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Number 1 Record

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The correct title of this article is #1 Record. The substitution of the # is due to technical restrictions.
Untitled

#1 Record is the debut album by the American power pop group Big Star. It was released in August 1972 by Memphis-based Ardent Records.

Many critics praised the album's elegant vocal harmonies and refined songcraft but #1 Record suffered from poor distribution and sold fewer than 10,000 copies upon it's initial release. However, #1 Record gained wider attention in the late 70's in the UK when EMI reissued #1 Record and Radio City as a double LP package due to increasing demand [2], and in 2003 it was ranked number 438 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Rolling Stone magazine also ranked the song "Thirteen" as number 406 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]

#1 Record is the only Big Star album on which group founder Chris Bell is officially credited as a member. Bell had a major hand in the record through songwriting, vocals, guitar work and the album's production. The polished sound of #1 Record, in contrast to the messier styles of the band's subsequent albums, Radio City and Third/Sister Lovers, is attributed by producer John Fry to the presence of Bell: "When Chris Bell was still in the band, he took more interest than anybody in the production and technology end of things. He had a good production mind...the reason why the second album is rougher, with fewer harmonies, is due to the absence of Chris's influence in the studio."[4] Bassist Andy Hummel would also credit Bell with having a hand in the album's production: "Chris was in charge. I would pretty well credit him with recording and producing that LP [#1 Record]. Of course, he had a lot of artistic help from Alex [Chilton] but Chris was the technical brains behind it. He was the only one of us at that time who knew how to record." [5] Alex Chilton would also credit producer John Fry's mixing talent for being a factor in the album's sound quality: "John Fry was a genius in his way of mixdowns. We didn't put things on tape much differently then was the standard method of doing things, but he just had such finesse and great ears, and he was just a great meticulous mixdown engineer and producer. [...] He's the one responsible for making those records sound so f***ing great." [6]

Composition and recording

Eight years earlier in 1964, when their home town of Memphis, Tennessee became a tour stop for The Beatles, primary songwriters Alex Chilton and Chris Bell were thirteen years old. Heavily influenced by the UK band, the pair—Bell in particular—wanted to model their songwriting on the Lennon–McCartney partnership, with the result that they credited as many songs as possible on Big Star's debut album to "Bell/Chilton".[7] In practice, they developed material incrementally in the studio, each making changes to the other's recordings. Drummer Jody Stephens recalled, "Alex would come in and put down something rough and edgy and Chris would come in and add some sweet-sounding background vocals to it."[8] The pair also each contributed songs to the album that were individually composed before Big Star was formed. Chris Bell brought the songs "Feel", "My Life Is Right", and "Try Again" to the recording sessions, which he had previously recorded with a band called 'Rock City' (which featured Big Star drummer Jody Stephens and Steve Rhea), and Chilton brought "The Ballad of El Goodo", "In The Street", and the acoustic ballads "Thirteen" and "Watch the Sunrise".[9]. "The India Song" was written & composed by Andy Hummel.[10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Robert ChristgauB+[12]
Rolling Stonefavorable[13]

On its release in August 1972,[14] #1 Record immediately received widespread acclaim, and continued to do so for six months, although an inability by Stax Records to make the album available in stores meant it sold fewer than 10,000 copies upon it's initial release.[15][16] Record World called it "one of the best albums of the year", and Billboard commented, "Every cut could be a single". Cashbox described it as one where "everything falls together as a total sound" and one that "should go to the top".[17] The River City Review's reaction to the album was to state that "Big Star will be around for many moons".[17]

Track listing

All songs by Chris Bell and Alex Chilton, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Feel" – 3:34 (Lead: Bell)
  2. "The Ballad of El Goodo" – 4:21 (Lead: Chilton)
  3. "In the Street" – 2:55 (Lead: Bell)
  4. "Thirteen" – 2:34 (Lead: Chilton)
  5. "Don't Lie to Me" – 3:07 (Lead: Bell)
  6. "The India Song" (Andy Hummel) – 2:20 (Lead: Hummel)

Side two

  2. "When My Baby's Beside Me" – 3:22 (Lead: Chilton)
  3. "My Life Is Right" (Bell, Tom Eubanks)  – 3:07 (Lead: Bell)
  4. "Give Me Another Chance" – 3:26 (Lead: Chilton)
  5. "Try Again" – 3:31 (Lead: Bell)
  6. "Watch the Sunrise" – 3:45 (Lead: Chilton)
  7. "ST 100/6" – 1:01 (Lead: Bell & Chilton)

Personnel

Big Star

Guest

References

  1. ^ Tangari, Joe (March 22, 2010). "The Life and Music of Alex Chilton,". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  2. ^ http://www.frontlinearts.net/bigstar/cgi-bin/bsrboard/bsrboard.cgi?board=general&action=display&num=1231216571
  3. ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  4. ^ "CLASSIC TRACKS: Big Star 'September Gurls' -". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  5. ^ http://www.furious.com/perfect/andyhummel.html
  6. ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=eWo2AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT78&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false
  7. ^ Jovanovic 2013, pp. 6–13, 100
  8. ^ Jovanovic 2013, p. 89
  9. ^ Jovanovic 2013, pp. 83–87
  10. ^ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/big-star-bassist-andy-hummel-dies-at-59-20100720
  11. ^ Ruhlmann, William. Number 1 Record at AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Big Star". Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  13. ^ Scoppa, Bud (February 1, 1973). "No. 1 Record/Radio City". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  14. ^ Jovanovic 2013, p. 115
  15. ^ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake some action: the ultimate power pop guide. Shake Some Action – PowerPop. p. 12. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  16. ^ Gulla, Bob (July 1996). "CMJ New Music Monthly". CMJ Network, Inc.: 16. Retrieved December 16, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ^ a b Jovanovic 2013, p. 107

Bibliography

  • Jovanovic, Rob. Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band. London: Fourth Estate, 2004. ISBN 0-00-714908-5.
  • Jovanovic, Rob (2013). Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band (Revised and updated ed.). London: Jawbone. ISBN 978-1-908279-36-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • George-Warren, Holly. A Man Called Destruction: The Life And Music Of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops To Big Star To Backdoor Man. New York: Viking, 2014. ISBN 978-0-670-02563-3.
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