Big Star: Radio City (1974) Big Star may be one of the most influential artists of our time on artists still using a guitar as their melodic instrument of choice. Everyone references Big Star, and they were one of the best bands of all time, period. Radio City is a template of how a guitar rock recording should sound, with songs that come from the heart and soul.

Contrary to the haunting, lurching words and refrain of "What's Goin' Ahn" on this 1974 masterpiece, there is much to say about this Memphis band and the album Radio City. A few have said quite a bit about the band and its story, and I will do my best not to rewrite the excellent pieces by Barney Hoskyns in Mojo and Jonathan Valania in Revolver.

References to the band are common in press releases, which I often find humorous, because unless I can hear through the speakers the sound of the interaction of a tortured, gay, intimidated genius with a crazy, hard-drinking, hard-drugging, Jerry Lee Lewis-like, cousin-loving (Alex-just kidding-don't kick my ass), intimidating genius, it don't sound like Big Star. It was a flammable combination that produced some classic music.

Yeah, Big Star had nice melodies, shiny guitars and lilting harmonies, but it was a lot more complex than that.

Many consider Radio City to be the band's creative peak, capturing on vinyl all the chiming glitter and power of melody that can be expressed with electric guitars and high, lilting, tortured, I-Don't-Care-If-You-Like-It lyrics and vocals. Sure, Big Star have similarities to The Beatles. But not even Lennon had the pent up angst and raw anger of a real live Southern boy with Steve Cropper guitar chops and an attitude that allowed him to raise his middle finger to the record industry, you, me and the rest of the world. This, combined with awesome, spontaneous performances that seem to have been captured magically, made comparisons to The Beatles inevitable, except the majesty of Big Star on Radio City had everything to do with how Chilton appeared to want to break free from The Beatles shadow and the shadow that was his former bandmate, Chris Bell.

Like The Beatles, Big Star had at its core two great forces: Chilton, and the enigmatic, cult icon Chris Bell. The band started with Chris at the throne, and he was a died-in-the-wool Beatles disciple. There was a tacit power struggle as to the direction of the band during their first album, #1 Record, and Alex wanted control. By Radio City, Bell was intimidated out of the band and Alex had free reign.

No one before Chris or after ever really challenged Alex musically, and I think Alex might even admit that to himself. Radio City was Chilton's way of showing only to himself that he could write better Beatles-like songs than Bell ever could. My theory is that Chilton's motivation for Radio City was to show up Bell. That is the source of the passion, angst and intensity on Radio City. That type of rivalry made The Beatles great, except they stayed together despite their dissonance, creating a larger body of work. That Chilton showed up Bell with Radio City may have literally killed the late Bell, a tortured, complex man who never had the chance to find a support system that would have allowed him to accept his homosexuality. Indeed, his early death some label as a suicide was a tragedy of the highest order.

Radio City opens with the instrumental, "O My Soul," putting on display the kind of guitar playing that only could be accomplished by mastering the guitar parts from the best Stax/Volt records. To follow, you have the classic "Life Is White." There, Chilton speaks directly to Bell in response to Bell's spiritual opus, "Life Is Right" off of #1 Record: "...don't like to see your face, don't like to hear you talk at all." He sings about a girl named Ann, but I think he speaks directly to Bell here. Following that is "Way Out West," with its stutterring, tension-filled intro and the magical bass line that follows the chorus.

The next track, "What's Goin' Ahn," to me, embodies everything about Big Star that put them into Beatles, Brian Wilson category. When Chilton sings, "I like love, but I don't know, all these girls they come and go, always nothin' left to say...," he is tapping into that honest confession-to-yourself territory that only greats like Brian Wilson can pull off. It is the type of line that could be put on the tombstone of many a lonely person. A literally perfect song. "You Get What You Deserve" shows the f... you side of Big Star again: another melodic masterpiece. "Mod Lang," like "O My Soul," puts Chilton's guitar chops on display. A perfect sequencing breather for the anthem, "Back of a Car" which follows.

Any melodic music fan has to revel in the chiming, resounding arpeggio that explodes at the outset of "Back...". The lyrics say it all: "...sitting in the back of a car, music so loud, you can't tell a thing." Anyone who hears this is "there" at a stadium Rolling Stones show with a bottle of Jack in one hand, and a bong in the other, listening to blaring Zeppelin out of distorted Jensens. For those with a drug-free past, substitute anything very exhilirating here.

"Daisy Glaze" is the ideal setup for the next track, "She's a Mover," a track that puts on display the style and taste of drummer Jody Stephens. The track is mixed in "Beatles stereo", i.e., all of the drums are panned through one speaker. Stephens, on all the Big Star work, played sparsely where it was required, but had/has the skills of the best of the best drummers. Think Ringo, except he could play like Keith Moon.

The next track is considered the climax of the recording, "September Gurls," an idyllic, synergistic combination of simple power chord structure, melody and harmony. It is the the model for many songs in the genre of "power pop". The last two tracks, "Morpha Too" and "I'm in Love with a Girl" are perfect closers, allowing one to literally catch his or her breath after the power that has been experienced. A perfect record. Seriously. See, also, #1 Record, Third/Sister Lovers

Chris Bell: I Am the Cosmos This tortured, brilliant recording was the last for the enigmatic Bell who brought guitar-based beautifully composed open wounds as art to a new level. Important and essential.

Raspberries: s/t (1972) Raspberries: Fresh (1972) Side Three (1973) Starting Over (1974) Combining influences as diverse as the Beatles, The Who and The Beach Boys, Raspberries (not *The* Raspberries) were the classic guitar pop band. Their singles sounded great on the radio, but they had a tough time finding an audience in an era of album rock radio. All of their recordings are essential.

Badfinger: Straight Up Pete Ham was a tragic, depressed soul who wrote deeply personal, poignant, beautiful songs that impressed none other than The Beatles. "Baby Blue" with its cascading arpeggios is a meteoric explosion of melody. This, along with "No Dice" are two of the best recordings of the early '70s. Must owns.

Flamin' Groovies: Teenage Head The title track is one of the greatest guitar rock songs of all time. No more needs to be said.

Flamin' Groovies: Shake Some Action A perfectly crafted Beatles-influenced guitar rock masterpiece. The chiming arpeggios on "You Tore Me Down" will make you cry with tears of joy.

Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything Todd is God, or something like that. Having worked with the seminal Nazz and none other than the Beatles, this double album was a watershed moment of guitar pop in the '70s. "I Saw the Light" and "Couldn't I Just Tell You" are two of the greatest guitar pop songs of all time. See, also, Runt, The Ballad of Todd Rundgren and any of the Nazz albums.

Dwight Twilley: Twilley Don't Mind Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour create a ringing soundscape of guitars and melody that stands the test of time. A beautiful record.

dB's: Stands for Decibels Quality songs rooted in the melodic traditions of The Beatles, the pairing of Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple are two of the only artists who ever really understood and communicated the Southern interpretation of The Beatles in a manner similar to bands like Big Star. A thinking man's guitar rock band and a tremendous influence to many of the finest guitar based bands of today.

The Beat: s/t If there was one recording other than 20/20's debut that defines late '70s "power pop", this is the recording. Hooks, power, great songs and everything the public should have heard but didn't get from artists like The Knack.

20/20: s/t From the first note of this record, you are transported like a rocketship to three minute song, guitar and melody heaven. This recording inspired the entire power pop revival of the '90s.

Shoes: Present Tense (1979) Considered by many to be the greatest power pop band of the period, this recording is considered by most as their best.

NOTE: Other recordings will be added.