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This thread is about pop. Not your little sister's pop, but about pop back when pop was a real medium, rather than a spectacle - back when it had something to say.
So the question: What's your favorite group of the genre, and why?
For me, the answer is easy. I love Big Star.
Big Star embodies the image of pop (and rock) in my mind. Pop is a difficult genre to describe, so it's hard to say why I feel this way, but to put it simply I suppose it's because they're such a well rounded group. Pop's subject matter chronicles everything from the heights of bliss to the depths of disdain - its attitude, from naive idealism, to biting pragmitism. Big Star envelopes all of these aspects powerfully, both in their music, and in their history.
In their first release, #1 Record, you see this huge drift in the songwriting styles of Chris Bell and Alex Chilton. They give us introspection and power, respectively. Listen to 'Thirteen,' from this, if you haven't, and you'll likely find the song irresistable. It's a ballad about teenage love, and love of rock & roll. Overall, the record has a great balance, and it's one of my favorites.
Their second release, Radio City, sees Chilton as the sole songwriter. Bell left the group due to indescrepencies (perhaps related to direction differences, as well as his discovered homosexuality,) and Chilton's forthrightness is center stage. He sings and plays with an intensity that makes me wonder if he's trying to prove something to Bell. This record probably invented power pop.
Their final release was never widely available, until the late 90s. Chilton was at the helm again. Think of him as a sort of Syd Barret, and this record as his opus. The album is, by all means, a wreck. It's attitude is generally downtrotten, but has a few positive gems, such as 'Stroke It Noel.' The song 'Holocaust,' however, is probably the bleakest thing ever written. Big Star was falling apart at this point, but the album retains the straight-foreward eloquence of the band, and adds a dash of pretention.
Sorry for stretching this out, talking about each album, but I think it's necessary in understanding my respect for the group. To me, pop rock's beauty is its sort of jubilant, communal celebration of what’s grimy and great about life, and I think Big Star is a perfect example of this.
My personal favorite songs are Life is White, Stroke It Noel, Thirteen, The Ballad of el Goodo, Holocaust, and their cover of the Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale (I think it's better.) I reccomend you check these out.
So the question: What's your favorite group of the genre, and why?
For me, the answer is easy. I love Big Star.
Big Star embodies the image of pop (and rock) in my mind. Pop is a difficult genre to describe, so it's hard to say why I feel this way, but to put it simply I suppose it's because they're such a well rounded group. Pop's subject matter chronicles everything from the heights of bliss to the depths of disdain - its attitude, from naive idealism, to biting pragmitism. Big Star envelopes all of these aspects powerfully, both in their music, and in their history.
In their first release, #1 Record, you see this huge drift in the songwriting styles of Chris Bell and Alex Chilton. They give us introspection and power, respectively. Listen to 'Thirteen,' from this, if you haven't, and you'll likely find the song irresistable. It's a ballad about teenage love, and love of rock & roll. Overall, the record has a great balance, and it's one of my favorites.
Their second release, Radio City, sees Chilton as the sole songwriter. Bell left the group due to indescrepencies (perhaps related to direction differences, as well as his discovered homosexuality,) and Chilton's forthrightness is center stage. He sings and plays with an intensity that makes me wonder if he's trying to prove something to Bell. This record probably invented power pop.
Their final release was never widely available, until the late 90s. Chilton was at the helm again. Think of him as a sort of Syd Barret, and this record as his opus. The album is, by all means, a wreck. It's attitude is generally downtrotten, but has a few positive gems, such as 'Stroke It Noel.' The song 'Holocaust,' however, is probably the bleakest thing ever written. Big Star was falling apart at this point, but the album retains the straight-foreward eloquence of the band, and adds a dash of pretention.
Sorry for stretching this out, talking about each album, but I think it's necessary in understanding my respect for the group. To me, pop rock's beauty is its sort of jubilant, communal celebration of what’s grimy and great about life, and I think Big Star is a perfect example of this.
My personal favorite songs are Life is White, Stroke It Noel, Thirteen, The Ballad of el Goodo, Holocaust, and their cover of the Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale (I think it's better.) I reccomend you check these out.
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