Alex Chilton RIP

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...

Loomisj: Ego can take many forms. His was not the kind that would prevent other band members from writing and singing songs that appeared on his records. But I do think he maintained a certain sense of ownership over his own songs that prevented his even considering that someone else might sing them in his band.

I agree that it's not easy for his songs to sound good in other people's voices. For example, Aimee Mann's cover of Inverness (on youtube) completely lacks Scott's passion, and fails for that reason. (I've seen her live and up close in a small venue, and it could be argued that all of her own songs ultimately fail for the same reason.)

But it's not too hard to imagine someone as neurotic and imaginative as Scott who nonetheless has a big beautiful voice. John Lennon would have done wonders with GT's songs. (Sometimes I think Scott wrote the songs with Lennon's voice in his mind.)

Of course, there was only one of him, but I don't think Scott ever thought of finding someone else with an equally strong personality to sing the songs. I bet the band would have had a very different outcome if he had.