Alex Chilton and Brian

[hypehat]

Yeah, you need Big Star in your life.

[Aum Bop Diddit]

I never go far, without a little Big Star....

[The Heartical Don]

Cool, they have just moved up the queue in my 'what music to buy next' list. It's a big list.

Did we push it from #5000 to #4879?

  It's currently weighing in at a muscular #47 Don. I've just started a bit of a Frank Zappa fixation. He's got one or two albums out there...

  Be careful. Our own Luther went bankrupt for just that reason. His children already suffered from hunger edema because he badly wanted 'Joe's Garage Pt. 1 and 2'.

[Mike's Beard]

The cheese on "Catholic Girls" alone could feed an average family for a week.

[The Heartical Don]

The cheese on "Catholic Girls" alone could feed an average family for a week.

Toe fat?

[Mike's Beard]

The coolest thing about Frank was while everyone else was jumping on the hippy bandwagon he was taking the piss out of them for being a bunch of lame phonies.

[The Heartical Don]

The coolest thing about Frank was while everyone else was jumping on the hippy bandwagon he was taking the piss out of them for being a bunch of lame phonies.

Agreed. I am sorry I never could come to terms with my idea of his stuff being too rational, at the cost of direct emotion. Same with Steely Dan, by the way.

[The Heartical Don]

...and let's please not forget that Alex Chilton produced the Cramps...

[Mr. Cohen]

Brian on why Love You rocks: I think because I felt so sad I had to bring out my feelings, and try to create music that would make me and all my friends feel better. I think the "Love You" album is one of the best we have ever made. My favourites are "I Wanna Pick You Up" and "Ding Dang". that was a good cut, wasn't it? Just a very short song, that's all. One of the shortest records we have ever made. It's funny because now people are beginning to see that album as a classic - it was quite revolutionary in its use of synthesizers.

[summerinparadise.flac]

Are Big Star any good? I have never heard anything by them. They have been on my list of 'groups to try out' for months now.

As far as I'm concerned Radio City is one of the greatest albums of all time.

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

my other favourite band. they also did honkin down the highway

[Mike's Beard]

Got the first two albums yesterday. First impressions - good not great. Bound to grow on me with repeated listens. "Ballad of El Goodo" sticks out for me. They don't sound from a production point of view like they were recorded in the early 70's at all.

[The Heartical Don]

Got the first two albums yesterday. First impressions - good not great. Bound to grow on me with repeated listens. "Ballad of El Goodo" sticks out for me. They don't sound from a production point of view like they were recorded in the early 70's at all.

Keep listening, they will grow. IIRC the late, great Jim Dickinson produced, right? BTW, for this listener, the Replacements' 'Alex Chilton' is one of the all-time greatest pop songs. It has thrice the number of great uplifting melodies that the average 'classic' sports.

[pancakerecords]

Got the first two albums yesterday. First impressions - good not great. Bound to grow on me with repeated listens. "Ballad of El Goodo" sticks out for me. They don't sound from a production point of view like they were recorded in the early 70's at all.

Keep listening, they will grow. IIRC the late, great Jim Dickinson produced, right?

Dickinson produced Third/Sister Lovers.  John Fry produced the first two.  He gets what may be the best acoustic guitar sound I've ever heard on record.

[The Heartical Don]

Got the first two albums yesterday. First impressions - good not great. Bound to grow on me with repeated listens. "Ballad of El Goodo" sticks out for me. They don't sound from a production point of view like they were recorded in the early 70's at all.

Keep listening, they will grow. IIRC the late, great Jim Dickinson produced, right?

Dickinson produced Third/Sister Lovers.  John Fry produced the first two.  He gets what may be the best acoustic guitar sound I've ever heard on record.

I stand corrected. And you are right about that guitar sound.

[summerinparadise.flac]

The coolest thing about Frank was while everyone else was jumping on the hippy bandwagon he was taking the piss out of them for being a bunch of lame phonies.

Blug. I hate him so much. I like his instrumental music a bit but he was just such an unfunny, gross, creep.
Plus doesn't he look like the kind of guy who smells a little bit?

[hypehat]

Another thing for the new Big Star fan to listen to is Chris Bell's solo 'record' (really a collection of assorted singles, b-sides, and so many great things left in the can until his suicide) I Am The Cosmos. The title track here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR594Kkxmzg

Big Star definitely grow on you. I didn't love them for about a year after i started listening to them, but i think the key is to stick them on shuffle (and to buy Third/Sister Lovers too, although that is the sound of a man falling into drunken despair) and absorb them. Thirteen might be their greatest song....

[smackdaddy]

Alex actually hung out with Dennis on the west coast a bit during the downtime between the Box Tops and Big Star.  I know I read that in the band bio or in an article somewhere, anyway.

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

Just bought "A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton" and am slowly making my way through it (I like to read just a couple of chapters a day when its something I'm really interested in)

Plenty of Beach Boys references in the early chapters. Alex apparently expressed a wish to call his 1st 3 sons (Brian, Dennis and Carl) - I actually said this to my GF a few years ago and she said she didn't like any of the names  (oh well)

He talks about Carl teaching him guitar and hanging out with Dennis. He said he was like Carl's puppy dog.

One chapter is entitled "I slept with Charlie Manson" which obviously has a few bits about staying at Dennis s house,

Mentions going to a session at Brian's house where they were recording "Were together again" and also going to the Whisky a Go Go with Brian where Brian preceded to do press ups in the booth across from him.

Really enjoying the book so far, learning lot of new stuff about Alex, very informative and well written.

[Outtasight!]

Are Big Star any good? I have never heard anything by them. They have been on my list of 'groups to try out' for months now.

Buy all three and prepare to become obsessed!

[8o8o]

There's a song on Chilton's "1970" album which could've easily been a Dennis Wilson song ("I Can Dig It"), similar in style to "Pacific Ocean Blues".

[Mr. Verlander]

I've just gotten into Big Star lately, after years of hearing how great they were; I would try a couple of songs here and there, and didn't get it. Then one afternoon, while looking around Netflix, I saw the documentary on them, 'Nothing Can Hurt Me'. I started watching it for the hell of it, and I really got into it. I don't think that Alex did a better song than 'Nightime'!

[Mr. Cohen]

Whoever interviewed Brian for Caroline Now! did an awesome job. I wish we had more interviews like that. To hell with asking Brian why Smile didn't come out. He's not gonna give us anything new in that regard. I'd rather hear his general thoughts on music.

[job]

Everyone should own all Big Star albums.

[superunison]

There's one version of a Box Tops Greatest Hits (which I've seen used in most record stores) that features liner notes on the back recalling Alex's story of sharing a bed with Brian, Dennis, and Charlie (iirc) as well as a line about how Brian once called Alex in the middle of the night later in the 70s ask him to come straight to LA so that Brian could produce an LP for him... Always wondered why they'd include those anecdotes on a Box Tops greatest hits but there they are... I'll take a pic next time I see it.