#1 Record - Big Star (Ardent, 1972)
About a year ago, my girlfriend Sara gave me quite a push to invest in Big Star. I eventually found #1 Record and Radio City for very good prices on vinyl, and put in some good time. I've mainly focused on #1 Record to start, and it was a pretty great choice. It really is insane that Big Star was not enormous in their time, as it is plain to see that every power pop band since has been deeply inspired by them. Sure, the songs aren't quite at that grandiose classic rock level like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, but, the hooks are pretty much endless. I have my preferred songs, but there isn't a stale moment to be heard here. Admittedly, I felt that the album was a lot too ballad-y at first, but, I'm over it. Those songs are gorgeous and sound like fall, which is a lethal combination. I'm not even going to touch the rock songs, because I could go on forever. This is just a bad ass pop record that is going to stick with me for a long time.
Top jams: "Feel," "The Ballad of El Goodo," "In the Street," "Thirteen," "The India Song," "When My Baby's Beside Me," "My Life is Right," "Watch the Sunrise"
My Roaring 20's - Cheap Girls (Paper + Plastick, 2009)
Cheap Girls, from Lansing, MI of all places, are awesome. I slept on them for too long, and finally woke up with last year's Giant Orange, which is excellent, and was #11 on my year-end list. My Roaring 20's is their sophomore album, and I don't like it nearly as much. Don't get me wrong. It's totally good, and there are some nice standouts ("Ft. Lauderdale," "Something That I Needed," most of "One & Four"). Here's the thing: A lot of the songs are hard to tell apart, and also the production is mediocre at best. Not that there is much variety on Giant Orange, but it just sounds better and the songs are of a higher quality. The band still does the 90s-alternative-rock-meets-pop punk thing well here, it's just not as charming. I'll stop whining. Still a fine album with some total jams.
Top jams: "Sunnyside," "Ft. Lauderdale," "Hey Hey, I'm Worn Out," "I Had a Motorcycle," "Sleeping Weather," "Something That I Need," "One & Four"
Kinda Kinks - The Kinks (Reprise, 1965)
I've been meaning to devote a lot of effort to The Kinks for a long time now. It seems like it would be an overwhelming process, so I'm going to take my time with it. I have started with Kinda Kinks, which I get the feeling that, in the Kinks' universe, is sorta comparable to the early Beatles records. However, Kinda Kinks is better. They had already started dabbling in psych rock ("See My Friends," which is actually a single that wasn't even on the album, it just happened to be tagged on toward the end of the version I had downloaded), and a lot of these songs are more off kilter than those cheesy, straightforward, but totally good Beatles hits. "You Shouldn't be Sad" and "Something Better Beginning" are pleasant surprises. And, I know it's one of their most popular songs, but I haven't been able to get over "Tired of Waiting for You" since it was one of my favorite jams as a little kid. Two observations: The drumming is subtle but really, really great. Totally impressed. Also, I've been told Alec Jensen sounds like Ray Davies. On multiple songs here, that comparison really comes through. Pretty cool. Anyway, I'm excited to eventually move forward with these guys.
Top jams: "Look for Me Baby," "Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl," "Tired of Waiting for You," "Don't Ever Change," "So Long," "You Shouldn't be Sad," "Something Better Beginning," "See My Friends"
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