Alex Chilton

Lonely days are gone, I'm a-goin' home... (The Box Tops - The Letter)

I was saddened to hear that Alex Chilton had passed. He was taken to a hospital in New Orleans on March 17 and later that day died from an apparent heart attack. I was in college in the 80's and a friend introduced me to the music of Alex Chilton.

I found out that Alex was the voice behind the wonderful late 60's pop song The Letter by The Box Tops, the late 1960's band from Memphis, TN. The Box Tops played a sort of blue-eyed soul and had other hits with Cry Like a Baby and Soul Deep.

In the early 70's Alex was in the band Big Star who's importance isn't measured in their record sales, but in their influence on alternative music. Big Star played sort of a 70's power pop which influenced alot of the alternative/college music of the 80's.



The Replacements wrote a tribute song about him. "Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round. They sing "I'm in love. What's that song? I'm in love with that song."
The Replacements - Alex Chilton

The Bangles cover Big Star's September Gurls


Wilco covers Big Star's Thriteen (My favorite Big Star song)

Alex, you will be missed.

Drive All Night

I swear I'll drive all night just to buy you some shoes and to taste your tender charms; And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms ... (Bruce Springsteen - Drive All Night)

From 1973 through about 1984, Bruce Springsteen was a very prolific song writer. In 1980 The River, Bruce's great double album was released. The album was a great mix of rockers and ballads. One of those great unsung ballads was a song called Drive All Night. In this song, the singer yearns to see his girl; not promising to buy her the moon, but vowing to her that he would drive all night just to buy her some shoes. Nothing is going to stand in his way; not snow; not rain; not wind.

I was recently checking out Backstreets.com and saw this cover of that song. This is one of the best Bruce covers that I have ever heard. Awesome...