The untimely death of the Alex Chilton has inspired a bunch of career retrospectives lauding him as an unsung hero who produced great music with little commercial success. "Radio City" is Exhibit A in the case for the defence.

Chilton made his commercial breakthrough in his teens as lead singer for the late 60s blue-eyed soul outfit The BoxTops, but it must be acknowledged that his best and most enduring work was with Big Star, the semi-legendary 1970s pop-rock lineup.

In stark contrast to The Box Tops, Big Star's "#1 Record" was a huge flop in terms of sales, and creative tensions within the group led to the departure of co-founder Chris Bell before Big Star, now a trio, regrouped in their home town of Memphis to work on their second album in 1973. What eventually emerged was yet another huge market failure, but also one of the best and most influential LPs of the 1970s.

Like many southern musicians, Chilton's music is an amalgam of genres - and intriguingly he adds a Britpop layer to Big Star's mélange of American roots influences. Ringing vocal harmonies descended from the Beatles via The Byrds, jangly muscular rhythm guitar not a million miles away from Pete Townshend's work with the early Who, and a clattering, loose but funky rhythm section fill out a sound which is plenty more than the sum of its parts.

Alternatively hard nosed and lovelorn, Chilton brings a cynical strength to the core of "Radio City" - songs like the opener "Mod Lang", "What's Going Ahn" and "She's A Mover" pack a desperate edge among the shimmering arrangements.

Chilton's guitar is on fire here - never before or since did he establish such a distinctive guitar voice on record. His Fender Telecaster switches from lead to rhythm, from jagged riffs to more languid lines, all without apparent effort.

And then there are his vocals, soaring on snatches of power pop like the insanely catchy "September Gurls" and "Back Of A Car", edgy in the minor key "You Get What You Deserve" - on this record Chilton synthesises his blues, soul and country roots into a totally convincing melodic and dynamic whole.

The album ends with Chilton unaccompanied on the haunting "I'm In Love With A Girl", an early excursion into Low Fi twenty years before the term was invented.

It's not completely a one-man show, as bass player Andy Hummell and drummer Jody Stephens make significant contributions - this is a band, not a solo record after all - but Alex Chilton's utter commitment to every line he sings and note he plays is self-evident.

From this point on, Chilton's work would become increasingly focused on breaking his music down to its constituent parts, jumping on them, smashing them up and then randomly reassembling them (for examples, if you dare, check out 1979's "Like Flies On Sherbert" or 1985's amazingly shambolic "Live in London").

While "Radio City" stops well short of that sort of outright commercial self-harm, Chilton infuses it with a tangible bitterness which lurks just below the surface of what would be a straight pop record in the hands of another. It's laced with a strung out weariness that adds to the record's poignancy, a vibe it shares with contemporaries like "Exile On Main Street" by the Stones and Iggy Pop and James Williamson's "Kill City".

"Radio City" is a tremendously influential record, inspiring bands the world over from the Replacements to Teenage Fanclub, from REM to Ice Cream Hands.

Despite its surface glaze of power pop, this is a raw, desperate record which requires your attention.

A rock legend has died. Along with #1 Record, Big Star invented the genre that is now commonly referred to as "Power-Pop." What is astonishing about Radio City is that, notwithstanding the departure of co-founder Chris Bell, the album equals, if not surpasses, #1 Record. "Back of a Car" and "September Gurls" are essentially perfect pop songs, and alone worth the price of admission. The bonus here is every other song. "Oh My Soul" chugs along with a propulsive groove that somehow combines Brit Pop with Memphis Soul. The druggy intro of "Daisy Glaze" morphs into a rhythmic finale reminiscent of The Who. Radio City is an absolute classic and an essential element of the pop/rock lexicon.

Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round

They sing "I'm in love. What's that song?

I'm in love with that song."

We'll miss you Alex.

A rock legend has died. Along with #1 Record, Big Star invented the genre that is now commonly referred to as "Power-Pop." What is astonishing about Radio City is that, notwithstanding the departure of co-founder Chris Bell, the album equals, if not surpasses, #1 Record. "Back of a Car" and "September Gurls" are essentially perfect pop songs, and alone worth the price of admission. The bonus here is every other song. "Oh My Soul" chugs along with a propulsive groove that somehow combines Brit Pop with Memphis Soul. The druggy intro of "Daisy Glaze" morphs into a rhythmic finale reminiscent of The Who. Radio City is an absolute classic and an essential element of the pop/rock lexicon.

Regarding the VINYL reissue, don't worry, it sounds great. Quiet, heavy-weight vinyl (although the weight of the vinyl has very little to do with sound quality--I own some Outlaw-era Waylon Jennings on RCA's ultra-thin "dynaflex" plastic that sounds fantastic). Here's a vinyl reissue done right: quality product, no frills and no price gouge, which has become an unfortunate trend in this established niche market.

Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round

They sing "I'm in love. What's that song?

I'm in love with that song."

We'll miss you Alex.

An album with a take on the world artistic talent in full brimming mode - romantically doomed of course but needing to be done all the same. This is THE Big Star album, but it seems alot more like a collaborative effort, featuring Bass Player Andy Hummel well through the album as probably an indicator or it's general creative interplay.

Still timeless & fresh. An unsoiled landmark gem of something extra special, ahead of it's time.

All the same, i like the flow of the album skipping 'she's a mover', which is a Chilton only composition & good, but the feel the album has gets lost abit as it is of the same type of song as Mod Lang, but that is better & seems to fit more in the sequence to keep a constantly involving vibe for the whole album listen.

Chilton's gifted soul boy vocal talents along with his distinctive musical talents infect the album with a free wheeling yet tuneful sense of being in full flight all round but, or course, such things are often always struggling against heavy odds & usually not meant to last, but for the time being this music is riding that bet which is part of the album's timeless DNA.

What's most amazing about Radio City is how *modern* it sounds even though it was released in 1974. There's honestly nothing even remotely dated about this album. Along with Badfinger and Be Bop Deluxe, Big Star holds up remarkably well.

After listening to Radio City several times, I think I know who Elvis Costello's biggest influence was! Most of these songs would fit in perfectly on any of Costello's early albums.

Another musician I believe was influenced by this band is Tom Petty. Sometimes the lead singer resembles some of Petty's vocal mannerisms, and even the lyrics wouldn't be out of place on any given Petty album.

Sometimes the lead singer of Big Star reminds me of George Harrison, but only occasionally.

Anyway, enough of this little marathon of name dropping I've created here, haha. Radio City is seriously a perfect album from "O My Soul" all the way to "I'm in Love With a Girl".

Big Star really should have been more popular than they were. At least todays generation is doing the right thing by remembering these guys. They're finally getting the attention they so rightly deserve.

Anyway, "O My Soul" is quite the song. A George Harrison comparison in the vocal melody wouldn't totally be out of the question, but that's not all folks! The guitar playing is loud, crunchy, and extremely melodic similar to the classic years of Badfinger. I love when the song expands during the second half and the vocal melody changes into something as equally memorable. Good stuff.

Call me absolutely nuts, but I wonder if the pop/rock band Weezer was listening to "Life is White" because it sounds like something that band would do. I sure love those crunchy guitar chords and vocals.

"Way Out West" is quite possibly the best song on the album, but I have to be extremely careful naming a best song on a classic album such as this one because most likely tomorrow I'll wake up and have a new favorite!

"What's Going Ahn" definitely reminds me of an Elvis Costello ballad. It's awesome. He HAD to be have been listening to these guys whether he wants to admit it or not!

"You Get What You Deserve" has a really ominous chorus. A different song compared to the rest of the album. It's awesome, of course! "Mod Lang" is an incredibly melodic hard rock song. It succeeds in the way it perfectly blends a pop vocal melody with hard rock guitar heaviness.

"Back of the Car" is... once again super melodic. Talk about a song you'd want to hear while being with your girlfriend. In fact the whole ALBUM feels like it's suitable for the younger crowd. I guess that's why so many younger folks love Big Star today.

"Daisy Glaze" has really delicately enjoyable vocals during the first half, and the second half changes gears and focuses on rocking out and just delivering another incredible melody. I can't think of any other description for it- trust me though, it's a keeper.

"She's a Mover" may very well be a tribute to the legendary Hollies. How awesome is that? The Hollies are a brilliant pop band, especially during the early years of their career.

Alright, the next song is solid PROOF these guys were onto something huge back in the day and were fully aware of it. "September Gurls" sounds WAY ahead of its time. No, this is not something from 1974. That vocal melody is REALLY sweet, too.

I love Radio City. Buy it now all you pop fans!