... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing first album from Big Star – a set that came out of nowhere, made hardly a ripple on the charts, yet went onto crash in big waves of sound for generations to come! The style here is unlike thing else before – hardly what you'd expect from the group's Memphis roots or Alex Chilton's previous performances – yet the group's music has become a generation-defining sound in the way it blends southern inflections with harder rock influences, and a lean, gritty quality that's arguably in a late 70s space between punk and power pop. Every element is wonderful – guitars that are powerful, but never indulgent – vocals that are moving, but never overly emotive – and a balance between sensitive and searing moments that even The Replacements could never hope to match. A landmark all the way through – with tracks that include "Feel", "Ballad Of El Goodo", "In The Street", "The India Song", "When My Baby's Beside Me", "Give Me Another Chance", "Don't Lie To Me", "Thirteen", "Watch The Sunrise", and "Try Again". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that may have never hit the radio city it wished for in the title – but a classic that's gone onto have an undeniable influence on so many scenes and styles over the years! This sublime second set from Big Star is even leaner and more focused than the first – a record that has the group losing Chris Bell, yet still retaining a lot of his influence – while the main focus moves over to Alex Chilton, whose ability to sing and write is simply mindblowing! The tunes have these dark, melancholy moments that are unlike anything either Chilton or rock had given the world up to the time – and really almost feel much more like work from a decade later in terms of execution and production. There's no easy labels, no easy terms you could ever hope to ascribe to the record – and that's fine, because it stands majestically well on its own. Titles include "O My Soul", "Life Is White", "Way Out West", "You Get What You Deserve", "Mod Lang", "She's A Mover", "Morpha Girl", "I'm In Love With A Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Sacrilicious psychobilly sleaze from The Cramps – tearing into the 80s with Songs The Lord Taught Us – one their best ever albums! The Cramps may have ticked off aging proto rock fans of the time with their ghoulish take on the style, along with their punk demeanor, but producer Alex Chilton sure did "get it", right? As if we didn't already adore that dude! CLASSIC! Titles include "TV Set", "Rock On The Moon", "Garbage Man", "I Was A Teenage Werewolf", "Mystery Plane", "I'm Cramped", "Tear It Up" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing first album from Big Star – a set that came out of nowhere, made hardly a ripple on the charts, yet went onto crash in big waves of sound for generations to come! The style here is unlike thing else before – hardly what you'd expect from the group's Memphis roots or Alex Chilton's previous performances – yet the group's music has become a generation-defining sound in the way it blends southern inflections with harder rock influences, and a lean, gritty quality that's arguably in a late 70s space between punk and power pop. Every element is wonderful – guitars that are powerful, but never indulgent – vocals that are moving, but never overly emotive – and a balance between sensitive and searing moments that even The Replacements could never hope to match. A landmark all the way through – with tracks that include "Feel", "Ballad Of El Goodo", "In The Street", "The India Song", "When My Baby's Beside Me", "Give Me Another Chance", "Don't Lie To Me", "Thirteen", "Watch The Sunrise", and "Try Again". LP, Vinyl record album

One of their best! After a tumultous tour for Tim, Bob Stinson left the band and they essentially recorded Pleased To Meet Me as a trio as far as the core band goes, but went down to Memphis to record with Jim Dickinson, and too our ears, that little bit of southern swagger, as paired with The Replacements still evolving blend of classic rock and punk influences and Westerberg's angry and weary songs makes this a helluva record – there are some days it's our favorite! Includes the totally great "Alex Chilton", plus "IOU", "I Don't Know", "Nightclub Jitters", "Never Mind", "Valentine", "Shooting Dirty Pool", "Skyway", "The Ledge" and "Can't Hardly Wait". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from The Box Tops – a set that has the group moving way past their early hits, and finding this really sort of special place in the world of up-and-coming artists in the 60s! The Box Tops were maybe one of the first Memphis rock groups to really put together all the great elements that were bubbling in that city's scene during the 60s – the unique hybrid of soul, country, R&B, and other influences that were filtering into groups via the cross-cultural vibe of the city. That quality really comes through here – partly in the group's performance and the lead vocals of Alex Chilton, partly in the great production by Dann Penn, who also wrote a number of tracks with Spooner Oldham, and partly in the way that fuller arrangements are used to underscore some more soulful touches in the music. Titles include "Sandman", "Choo Choo Train", "I'm Movin On", "People Gonna Talk", "She Shot A Hole In My Soul", "I Met Her In Church", "I Can Dig It", and "If I Had Let You In". LP, Vinyl record album