Like most people of my musical generation, I suppose, I came to him via the people he had inspired; they covered his songs, namechecked him in interviews, and because I liked them and trusted them, I sought his stuff out too. # 1 Record b/w Radio City on an early CD from Rhythm Records in Camden in the heat of Teenage Fanclub mania; Third after hearing 'Kangaroo' and 'Holocaust' on It'll End In Tears.
I didn't even make The Box Tops connection until quite recently. Wow.
What a bunch of work; what a powerful influence.
59 is - self-evidently - way too young to die.
RIP AC.
Big Star - 'Thirteen' (1972)
Big Star - 'Holocaust' (1974)
The Replacements - 'Alex Chilton' (1987)
I'd just been thinking 'it's getting quite springlike, time for some Big Star'.
ReplyDelete*gulp*
ReplyDeleteAs you say, way too young. I absolutely love Thirteen. Have you heard Kathryn Williams cover, just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJust in case you haven't http://www.box.net/shared/jd41q5sq3v
That's lovely, thank you. Thinking about it, I've never heard anything by Kathryn Williams I didn't like.
ReplyDeleteI saw her support Roddy Frame a good few years ago and she was really good once she got over her nerves, does a lovely cover of Easy and Me as well
ReplyDeleteI was going to post the Replacements tune. Do you know what's freaked me out? How young he actually was. I guess it's the Box Tops being a 60s tune. But he was only about 9 months older than Sting, only 8 years older than Weller.
ReplyDeleteSting's 60 next year. That makes me feel old...
Hmmm, I've a cover of The Letter by Al Green somewhere. I'll see if I can find it...
ReplyDeleteI had immersed myself in Big Star (again) since the release of the new box set last year...and this passing really has hit me. And hard.
ReplyDeleteMaybe because I had plans to FINALLY see Big Star in May.
Crap.
Well, I had no idea that holocaust on This Mortal Coil was a cover so I'll be spending some time exploring Big Stars bag catalogue. Shame I had to find out under these circumstances.
ReplyDeleteit's weird isn't the people you miss. the records never bought never even heard. i've never heard an alex chilton record. i don't think. well not yet - i will in a minute. how did that happen ?
ReplyDeleteVery sad news. I was fortunate to see him at the QMU in Glasgow in the early 90's. The 3 Big Star albums should be part of evereyone's collections. Far too young to have died.
ReplyDeleteR.I.P. Alex Chilton