Alex Chilton, the great singer of the Box Tops & Big Star, died yesterday at the age of 59—Chilton's music was such a big part of my life in the 1980s, as I discussed several months back in my review of the Big Star box set. That music could be dark & heartbreaking or sweet in a way that almost unavoidably led to a different sort of heartache—a fond memory perhaps, a smile for someone cared about deeply in youth, a glimpse of morning sunshine after a long dark night.
From what I understand, Chilton's life was difficult & perhaps filled with demons at times—still, his legacy in the field of pop/rock music is enormous, even among people who don't know him, simply because his influence on the indie bands of the 1980s was so pervasive.
I'll be "on the move" today & won't have the time necessary to write a more full appreciation—but I must say that Chilton's music was a huge influence on me in the mid to late 80s, & most certainly crept into the poetry I wrote at that time—especially the music from Big Star's Third Album (AKA Sister Lovers). I'll let Alex sing for himself: "Stroke It Noel," from Big Star's Third:
This Is Some Sad\Bad News I Didnt Know.Alex was one of The Big Guys.
ReplyDeleteSad news indeed. I remember you writing about him a few months ago.
ReplyDeleteYou sure picked a beauty of a song to send him off with.
ReplyDeleteThe nearer I get to 59, the younger it seems...
Great song, and a heartfelt post.
ReplyDeleteAnother great talent gone too soon! Alex had a wonderful voice and style. RIP.
ReplyDeleteI will miss him, too. How sad.
ReplyDeleteNot a musician I'm familiar with although I am, just, now (I'm obviously not as attentive or retentive a reader as Alan!).
ReplyDeleteI think the death of artists you really closely relate to can be very upsetting.
Hi Tony, Alan, K, Martin, Michelle, Reya & Dominic
ReplyDeleteThanks one & all--Chilton was a great talent--there was something so heartbreakingly pure about his music & his words....
Like many people, I knew Chilton's work with the Box Tops but little of his later work which is apparently his best. And, like many, the songs by the Box Tops were so intuitive you didn't even realize their brilliance, and how amazing that voice was -- coming from a 16-year-old boy no less. It sounded like the voice of an old soul, even though he was probably barely shaving at that point. I really want to dig deeper now into his larger body of work.
ReplyDeleteLadrón: Yes, definitely check out both his Big Star work & his later solo work--a very major talent.
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