Note: from here on in I’m going to go through the remaining albums alphabetically. I’ll be avoiding any I’ve encountered through other threads, journals, or just in the course of my listening, but will mention them and where I heard/reviewed them. So that means we kick off with this.
Title: #1 Record
Artist: Big Star
Year: 1972
Chronological position: Debut
Previous experience of this artist?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? Not a clue.
My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Meh
One track in --- Meh
Halfway through --- Still waiting
Finished --- Good
Comments: Reading about this album on Wiki, its claim to fame seems to rest on the fact that it was perhaps a sort of pastiche of pop, rock and later AOR, with close harmonies, memorable choruses and catchy songs, and has been likened to Tom Petty and REM. Don’t hear it, I have to say, from the beginning anyway. To me, it’s more like a lighter version of Zep meets Rush with a bit of Sweet thrown in. Second track has a kind of country-ish feel to it, slower and with a sense of CSNY or Eagles about it, but again it’s not anything special to me. Next one sounds like Slade meets Bob Seger, and again it’s not a bad track, but not blown away yet by any means. Bit of S&G in there too methinks.
Nice little acoustic number, nothing great about it, then Slade’s back, joined by Suzi Q for “Don’t Lie to Me”. It has good energy and is probably the first song where I think yeah this could be something. Really like this one. Then we’re all sixties flower power with added flute (god damn flute!) for the decidedly wimpy “India Song”, blechh. Some serious ripping-off of guitar riffs (or maybe those artist ripped Big Star off? Can’t recall where I heard them but they are familiar) in “My Life is Right”, which I find a pretty boring track otherwise, as is the next one, but the acoustic “Give Me Another Chance” is quite nice, puts me in mind of David Gates to a degree. Bit of Supertramp maybe too. “Try Again” is nice as well, more acoustic sort of country-style, which I think is where Big Star shine, when they do. Touch of George Harrison here. “Watch the Sunrise” is impressive too; this is ending well after a pretty limp start, but I still wouldn’t be likely to listen to it again.
Favourite track(s): Don’t Lie to Me, Give Me Another Chance, Try Again, Watch the Sunrise
Least favourite track(s): The India Song, My Life is Right
Final impression --- yeah it’s all right but a few tracks aside as noted above, I find this pretty bland, boring and ordinary. Don’t see what the fuss is about to be honest.
Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits
H) Glad I listened to it
I) Didn’t really affect me.
Overall, I’d have to say E. It was B but then I got into the last few tracks so I had to upgrade it. Still, I reckon I could have lived my life quite happily without ever having heard this. Don’t get it, no sir.