Big Star – The Best Of Big Star

Big Star came up during a time when classic rock dominated the airwaves and yet still managed to cultivate a career of sorts, which is an achievement in itself considering how many of their contemporaries fell by the wayside after just one hit single. Not unlike Badfinger or the Raspberries in that they amassed a cult following that would extend into the following decades, Big Star operated in the first wave of U.S. power pop and helped to shape the sound of the format. As the second wave gathered pace in 1978, the band went their separate ways, with only Chris Bell releasing anything worthwhile in the aftermath. Two decades later, the nostalgia cycle was in full swing - instigated by those proudly and successfully conveying the power pop style, namely the Replacements, Jellyfish and XTC - all three spearheads of the format were reappraised as visionaries, their music routinely covered by alternative rockers and featuring on soundtracks galore. As a result of this renewed interest, Big Star's original studio albums were reissued belatedly as two-fer CDs, i.e. condensing multiple neglected albums without making much of a loss in the event that they failed to sell. Once it was possible to build up an affordable collection of their work, the band were soon exposed to and embraced by communities other than record collectors.

Forasmuch as Big Star did not have hits, the majority of the material contained on their first two albums - "#1 Record/Radio City" - registers as incredibly familiar and immediate. On the follow-up(s), "Third/Sister Lovers", things start to get moody and less melodic, which is why a well-sequenced compilation such as 2017's "The Best Of Big Star", comes in very handy indeed. An excellent introductory disc for the uninitiated, it also functions equally well as a relatively comprehensive overview for the casual fan. Offering all the essential tracks - with several in their superior (and rare) single mixes - from "In The Street," "September Gurls," "The Ballad of El Goodo," and "When My Baby's Beside Me," to "Thank You Friends" and "Jesus Christ", the magnetic pull of the shimmering guitar pop herein is undeniably powerful, especially when it is presented so coherently. "The Best Of Big Star" collects the band's most tuneful output and excludes the superfluities found on their later albums. Consequently, it is a front-to-back winner, showcasing the band's melodic sense and providing neophytes with a concise summary of their history.

Rating: 4.5/5

Is this all analogue like the 2020 reissues? I'm trying to decide if I should get the new ones as they're supposed to be very great sounding for a reasonable price.

Pretty good over all. Only thing I thought was weird was the noticeable lack of warmth that the Ardent reissues had, and just about every other version of these songs I've heard. The sound is a little sterile to say the least, but it doesn't necessarily sound bad.

Great sounding compilation, albeit a bit light in the bass but that is how I've come to understand these songs. I have a cd of #1 Record and it too has the bass deficiency. Other than that, nice and airy, while hearing the individual strumming on songs like 13 and El Goodo is wonderful!

this is a wonderful release for people like me: big stars "third" belongs to the top 10 records of my life, but the first two big star albums never really seemed outstanding enough to own them, except for some very particular songs I always missed in my collection. for "third", I have the definitive 6 lp box set version at home. cant get better than this. for the rest of the big star catalog, this best of compilation works perfectly. Gems like "Thirteen", "September Gurls", "I'm In Love With A Girl" or "In The Street" are all together here on a neat 2 disc set running on 45rpm. Sound wise, this set is truly excellent and may be become a future demonstration disk for my turntable. From start to finish the vinyl is DEAD silent, no clicks, pops, nada. The tracks are presented in their best possible sonic picture - maybe the 45rpm treatment is doing some magick here. I can only recommend this release! Wish all modern vinyl would sound like this.

I was all prepared to hate this. Even though I've been a huge Big Star fan for 20-plus years, there is a limit to how many times the same songs from three albums can be compiled, yet again. And I noticed that it's heavy on the first album at the expense of the third (no "Holocaust" or "Kanga Roo"?).

But damn if this isn't a fun and enjoyable comp. Including single edits/mixes/versions varies things up a bit (not that I don't already have these versions, but it's nice to have them all in one place). And by only including the poppiest moments of the third album, it really makes the case for Big Star, the power pop legends. 46 minutes spread across 4 sides of vinyl seemed a bit extreme to me, but it turns out it plays at 45 RPM, and that's kinda neat.

My only complaint is that the first disc has a few pops and even one skip. They'll probably disappear with a good cleaning, but I hate that this is so common with new, SEALED vinyl these days. I feel like I should get at least one good listen without having to clean the record.