Think of the music scene in 1972. ‘Exile On Main Street’ by the Rolling Stones
probably comes to mind, as well as David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust phase. But what
about ‘#1 Record’? The first record by the band Big Star, members Alex Chilton,
Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, and Andy Hummel ironically was not the #1 record of
it’s time. It didn’t come anywhere near the success of their contemporaries
like Clapton, Deep Purple, or either of the previously mentioned bands.
‘#1 Record’
was raved over by critics, with Rolling Stone saying, “it’s just exceptionally
good” and, “No. 1 Record is one of the sleepers of 1972”. Yet, because of a lack of distribution and
advertisement, the record failed to climb the charts and capture the ears and
hearts of the public like it did critics.
Today, most
kids can name at least one Zeppelin song, or at least can recognize some Rolling
Stones songs when they’re played for them. Countless bands since have imitated
their high-powered rock sounds, with only a very few matching the icons in
skill and talent. Yet, despite the fact that almost no one can recognize the
song “Thirteen” when it comes up on a Pandora playlist, Big Star’s influence is
everywhere in modern alternative and indie rock. Their song ‘In the Street’ was
covered by Cheap Trick and became the theme for ‘That 70s Show”, and the
mesmerizing guitar riff in ‘Thirteen’ can be seen in hundreds of acoustic love
songs like ‘The Girl’ by City and Color. Bands like Nada Surf, Wilco, and R.E.M.
would not have even existed had Big Star not paved the way 20 years beforehand.
The Replacements even have a song named ‘Alex Chilton’ that pays homage to the
frontman. Big Star predicted the rise of indie-rock and power-pop decades
before the genres hit the mainstream; had their albums come out in 1992 instead
of 1972, everyone would still be singing along to their music.
Big Star
captured how easily the teenage mental state can go from “Get me out of here/ I
hate it here” (‘Nighttime’) to “Wish we had a joint so bad” (‘In the Street’) to
“I’m in love with a girl/Finest girl in the world/Didn’t know I could feel this
way” (‘I’m in Love With a Girl’).
Whether Chilton intended to so purely capture the mind of an 18 year old
or not, he succeeded with such class that no other band has come close to doing
the same thing. Big Star sings about first love, first lost love, and small
town boredom among other things. They acknowledge all of the normal clichés
that surround such themes, yet take it a step further and bring a depth and
complexity to it that set the stage for songwriters today.
I don’t
enjoy being the person that gasps when someone says they haven’t heard of an
album or an artist. Yet I do enjoy making people listen to an album that so
easily could’ve come out of 2016 yet was made when most of our parents were in
middle school or high school. It is soft and timeless and takes me to a
familiar, safe space. Listening to it has changed the minds of so many of the
people around me and I highly, highly recommend it to anyone who even remotely
enjoys music.
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