hasn't alex had a rather interesting solo career too? no mention here at all? come on guys

Zuxx:

hasn't alex had a rather interesting solo career too? no mention here at all? come on guys


Well, yeah, but trying finding clips of that! There's an old 120 Minutes segment, but that's about it. Otherwise there are old Box Tops songs and various audience shots of Big Star. Or Paul Westerburg playing "Alex Chilton"...

Okay, there is this one clip of Alex lip-synching "Make A Little Love" on French TV. That was off his High Priest album which I'm listening to at this very instant.

Well done, submitter.

indeed. I loved him on "that 70's show"

No excuse needed to enjoy some Big Star.

If he was from Venus, would he feed us with a spoon?
If he was from Mars, wouldn't that be cool?
Standing right on campus, would he stamp us in a file?
Hangin' down in Memphis all the while.

Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round
They sing "I'm in love. What's that song?
I'm in love with that song."

Cerebral rape and pillage in a village of his choice.
Invisible man who can sing in a visible voice.
Feeling like a hundred bucks, exchanging good lucks face to face.
Checkin' his stash by the trash at St. Mark's place.

Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round
They sing "I'm in love. What's that song?
I'm in love with that song."

I never travel far, without a little Big Star

Runnin' 'round the house, Mickey Mouse and the Tarot cards.
Falling asleep with a flop pop video on.
If he was from Venus, would he meet us on the moon?
If he died in Memphis, then that'd be cool, babe.

Funny I was just humming "Thank You Friends" to myself this morning. Now I know why.

Aw, thanks guys.

YES!

Alex is awesome. Kudos for giving him his due.

By the way, elvisaintdead, the "That 70s Show" version of "In The Street" is performed by Cheap Trick. Still good, though.

If you have a pair of ears, you need to procure a copy of "#1 Record/Radio City" without delay.

Alex Chilton:

Aw, thanks guys.


Only because you deserve it.

Never heard of big star in the 70's.

OH my soul!

/happy bday

Every once in awhile, I meet a new friend who has never heard Big Star, and I like to immediately gift them with a copy of the "#1 Record/Radio City" CD .... which has never failed to become a cornerstone of their collection and cement a friendship.

It's the gift that keeps giving. I like to kinda pay it forward, like my old drummer who turned me on to Big Star in the first place. Everyone has loved that record when they got it. Never failed.

Chilton did a solo record a few (8?) years ago called 'Set'.

Its a 'covers' record of what he said were some of his favorite songs and it's GREAT.

For a different perspective on Mr. Chilton... this is unbelievable: Box Tops on the Mike Douglas Show. Not sure who the guest co-host is, but her band interview is classic.

GibbyTheMole

By the way, elvisaintdead, the "That 70s Show" version of "In The Street" is performed by Cheap Trick. Still good, though.

If you have a pair of ears, you need to procure a copy of "#1 Record/Radio City" without delay.


I know. I was being FARKcetious.
I've had "#1 Record/Radio City" for years now.

Gonna go hears me some right now, in fact.

win.

+1.

love the drum fills in the middle of the chorus.

mfaby:

Chilton did a solo record a few (8?) years ago called 'Set'.

Its a 'covers' record of what he said were some of his favorite songs and it's GREAT.


Haven't seen that one. What I mentioned listening to at the top of the thread is a 2-disc set: High Priest ('87) and the Black List EP ('90). Along with a bunch of stuff he wrote (there's a live version of September Gurls on the BL disc), it's got a number of great covers on it, for instance:

Volare
Raunchy
Rubber Room
Little GTO
Make A Little Love (see link back at that original comment)
and a live version of Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine"

There's also what I assume are some old Memphis R&B chestnuts, but they're uncredited so I'm not sure. Favorite line from "Take It Off": Take off your wig/Let me feel your Afro.

Also a nice Replacements song.

FRESH ALEX!
The friend that reminded this was AC's birthday sent me a YouTube link of something done earlier this month with Yo La Tengo. Turns out there's actually 3 songs:

Let Me Get Close To You (from that High Priest CD I mentioned)
Femme Fatale
Till The End Of The Day
(all pops)

I used to have an LP called Bach's Bottom,
which was Alex Chilton all drunk and hammering out some tunes live.

Good times, bad times.

Always an excellent idea. Anytime. All the time.

I don't get it, why is this in MUSIC?

Being based on Japanese history, the game has giant enemy crabs

/just reminded me

Sweet. I was at that gig. My old band played the same day at that festival.

Alex who?


/really

Sweet, the performance was after they'd pulled Auer & Stringfellow from The Posies into Big Star. Two of my more well-loved bands combining. =D

ghoulie_mask: Every once in awhile, I meet a new friend who has never heard Big Star, and I like to immediately gift them with a copy of the "#1 Record/Radio City" CD .... which has never failed to become a cornerstone of their collection and cement a friendship.

It's the gift that keeps giving. I like to kinda pay it forward, like my old drummer who turned me on to Big Star in the first place. Everyone has loved that record when they got it. Never failed.

I do that with Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game.

So, who the hell is Alex Chilton and Big Star?

Yay!

/loves Big Star, the Posies, the Replacements, and Cheap Trick (except for The Flame)
//hates power ballads

Anyone in Chicago go to the Alex Chilton Birthday Bash at the Empty Bottle last night?

Fun Fun Fun

Love those guys (and the posies too)

Was hoping it might be a vid of the original band back in the day but such footage seems pretty scarce

On an old episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, you see a promo-poster for the "big star" album

My dad also brought me that same poster from his buddy at a radio station in the mid-70's----I think its lost now

gbv23:

Love those guys (and the posies too)

Was hoping it might be a vid of the original band back in the day but such footage seems pretty scarce

On an old episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, you see a promo-poster for the "big star" album

My dad also brought me that same poster from his buddy at a radio station in the mid-70's----I think its lost now


If any footage of the original band exists, the best bet is a documentary that's supposedly in the works.

That poster... damn. Is it "lost" lost, or is it just "missing in action" lost? I can't even imagine what that would be worth. Not to mention how cool it would be just to have it.

dualplains:
So, who the hell is Alex Chilton and Big Star?

You can probably find something on... oh, I don't know... the internet, maybe? You're on it right now. Go for it.

temmerling:

You can probably find something on... oh, I don't know... the internet, maybe? You're on it right now. Go for it.


Maybe they suffer from Wikiphobia? That's all I could figure...

My old band played with Alex a few years ago - it was just him and two session guys. They sounded great, Alex was nice as could be (I know he had a reputation of being a bit "difficult" at times), but the thing that got me was the fact that they were literally going through a song book and learning songs while they went. It was sometimes 10 minutes between songs. He only played 2 or 3 Big Star songs, too. All in all a good show, though.