10 Amazing Albums Turning 50 In 2022
4. Big Star - Number 1 Record
The Memphis band’s debut album didn’t have a lot of reach on first release, but it wasn’t long before it became one of the most influential albums in alternative music for the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond. Anyone looking to blend overdriven guitars with bubblegum melodies need look no further than this album.
The songs are written almost entirely by Chris Bell and Alex Chilton, and here their approaches follow a clear pattern for the most part. Bell’s tracks are heavy, rhythmically distinct, and swaggering - “Feel”, “Don’t Lie To Me”, “My Life Is Right”.
Chilton, meanwhile, has a sweeter approach, devastating on "The Ballad of El Goodo", nostalgic on “Thirteen”, beautifully chiming on “Watch The Sun Rise”. The singers offer vocals on each other’s tracks and prove to be the perfect songwriting twosome, which makes sense for a pair of Lennon/McCartney devotees.
It’s the most direct and clear of the band’s three albums, free from frills. Just great songcraft and amazing tunes that continue to inspire the next generations.