AR: Radio City

Big Star - Radio City (1974)

Big Star's sophomore effort ultimately suffers greatly from comparison to their debut. Out of context, this is a nice, jangly guitar power pop-rock album, full of hooks and pleasant leads and enough emotive singing to grab ears. In context, though - i.e., against the supremely balanced desperate emotion and glistening harmonies of #1 Record - it comes off as overly ragged and bitter-raw relative to the pop-perfection of which the band is known to be capable. Consequently, Radio City is a bit of a letdown.

None of this is to say that this is by any means a *bad* album. In fact, just like its predecessor, it went on to inspire myriad Byrds-calls in the alternative sounds of the 1980s, and contains some of the classic tracks - the head-boppin' opener "O My Soul," the perfectly melancholy "You Get What You Deserve," the almost ridiculously-timeless soundtrack-of-a-sunny-day staple and critical darling "September Gurls," and the all-time transcendent, simplistic, confessional closer "I'm in Love With a Girl" - that define what the band is all about. Still, the sound of the album grates in too many moments. A prime example is the otherwise solid ""Life is White" - a strident harmonica destroys the track, and this tendency for distracting, trebly lines rears its head enough to damage the experience.

I'd be a moron to dis a power-pop classic, and it's true enough that there's a lot to love on this disc. But Radio City failed to deliver on the band's promise, and whatever inspirational qualities it has are dampened when you hear it, as I usually do, after #1 Record. It's still a staple to own - I'm not going to steer you AWAY from "September Gurls" - but it's a rec that's nonetheless qualified.

Status: Recommended (solid)

Nyet's Fave: "I'm in Love with a Girl"