Radio City
The album made as a trio after Bell left, with September Gurls on side two and a William Eggleston photograph on the front.
Big Star, 1974
- Released
- 20 February 1974
- Recorded
- late 1973
- Studio
- Ardent Studios, Memphis
- Label
- Ardent
- Producer
- John Fry and Big Star
- Length
- 36:14
After Bell's departure the band sat idle for four months before Chilton, Hummel and Stephens went back to Ardent. Bell still contributed, uncredited, to O My Soul and Back of a Car. Chilton finished Mod Lang, She's a Mover and What's Going Ahn without Stephens or Hummel, using Danny Jones on bass and Richard Rosebrough on drums. The album was mixed at Ardent's Madison Avenue premises at roughly a song a day and mastered at Stax by Larry Nix. The cover is The Red Ceiling, by Chilton's close friend William Eggleston.
Record World called the musicianship superb, and Christgau gave it an A, calling it brilliant and addictive. AllMusic's William Ruhlmann heard everything falling apart. With Columbia refusing to process it, it sold about 20,000 copies. Rolling Stone placed it at 359 on its 2020 list of the greatest albums, and Bruce Eaton wrote a 33 1/3 book about it in 2009.
Track listing
- O My Soul5:38
- Life Is White3:18
- Way Out West2:51
- What's Going Ahn2:42
- You Get What You Deserve3:08
- Mod Lang2:45
- Back of a Car2:46
- Daisy Glaze3:49
- She's a Mover3:12
- September Gurls2:49
- Morpha Too1:27
- I'm in Love with a Girl1:48
Personnel
- Alex Chilton vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Andy Hummel vocals, bass on some tracks
- Jody Stephens vocals, drums on some tracks
- Danny Jones bass on What's Going Ahn, Mod Lang and She's a Mover
- Richard Rosebrough drums on What's Going Ahn, Mod Lang and She's a Mover
More from Big Star
#1 Record (1972)
Sources
- Radio City (album), Wikipedia
- Classic Tracks: Big Star 'September Gurls', Sound On Sound (2006-04)
- Radio City's transmissions at 50 and beyond, RPM (2025-10-20)