R.I.P. Alex Chilton

[trackaghost]

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.