I think the thing with Big Star-- whom I also love-- is that much of their 
reputation derives not so much from the quality of the recordings, but from 
the breadth of important bands they influenced subsequently (without going 
into the litany, the list prominently includes REM and the Replacements.) 
There was a time circa '91, '92 where it seemed like every band I was 
getting into (TFC, Matthew Sweet, dBs etc.) were major devotees.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stewart Mason" <craigtorso@verizon.net>
> I'm gonna go with "overrated through no fault of their own."  I love Big 
> Star, but they have been so deified on the power pop scene over the last 
> 20 years that I can understand it when people who have only been exposed 
> to their music in recent years (say, since That 70s Show went on the air) 
> say that they don't quite get what all the fuss is about.  Even at their 
> most accessible, Chris and Alex had tendencies towards willful weirdness 
> in their lyrics, song titles, arrangements and tunes that I think someone 
> who expected them to be Memphis' answer to the Raspberries would be mildly 
> dissatisfied.  But at the same time, someone who's heard all the hype 
> about THIRD/SISTER LOVERS and expected it to be the American precursor to 
> Joy Division (a common expectation for those whose first exposure to the 
> band was via the covers by This Mortal Coil) would be equally confused.
>
> S