more a mixed bag. I don't find Bell's more rocking stuff like "Feel", "In the Street", and "Don't Lie to Me" to be very good. Still there's some great stuff here. "The Ballad of El Goodo", "Thirteen" are excellent, and Bell does stick the landing with "My Life is Right". 4 stars.

A true power pop classic. Easily the #1 Record that Big Star have done. Shines blindingly bright with its ballads which are of the bestest order. Feel, The Ballad Of El Goodo, In The Street, Thirteen, When My Baby’s Beside Me, Give Me Another Chance and Watch The Sunrise all S-tier. My Life Is Right, Try Again and Ringo track India Song somewhere between A-minus and B tier. 4.5 big stars.