Very sad news

My favourite B.S. song:

I got turned on the Big Star & Chilton after hearing Elliott Smith cover Thirteen, which to this day is my favorite Chilton tune.

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When I mentioned Chilton's passing to my co-worker, this is what he had to say to me:

I don't know if I told you, but I went to see Big Star in November in Brooklyn for my birthday with John (aka cuz). It was the best concert I have ever been to, bar none. Not necessarily from a technical or strictly performance standpoint (I mean, I've seen Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Branford Marsalis, Sonic Youth, the Dead, Paul Simon), but it was the closest any concert has ever come to realizing my anticipation level. it was a literally beautiful event in my life, each song (even from the tunes from the new-ish album) was as perfect as I had hoped. They played just about everything I wanted to hear which I thought might be realistic(El Goodo, Feel, Thirteen, September Gurls, Back of My Car, Life is White, but no Mod Lang or Oh My Soul). Unbelievable. The crowd applauded for literally 25 minutes after the encore finished (Slut, a Todd Rungren cover), & then hung around the venue for another half hour (I obviously amongst them). No one wanted it to end. The band sounded great, his voice was a bit ragged but it just added another facet to all of those ballads of love & losing, now the adult looking back at these youthful outpourings, sometimes touched by a memory, sometimes amused, sometimes reeking of bitterness, cynicism. I'm glad I got to see one of these all too rare events, beyond glad, moved beyond my ability to comprehend my good fortune in being able to have been there, at that time, to see for myself. His songs are among the few that continually speak to me about my teenage years meaningfully; not because I had a clue who these cats were then, but because the emotions are so bare & honest, they resonate in a way very few do, they make me present at that time, with him. & the mystery of those September Gurls will always make me smile, I can't deny.

cap

One of my favourite non-Big Star Chilton tracks:

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This is by Chris Bell (who was in the original Big Star) not Alex Chilton but I believe Chilton sang backing vocals on this version of this amazing song. One of the most beautiful love songs in pop music.

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Just heard about this earlier today (little late on the news). This sucks, Big Star was a band I'd never heard of until I go XM Radio and started listening to Fred. Had many great songs that influenced tons of bands for years to come.

Here's the Elliott Smith version:

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Musicians pay tribute to Alex Chilton at SXSW

By Gary Graff – Sun Mar 21, 6:07 pm ET

AUSTIN, Texas (Billboard) – Alex Chilton, who died of a heart attack Wednesday, three days before the scheduled performance of his band Big Star at the South By Southwest music conference, was memorialized at the Austin event by colleagues, friends and admirers, with words and, most important, with music.
After a warmly reverent and nostalgic afternoon panel at the Austin Convention Center -- with Big Star co-founders Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel, latter-day members Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, original producer John Frye and others -- Big Star's scheduled showcase that night at Antone's was turned into a kind of musical wake for Chilton, with numerous guests taking turns during the 80-minute show. But the performance was also preceded by more words.

Stephens told the packed house he was still "stunned and shocked" by Chilton's sudden death, at age 59, March 17 in New Orleans but thanked the fans for their support and noted that, in Austin, "it feels like the whole, broad music community has wrapped its arms around us."
Publicist Heather West then read the letter sent from Chilton's wife, Laura, in New Orleans, describing him as "an individual who did what he pleased ... (but) was also the most considerate and sincere person I've ever known." The letter noted Chilton's always broad musical interests and pride in his production work and said that "he valued spontaneity. This would seem to contradict his insistence on analysis and accuracy but somehow he managed to be both at the same time ... (which) is probably why he has been described as a genius and a musician's musician."

With Auer adding that "this is a horrible circumstance, but (playing) felt like the best option," the surviving Big Star trio kicked off the show with "Back of a Car" before welcoming the first guest, the Meat Puppets' Curt Kirkwood, to play guitar on "Don't Lie to Me" and sing on "In the Street." Chris Stamey played on the late Big Star co-founder Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos" and sang "When My Baby's Beside Me."
M. Ward offered a hushed take of "Big Black Car," and Hummel, who now resides in Lithuania, joined the group for the Stephens-sung "Way Out West." R.E.M.'s Mike Mills sang "Jesus Christ," and John Doe and Sondre Lerche performed particularly moving versions of "I'm in Love with a Girl" and "Ballad of El Goodo," respectively.
Chuck Prophet fronted Big Star for a powerful "Thank You Friends," and Evan Dando performed a solo acoustic "Night Time" and joined Amy Speace, Doe, Auer and Stringfellow on "Try Again." The night ended, appropriately, with a spirited "September Gurls" featuring Susan Cowsill, the Watson Twins, Hummel, Doe and Mills.

The remaining trio has made no decisions concerning Big Star's future, but Auer hinted at an impending end by telling the crowd that "it's been the pleasure of a lifetime playing with this man." Stephens, meanwhile, returned to the stage to once again thank the crowd "for helping us celebrate the life and music of Alex. I owe him a lot. I learned a lot from him. You've wrapped your arms around him, and we appreciate it."
Chilton was on the minds of other bands on Saturday's bill at Antone's, too. Ben Thornewill, singer and pianist for Philadelphia's Jukebox the Ghost, noted that "it's such a strange tone for the evening. I'm not sure what tone to strike," while New Yorkers the Postelles spoke about being "honored" to be part of the bill.

But rock veteran Dwight Twilley did find the tone. Telling the crowd shortly into his set that "normally at this time I say, 'Are y'all feeling good?' but this time there are probably some mixed feelings. So why don't we all just rock like hell!"
That's a sentiment Chilton probably would have appreciated.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100321/music_nm/us_chilton

_______________________

That lineup is wildly good. Would love to have seen/heard this show.

Here's the Garbage version of "Thirteen":

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Wow, 59.

That was awful

+1, and I like Garbage quite a bit. Very uninspired performance. And what's up with including Shirley on the toilet in the video of such a heartfelt and tender song? That video director should be banned permanently from stepping near a camera.

The video part wasn't official. It was a fan made video laid over the song.

Ban the fan!