Free Again: Not just a song title, but a declaration of purpose: Alex Chilton was finally out of the Box Tops, where the producers and managers controlled everything, from tour and TV dates, to song choices and even his singing style. When Chilton deviated from the raspy growl that had made him and his bandmates famous via "The Letter", he was immediately reprimanded. His own fledgling songwriting career was stifled, with no place on the Box Tops' records for his own contributions, at a time when even in the pre-fab Monkees Michael Nesmith & Co. were able to get some of their shit in. To appease him, some of his first songs appeared on b-sides from the Box Tops, but within the confines of the band, both he and his band mates felt increasingly boxed in. Kinda like the Boxed-In Tops, AmIrite?
So, when he went into recording studio, anything went, from recutting former Box Tops b-sides (his countryfied take on "The Happy Song" is a total highlight here) to goofing around in the studio with piss-take versions of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (which I didn't keep here) or "Sugar Sugar" (which I did). The results were as idiosyncratic and messy as Chilton's subsequent career would often get, but also with some great highlights mixed in. But I felt like neither 1970 nor Free Again: The 1970 Sessions, the two incarnations in which these sessions were issued, were the best ways to listen to this material. I did feel that there was a good album in there somewhere, once the chaff, the doubles and the jokes are filtered out.
So that's what I did, leaving only the best of these sessions. The title song is the slightly punchier original mono version. "All I Want Is Money" - like "Free Again" a song title and a statement of purpose - was a fine, rumbling song, but it rumbled/ramble on too long, so I edited that down quite a bit. Speaking of editing: A bunch of tracks from the sessions were little more than larks to essentially entertain themselves. In a number of them, they essentially turn into Vanilla Fudge, going for a really heavy sound for the hell of it. "It was sort of a humorous thing", said Chilton, "like Iron Butterfly doing 'Sugar Sugar'". That latter track is present here, as a medley with a snatch of Chilton's original "I Can Dig It" which has the same heavy, sludgy atmosphere and shortened a bit because well, the joke's funny, but it isn't that funny. The other goof I decided to keep is "I Wish I Could Meet Elvis", a decidedly vaudevillian performance by Mr. Chilton.
He was free again, to do what he wanted...and so there is place for a bit of everything on my version of Free Again: Rock'n'roll, country rock, sensitive singer-songwriter songs. Something for everyone, so be everyone and check out what freedom meant to Alex Chilton back in the day...
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Sound Of Free
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/WSQhDZ4s4j7
What is your favorite era/album from Mr. Chilton?
ReplyDeleteI had High Priest for awhile, but eventually ended up burning the songs I liked off it (most notably his take on Take It Off) and letting it go. And I haven't taken to Big Star like I know I'm s'posed to, tho there are songs I like. So it's the Boxtops for me, and their numerous crazy good singles, regardless of whatever behind-the-scenes bullshit Chilton and crew had to put up with.
ReplyDeleteC in California
Love Alex Chilton -- the first two Big Star albums are all time MrDave Faves and definitely my favorite Chilton era.
ReplyDeleteI dig some of his skewed solo stuff like "My Rival" and "Bangkok" but there's a lot of swine to wade through to get to those pearls so I'm looking forward to your curated album. Thx!
Agreed, Big Star is also my favorite Chilton. Especially #1 Record. Ballad Of El Goodo and Thirteen are stone cold classics, Watch the Sunrise is wonderful. When My Baby's Beside You, also great. Plus, you know, all the great stuff Bell brought to the table. Radio City has less consistent excellence, but "September Gurls" makes up for that in spades...
DeleteHe lived in New Orleans for several years, and was a neighbor of mine for about 4, up until he died. Would never let on as to who he was - when I first me him, just said he was Alex. Just acted like a normal, suburban, guy who so happened to live in the city limits. Died while mowing his lawn. I came home that day, and there were cop cars and an ambulance. Was so young, and appeared to be in good shape, so I was shocked that it was him. Caught him numerous times at small, hole in the wall, venues throughout the city. When we would talk, it was never about music, instead he would pick my mind about places in the city and cultural issues. Extremely nice man, who is missed.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminiscence, Pmac. It seems like Chilton by the mid-70s was more or less done with dreams of stardom and the music business.
DeleteI think he was at peace with what he was doing, regardless as to the relative anonymity that accompanied it. He wasn't superwealthy (as far as I could tell), but he had a very nice house, and didn't appear to want for anything and he was making the music he wanted to play. Not a bad life, at all.
DeleteI read somewhere that Ben Vaughn did Alex a solid by proposing "In The Street" to be the theme for "That 70's Show". Plus the royalties from the Bangles' version of "September Gurls". Maybe the only thing he wanted for was health insurance. People shouldn't have to die that way in one of the world's wealthiest countries.
DeleteThe biography by Holly George Warren is really good. Maybe that's where I read about those song royalties.