Special Feature: Remembering Alex Chilton

(Andy Hummel, Jody Stephens, Alex Chilton--at the Peabody Hotel, Memphis; photo courtesy of Eggleston Trust)

ALEX AND BOB /  Bruce Eaton

One night a few days after Alex passed away, I was sort of adrift for a book to read (nightly ritual – a half hour of reading before turning out the light), and pulled out the Jonathon Cott compilation of Bob Dylan interviews. A lot of the interviewers noted that although Bob had the reputation as being quite the difficult interviewee, if you asked him about subjects that he felt like talking about, he was quite the opposite. That’s pretty much the way it was with Alex and it reminded me of some notes I had buried away for a possible sidebar in my book that I had shelved early on: an imaginary scenario in which Bob Dylan ended up with Alex Chilton’s career path. I haven’t changed it much other than a little editing, and I’m not really sure why the idea hit me in the first place. But it was fun to put together (readers…feel free to add your own twists--it’s good fodder for a barroom conversation), and underneath it all I knew there was a point: that Bob and Alex were a lot a like in some ways--only the circumstances of how their careers unfolded were different. If Bob’s monumental records in the mid-60’s had bombed, he might have easily followed the Chilton trail . . .

Record Store Day 2010: John Lennon Singles Bag, The Rolling Stones -- Plundered My Soul, Neil Young -- Heart of Gold, The Jimi Hendrix Experience -- Live at Clark University, The Flaming Lips -- Dark Side of the Moon

Now that Record Store Day 2010 has come and gone, chances are that you either couldn't find all of the items you wanted or you couldn't quite decide what was worth picking up. Despite the fact that most of the items were limited, Record Store Day exclusives, many have already made it to Amazon or Ebay--so if you want them, grab them now. Here are a few of the more popular items that you might have been intersted in.

Neil Young Greatest Hits -- 180 Gram Warner/Reprise Vinyl (with bonus 7" single)

 
With the recent development of Classic Records' entire catalog going out of print, record collectors and audiophiles have been scurrying to snap up the titles they haven't yet picked up, in case they're never repressed again. Luckily, some of the finest titles in their catalog, such as The Who's  Quadrophenia and Tommy, Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue, and Big Star's Radio City, are still available at or near original list prices.

Fortunately, most of the titles from Neil Young, including Live At the Fillmore East, and the magnificent, Live At Massey Hall, are now being pressed by Warner/Reprise, using the same excellent masterings from Chris Bellman. Likewise, Warner/Reprise, through their Because Sound Matters campaign, has also taken over production of Greatest Hits, which I am reviewing today.