The Smiley Smile Message Board

Toward the end of the Box Tops' career, they toured with The Beach Boys, and a friendship developed between the two groups. [Alex] Chilton bragged years later of having spent time with them at the Charles Manson ranch, and talked of writing a song called "I Slept in the Same Bed with Dennis Wilson and Charles Manson". However, after a couple of days the "weird vibes" drove him away, but he stayed in touch with a Beach Boy or two over the years and almost recorded with Brian in 1973 after receiving a middle-of-the-night phone call from the living legend requesting he get his pipes down to Brother Studios pronto.

The above is a quote from Jon Tiven's notes on the back of Rhino records' The Box Tops Greatest Hits LP, released in 1982. Anyone care to comment on the veracity of Tiven's claims? I assume this is all from his memory.

By the way, I am probably very much in the minority at the SSMB, but Big Star's 3rd/Sister Lovers (original PVC release) is right up there with Pet Sounds for me both in uniqueness and life-altering impact.

Chilton has covered Brian a couple of times I think.

I also know for certain that there's an interview somewhere that went like this:

Q: Brian, what do you think of other artists covering you? Alex Chilton covered I Want To Pick You Up, have you heard it?
BW: Alex? From the Boxtops!? Oh man, I was their biggest fan of all time!

I'm almost positive that's exactly what BW said, so I think the story you posted is plausible for sure.

norbit

I'd get right out of that bed

the Beach Boys did cover "The Letter".

*pictures gay sex threeway between Dennis, Charlie, and Eminem*

Alex covered surfer girl, honkin down the highway, solar system, wouldnt it be nice and im sure many others over his career. I read an article somewhere about a year ago about how someone introduced him to the Beach boys love you album which he assumed would be crap but ended up learning how to play every song off it. His first solo record was supposed to come out on Brother Records in 1970.

Would love to hear that song if it exists but doubt it was much more than a throwaway joke thing.

Alex absolutely loved Love You. When he recorded I Wanna Pick You Up for Caroline Now! he insisted on transcribing all of those synth lines in the third verse for 12 String electric which he played beautifully on my Baldwin. His chording throughout is gorgeously jazzy and sweet. Standing round one mic with Alex, Francis MacDonald and Duglas was a big highlight of music for me, that's for sure. What a talent.

(http://www.garytalley.com/images/denniswilson.jpg)


Alex Chilton was friends with Carl and it was Carl who taught him to play the intro to "Johnny B Goode" on guitar.


You was on that recording? Cool. I like it very much

Chilton was there, alright. Here is one interview where he acknowledges it: http://idler.co.uk/conversations/conversations-alex-chilton/.

All hail Alex Chilton!  All three Big Star LPs are classic, and his version of "I Want to Pick You Up" is stellar (as is "Caroline Now" in general).  I'd toss that mattress to the curb pronto however....

Was that you that covered "Go Away Boy"?

Go Away Boy is my favourite track off that closely followed by Eric Matthews lonely sea. Fantastic comp!

Alex- yes it was me who recorded Go Away Boy. I told a story about Alex's reaction to that one on another thread  :-D

Congratulations to a fabulous recording that bettered the original by far. Love it !

Thanks Rocker!

Why has no-one played BW the first two Big Star LPs? He'd sh*t his pants with joy.

I love Alex Chilton, such a great guitar player. That story about him painstakingly transcribing minute synth lines doesn't surprise me much. His standards album ('Cliches', ho ho) is a guitar masterclass.