Martin Cerf on Big Star, Feb. 1973

WHEN MY BABY'S BESIDE ME
(Bell-Chilton)
Big Star
Produced by Big Star
Ardent 2902 Time: 3: 20
Flip - In The Street

by Martin Robert Cerf, Phonograph Record Magazine, Feb. 1973

Create-tivity. Inspiration. Sure do mean a hell of a lot fellas. Like I know this cat what's spent over a year completing an album that's supposed to stand for the answer to whatever question you might hope to put up. Sure, from December, 1971 up ta now. So, he just completed the mastering, spent months doin' that, blew all conceivable budgets in the first four months, and he held this really informal audition for some close friends. One of his buddies brought along a lady. The record started. She was asleep within twelve minutes flat.

Still another genius in Baton Rouge spent two years working on his first LP, one of them solo efforts where the guy plays, writes, produces, and amazingly engineers the whole shebang. Well, two years on, in mid-1971, the record was done. Just in time for the first Paul McCartney & Emmit Rhodes one-man-band LPs, and also, somethin' else he couldn't predict happened... two years passed, so when he finished the LP, the entire listening audience had caught up and passed where the guy's musical concepts were...The record never came out.

Then, about three months ago we were introduced to Big Star. Their first LP titled, presumptiously, NO.1 RECORD received just gobs of trade ads. Full color. And about six weeks of those advance "teaser" ads...you know the kind I'm talkin' about, the ones that progress in copy and art every week so that after six consecutive ads, if you save all your back issues of Billboard, you know what they're tryin' ta tell ya 'bout...That's called merchandizen'. So, the advance grease was in the skillet and ready for the test. Well, those that got the record must have been redlined-out, 'cause word has it within four days of receipt, DJ copies the nation over were showin' up in bargain bins everywhere...sealed. In fact, only one really bothered to listen, Jon Tiven, and he quacked in Fusion that, "Big Star are the greatest thing since The Count Five, The Yardbirds..." and so on...In short, the majority got a soft-on for Big Star's NO.1 RECORD.

And if matters weren't bad enuf, their record company which is owned and operated by the clever folk at Stax Records (The Dramatics, Carla Thomas) decided to finally hook up with a major record label, Columbia. And it was the age old situation which goes on every day in this hot biz where a group was caught up in the center of a problem beyond their control.

Oh, I forgot the important thing, the group's record is excellent. Not phenomenal, but certainly excellent. I'm speaking of the single of course, can't vouch for the LP though. Well, like in the first two stories I rambled off, there's a dramatic irony to the Big Star situation. So the record company is sold, group isn't workin', and it appears all is lost. Then this Fusion review comes out, and word of Columbia re-releasing the LP and applying a whole new effort there upon comes down. Terrific, a second chance for an act that well deserves a break. But hold on, now they wanna split up...that's not exactly true, only one member of the band is leavin', that's Chris Bell. But he's an essential part. 'Cause along with Alex Chilton he sang lead vocal and back up harmony, played lead guitar and at least co-produced and arranged all of the group's first LP...so tough shit huh. Nope. There's still this here single. And the AM market doesn't care if the band are androids or computers, long as it's in the plastic. Let me assure you people, this is one of those singles...

Like the first ten seconds explode with -this lead that sounds like The Guess Who at their best with some Alice Cooper thrown in for good measure. Then it forms this riff what coul embarrass Albert Hammond and the Troggs. And lyric content...you lookin' for any teenage these days, we always are, And Chris didn't forget it either..."Don't need to talk to my doctor, don't my shrink, don't need to hide behind no locked door, I don't need to think, 'cause when my baby's beside me I don't worry, when my baby's beside me all I know, when my baby's beside me I don't worry, when my baby's beside me I don't worry"* ...And it gets bitchier and bitchier. Then there's Jody Stephens who's working out on snare 'n cymbal better than the cats on Treat Her Right and Shakin' All Over, his stuff is real elementary, no Elvin Jones here, but it doesn't matter, it's great (like the stuff on early Sonny & Cher singles (i.e., Little Man). And the part about droppin' out of school makes it complete.

Now at first glance this might appear like any number of other fine pop singles available, don't be fooled, this is another Bus Stop, Don't Bring Me Down or Have I The Right. Christ, Alex was with the Box Tops and you know how important all those AGP records from the mid-sixties were, now don't you?

Now there's still 3/4ths of Big Star together. They still have this new LP out there. And there's still this single. Oh, it's got a fine B side too, which could be an A side...In the Street is like The Doobies' Listen To The Music; sounds great on a car speaker or burned out Silvertone. And dumb lyrics...you get a whole shit-load here. Big Star sound like the Byrds too. A lot, really. No, this is a group you don't wanna pass up, believe me. And, you may never hear of them again, God forbid, so let's do what we can to make sure they're around for some time...We suggest you write off the the benevolence at Ardent Records for a free copy of this single, they must have hoards of R/A's by now and they promised to cooperate too! Write to Ardent Records, 2000 Madison Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. (Big Star are as hot as our good buddies - the Raspberries, don't dare miss 'em)...