Alex Chilton Tribute

Another sad day for music today as one of the greatest songwriters passed away. Alex Chilton was only 59 years old.

Alex Chilton started early in music, he was just a teenager when he was with the Boxtops. After Boxtops, he teamed-up with Chris Bell forming the power pop group Big Star. After just three albums, the band disintegrated and Alex and the boys went their separate ways.

Big Star, especially Alex Chilton, influenced a lot of the so-called college radio bands. From REM, to the Replacements, the Posies (Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow toured with the reformed Big Star in the nineties, but remained with the Posies), Teenage Fanclub, Garbage, Matthew Sweet, the Bangles… the list goes on.

Upon learning of his death this morning, I immediately compiled all the Big Star / Alex Chilton cover songs I have. Some I got from the net and some from my personal collection. This includes an excellent cover of Thirteen by the Counting Crows (I don’t like band personally but their live rendition kicks ass! I forgot where I got this), the classic Bangles version of September Gurls, Evan Dando’s cover of Ballad of El Goodo, Teenage Fanclub’s great version of Alex Chilton’s Free Again and Cheap Trick’s take on In The Street from That 70’s Show soundtrack. I also included the Mats’ Alex Chilton – for me, the ultimate tribute! Most of the songs here are covers of Thirteen and I think Holocaust from Third/Sister Lovers.

Tracklist

1. Bat for Lashes - Kangaroo
2. Cheap Trick - In the Street
3. Counting Crows - Thirteen
4. Denison Witmer - Nighttime
5. Elliot Smith - Thirteen
6. Evan Dando - Ballad of El Goodo
7. Garbage - Thirteen
8. Kathryn Williams - Thirteen
9. Kind of Like Spitting - Thirteen
10. Magnapop - Thirteen
11. Mary Lou Lord - Thirteen
12. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Back of a Car
13. Okkervil River - O, Dana
14. Rainy Day - Holocaust
15. Son VOlt - Holocaust
16. Superdrag - September Gurls
17. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Ballad of El Goodo
18. Teenage Fanclub - Free Again
19. the Bangles - September Gurls
20. the Replacements - Alex Chilton
21. the Resentments - Thirteen
22. Tommy Keane - Hey! Little Child
23. Wilco - Thirteen


Download Here

The blog Power Pop Criminals posted the Not the Singer But the Songs - An Alex Chilton Tribute. The Power Pop Criminals posted both the CD and LP versions of the tribute. Get it HERE.

Power Pop Overdose posted the Small World, a Big Star Tribute album. Get it HERE.

And if you still don't have the three albums of Big Star, you can get it from Chasm Filler blog. You can get #1 Record/Radio City HERE, and Third/Sister Lovers HERE.

You will certainly be missed.