Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story is out now in the UK on Ace/Big Beat. According to the Ace Records press, the 2-disc collection from the legendray Memphis recording studio contains “no less than 14 rare or unissued Big Star-related cuts, most of which have not been on CD before. These include demos, alternate versions, original mixes and non-LP tracks. Everything is presented from the master tapes and the sound quality, as befits any Ardent recording, is second to none.”

Uncut interviewed some of the major players in the Ardent story: John Fry, Terry Manning, Jim Dickinson, and Jody fucking Stephens.

FRY: “In 1966 we rented a commercial building and put in a proper studio. The national profile of Memphis was always Elvis and Sun Studios; then there was a shift in the ’60s when Stax started to gain prominence with soul music. But we were Beatles fans and Anglophiles. We were out of step with Memphis.”

These days, Ardent Records releases mostly Christian rock, but the Ardent Studio is still the place to be, at least according to clients such as the Raconteurs (Broken Boy Soldiers), Cat Power (The Greatest), R.E.M. (Green), and the White Stripes (Get Behind Me Satan).

Disc 1

01 GERALDINE – The Ole Miss Downbeats

02 IF YOU WANT ME YOU CAN FIND ME – Lawson & Four More

03 BATARANG – The Avengers

04 WHITE DOORS – The Wallabies

05 HALFWAY DOWN THE STAIRS – Lawson & Four More

06 HANDS ARE ONLY TO SEE – The Bitter Ind

07 THE SURVEYOR – The 1st Century

08 ROCKS – Terry Manning

09 UP AND DOWN CHILDREN – The Wallabies

10 NOT AT ALL – Terry Manning

11 LOOKING DOWN – The 1st Century

12 IN 1852 WE – The Honey Jug

13 PATCHES OF DUST – The Goatdancers

14 PSYCHEDELIC STUFF – Chris Bell

15 FREE AGAIN – Alex Chilton

16 ALL I SEE IS YOU – Icewater

17 EVERY SHOEMAKER – The Badgers

18 MISS ELEANA – Sid Selvidge

19 LOVELY LADY – Rock City

20 EVERY DAY AS WE GROW CLOSER – Alex Chilton

21 GUESS THINGS HAPPEN THAT WAY – Terry Manning

22 FEELING HIGH – Icewater

23 THE EMI SONG (SMILE FOR ME) – Alex Chilton

24 THINK IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE – Rock City

Disc 2

01 IN THE STREET – Big Star

02 FEEL ALRIGHT – Cargoe

03 WHEN MY BABY’S BESIDE ME – Big Star

04 MY LIFE IS RIGHT – Big Star

05 BACK OF A CAR – Big Star

06 I LOVE YOU ANYWAY – Cargoe

07 I GOT KINDA LOST – Big Star

08 LET ME LOOK AT THE SUN – The Hot Dogs

09 MOD LANG – Big Star

10 SHE’S A MOVER – Big Star

11 I WALK THE LINE – The Hot Dogs

12 SEPTEMBER GURLS – Big Star

13 BIG BLACK CAR – Big Star

14 LOVELY DAY AKA STROKE IT NOEL – Alex Chilton

15 FOR YOU – Big Star

16 DOWNS – Alex Chilton

17 KIZZA ME – Big Star

18 HOLOCAUST – Big Star

19 YOU AND YOUR SISTER – Chris Bell

20 LOVE YOU (ALL DAY LONG) – Tommy Hoehn

21 THANK YOU FRIENDS – Big Star

22 BLOW YOURSELF UP – Tommy Hoehn

23 MY MIND – The Scruffs

24 DON’T WORRY BABY – Alex Chilton