Memphis' Ardent Studios is one of the most respected recording facilities in the world. Everyone from Led Zeppelin to ZZ Top, from REM to Cat Power have made music within its hallowed halls. But despite the studio's reputation, it is Ardent Records, the label, that inspires legendary awe amongst pop aficionados, as the imprint that begat pop cult heroes Big Star. Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story celebrates the label with a deluxe 2CD anthology that ranges from the its earliest mid-60s garage studio recordings to the halcyon days of the early 1970s, when a distribution deal with Stax established Ardent as a purveyor of the finest pop-rock. Studio owner John Fry had an eclectic yet completely professional approach, encouraging experiment, but always focused on sonic quality.
The compilation is neatly divided between the two eras of the studio/label. Disc One (the 1960s) features a mind-boggling range of rare garage singles and unissued psychedelic singles, as well as the early studio experiments of Big Star's Alex Chilton and Chris Bell. Disc Two (the 1970s) examines the Stax era and beyond, with selections from Ardent acts Cargoe and the Hot Dogs, and no less than 14 rare or unissued Big Star-related cuts, most of which have not been on CD before.
Thank You Friends benefits from full access to the Ardent tape vault and the sound quality is second to none. The lengthy sleeve notes by Alec Palao draw upon in-depth interviews with both Fry and Ardent associates Jim Dickinson and Terry Manning. It is a unique insight into a chapter of both Memphis and pop music history.
