Thursday, March 18, 2010

Alex Chilton, dead at 59

Big Star, 1974
Take care not to hurt yourself
Beware of the need for help
You might need too much
And people are such –
Take care, please, take care

Some people read idea books
And some people have pretty looks
But if your eyes are wide
And all words aside –
Take care, please, take care

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
Take care, please, take care
Alex Chilton, Rock Musician, Dies (New York Times)
Alex Chilton
, the mercurial if influential rock musician, whose work spanned an eclectic gamut from the soul songs of the Box Tops to the multiple incarnations of his pop band Big Star, died on Wednesday. He was 59 and was living in New Orleans.
. . .
Mr. Chilton, who grew up in Memphis, was just 16 years old when the Box Tops, in which he sang and played guitar, had a No. 1 hit with “The Letter” in 1967. When that group broke up in 1970, Mr. Chilton formed Big Star with Jody Stephens, Chris Bell and Andy Hummel. The band’s first album, “#1 Record,” in 1972, did not come close to fulfilling the commercial promise of its title, nor did the followup releases “Radio City” and “Third/Sister Lovers.” But their music – gentle and introspective songs like “The Ballad of El Goodo”and “September Gurls,” and exuberant anthems like “In the Street” – had a profound impact on generations of pop and indie acts that followed.

Perhaps the surest measure of the tug that Mr. Chilton exerted on subsequent artists can be found in the lyrics of the Replacements – another malleable rock act that moved more hearts than retail units – who sang in their song“Alex Chilton”:
“Children by the million
Sing for Alex Chilton
When he comes ’round
They sing, ‘I’m in love / What’s that song?
I’m in love with that song.’”
Big Star was scheduled to perform on Saturday at the South By Southwest festival in Austin. In a statement, the festival’s creative director, Brent Grulke, said: “Alex Chilton was an artist of the very highest caliber. It’s too early to do much but cry about our loss right now, but he’ll be missed, and missed more as the ages pass and his myth continues to expand – that music isn’t going anywhere. R.I.P. and thank you, friend.”
The Box Tops, 1967

Big Star, 1973

Big Star: Holocaust

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

DAMN.

It isn't enough that my U's president (a good guy) resigned this week; I have to live without Alex Chilton in the world, too?

I will miss his music BIG-TIME.

Thanks for letting us know, though, BvT.

MAH

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