
Alex Chilton has enjoyed one of the most enigmatic careers in pop music history. With the #1 opening salvo of "The Letter" in 1967 (written, contrary to popular belief, by Wayne Carson of "Always on My Mind" fame), Chilton and the Memphis-based Box Tops enjoyed a string of blue-eye soul hits that defined the era for more pop-conscious listeners. When the band dissolved in 1970, Chilton attempted to capture the zeitgeist as a New York-based
folkie, but soon returned dissolute to Memphis. Reacquainting himself with Chris Bell, another young songwriter who proved to be his musical and personal foil, Big Star emerged from the ashes of Bell's
Icewater, with the duo sharing
frontman duties. Although only moving a modicum of copies,
#1 Record and
Radio City would have a profound influence on post-1980 pop that is perhaps only rivaled by
Kraftwerk and James Brown; while musically anachronistic, Chilton's mordant -- even embittered -- lyricism would have a profound impact on the likes of Michael
Stipe and Paul
Westerberg. (Rerecorded by Cheap Trick, "In the Street" was subversively featured as the the theme song of
That 70s Show.) With their record label (Ardent, the rock division of
Stax Records) nearing insolvency and unable to cope with his heroin addiction and unrequited desires for Ardent executive John Fry (who himself lusted for the straight Chilton), Bell formally left the group after
#1 Record, contributing only two songs to the trio-dominated
Radio City. By the time Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens reconvened to record the wistful, chimerical
Sister Lovers in the aftermath of Watergate,
Beatlesque songcraft had been supplanted by
extemporaneity and edginess. The result is an unwieldy masterpiece with equal footing in tradition (the bookending cover of "Whole Lotta
Shakin' Going On") and the unknown (a prescient rendition of the Velvets' "Femme
Fatale", which Chilton makes his own amid such enduring ballads as "Nighttime" and "Big Black Car"). By 1977,
Chilton had come full circle from his pop idol origins, opening for the Talking Heads at
CBGBs; since then, he has put out a dependable -- if slightly ennui-laden -- string of indie albums steeped in punk blues, chanson, and the eclecticism that Big Star only began to hint at. Chris Bell's fate was less than fortuitous; struggling valiantly with his addiction amid a
newfound devotion to Christianity, he died in a car crash less than a year after Chilton's Bowery stint.
In 1993, Chilton and Stephens reformed Big Star with John
Auer and Ken
Stringfellow of The Posies. Since then, they've toured intermittently and released a couple of albums that generally fall into the ho-hum, indifferent vein of Chilton's later
oeuvre. In spite of this, their November 18
th show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, the group's first full performance in New York in nearly a decade, will likely be one of the best of the year; if recent YouTube videos are any indication, Chilton has retained his stage
dynamism, while
Auer and
Stringfellow are sympathetic to the original records.
Tickets (rather pricey at $35.00) are available
here.
Keep an Eye on the Sky, a box set featuring rarities and favorites, is out next Tuesday.
nice~..................................................
ReplyDelete激情成人聊天室情色成人辣妹胸部辣妹視訊露奶辣妹自拍三點全露內衣秀台灣成人貼圖成人電影院三點全裸免費視訊辣妹av圖裸體自拍色情聊天美女視訊g點色情訊息淫女火辣av辣妹圖片免費視訊聊天室性情色天空調情上床圖片裸體自拍走光照片走光視訊情色成人18成人區火辣美女成人vcd成人影片下載本土av性愛情慾淫妹美女聊天性愛聊天室女生自慰影片免費看a圖淫婦巨乳辣妹視訊成人女生自慰方法免費情色限制級a片穿幫情色下載情色網站
ReplyDelete動不一定每一次都成功,但坐而不行,絕無任何成功可言 ....................................................
ReplyDeletehow do u do?
ReplyDelete路過--你好嗎..很棒的BLOG.........................................
ReplyDelete幸運是機會的影子 ....................................................
ReplyDelete很耐斯的部落格,留言支持你繼續加油..................................................
ReplyDelete當身處逆境時,要能忍一時之氣,吃一時之苦,並及早確立自己的目標,總有一天,你會嘗到那甘美的果實。........................................
ReplyDelete動不一定每一次都成功,但坐而不行,絕無任何成功可言.............................................
ReplyDelete嘩做左推介BLOG 果然人氣勁旺 ........................................
ReplyDeleteyour wife is very charming!............................................................
ReplyDeleteyou look nice in that color!............................................................
ReplyDelete人不能像動物一樣活著,而應該追求知識和美德..................................................
ReplyDelete灰心是動搖的開端,動搖是失敗的近鄰。 ..................................................
ReplyDeleteyou look nice in that color!............................................................
ReplyDeletePen and ink is wits plough. ....................................................................
ReplyDelete在莫非定律中有項笨蛋定律:「一個組織中的笨蛋,恆大於等於三分之二。」......................................................................
ReplyDelete成熟,就是有能力適應生活中的模糊。.................................................................
ReplyDelete當一個人內心能容納兩樣相互衝突的東西,這個人便開始變得有價值了。............................................................
ReplyDelete人有兩眼一舌,是為了觀察倍於說話的緣故。............................................................
ReplyDelete很棒的分享~留言支持!.......................................................
ReplyDeletePeople throw stones only at trees with fruit on them.............................................................
ReplyDelete我們必須先有哭泣,才有歡笑;也必須先感到人生的悲哀,然後才感到人生的快樂。............................................................
ReplyDeleteSeeing is believing.百聞不如一見............................................................
ReplyDelete不要去想沒拿到的東西,多想想自己手裡所擁有的..................................................
ReplyDelete謝謝您囉~~看您的分享文章是個很好的經驗~~.................................................................
ReplyDelete時間就是塑造生命的材料。......................................................................
ReplyDeleteLook before you leap.................................................
ReplyDeleteLearning makes life sweet.......................................................................
ReplyDeleteLook before you leap.................................................
ReplyDelete與人相處不妨多用眼睛說話,多用嘴巴思考,............................................................
ReplyDelete人有兩眼一舌,是為了觀察倍於說話的緣故。............................................................
ReplyDelete出遊不拘名勝,有景就是好的..................................................................
ReplyDelete來打聲招呼-大家好!!!..................................................
ReplyDelete成功可招引朋友,挫敗可考驗朋友......................................................................
ReplyDelete文章優,圖片美,就連回文都很有意思~~~..................................................................
ReplyDelete看看blog調整心情,又要來繼續工作,大家加油............................................................
ReplyDelete