Radio City

33⅓ Main Series #65

by Bruce Eaton

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. Here, Bruce Eaton examines the key ingredients of Radio City 's lasting appeal- and through extensive interviews with all of those involved, gets to the heart of the cult of Big Star.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 20, 2008

Reviews

[zan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fairly recent Big Star convert. I was a huge Teenage Fanclub fan long before I knew who Alex Chilton even was. I thought The Replacements had written "Alex Chilton" about some guy they were friends with who had died somewhere (but not in Memphis). I discovered "September Gurls" somewhere down the line, and somehow picked up an mp3 of "Thirteen." But it wasn't until recently that I went a little nuts for Alex Chilton.

For the past month - and I can't say what sparked it - I've been listening to nothing but Big Star. Seriously; nothing else. (Okay, so maybe a Bat For Lashes cover of "Kangaroo" and The Box Tops, but that's all Chilton territory.) Then I learned that this book was about to be released, and I knew it was kismet.

And it's a really enjoyable read. The right balance of what it's like to fall in love with an album, what goes into making such an album come into existence, and, in the end, what it's like to come to a point when you cast aside musical expectations for pure musical pleasure. ("There is no piece of music in the world that you have to like.")*

Eaton's book totally did my new obsession justice. If that can be called a review, then there you have it.

* I can't help but think now that quoting a line you loved from someone's book is a little like air drumming to their drum solo, no?

[Danny Caine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is notable because of who Eaton talks to in its research, including the mercurial Alex Chilton himself (and Chilton's answers indicate he didn't care much for Big Star's landmark album). But the narration of the recording of the album got bogged down in very technical details, so this would probably be more fun for someone who's a bigger gear geek than me.

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sort of the classic 33 1/3/ type of book where you get a combination of geek tech talk about the music, as well as the focus behind the making of the classic "Radio City" by greats Big Star. The interesting part of the book is the interview with Alex Chilton where he talks about his family and his take on the music world. What is brought up is that Chilton is very much like a jazz musician. He looks at the material not as something old or new, but the approach is very important to him. Also it is interesting that he has mixed feelings about this great and classic iconic album.

There is no drama exposed here, but for those who love this album (and I do) there is tons of material on the making of it. Sometimes the book is a tad dry, but then it serves its purpose greatly. Which is a fan's level to a wonderful album.

[Jack Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eaton's got a good heart, and he's got a good understanding of why "Radio City" is so great (he's the first professional writer I've ever seen who's talked about "O My Soul" like the goddamn rock masterpiece it is). What he doesn't have here, sadly, is a very interesting narrative. For this, I don't blame him-- I blame Big Star. I mean, Eaton is right: the reason why "Radio City" is important is because it sounds great-- the guitar playing, the drumming, Chilton's singing, etc. The only way you can experience these things fully is by, well, experiencing them; the pleasures of listening to "Radio City" can't really be captured in words. So Eaton's interviews with the band aren't really all that compelling, to me. Most of the guys can't seem to remember what even happened in the early 70's. Chilton is especially, perhaps appropriately, unsatisfying, alternating between wrongheaded criticisms of this, his best record, and slightly more interesting criticisms of his contemporaries ("the first Led Zeppelin record... was when I started to check out"), though even those recollections are frustratingly hazy and weird. All that being said, this book probably has the most references to sound engineering per page that I've ever encountered... so if you're a real "soundhead," and you're really, really into "Radio City," you might enjoy Eaton's work more than I did.

[Levi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a 2.5 rounded up. Some great source material, tons of interviews with the actual people involved, which would probably be enough to make this a four-star book for a serious Big Star geek (which I'm not). But there are some serious problems with the writing and editing: The book is riddled with typos and generally subpar writing on the part of the primary author (at one point he uses the phrase "for most intensive purposes" - rather than "intents and purposes," and he just can't seem to get "it's" vs. "its" straight), and the formatting isn't so hot either. I understand why they published this author's book, as he had access to Chilton and everyone else involved, but they really should have taken a firmer hand with the editing.

Otherwise it's a fine, kind of "Behind the Music" documentary-style look into the album and the band, but that's my least favorite kind of 33-1/3 book. I like the weird, adventurous ones much better. It did make me want to give this record more close listens than I have up to now, though, so on that front I suppose it's a success.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in a 33 1/3 book. An oral history of the making of an album by the people who made it, bolstered with some author comment (in this case, by an author who collaborated musically with one of the main players) that doesn't come off too much like reading a wildly speculative grad school dissertation. I love that this book gave John Fry the floor (even though I'm not nearly sound geek enough to know about things like EMT reverb units or Universal 176 - not 1176 - compressors, but I would like to know more about those things, and I imagine that this is very appealing information to people who do know more about those things, so, alright then), I love that this book isn't too gossipy or Chilton-worshipping or Chilton-demonizing. I love that I bought a book about an album called Radio City and I got a book about an album called Radio City. Cheers, then.

(But yes, 33 1/3, you need a better copyeditor.)

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this one, since I've really grown to love and appreciate Big Star over the years. But in the end, I'm walking away from it a little disappointed, due to two unfortunate decisions by Eaton (though I think both came from good intentions). First was the decision to go straight to the source, I'm thrilled he got so much access to Chilton and the others. But that meant that much of the book was presented as an oral history, but didn't read smoothly like the best of those do. Likely not Eaton's decision, but it didn't help that the formatting left it very unclear as to where the quotes ended and Eaton's thoughts began. The second was the decision to focus so much on Eaton getting to play with Chilton. I mean, it's awesome and I don't begrudge it being mentioned, but the focus on it for so many pages really skewed the view of Chilton's post Big Star career (not to mention that this shouldn't have even been the focus of the book!).

[Larry Short · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a giant Big Star fan, and enjoyed reading the interviews with many key players in the Big Star universe and the associated commentary that Bruce Eaton brings, but this was, hand down, the most poorly edited book I've ever read. The typos, the half-baked sentences, and the "intensive purposes" (one of those is more then enough, thanks) were so frequent I wondered halfway through if the book was meant to be some sort of Dadaist commentary on the hazy, contrasting recollections of events put forth by the band members themselves.

[Kimley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going a little nuts waiting for the new Big Star box set...

http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDet...

[Grant McDougall · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very patchy book at best. The author manages to get some insightful comments from all of the band members, but otherwise this is a shoddy, poor book. In general, it's let down by very bad sub-editing, as typos and grammar errors abound. The writing is also often stilted and workmanlike, at best.
There is far too much space devoted to tedious technical information and commentary. The book also fails to cover or quote any of the critical acclaim the album has received over the years. There have been numerous reviews of this album, yet not a single contemporary or subsequent one is quoted. Great album, mediocre book.

[Ashley A-F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid entry in the 33 1/3 series. It is rather technical and very detailed on the topic of the album's recording and engineering (no surprise given Big Star's reputation as a studio band), and a fair amount of material was a little over my head, but I didn't mind that too much. Eaton weaves together an oral history and creates a narrative that flows well. I should qualify my review by adding that I'm definitely in the "casual listener/generally curious" camp for Big Star rather than a superfan, so I'm not sure how much the book adds to the overarching mythos of the band's story.

[Angie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account

One of the best in a sometimes patchy series, Bruce Eaton gives loads of background pretty much telling the whole story of Big Star while still finding time to delve into an analysis of the music on Radio City. He covers the songs, their lyrical content and all the recording information that a music obsessive could want. This is exactly what you should expect from a book like this and the author delivers in spades. Highly recommended and entertainingly written.

[Tim Mountain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of these 33 1/3 books, but I’ve decided they’re pretty hit-or-miss. I’ve read about 10 of them by now. Radio City is a microcosm of the series: not long enough to tell adequately the story of the band or the album, but not so short that it’s a usable handbook for quick reference. Still, Brian Eaton offers a compelling account of his personal bond with Alex Chilton and Big Star, and the book is a treatise both to the raw emotion and the technical brilliance of one of my favorite albums.

[Stephen Kirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, Radio City is one of my favourite records of all time and is choke full of the type of perfect earworm pop loveliness I love to bits. Secondly I think Alex Chilton is one of rocks truly underrated artists. A genius in fact. I could therefore be accused of bias in awarding this 5/5 however I have to say this is one of the very best books in the 33 and 1/3 series. It’s a great blend of technical music detail, storytelling and the histories of both Big Star and Ardent music studios. Excellent read.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great one in the series — i knew nothing about Big Star except that my friends really loved them. So i listened as i read…and listened again… and again… and this band is awesome! Loved how the author (and subsequently temporary band member with Alex Chilton) told the story through interviews. It goes into the record industry, the teenage years, the Box Tops, the whole kit and kaboodle. Great read. Great record.

[Dan Axmacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the album but this book was pretty underwhelming. The interviews that delve into he recording are occasionally interesting, but veer into Abe Simpson "onion on my belt" territory fairly often. Outside of the interviews there's only minimal substantive history or insight into what makes the album tick. On the whole probably could have used more and better editing.

[Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a really long (in the best way) music magazine interview. Eaton interviews those who were involved, as well as Chris Bell's brother. Very engaging and well told. Most importantly, made me go back and listen to #1 and Radio City on repeat this past week.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not as good as the album! fucking guy...

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. If you are a casual fan (or someone just curious and peeking their head in), there's not a ton in this book to make you a bigger fan. It is for those already in the know.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wunderkid Alex Chilton's next trick is to invent power-pop. Here's how he did it.

[Alex Orr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content here is terrific. If you love Big Star and/or #1 Record and Radio City, you will tear through this thing. All the major players involved in the album are interviewed at substantial length, with Chris Bell's brother giving some insight into his departed brother's thoughts regarding Big Star and #1 Record, which also gets quite a bit of coverage. The breakdowns of the record get geeky to the point where John Fry gives a lengthy explanation as to how he altered the current into his compressors to attain certain levels of tonal modulation on select cuts...yeah...this is a seriously in depth look at the album. So, why not 5 Stars? Simple, this book is one of the most poorly edited things I've ever read. Certain sections have so many glaring grammar mistakes that I wonder if there was any editing at all. At times, the mistakes are so bad that it actually makes it hard to immediately understand what a particular sentence is supposed to mean! Eaton has written a terrific first draft full of super in-depth substantive material, and extensive interviews, it's just a shame no one seemed to care enough to even run it through a spell checker and grammar check program, let alone actually spend a couple of days copy editing the thing.

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bruce Eaton’s book length essay about Big Star’s second album Radio City for the 33 1/3 series seems to have placed accuracy above all in the story of this recording. It is mostly transcriptions of interviews with band members and the engineering staff at Ardent Studios about how the recording was made. I think it would have been more compelling if these interviews had been paraphrased and put into a more coherent narrative. I was also missing insight/analysis of the songs. The author claims to have read everything written about Big Star yet he makes no references to any other printed material. The book doesn’t really come alive until the end where the author recounts how he ended up playing with Alex Chilton after Big Star broke up.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would near the top of my list of the series, excluding one factor, which I will get to in a moment. As a book, it's written much like Please Kill Me, an interview style with those that were actually there. It's light reading, and yet you grasp the album when it ends. Still, the one thing, as alluded to earlier, is the lack of editing in this book. I'm accustomed to minor slips in this series, but there are some extremely obvious ones here, which almost led me to putting the book down for good. Luckily, I pushed on, but still harness anger.

[Larry-bob Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this the same day as I did the new Big Star box set, so between reading the liner notes for the box and this book I had quite a Big Star orgy. There really wasn't redundancy between this book and the liner notes - rather, they supplement each other. Eaton has a long-term connection with Chilton (he played backup for Chilton in the late 70s) and is able to get Alex to talk about Big Star, something he doesn't do very often.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this when Alex Chilton died. Interesting little book about the great power pop classic that no one listened to. Great for music snobs like me, Eaton even takes a stab at us for not letting ourselves like stuff. Anyway, it isn't just about Radio City it talks about the life of Big Star and a little about Chilton when he was singing "The Letter" with the Box Tops. Perhaps a little fan pandering, but still cool.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Big Star, you should read this. It is mostly oral history and lacks narrative. But Its the only book with details straight from Alex Chilton who in general did not talk positively about these days if at all. There's plenty of studio recording details that most might be bored by, but integral to what makes the record sound so energetic.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of not just this album but the band in general, the early albums - and how for something that has become so influential it was not without its own disparate set of influences. All of that is explained, traced around and then subtantiated by the people that made the record.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as 33 1/3 books go, Bruce Eaton pulled off one of the better blends of personal experience with a record and reported perspective on the making of an album. I loved the "Logical Song" anecdote as well.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun retelling of the story of Radio City, focused more on the music and efforts to create the album's sound rather than the relationships between the band members. It is degree down at the end, a touch, by the author's stories of playing with Alex Chilton.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 33 1/3 book heavy on the technical details of the making of the album and light on interesting cultural narrative. The saving grace of the book is that it includes so many direct interviews with all involved, including Alex Chilton.