BIG STAR Radio City lp 1974 POWERPOP Alex Chilton

$

122

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BIG STAR Radio City lp 1974 POWERPOP Alex Chilton




Description

  BIG STAR

RADIO CITY lp

LABEL: ARDENT RECORDS

YEAR: 1974

CONDITION SLEEVE: VG++ (looks great, still in original shrink , has promo cut top left corner, small corner ding bottom left, nice spine and edges, bright artwork, no ringwear, please see scans for BEST idea on condition)

CONDITION VINYL: NM- (nice sheen , looks to have been played little, small light scuff Side 2 near begining that does NOT affect play)

PLAY GRADES NM! NO SURFACE NOISE NOT EVEN AT LEAD IN OR BETWEEN TRACKS. SOUNDS GREAT!! 

LONG OUT OF PRINT

NICE COLLECTORS COPY FOR IT'S 37 YEARS OF AGE !!

STILL IN FACTORY SHRINK, MARK TOP RIGHT IS PRICE STICKER RESIDUE ON SHRINK

Biography

by Jason Ankeny

The quintessential American power pop band, Big Star remains one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll. Originally led by the singing and songwriting duo of Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, the Memphis-based group fused the strongest elements of the British Invasion era -- the melodic invention of the Beatles, the whiplash guitars of the Who, and the radiant harmonies of the Byrds -- into a ramshackle but poignantly beautiful sound which recaptured the spirit of pop's past even as it pointed the way toward the music's future. Although creative tensions, haphazard distribution, and marketplace indifference conspired to ensure Big Star's brief existence and commercial failure, the group's three studio albums nevertheless remain unqualified classics, and their impact on subsequent generations of indie bands on both sides of the Atlantic is surpassed only by that of the Velvet Underground.

The roots of Big Star lie in the group Icewater (also known as Rock City), formed in 1971 by singer/guitarist Bell in association with guitarist Steve Ray, bassist Andy Hummel, and drummer Jody Stephens. Ray left the group a short time after its inception and was soon replaced by Chilton, the one-time Box Tops vocalist who was just 16 years old when the group topped the pop charts with their 1967 classic, "The Letter." Chilton had recently returned to Memphis after attempting to mount a solo career in New York City; he first played with Bell years earlier in a high school cover band, and with his arrival, Icewater rechristened itself Big Star, borrowing the name from a local supermarket chain. Recording soon commenced at the local Ardent Studios, where Bell occasionally worked as an engineer and session guitarist; despite solid critical notice and some radio airplay, their brilliant 1972 debut, #1 Record, nevertheless fell prey to the distribution problems of the newly formed Ardent label's parent company Stax -- more often than not, the album simply never made its way to retailers.

In the meantime, Bell and Chilton continued to butt heads over Big Star's direction -- the former envisioned a primarily studio-oriented project, while the latter preferred performing live; moreover, Chilton's past success in the Box Tops guaranteed him the lion's share of attention from listeners and critics, minimizing Bell's own contributions in the process. In late 1972, Bell finally left the band -- his subsequent attempts to mount a solo career proved largely fruitless, with only a spectacular solo single, "I Am the Cosmos," receiving official release prior to his untimely death in a 1978 car crash. (A posthumous solo compilation, also titled I Am the Cosmos, was finally issued to unanimous critical acclaim in 1992.) Following Bell's exit, Big Star briefly struggled on as a three-piece before disbanding, with Chilton returning to his stalled solo career; months later, he reteamed with Hummel and Stephens to play a local music writers' convention, and the performance was so well-received that they decided to make the reunion permanent.

Big Star's second album, 1974's Radio City, remains their masterpiece -- ragged and raw guitar pop infused with remarkable intensity and spontaneity. It also contained perhaps their best-known song, the oft-covered cult classic "September Gurls." (Another highlight, "Back of a Car," bears the unmistakable input of Chris Bell, although the duration and extent of his return to duty is unknown.) Distribution difficulties again undermined whatever hopes of commercial success existed, however, and Hummel soon announced his resignation; Chilton and Stephens recruited bassist John Lightman for a handful of East Coast live dates, including a WLIR radio broadcast later issued as Big Star Live. Work on a planned third album soon began, but the sessions proved disastrous as Chilton, reeling from years of music industry exploitation and frustration, effectively sabotaged his own music -- where Radio City teetered on the brink of collapse, the new songs tumbled over completely, culminating in one of the most harrowingly bleak pop records ever made. An album's worth of material was completed and shelved, and then Big Star was no more.

Payment must be made with PAYPAL within 7 days of auctions end unless previous arangements have been made directly with me. If you have not been in contact within 10 days of auction. A non-paying bidder alert will be filed with eBay.
 

1. 7inch Shipped within the USA First-Class Mail is $3.50 add .50 for each addition
2. 7inch to Canada is $4.00
3. 7inch Worldwide is $6.00 Airmail add $1.00 for each addition
4. LP Shipped within the USA Media Mail is $4.00 add $1.00 for each addition LP
5. LP Shipped to Canada is $5.00 LP
6. LP Shipped Worldwide is $12.00 Airmail add $2.00 for each addition
7. CD Shipped within the USA First-Class Mail is $3.50 add .50 for each addition
8. CD Shipped to Canada is $4.50
9. CD Shipped Worldwide is $6.00 add $2.00 for each addition

Payment must be made with PAYPAL within 7 days of auctions end unless previous arangements have been made directly with me. If you have not been in contact within 7 days of auction. A non-paying bidder alert will be filed with eBay.
 

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