This book examines the key ingredients of Radio
City's lasting appeal. Virtually anyone who's ever
picked up a guitar - whether wood or air - has
fantasized about playing onstage alongside his musical
hero. Bruce Eaton actually did it. This book is based on
the improbable but true story of an ardent fan who got
close enough to Alex Chilton, the prime architect of the
best power pop album ever made outside of Abbey Road
Studios, to see what was on the other side of genius,
fame and expectations.Released when ELP and Elton John
were plodding from one packed stadium to the next, Radio
City was a radical album - influenced by records that
were already deemed oldies and yet sounding like a lean
electrical jolt from the future. In time, power pop
would become an official rock genre and the influence of
Radio City would be widely heard through artists like
R.E.M., The Replacements, The Bangles and Teenage
Fanclub. When they first appeared though, Big Star
sounded quite like no other band (including the
oft-compared Raspberries and Badfinger).This book
examines the unique confluence of circumstances that
channeled Alex Chilton's creative energies toward the
possibility of commercial success for perhaps the last
time.Special attention will be given to the production
and sound of the record. Recorded at Ardent Studios on
the heels of ZZ Top's mega-hit Tres Hombres, the
visceral allure of Radio City has more in common with
the Top (and other chart toppers) than many of its
devotees would want to admit.''33 1/3'' is a series of
short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists
ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched
in September 2003, the series now contains over 50
titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and
scholars alike. |
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