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On March 17^th the world lost a true legend.  Alex Chilton had not been a mainstream success for a long time, but many in the alternative rock arena viewed him as a giant.  With The Box Tops he gained notoriety with the song ‘The Letter’.  A few years later he joined a group of friends in Big Star and managed to create two rock gems.  He is best remembered as a songwriter, and you can see why R.E.M., The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, and The Shins owe him so much.  Before there was ‘power-pop’ there was Big Star. I came across this twofer at a record store and couldn’t resist having two albums on one CD.

#1 Record, is considered the masterpiece of the two albums.  With simple song structure, honest lyrics and easy hooks, this album can conquer many pop fans.  The running themes of the album are growing up, hanging out with girls and getting tickets for Friday’s dance.  If you’ve watched That 70’s Show, you’ve heard ‘In the Street’, the theme song, it was covered by Cheap Trick for the show.  Stand out tracks include: ‘Don’t Lie to Me’, ‘Feel’, ‘When My Baby’s Beside Me’ and ‘Thirteen’.

Radio City is a step up in production but a step down in band members.  Whereas #1 had four members, lead singer Chris Bell left, and the band became a trio with Chilton on vocals.  What the songs lack in lyrical power, they make up for in larger studio sound.  If lead track ‘O My Soul’ doesn’t get you moving, you might be dead.  Stand out tracks: ‘Mod Lang’, ‘September Gurls’, ‘She’s a Mover’ and ‘Back of a Car’.

Having these albums back to back is a great way to compare them.  I recommend these to anyone that wants to hear how the gap between The Beatles, The Who and The Kinks was bridged.