Alex Chilton RIP


Unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack at age 59, in the influential rock cult-hero's adopted hometown of New Orleans. The Memphis-bred singer/guitarist/songwriter, teenage leader of pop hitmakers the Box Tops in the late 60's and underground-legend "power pop/alternative" progenitors Big Star in the early 70's prior to his sporadic solo career, was to have played with the revamped Big Star lineup at SXSW in Austin this Saturday.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/17/memphis-musician-alex-chilton-dies/
zaikesman
loomisj---I agree. Ironic that Scott's ego prevented him from stepping back and letting someone else sing the songs, which would have given them a much greater chance at commercial success,
gotta disagree, jimjoyce--i've met the guy (really nice and unassuming, btw) and i don't think his ego's an issue--it's more like he needs to sing his own songs in order to deliver 'em properly. game theory songs sung by, say eddie vedder or robert plant just wouldn't have the same appeal. personally, i like his voice and think he's a good singer--expressive and on key. it's just not a big, resonant voice, and most record buyers want big, resonant voices.
Back on topic, I'll still take Alex, even solo (in fact, especially solo!) over all that later egghead non-rock he's alleged to be somehow responsible for...and that goes for the Posies too. (Sorry AC but it had to be said. By me at least.) Nice guys? Who cares -- let's see how long of a thread we get when any of them joins the heavenly choir...(Wait, better not go there -- none of my fellow audiophiles posted to my recent Dale Hawkins RIP thread, much to absolutely nobody's surprise...but you can't tell me Alex didn't dig Dale.) Sorry, I must be in a foul mood. Rock'n'roll is dead, long live rock'n'roll! Carry on...
'Therw ain't no rock and roll nowhere, baby'-Bruce Nutt/Columbus,Ohio 1981
zaikesman, you dare dis the posies? to me, the epitome of power popdom; unlike 98% of their peers, they weren't merely slavishly imitating their big star/beatles/hollies influences, but taking it somewhere different, with weird poetic lyrics, complex (for the genre) melodies and great harmony vox. i submit that "frosting on the beater" is one of the 3 or 4 best pop albums of the 80s; i actually listen to it more than "radio city". so there...
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