R.I.P. Alex Chilton

SteveMacD · #1 03-17-2010, 10:21 PM

Power pop's king has left us.

**mylittledemon** · #2 03-17-2010, 11:02 PM

Wow. Never even heard of the guy.

trackaghost · #3 03-18-2010, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Power pop's king has left us.

I was so, so sad when I heard this. I've loved Big Star since I was a kid, to me they were the greatest power pop band ever.

I think The Replacements' song Alex Chilton sums it up perfectly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

Wow. Never even heard of the guy.

For real? Big Star's albums are often included in lists of the greatest albums of all time. I know Rolling Stone included their first three in their list.

hayley · #4 03-18-2010, 08:58 AM

I was really sad this morning when I heard this on the radio - LOVE Big Star, huge fan

SteveMacD · #5 03-18-2010, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

Wow. Never even heard of the guy.

Well, the videos speak for themselves. He was covered by numerous artists over the years, including Cheap Trick and the Bangals, but was influential to countless artists.

**mylittledemon** · #6 03-18-2010, 05:38 PM

Yeah, I didnt mean since I hadnt heard of him that he must suck or anything... I'm usually pretty good on music trivia/ie. artists names.

SteveMacD · #7 03-18-2010, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

Yeah, I didnt mean since I hadnt heard of him that he must suck or anything... I'm usually pretty good on music trivia/ie. artists names.

I know. You really should check out #1 Record/Radio City, though. That was a life-changing CD for me. Big Star's #1 Record/Radio City and Guided by Voices' Bee Thousand are two CDs I inherited from a friend a few years back, and my whole life changed because of it. The whole core of who I thought I was completely changed.

chelluversu · #8 03-18-2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

Wow. Never even heard of the guy.

According to my AOL, it was said that he was known for being unknown..

trackaghost · #9 03-19-2010, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chelluversu

According to my AOL, it was said that he was known for being unknown..

How can you be "known for being unknown"

Did they really write that?
He's known as a cult artist but he wasn't unknown as evidenced by the people here that do know who he is and the bands he influenced (REM, The Bangles, The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith, Wilco, to name a few).
I'm surprised James (Bretonbanquet) hasn't posted in this thread because he's a huge, huge fan.

I like Paul Westerberg's tribute to him:

"In my opinion, Alex was the most talented triple threat musician out of Memphis - and that's saying a ton. His versatility at soulful singing, pop rock songwriting, master of the folk idiom, and his delving into the avant garde, goes without equal. He was also a hell of a guitar player and a great guy."

bretonbanquet · #10 03-19-2010, 04:16 PM

I'm still in a bit of a mood over this. Alex was an incredible songwriter, singer and a really underrated guitarist. Also, his career as a whole doesn't really fit into any pigeonhole, covering and expanding on a wide range of styles without selling out to any of them. He was a truly independent artist and as other people have said, influenced a huge number of others. He was also a really charismatic guy, usually incredibly pleasant and friendly, or sometimes impossibly difficult, challenging and a bit frightening, depending on the circumstances.

Someone said he moved more hearts than retail units, and that's true. But both "#1 Record" and "Radio City" are simply awesome by any standards. "Third" is hard work to listen to but ultimately infinitely rewarding, like his solo work. I didn't discover Big Star till I was in my mid-20s, but Alex and Big Star's other much-missed songwriter, Chris Bell, have been a huge influence on what I listen to. Yesterday Bell's brother said he hoped Chris and Alex were already making music up there, and if they are, then they'll be drawing a crowd. It's a big loss.

"This sounds a bit like goodbye,
In a way it is I guess,
As I leave your side, I've taken the air,
Take care, please, take care"

bretonbanquet · #11 03-19-2010, 04:34 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbceV9ATXfU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQqmnhSLOUQ

chelluversu · #12 03-19-2010, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

How can you be "known for being unknown" Did they really write that?
He's known as a cult artist but he wasn't unknown as evidenced by the people here that do know who he is and the bands he influenced (REM, The Bangles, The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith, Wilco, to name a few).
I'm surprised James (Bretonbanquet) hasn't posted in this thread because he's a huge, huge fan.

I like Paul Westerberg's tribute to him:

"In my opinion, Alex was the most talented triple threat musician out of Memphis - and that's saying a ton. His versatility at soulful singing, pop rock songwriting, master of the folk idiom, and his delving into the avant garde, goes without equal. He was also a hell of a guitar player and a great guy."

Yeah I thought it made no sense as well. Here's the quote:

"In the apt words of Memphis writer Robert Gordon, Chilton was 'known for being unknown.'"

The quote that you have is inside of the same article (Alex Chilton: An Appreciation)

trackaghost · #13 03-19-2010, 08:37 PM

I guess it was a bizarre way of saying he was under-appreciated.

He was well known enough to be mentioned in congress though, strangely enough:

http://wonkette.com/414298/alex-chil...on-house-floor

"His music will live on forever. He is an embodiment of Memphis music: Hard, different, independent, brilliant, beautiful. We're lucky he came our way."

I got the Westerberg quote from Entertainment Weekly, where there are a couple of other nice tributes to him:

http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/03/18/a...od-craig-finn/

trackaghost · #14 03-19-2010, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bretonbanquet

Someone said he moved more hearts than retail units, and that's true. But both "#1 Record" and "Radio City" are simply awesome by any standards. "Third" is hard work to listen to but ultimately infinitely rewarding, like his solo work. I didn't discover Big Star till I was in my mid-20s, but Alex and Big Star's other much-missed songwriter, Chris Bell, have been a huge influence on what I listen to. Yesterday Bell's brother said he hoped Chris and Alex were already making music up there, and if they are, then they'll be drawing a crowd. It's a big loss.

James, I totally agree. I hadn't read the quote from Chris Bell's brother, that's really nice.

I like this line in EW's obituary: "He was a musical figure—like Nick Drake or Gram Parsons—whose importance lay not with his chart placings, but in the place his music found in the record collections of subsequent generations of stars." So true.

bretonbanquet · #15 03-20-2010, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

I like this line in EW's obituary: "He was a musical figure—like Nick Drake or Gram Parsons—whose importance lay not with his chart placings, but in the place his music found in the record collections of subsequent generations of stars." So true.

That is definitely true of all three of those guys. I can't remember who said it, or of whom, but it fits Alex Chilton - maybe he only sold 1000 records, but all of those people then started bands.