Reviews (page 5 of 7)
doesn't hurt but it's a bit bland
This makes me feel like sitting around in a circle with my friends and getting high.
Okay, but groundbreaking how exactly?
Anos 70 ne, achei bem qualquer coisa, legalzinho algumas musicas
Hard to believe this band never crossed my radar as much music I listen to. Super pleasant surprise. Beautiful song writing akin to the Byrds or Kinks. That said, only a few stand out tracks.
The hype train is leaving the station for Wisconsin.
Semi-acoustic soft dude, a bit old, kind of boring but good background?
Such a warm album here, The Ballad of El Goodo would be a wonderful song to listen to sprawled out on the grass on a Summer day with a soft breeze rustling the leaves above. Thirteen is an under appreciated gem from the 70’s such a beautiful track. They keep things interesting on #1 Record with the shifts in genre along the way. Simply a chill, breezy listen. 4 stars
Decent album, highlight was probably realizing they do the theme song from that 70’s show. Most of the songs were a bit bland, my favorite parts were the flat picking guitar riffs. Favorite songs: Thirteen Try Again 7/10
Complete
I gave Third/Sister Lovers three stars after listening to it on a plane, and now I'm thinking I might need to give it a other listen to see if I stand by that. I enjoyed this (in a non-plane situation) way more I did that one. Great harmonies, catchy song. Either a high four, or sneaks into five. Will decide after another listen. Edit; went back and listened to Third and I stand by my three star. I like this way more.
4 stars. Never heard of this band but, really good
Power pop, indeed. Big Star was not on my radar but I have heard some of these songs.
Full on 70’s pop
I don't see much of the Beatles' influence, but more of The Byrds and the like. They were a bit late to the game when they released this album, but maybe that was to their advantage. The production was quite good, and the quality of the songs throughout the album was mostly on par. The vocal harmonies and their guitar work were better than most other bands from that genre.
Really like this one. Wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Immediately clicked with it and enjoyed on each listen. Clear inspiration from the Kinks and the Byrds, which I enjoy greatly. I’ll be sure to check out their other stuff.
4.4 - Really great listen. Nothing that made it a 5, but just a solid great album
Thirteen is somewhere between my 49th and 330th favourite song of all time. I think its the backing vocal "ahh-ahh-ahhs" over the line "would you be an outlaw for my love?" that really do it for me . A beautifully simple perfect song. I think Big Star are much better in the tender moments. "Don't Lie to Me" after "Thirteen" is such a tone shifter. The vocals, the guitars have a totally different douchey sheen. Most of the rest of the album is fine. Some ok moments like "Give Me Another Chance" but not really any other big hitters. Fave Tracks: The Ballad of El Goodo, Thirteen 3.75/5
OK
Enjoyable, but not very memorable.
2.9.
It felt repetitive and the songs blurred together. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
Interesting and I got into this
Really great record with a timeless quality to it. Maybe not as memorable as some of the other famous records from that era, but there's no denying they were talented hitmakers. 4 stars
Nice, Beatlesesque vibes, Gode vokaler. Feeed' guitar spil
Pretty good stuff.
This sounds like a Dad record, as in a record my Dad would probably have liked back in the day. It had some good wee tunes on it though! Enjoyed it more than I thought I would
very mid and forgettable idk
inoffensive yet unremarkable for me
own
In listened to this. Then forgot to rate it. Coming back late I’m going to give it a 3 as I’m pretty sure it was solid.
Nostalgic, timeless easy-listening, overall good find. I wouldn't say that it's really memorable, though.
Sounds like Boston
no other song comes anywhere close to thirteen
cool album cover
#2
no big stars for ironic titling
The band that undeservedly never made it as big as their name
A perfectly sound album I won’t listen to again. (It’s me, not it, to be clear)
Still sounds great
I'm mostly overjoyed to learn where that one song from the Empire Records soundtrack actually originated.
This is a bop.
I don’t think this is the most original glam rock album, but it’s still fairly innovative and incredibly influential. It’s phun and doesn’t get annoying. Production, vocals, instrumentation, and songwriting are all solid. Range isn’t great, but there’s a little. I enjoy this a lot. 4/5
Seminal. Hilarious. A direct showing of how being introduced to different forms of expression creates a domino effect. I'm surprised of all places the Beatles stopped, Memphis is on the list, but the waves from that particular visit not only created this album, but this album continued to develop and make a big point for genre diversity and taking control of your work. One must wonder the impact this album would have had were it not for the limited production
Day443 - i love this album. alex chilton was so talented.
3.5 stars. Very listenable power pop/rock. Made for the radio. Singer has a high/falsetto voice. The track "In The Street" is the theme from "That 70's Show". Standout is the acoustic "Watch The Sunrise".
No more 70s rock with lame end-rhymes please!
They’ve told me all I need to know. 5 HIGHLIGHTS: Every Song Nah we’ll start this one in earnest. I said upon opening the page “this looks like it sucks.” Why? Probably the cover. I was expecting more music in the vein of War and Curtis Mayfield, which really wasn’t doing it for me. Apparently this is power pop. I’ve enjoyed some powerful pop in my day, so hoping this really does vault its way to the number 1 spot in my heart. Guitars are part of the record. Part of my journalistic sleuthing is telling you what instruments are here. I’m hearing drums and vocals as well. Well. There is piano, saxophone and in case you were wondering, yes, this is the SNL outro music. Or at least a precursor to same. A little too jovial for me. Hey now. This is pretty nice. Has that sweet power pop melancholia and a good little song structure. The background vocals are nice. I believe that El Goodo was indeed The Goodo. That’s an expert level translation. The song probably could’ve ended a few refrains shorter, but still a nice spot. There’s been a lot of talk of “The Street,” and I’m starting to wonder where this street is. What happens there? This song feels like a thoughtless deep track. We’re only three songs in, boys. Same old thing we did last week. No! Walk you home from school? The POOL?? Mr. Big Star, why don’t you take a seat. You were obviously part of the teen chat room as “El Goodo.” You haven’t been messaging a thirteen year old junior high student, but rather our crack team of predator catchers. Now that you are firmly in our net, we have to ask, why write this ballad, detailing your obvious attempt to court a 13 year old? I would recommend checking hard drives of any surviving members of this band. Big yikes. Anyway. After the super weird pedophile jam, we’re listening to a pretty decent one. I’m still recovering to be fair. What the hell was that? Am I insane, or was that incredibly weird? God. This song is good, but ugh. I feel gross. A Christmas song about India. Buddy wants to live in the Taj Mahal, and read a few books. Classic move. This was kinda meh. Started cool but went nowhere with it. The catch of “When My Baby’s Beside Me” is that he’s talking about an actual baby. They just keep getting younger. This song hasn’t aged well. Quite boring. Booooring. Yeah this thing is losing em. The vocals are nice, there’s nothing technically wrong with the album (other than the pedophilia), but it’s just not holding me. This getting obnoxious, yet somehow still fading into the background. Not loving it. A boring outro cascades this one into the forgotten mulch heap of the 1001. Of course the auto play introduces me to September Gurls by Big Star, which is eons better than anything that I just heard on #1 Record. There seemed to be an attempt to chart with this one, while also lulling the listener into a deep and restful slumber. I heard glimmers of promise on this one but overall was left disappointed and feeling rather gross. Decent to boring songs surrounding a weird track that should have every descendant of this band banned from public school. Should’ve called this album #458 record by not that big a star. Nothing on the bone. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: The Ballad of El Goodo, Don’t Lie to Me
I really don't see the appeal of this band. Maybe I just don't like glam rock, but this album is on the whole just boring, and kinda annoying.
Decent.
Good 70s Rock. Good balance of electric and acoustic numbers.
I remember this album from way back when one of my friends got hold of a copy. He was a massive R.E.M. fan, and he'd obviously heard that Big Star were an influence, so he played this to death for a few weeks. Strangely, I was excited to see this come up, but it turns out I didn't remember a single track from it. I also never appreciated that it was from the early 70s, and not from the 80s, as I had always imagined. It fizzles out by the second half and managed to outstay its welcome a little. I also found myself feeling that the fantastic production couldn't hide the fact that this is basically a Beatles Tribute album, albeit in a slightly more soft rock style. The lack of anything that truly stood out means this is delegated 3 stars from me.
Perfect.
Tedious
Pretty good, low 4.
a few songs off this album have been in my recent rotation, like more so than usual so the timing of this is nice. I've never listened to the whole album tho, I really like it. Also didn't realize its from the 70s and I was a bit surprised but its not really that surprising.
6.5/10 - it was pretty decent
Actually shockingly good considering how indifferent I felt about the last big star album we got. Between a 4 and 5
Nice. I like Give me another chance and Try again.
Nonmalecredo?!
This strikes me as “intelligent” pop that comes from anything but a traditional pop angle. I’ve always heard Big Star has a few masterpieces including this album. Glad to have finally heard this.
Solid album here, and this group is new to me since starting this project. I enjoyed a lot of the music on this album. A few of the tunes reminded me of old Doobie Brothers with the harmonies and twin acoustic guitar work. Overall, glad I heard this one before I die. 3.75/5 = 4. Can't miss songs: The Ballad of El Goodo In The Street Thirteen Don't Lie To Me Watch the Sunrise (definitely Doobie-esque)
OK. Not great, OK. That's why you don't hear them on the radio anymore.
It's cool to listen to the music that inspired REM and Replacements - the jangly rock that later groups just took to another level. I am happy to have been introduced to "The Ballad of El Goodo", "Thirteen", "Give Me Another Chance". and the "ST 100/6" outro.
I really didn't find this interesting, the lyrics are corny and sonically I was unimpressed. 2/5
Really like this album. Not sure why it never made the jump from "I really like thirteen and ballad of el goodo" to "album I regularly put on in full". It takes some classic rocks songs, but imbues them with almost childlike wonder that that the BritRock bands and the sarcastic/cynical/stoned other acts.
There's some fun elements to this album that Big Star introduced to the musical landscape that make this a good album. But ultimately, this is a "X had to walk, so Y could run" situation, because while the building blocks are all there, Big Star doesn't really do enough with them. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 because of that.
This album was like that one annoying kid in high school who got bullied by everyone and you wanted to say nice things to them because you felt sad they were being bullied, but they were so annoying you couldn't. I wanted so badly to love this album, but all the production choices, as well as the vocal choices by the lead singer, were extremely grating.
A very good power pop record and I totally hear why it’s as revered and influential as it is. For the most part, I prefer the harder rock songs like “Feel”, “Don’t Lie to Me” & “When My Baby’s Beside Me”, tho I would rank “Thirteen” & “St 100/6”, which are softer tracks, among my favourites on this album as well.
A great album. The production leaves a little to be desired but the songs and performances are top notch.
À la première écoute, m'a paru un peu classique et générique, à la lumière de tous les albums rock qu'on peut trouver dans ce palmarès. En réécoutant, je dois admettre que c'est accrocheur, efficace, et bien senti
Pretty fun record. It's got the theme from That 70s Show on here!? Favourite track: The India Song 3.5
Feels like it peaked at the title.
Big Star is the most power pop of all the power pop bands. The OGs. This record features my favorite Big Star song, "In the Streets". Other standouts are "Feel", "Thirteen", and "When My Baby's Beside Me"
The Wikipedia page quoted someone who correctly said how unfair it is to listen to influential albums after having listened to all their influences over the years. I bet he is right, but still, this album sounds like a collage of '60s and 70s songs. It means that it's enjoyable and recognizable, but not memorable. I enjoyed the listening session, but I'll forget about it in some days.
Glorious, uplifting, bittersweet power-pop
2 star
Similarly to the other album by Big Star on this list, it was an unimpressive and boring show of generic 70s rock. I didn't like the album Third, as I don't like #1 Record. Well, maybe I'm glad that this list is slowly coming to the end.
It was ok. Nothing special.
Not bad, but its not doing anything for me either. 3/5
Amazing record with classic 'Thirteen'
Ik kende enkel Thirteen en als ik eerlijk ben dacht ik dat dit een 90s nummer was. Als dat niet voor je tijd zijn is! Voor de rest is dit album nu niet echt benoemenswaardig. One hit wonder? 2.8
The music is good. The lyrics are dumb.
Interesting album. Definitely demands multiple listens.
I will say this is a lot better then the other album of theirs, which just sounded like a bunch of demos. It also has "In The Street," which we all know from "That 70s Show," so they got THAT going for them. But there were a lot of songs that sounded... so dated. I mean "The India Song," wtf was THAT? Same with "The Ballad of Goodo." Um, sure. It was weird hearing this, the original version of "In The Streets". I'm so used to the cover they made for "That 70s Show", but it was still good. Ultimately, it is very planted in the 70s, and doesn't transcend that for me. Top songs: "Thirteen," "In The Streets," "Watch The Sunrise," "Feel"
Feels like the Byrds meets Tom Petty, especially when Alex Chilton sings. Chris Bell's higher vocals give it a more glam rock feel. But I think it's the former sound that is what makes this band important - the evolution from original folk rock to southern rock, or how we get from late 60's to late 70's non-hard rock. Side one is real strong - Feel, The Ballad of El Goodo, In The Street, Thirteen, and Don't Lie to Me are all infectious tunes. Side Two isn't quite as good but I still enjoyed When My Baby's Beside Me and Give Me Another Chance. Much, much better than their final album.
Another band I had never heard that influenced acts that eclipsed them. Really cool album - combination of early power pop/glam and nice chill ballad-y tracks. Would definitely revisit and will check out other albums (including their other album on the 1001, which I haven't heard yet). Favorite tracks: Feel (great opening track. Glam vibes, right in the T-Rex, Bowie space), The Ballad of El Goodo (stupid title, but good track), In the Street (That 70s show! and MOAR COWBELL), Thirteen (beautiful ballad - my daughter knew this one because it was in the Disney movie "Stargirl"), Don't Lie to Me (Paul Stanley from Kiss said he was influenced by Big Star - you can hear it on this song), When My Baby's Beside Me (reminds me of Matthew Sweet, also influenced by Big Star), Watch the Sunrise (another nice ballad). Overall conclusion: good stuff.
Cool
i think one of the reviews on the website said it best in that there’s all the elements of a good album here but it just doesn’t ever fully come together. the guitars are the best part, and the sound is very obviously influenced by george harrison’s style of playing, along with a bit of the byrds twelve string acoustic. the vocal harmonies are very beatles-y as well. but the lyrics are very middle of the road imo and the second half of the album kind of falls apart entirely for me. it’s fine overall, and there’s a few really nice songs and melodies/riffs in there (weird predatory lyrics not withstanding) but i’m a bit confused by people calling it a 5 star album. it’s 70s pop rock and it obviously had an influence on people like tom petty and later artists but at the end of the day other bands do the same kind of thing much better.
Really good! Almost a 5 star but I don’t think (almost) all were bangers, but most were
Super boring with very little going on.
This was an alright 70's pop rock album. It just played in the background, and the song that made me look up was a song that auto-played after the album, For You on their Complete Third album. I'll check that one out, but this gets a 2 from me.
As a result of this 1001 experiment/experience, I did purchase Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers album, and I still love it. Anytime one first checks out a group with a large discography, it's hard to know where to start and where to go next. I guess this is next. The opener is an interesting Zepplin-meets-glam-rock tune, but top-notch melody and chord sequences begin with the slower "The Ballad Of El Goodo." Like my preference for Smashing Pumpkins songs, I can appreciate Big Star's slower tunes much more than their faster rockers. It should be no surprise that I find "Thirteen" to be the best tracks on #1 Record, though I find the more upbeat songs on this collection (such as "In The Street" and "My Life Is Right") a bit more to my taste than those on Third/Sister Lovers.
Apparently today, Wednesday June 25th, 2025 is Global Beatles Day, whatever that means. Maybe I was still pondering that when I listened to this album, because even though this is from the early seventies, it struck me as having more of a mid-late sixties feel to me, like they were trying to capture some of that previous era's spark of bands like the Beatles, with their jangly tones and sweet harmonies. Yet there also seemed to be a soft melancholy under the surface, reinforcing that feeling of nostalgia. I didn't find this album to be as groundbreaking as some others on this list, but it was solid, smooth, melodic pop-rock that went down easy. And hey, there's the theme song from "That 70's Show." Neat-o! 4
Meh.
It's not bad. However this style and time are not for me.
Oh shit that 70s show theme. This could use a tempo increase. Maybe some guitar effects. It was a little anemic.
boring and forgettable
Brilliant. This is exactly the type of rock I can get on board with. This is what the 70s would have sounded like to me when I picture it. This might however be heavily influenced by the song from the opening to 'that 70s show' being on this album (which was a revelation to me)
Very calming American styled rest. I loved it.
I listened to this album as a teenager and didn’t really get into it. Don’t lie to me is very catchy and was in my rotation for years. Thirteen is a classic. Ballad of el Goodo is considered a great song of theirs, I actually find it really irritating. Cult status maybe but was fairly meh 3/5
A lot of this was pretry standard 70s stuff but a nice easy listen with some highlights in there, thirteen, try again and watch the sunrise highlights
Fine. There’s a few good songs on here but overall the album did not grab me. Apparently this album influenced a bunch of people. I wonder if this is a case of this album being a trailblazer and then its fans leapfrogging it with better music.
Pretty much perfect, honestly. What I love about Big Star and this album in particular is they’re clearly doing the power pop thing, trying to sound like the Beatles but instead of going early Beatles or psychedelic Beatles, it’s like the period right around Help. More bands should do this.
I was between a four and a five on this, so it got a four. I’ve listened to it before and I think it’s really very good.
Mais uma sequência de pop sem deixar nenhuma lembrança.
2.75
A timeless classic and one of my personal favorites.
Thoughts before listening: 70's power pop that never became overly popular in the moment but has been a cult favorite ever since. It's been a major influence on much of the music I enjoy, and I do like this album quite a bit. Review: This is definitely a sound I get drawn to. Catchy pop rock tunes performed and sung well by a band that set a blueprint for so many great bands like Wilco, the Replacements, and Ryan Adams. It's too bad that this band got missed in it's time. The first 4 songs are amazing, but since the album ends with some throwaway tracks I'll give it 4-stars
A definite 3 from me. It was produced and performed well, but nothing made me groove or connect emotionally with the music or the subject matter in the lyrics. I could see how "Thirteen" could easily be misconstrued. I know it is supposed be from the perspective of another thirteen year old, but yeah, I could see how people got the wrong impression on that one. Never watched THAT 70s SHOW, so I didn't notice a track that was used as a theme song. While I didn't feel the urge to add anything to my collection, it is possible that with a handful more listens of "When My Baby's Beside Me" might change my mind. If this is your favorite band and/or album, then great for you. I am glad it exists. I don't know if it really belongs on this list. I don't see how other bands like The Pretenders, Tom Petty, and Cheap Trick don't ultimately land on their sound and produce their albums. This stuff was in the ether with other bands. It wasn't a completely fresh new idea despite what Wikipedia tries to tell you.
Easy listen, unmemorable
This is an incredible album with some hard-hitting tracks and also some very emotional cuts as well. Definitely worth a listen if you're getting into the power pop genre. Mid 9
Middle of the road music that apparently inspired a lot of other artists I don’t care about. Typical music critic nerd music - no real bangers, only well crafted pop music unloved by the masses.
4/5. It's hard not to like this one, it feels recognizable and yet unique. It's clear who their rock-pop influence is but still this one has heart and emotion, like they are really happy doing this, which is rare to hear. They just seem to be happy trying ideas and playing some songs. And the songs are not bad either, they feel like lost #1 hits in a different timeline. And with that title, they were seeing what the audience wasn't when it originally released. It's not perfect, but it is fun. Best Song: Thirteen, The Ballad Of El Goodo, Watch The Sunrise
Forgettable
hahaha. Number 1 record. Well, actually mate, you are Number 1001 record for me. And how appropriate for this landmark that it's Big Star, I band I ought to have been listening to all my life, but have only been doing so since starting this off. This is such a great record. You can easily hear the Byrds influence, and in turn how they have influenced REM, The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub (heavily), Shack, Blur even. And that's the tender songs. The overtly 70s glam rock rockers are among the zenith of the genre, where it is very easy to go too far and descend into schlock. Simply a wonderful pop rock record all round.
I love this record. There's a great quote somewhere about the difficulty of listening to something influential when you have already been exposed to the world it influenced. And that's true, I can't even imagine how this would have hit me back in 1970-something. Thinking about that, remember that Memphis was a pretty dark place in those days, which is no doubt why Stax messed up the distribution so badly.
A nice listen but mostly forgettable. Nothing really grabbed me.
Never travel far without a little Big Star.
First time hearing it but found a few songs that I liked.
I was so far in my cheap trick ass that I thought they wrote the that 70s show theme song… come to find out. this is good, it’s interesting how this band completely missed me. seems like everything I would have loved as a teen
Never heard this album before, and of course, the only song I recognize is In The Street. I could see myself playing it again, though, it was enjoyable! Nothing special, but a good vibe.
Good! But, didn’t make me go crazy go stupid
3.5
It gets a high 3 stars and am so happy to hear the OG that’s 70s song intro
This is such a boring and excessively generic 1970’s album. It feels like elements of a dozen other bands aggressively slammed into each other. It’s not really novel or exciting, it just suffers from this overarching sameness. I don’t think it can be overstated how bored I was during this record. At least the one song got used for that 70’s show? 1*
Hey, it's the theme song from That 70s Show. Other than that, I found this pretty unremarkable. Apparently this was a super influential album, but I think it suffers the fate of many super influential but not very well-known pieces of media, which is that the far more popular works it has influenced have kinda spoiled the novelty of the original thing. If you really like jangly guitars and vocal harmonies you may enjoy this more than I did. But it's not bad. 5/10
To say the least this is pop the definitive way the Beatles are pop. I will suppose that many have heard cuts from this and weren't sure at first where they came from (that describes me; this group's musical literates may find that laughable) (how'd I miss them? could have been the drugs, or because I was 13). Sharp harmonies, jangly guitar, lyrically engaging, thematically developed--yep, guaranteed big stardom.
Not so much Big Star as Dwarf Planet! Except Pluto is quite interesting and this absolutely wasn’t.
Well, add this to the list of "How am I not already a fan?" I've heard tracks from Big Star and knew of their legend and their being more influential and "important" than they ever were popular, but I somehow never investigated. Another reason this endeavor is such a freaking good idea. They join Blur and Supergrass and a few others that I now will call myself a fan of that I hadn't given a listen to before today. Certainly there's a Byrds influence, but there's a glam undertow, something a little less cohesive that seems to be the motor of this band. I was never sure where they were heading, and that was an exciting element. I think I'm somewhere between a 4 and 5, but hell, I'm including the big star on the album cover.
an easy 5. everything about this is so great. it's beautiful and raw. the harmonies, the songwriting, the performances. plus, they influenced so many bands. Personally, I would have chosen Radio City over this one, but this one is still amazing. I got to see the Big Star Quintet this summer, consisting of original drummer Jody Stephens, along with Mike Mills from REM, Jon Auer from the Posies, Chris Stamey from The dBs, and Pat Sansone from Wilco. They performed all of Radio City, plus all the hits from Big Star's other two albums. It was an amazing night: amazing musicians performing beautiful music with love and reverence. I don't know if they'll tour again this year, but if they do, don't miss it.
Strong overall. After the glammy opener, “Ballad of El Goodo” is excellent – definitely sounds like it came off All Things Must Pass and editors are on target to call it nobly heroic. "In the Street" is well balanced power pop. "Thirteen" is sweet. While there's a lot here that connects the Byrds to the Replacements, say, or REM or Guided by Voices, the bubble gummy bits (e.g., "Don't Lie to Me") sound uncomfortably close to Kiss. "India Song" belongs in a Wes Anderson movie. Another band whose cult status seems in line with its actual capabilities and outputs.
Pop.
Fuck, this album is perfect. It'll make you rock out, encourage bouts of nostalgia and change how you think about music. The fleeting genius and toxic partnership of Chris Bell and Alex Chilton captured in the most timely snapshot.
Overall: 7/10 Was sort of feeling "meh" about this until the second half and I had to relisten to the first half. This is a pretty good album overall, I don't love it as much as it seems a lot of people do but there are certainly times I got lost in the music and assumed I was listening to The Beatles (very big compliment). They definitely wore their influences on their sleeves and it sounds really great. The slower songs are superior to the higher energy songs as well, I wanted to float away at times. I would recommend this to someone who had just finished The Beatles discography and want something similar. Fav Song: My Life is Right Least Fan Song: In the Street
that 70's show theme song is from this album
It’s like a directors cut of Led Zeppelin and Beatles! I’m surprised all my early Weymouth years didn’t include this band—it’s so very Weymouth
this alternates between some real bangers and some real snoozefests but interestingly for my typical preference i actually find the more down tempo songs to be the more interesting and ear catching ones
I discovered this album after getting "Third/Sister Lovers" as my album of the day literally one year ago. Back then I wasn't reviewing albums, only leaving ratings, and I gave that one 5 stars. But I remember really enjoying this "new" band that I had never heard of, and I devoured everything they recorded. As good as "Third/Sister Lovers" was, "#1 Record" became my #1 favorite. I listened to it so much that it was my top listen on Spotify for the entire year. There's not a bad song on here. Imminently memorable, this is pop perfection. Favorite song: probably "The Ballad of El Goodo". Just a perfect song. "Thirteen" is a close second.
Totally acceptable soft rock album.
Generic 70s Softrock.
Really pleasant stuff. I might be starting to get rock music outside of what I've already heard. The highlight was hearing where the That 70s Show theme came from
oh no way i can't believe they covered the that 70s show theme song!!! give me another chance is right in that after in the street i lost interested last song hits tho
Massively, massively underrated album...now I want bad tacos and a Lone Star.
Love Big Star. They were never successful while alive and have a harrowing story of depression and addiction but influenced so many bands. This is maybe my second favorite album after Radio City but love tunes like Feel, In the Street, Thirteen.
It sounds soft but it is pretty good music but nothing too memorable. In The Streets brings back some That 70s Show nostalgia.
Enjoyed this nice sounding combo of early 70's influence. Pock Rock sound.
Classic rock. I see a lot of inspiration from posterior bands.
8/10
2 days ago, this list gave me Third/Sister Lovers. It's hard not to compare, but I'll try. Solid debut record. I would be excited about what comes next if I was back in time when this came out. Some songs are better than others of course. But I stand by 80% of this album being very good
Another example where the lone breakout song is the only one worth your time. Just listen to "Thirteen" off of this album (which is a good track) and you can safely ignore the rest.
fínt powerpopp. ekki mikið af eftirminnilegum lögum samt.
A good little rock band that pleasantly surprised me. A little too mellow for me, but still, pretty good compared to most of the lesser knowns on this list.
Nice music, I really enjoyed some of this very well produced album
I like it
Rating: 6/10 So decent 70s rock.
Pas fan, pas vraiment de saveur
Actually much better than i expected. It was a good listen, wouldn’t mind hearing it again, so low 4
Thoroughly enjoyed this album. Never heard of the band before but I liked a few songs so I can listen to them again. Solid 4 for me.
la canción sobre enamorarse de una nena de 13?????? sobre ir a buscarla a la escuela????? ped0 behaviour
Wow... This was really quite good... I have the cover of Thirteen by Garbage, but otherwise this was all new to me - which after reading up on the history of the album, I understand why... Too bad... They really could have been Big Stars...
At first impression I thought I would hate this. After a few songs I was surprised I didn’t hate it, it seemed ok. But as I got deeper into the album I found I lost all my grace with this. It became as grating and mundane as I thought it would. I can see why they never took off.
Going into it, they seem pretty innocuous and unassuming. But every tune on this album could probably have been a single. Take also into account the time it came out and you can see where this album(and Big Star) in general was a heavy influence. The most known tracks are probably In The Street which was covered-ish and used for That 70s Show theme music and Thirteen which has to be one of the most covered songs from this era. I have heard about this album before but never gave it a spin. I feel like I did it and myself a disservice. Beautifully jangly guitars and sweet harmonies throughout.
I was very happily surprised by this album. I hadn’t heard of them, but I guess I knew that one song because it’s on That 70s Show. Solid jams all the way through.
Some hard rock riffs at the start but the album mostly mellows into folk-leaning rock by the second half. Nice vocals throughout too. And “In the Street” is the theme song to “That 70s Show”! Such a great choice for a sitcom theme song: “Hanging out, down the street / The same old thing we did last week / Not a thing to do, but talk to you.”
Pretty cool classic rock album that has some nice dynamic shifts and grabs from a few other bands / genres which isn't what I was expecting. They wear their influences on their sleeves and that hurts the rating a bit though, as to me it feels at times like they were trying pretty hard to sound like an amalgam of other bands before trying to make their own sound. "Thirteen" is really beautiful and I love the guitar parts. Great production as well. I did have to look up the lyrics of this one though as it's kind of gross how so many classic rock songs are about young love in uh... interesting ways. Thankfully the lyrics tell a story of two same-aged people from what I could tell. I grew up really loving "That 70's Show", so the final track "In The Street" was a really great surprise. Nice album cover. I think a lot of modern day indie rock bands would use this kind of imagery and it wouldn't be out of place.
Such a good album! Theres not a single song that is under 4⭐'s! The album would get a 4.5 if we could rate with half stars on here!
Nice...
Another unmemorable, middle-of-the-range American rock band. I’m surprised I haven’t really heard their stuff before.
It’s perfectly fine. There’s two or thee songs that I think are really good. Then the rest is just mediocre background music. 2.5/5
A rock solid debut from the 70's most under-appreciated bands. Edit: Updating my rating to a 4, because it's actually so close to a perfect record. Alex Chilton's songwriting is incredible and I can't believe I ever thought otherwise.
Non-offensive, run-of-the-mill, early 70s pop rock.
Decent 70’s pop. Nothing is really bad, nothing is really excellent. You can’t be mad at this.
#1 Record is obviously a fairly pretentious title, and sadly they don't deliver. I am not sure what they have that merits inclusion on the list, but I am sure there are some good arguments. They just didn't leap out at me.
Nice consistent proto power pop album from the mid 1970s. I haven't heard much about this band before, they are underrated even after all these decades. The songwriting is strong and it's a well crafted album throughout. I liked it quite a lot.
Rock and roll is here to stay.
Good album, not great. Gets some bonus points for their clear influence on the likes of R.E.M. and Tom Petty. I don't think they're super original, and can see why they didn't do so well at the time. People were probably sick of this type of sound. 7/10
This feels like they were on the verge of making something great but nothing really stood out to me. Just fine.
Just fine, maybe groundbreaking’ish once upon a time.
Had a few songs I really vibed with. Overall a pretty solid and mellow rock album.
248/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
I would give this one a 3.5 and definitely would give it another listen. I think there is something here that I could appreciate.
Finally, a disc worthy of 5 stars! How can so many great songs be jammed into 37 minutes??
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.
Proto-Power Pop.
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.
This is decent enough, but it feels like something is missing and I can't put my finger on it. It starts fairly strong but I lose interest by the end, which isn't great for a 37 minute album. Don't Lie To Me sounds a little bit like The Murlocs so I like that one. Feel is cool too, a little Zeppeliny to begin with and segues into what could be a Ziggy Stardust era Bowie glam rock tune I like In The Street musically but the vocals on the verse are pretty annoying, a nasally kind of wail that overpowers everything. I don't think I'd say I dislike anything but there's too much that doesn't hold my attention to rate it highly. Highlights: Don't Lie To Me, Feel
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.
One of the greatest records ever
Rather average 70s US classic rock. Don't hate, just leaves me rather meh. There are other bands out there doing this sort of thing better. 2/5
Nope
Really good 70s rock. Shame to hear about how poorly their albums were marketed. Should have been a much bigger band
Never heard of this. The release year doesn’t give me high hopes. Not great. Kind of 70s rock pop, with a dash of 60s flower child hippie pop thrown in.
again it's ok I don't get the hype
An underrated band and album. Pioneers of a power pop era.
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.
This is an interesting band and a interesting record. Like I'm sure there are some cult following Big Star fans that absolutely love their music and claim that they're the most underrated rock band of the 70s. I think there probably is some truth to that, but in a lot of ways, I feel like they're kind of trying to be an American version of The Beatles with a bit of Southern influence. Its fun pop rock with some cool country and blues riffs, but I'm never totally blown away by it. The one exception is Thirteen, because that song is incredible and is something to cherish. But otherwise, I enjoyed this but didn't really love this.
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
3
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. (⌐■_■)
I wasn’t super Moved by this, but there’s definitely something kinda special about it. It’s like… an unusually tasteful interpretation of Big 70s Rock or something? I might regret rounding down if I listen to it again in the coming weeks.
Pretty bland album. Nothing really interesting. Not horrible though. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Best song was the one was later featured in, "That 70's Show".
I listened to the album during a walk. I was still very interested at the beginning of the first track. But that cooled off quickly. During the walk, I noticed that the music was still playing, but I didn't notice most of it. So it didn't interest me, but it didn't bother me either. 3/5
‘In The Street’ and ‘When My Baby’s Beside Me’ are the only real memorable songs on this. ‘St 110/6’ also has a really nice melody as well but is unfortunately less than a minute long. The rest of this while pleasant and beautifully produced is essentially a snooze fest.
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.
Solid 70s sound
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!
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.
Not for me. 1/5
There's a good sound here falling just shy of 5 stars. Standouts include Feel, The Ballad Of El Goodo, In The Street, Thirteen, Watch The Sunrise, and Give Me Another Chance.
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
While it was fun to learn the origin story of the That 70s Show theme song, this album was otherwise fine and okay and decent to listen to.
Platonic ideal classic rock type stuff. There's nothing to write home about in complaint or compliment.
this was fine. 2.5
For while I was driving: 3/10 For while I was exercising: 1/10
Real catchy and easy to listen to. Nothing too special though, very clean and well produced 70s pop music. Caught off guard when all of a sudden the room started spinning, then that scientology rapist and Fez were sitting in my garage with me. -Red enters- \"jackass\"
I think if the album had maintained the energy and sound to the A side I would be more into this album, I think it manages to make two sides of older rock (folkier rock and power pop) that I don't care for into something that is interesting personally, perhaps because they lean into hard rock elements in some of the songs but still. The 2nd side goes for more folksy heartache which I don't like but I can imagine some people more into folksier stuff would get more out of it
cover art is so bad get this shuttershock bs outta my face good music tho
++: Feel, In the Street, Don't Lie to Me, Give Me Another Chance +: Thirteen, My Life Is Right, Try Again, Watch the Sunrise, ST 100/6 +-: The Ballad of El Goodo, When My Baby's Beside Me -: The India Song 7,3/10
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.
Generic dad-rock. Don't get me wrong, I like this kind of music, it's just that there's nothing novel or exciting for me here. Nice enough a listen, but nothing that really grabbed my attention
Not a bad band out of the 70’s. Never hit it big.
4.5
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.
3.5
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.
This is so 70s that it made me nostalgic…and I’ve never even heard it before. Liked it more than I expected, but not as much as I wanted.
This is an alright album that almost makes it to really good, but never quite measures up. Favorite track: "Watch the Sunrise"
Seriously, Dimery, stop trying to make Big Star a thing. They couldn't do it for themselves in the 1970s, but you've put 1½ of their 2½ albums into the list - for why? Are they the 1970s version of Doves?
Ironic it’s called #1 Record and the record company struggled to distribute it. Sounds very agreeable and simple but nothing crazy. 5/10
Samaa sarjaa kun edellinen. Tämä ehkä hieman parempi. 3/5
Rentouttavaa poprockia jenkkivaalikuumottelun aamuun eli palsamia haavoille. 3.5/5
super enjoyable pop rock favorite track: the ballad of el goodo
Just could not get into it at all
I can imagine this on a Guardians of the Galaxy OST which automatically means I like it.
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.
I know this is a classic album by an influential band, and I have even listened to it more than once. I just don't get the hype, it just sounds like regular pop rock to me. Key tracks: Feel
With a name like Big Star, I expected "#1 Record" to be heavy rock 'n' roll. I was pleasantly surprised by a power pop record. Big Star is reminiscent of Eric Carmen, in my opinion, and I'm surprised the band was chosen over him, given how massively famous and influential "All By Myself" is. The album is surprisingly lush and laidback — like "Savage Eye" era The Pretty Things. Not memorable but quite good nonetheless. I think they'd be popular on r/drunkhifi, if either the record or the subreddit was more well known.
Really enjoyed this album, some great songs on here. And as a band I've never heard of, I will definitely be listening to more.
A well-written and occasionally country-tinged rock album that doesn't overstay its welcome. Highlights: Feel, In The Street, Thirteen, When My Baby's Beside Me, Watch The Sunrise
3 stars - I hear some interesting influences but not exactly my thing
I liked that era of music and this was enjoyable
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.
I wasn’t really a fan of Third/Sister Lovers when that came up a few months ago so didn’t get my hopes up too much for Big Star’s debut but it was actually pretty great. Power pop with a real rock edge in places, it’s just full of great songwriting and top notch hooks
I wasnt familiar witb Big Star, aside from the That 70s Show theme song. A decent rock album that captured the spirit of the 70s, but ultimately it didnt really capture me or have any standout hits that left me wanting more.
This Mortal Coil is the real reason I ever listened to Big Star. Thank goodness for TMC
I found it difficult to fully appreciate the uniqueness of this album because I’ve heard all the later artists they ifluenced first. But that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying the album. It’s a lot of fun and there are many excellent songs that I think many listeners will find make for pleasurable listening. And there is value in understand what shaped some of our favorite artists. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-1-record-by-big-star?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Another in the category of -this is music, and seemingly we'll done music, that just doesn't vibe with me. But also doesn't vibe with me.
Kevyttä rockia. Vähän ehkä jätti kylmäksi ja työpäivän ohessa kuuntelu usein unohtui. Kolme kertaa pyörittelin läpi enkä edelleenkään muista mikä oli suosikkibiisi jonka aikana heräsin aina kuuntelemaan.
Ei jäänyt erityisesti hyvällä eikä pahalla. Muut teki tuon paremmin, mutta laadukas tää kyllä oli vaikkei karismaa ollut
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.
Never heard of Big Star, the blog notes them as a reference point for REM and Cheap Trick, and I can hear that. Also fun to hear the origin of the 70s Show theme song, I liked that show growing up. Good music overall, nothing that excites me too much but I have no criticisms.
I liked this one actually
More people should listen to big star.
Never heard of this band before, the album was alright
Absolutely stellar power pop. 4.5/5
It's a good, maybe even great folk rock album. Good think they went their own way. 3.5/5.
The mix of Folk Pop and Power Pop tracks on this are quite charming. Fairly enjoyable (#1) record.
Very forgettable but not bad.
Not bad 7/10
This is a stupidly good and enjoyable album to listen to.
My favourites were Thirteen, The India Song and Watch The Sunrise. Good band!
Didn't blow me away, it was ok
Big Star have been referenced by many cult bands over the past few decades, and this album helps show why. Excellent songwriting and performance, with just a bit of a sharp edge to their smooth West Coast sound. In a way, an evolution from Arthur Lee / Love. Highly recommended.
I haven't listened to this album in years. Last night, my wife and I slow danced in the kitchen and sang "Thirteen" to each other. That is a truly special song.
Satisfyingly sweet, soulful, and giddy with the kaleidoscopic joy and torment of youth, Big Star's first album is a charming listen. Led by duelling songwriters Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, the group have long been labelled "the most underrated band in the history of music", to the point where it's impossible to call them truly underrated because they top any and every list of "underrated bands" out there (often along with Sparks, Ween, Gentle Giant… you know the drill). Their influence has crept down through the years, living on through the '80s (R.E.M and the Replacements), '90s (Teenage Fanclub and Primal Scream), 21st century (Wilco) and likely beyond. As much as I love other individual songs of the band (the classic "September Gurls", the wistful "Daisy Glaze", the haunting "Kanga Roo"), I'd never actually heard anything from "#1 Record". The biggest and most celebrated song on it is the tender ballad "Thirteen": for anyone who can get past the concept of grown men in character as teenage boys singing about love and girls, it's a sweet and sentimental delight. But there are many others here I preferred. "The Ballad of El Goodo" is a particular standout, with its everyman "me-against-the-world" sentiment and its epic, echoing Grand Canyon of a chorus. Opener "Feel", along with "In the Street" and "Don't Lie To Me", showcase the hard-rock side of the band and Bell's impressive vocals, tantamount to Slade's brand of glam. The ballads creep up in prominence throughout the second half of the album, with a couple of duds ("Indian Song" doesn't really take off, and "Try Again" is fairly uneventful besides its lovely slide guitar). But there are still plenty of highlights, mostly in the vocals and harmonies ("My Life Is Right", "Give Me Another Chance") or truly gorgeous acoustic guitar work (which elevates the already-beautiful "Watch the Sunrise" to a worthy finale). There's then a slightly head-scratching 49-second coda, "ST 100/6", but we can ignore that. As a full package, "#1 Record" is a compelling and convincing debut. Vocals and harmonies = first rate. Production = hasn't aged a day. Songwriting = mostly immediate and charming. While some of the tracks may feel a little over-simplified at times, that is part and parcel of Big Star's charm. All in all, this first album is zesty, it's vibrant, it's fun, and yes… it's underrated.
Astonishing that this was virtually ignored at the time.
Very good. Melodic, raw. It's grown on me over time. Almost glam rock in places. Songs are kinda sad. Thirteen is beautiful.
#1 record…it was not, can’t even remember any songs off it already
Insanely well produced 70's record.
Det är helt. Kul att In The Street är en riktig låt och inte en vinjett till en sitcom. Slutade med att jag gillade skivan riktigt mycket. Bra omslag också.
Helt ok 70-tals rock. Kul med that 70s show-introlåten. Men jag går inte igång mer än "bra". Detta album kom och gick skulle jag tippa på.
Det här gillade man ju redan vid första genomlyssningen, väldigt lättsmält och jämnbra. Inget som verkligen sticker ut dock, men en stark trea får det bli.
Definitely better than the other Big Star album on the list but still quite boring.
Oh I hate it when my review doesn't save. Long story short, some on songs. Some terrible leftovers from the 60s (India?) Shows promise but fails to achieve greatness. Three minus.
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
Dont care for it
Another band that I hadn't heard of before. It was interesting reading the synopsis after listening. The blame game seems to point at the record company for screwing up distribution as to why this band wasn't huge. I'm not sure if that's entirely true though. Does this band have enough to make it big even without the other issues? There were some songs that grabbed me but most didn't really leave an impression, and I couldn't tell you what they sounded like the next day.
Stunned when I hit that 70s show song. They really fall under the radar though. Average band by definition.
Cool. They sound like every other 70's band
easy listen but slow. Harsh critic I'm giving it a 2.
Who? Apparently this album is now widely-regarded as a seminal work in pop rock and power pop, but I don't know how much of influence it was at the time if virtually no one had ever heard of it until it subsequent re-releases. It's OK.
Some parts does hit it but it's buried amidst a lot of fillers.
Way better than I was expecting, a very catchy album 4 ⭐️
Thirteen is such a nice sweet song and I'm glad to see so many people here being supportive of outlawed love But it was really boring
#1 Record on my HATE list. No, it wasn't actually that bad, honestly speaking, it was just boring
Jøsses noget ligegyldigt lort. Jeg har lige hørt hele albummet i en fokuseret lytning... Men her 15 minutter efter husker jeg INTET af det.... Jeg hader det ikke, eller jeg kan ihvertfald ikke huske at jeg hader det....
Tydelig 70er lyd Det er ikke dårligt. Men det er heller ikke godt.
How have I not heard of this band before?! Excellent album, which will definitely be on my rotation now!
Pretty decent 70’s rock this
Solid all around, nothing special.