Tributes are pouring in for cult songwriter Alex Chilton who died yesterday (March 17th).
Alex Chilton is simply one of the most influential musicians of his generation, yet never gained the wider recognition he deserved. As the lead singer with The Box Tops the singer found stardom, yet the band disintegrated under pressure to deliver hits.
Retreating to his native Memphis the singer formed Big Star whose three studio albums have become benchmarks in rock ‘n’ roll. Marrying a tough, streetwise attitude to glorious mid 60s pop the band have been cited as an influence by everyone from REM to The Bangles.
Amongst those paying tribute to the legendary singer are Primal Scream. The band began as a shambling C86 outfit, in love with the jangling guitars of Big Star. However it is Alex Chilton’s role on The Cramp’s debut album ‘Song The Lord Taught Us’ which sticks out for Bobby Gillespie.
“When we started Primal Scream, Alex was a huge influence on us, and he still is. Even if he’d only ever produced the first Cramps album he’d still be one of my rock n roll heroes. But he did a lot more than that” he told BBC 6Music.
“He just made so many great records, and they were crazy rock ‘n’ roll records. But they were also art records and beautiful records, mournful records, sad records, joyous records. What I’m trying to say is that Alex Chilton was one of the greats.”
Continuing, Bobby Gillespie revealed that Primal Scream travelled to Memphis in the early 90s to re-trace Chilton’s footsteps. “We made records there because of Alex Chilton and Big Star,” Gillespie said. “Get Your Rocks Off was recorded at Arden.”
“It was like a pilgrimage to go there and record in the same studio that Alex Chilton and Big Star had made ‘Sister Lovers’ with (producer) Jim Dickinson, which was a huge inspiration to Primal Scream when we started.”
John Fry was the owner of Ardent Studios and remained close to Alex Chilton throughout his career. “Alex was an amazingly talented person, not just as a musician and vocalist and a songwriter, but he was intelligent and well read and interested in a wide number of music genres.”
