Original Big Star line up with Alex Chilton (left), Chris Bell (seated), Jody Stephens (middle) and Andy Humell (right)...
Showing posts with label jody stephens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jody stephens. Show all posts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Original Big Star Line up..
In memory of the recently departed Alex Chilton and the long gone Chris Bell, here's a picture of the boys in their Big Star glory days...(photo courtesy of John Fry).
Original Big Star line up with Alex Chilton (left), Chris Bell (seated), Jody Stephens (middle) and Andy Humell (right)...
Original Big Star line up with Alex Chilton (left), Chris Bell (seated), Jody Stephens (middle) and Andy Humell (right)...
Friday, March 19, 2010
Alex Chilton. December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010
Alex Chilton of Box Tops and Big Star fame has died age 59 of a suspected heart attack. He was taken to Hospital in New Orleans on Saint Patrick's day complaining of ill health, he died later that same day.
Chilton grew up in a musical family. His father Sid was a jazz musician. He found fame young, at the age of 16 as singer with Memphis pop group The Box Tops, who had an American number one hit with the song "The Letter". After The Boxtops split, Chilton carried on making music as a solo artist, learning to play guitar in the process.
The Letter by The Box Tops featuring a young Alex Chilton...
After living in New York at the end of the 1960's Chilton returned to Memphis and formed the band Big Star along with songwriting partner Chris Bell, drummer Jody Stephens and bassist Andy Humell. Big Star went on to release three albums, #1 Record, Radio City and Third/Sister Lovers, to great critical acclaim but limited comercial success. Live, recorded in New York in 1972 was released inn 1992 on Rykodisc.
Thank You Friends. Big Star Studio Footage.
After Big Star split up Chilton went on to work with a number of different artists throughout the 70's and 80's, and also released material as a solo artist, most notably 1979's like Flies on Sherbet.
In the early 1990's, Big Star gained a large cult following thanks to bands like Teenage Fanclub, REM and Primal Scream quoting their name as influential. Thanks also to the re-release of much of their material on CD format.
Chilton started touring again with original drummer Jody Stephens and members of American indie rock band The Posies under the name Big Star and released and album entitled In Space in 2005. Alex was due to headline this years SXSW festival along with a newly re – juvinated Rocky Erickson, with a reunited Big Star line up.
A brilliant songwriter and guitar player, a reluctant star, a most human, human being and all round inspiration to thousands. He will be sadly missed by his family, friends and fans the world over.
Alex Chilton 1950 – 2010.
Chilton grew up in a musical family. His father Sid was a jazz musician. He found fame young, at the age of 16 as singer with Memphis pop group The Box Tops, who had an American number one hit with the song "The Letter". After The Boxtops split, Chilton carried on making music as a solo artist, learning to play guitar in the process.
The Letter by The Box Tops featuring a young Alex Chilton...
After living in New York at the end of the 1960's Chilton returned to Memphis and formed the band Big Star along with songwriting partner Chris Bell, drummer Jody Stephens and bassist Andy Humell. Big Star went on to release three albums, #1 Record, Radio City and Third/Sister Lovers, to great critical acclaim but limited comercial success. Live, recorded in New York in 1972 was released inn 1992 on Rykodisc.
Thank You Friends. Big Star Studio Footage.
After Big Star split up Chilton went on to work with a number of different artists throughout the 70's and 80's, and also released material as a solo artist, most notably 1979's like Flies on Sherbet.
In the early 1990's, Big Star gained a large cult following thanks to bands like Teenage Fanclub, REM and Primal Scream quoting their name as influential. Thanks also to the re-release of much of their material on CD format.
Chilton started touring again with original drummer Jody Stephens and members of American indie rock band The Posies under the name Big Star and released and album entitled In Space in 2005. Alex was due to headline this years SXSW festival along with a newly re – juvinated Rocky Erickson, with a reunited Big Star line up.
A brilliant songwriter and guitar player, a reluctant star, a most human, human being and all round inspiration to thousands. He will be sadly missed by his family, friends and fans the world over.
Alex Chilton 1950 – 2010.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Ultra Rare Big Star Footage found...
Previously unseen footage from 1971 polished and put together by the publication Oxford American.
Go on YouTube and you can find a sampling of Big Star videos, but there's a catch: they're all either audio dubbed over still images (e.g., not actual performances), or clips of the latterday ‘90s incarnation featuring members of the Posies joining Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens. It seemed that nobody but hardcore collectors would own any real footage of the band in its heyday - if they had any at all.
That's why a palpaple shudder of delight rippled through the musical community recently when the venerable Oxford American, in the July 2008 issue, included a DVD with the third annual "Best Of The South" issue.
"Get ready to be blown away by some rare and never-before-seen clips. See Elvis warming up the mike in preparation for his greatest performance ever. See lost footage of one of the most influential rock bands in music history: Big Star. (Gathering dust on the shelf until we polished it up for this DVD, these beautiful images were shot by Big Star guitarist Chris Bell and bassist Andy Hummel.)"
Blown away is an understatement. You can see the results below, 1971 images set to the tune "Thank You Friends," from the DVD and recently posted to YouTube. All I'll add is that just to see the late Chris Bell smile semi-selfconsciously as the camera points at him, but still beautifully, is worth its weight in gold. (Purists may quibble over the fact that "Thank You Friends" was recorded long after Bell and Andy Hummel had left the band - Chilton and Stephens cut it for Sister Lovers - but as a tribute to the four men and comradeship, the lyrical and musical sentiments hold up nicely, thank you very much.) Text by Fred Mills
Talking of Big Star, from the same article, here's the Bangles doing a note perfect rendition of "September Gurls". Who said videos had to cost thousands to make?
By Fred Mills
Go on YouTube and you can find a sampling of Big Star videos, but there's a catch: they're all either audio dubbed over still images (e.g., not actual performances), or clips of the latterday ‘90s incarnation featuring members of the Posies joining Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens. It seemed that nobody but hardcore collectors would own any real footage of the band in its heyday - if they had any at all.
That's why a palpaple shudder of delight rippled through the musical community recently when the venerable Oxford American, in the July 2008 issue, included a DVD with the third annual "Best Of The South" issue.
"Get ready to be blown away by some rare and never-before-seen clips. See Elvis warming up the mike in preparation for his greatest performance ever. See lost footage of one of the most influential rock bands in music history: Big Star. (Gathering dust on the shelf until we polished it up for this DVD, these beautiful images were shot by Big Star guitarist Chris Bell and bassist Andy Hummel.)"
Blown away is an understatement. You can see the results below, 1971 images set to the tune "Thank You Friends," from the DVD and recently posted to YouTube. All I'll add is that just to see the late Chris Bell smile semi-selfconsciously as the camera points at him, but still beautifully, is worth its weight in gold. (Purists may quibble over the fact that "Thank You Friends" was recorded long after Bell and Andy Hummel had left the band - Chilton and Stephens cut it for Sister Lovers - but as a tribute to the four men and comradeship, the lyrical and musical sentiments hold up nicely, thank you very much.) Text by Fred Mills
Talking of Big Star, from the same article, here's the Bangles doing a note perfect rendition of "September Gurls". Who said videos had to cost thousands to make?
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