Flashlite #78 – Tribute to Alex Chilton

Alex ChiltonJust a few short months ago we lost Jim Dickinson. And now another Memphis rock’n’roll legend left the planet. Dickinson and Chilton are actually much more than Memphis rock’n’rollers. They are an epitome of a true rock’n’roll star anywhere in the world. Beautiful, uncompromising, larger than life but at the same time. Alex Chilton also epitomizes a sad, defeated rock’n’roll star, enormous talent that had difficulties finding its audience. When Chilton was 16 he had an early success with The Box Tops, but that was a little too much, a little too early.  Alex simply did not feel free to do his own thing. When he was ready to conquer the world in his twenties with The Big Star, he created a musical landscape that audience did not understand – as it was at least twenty years ahead of its time. Then Alex battled addiction to drugs and alcohol and recorded albums that were about to de-construct the very fabric of rock’n’roll – his solo albums were a diary of a man who’s sending signals from some other reality and his work with Tav Falco we all about striping the pop music from all the glitz and glitter to something rugged and rough, but much more honest and longer lasting. He then became an in-demand music producer, moved to New Orleans and eventually left all his vices. In New Orleans, after Katrina, he went missing for awhile and luckily he resurfaced. But just four and a half short years after, in Chilton got a heart attack in his home in New Orleans and that was it. He was only 59 years old, but his music is some of the most inspiring ever laid on tape. This is a two hour tribute to this great man. Even this double deck of Chilton’s music is not enough, so please check out another tribute to Chilton below, Igor’s Sympathy for Rock’n’Roll (look for the Panther on fire logo).

The Replacements – Alex Chilton;
The Box Tops – The Letter;
The Box Tops – (The) Happy Song;
The Box Tops – I See Only Sunshine;
The Box Tops – Since I Been Gone;
Alex Chilton – Free Again;
Big Star – September Gurls;
Big Star – The Ballad Of El Goodo;
Big Star – Back Of A Car;
Big Star – She’s A Mover;
Big Star – Thank You Friends;
Big Star – Holocaust;
Big Star – Kanga Roo;
Lesa Aldridge – Story Of My Life;
Alex Chilton – My Rival;
Alex Chilton – Hey! Little Girl;
Alex Chilton – Walking Dead;
Alex Chilton – All Of The Time;
Tav Falco’s Panther Burns – Train Kept A Rollin’;
Tav Falco’s Panther Burns – She’s The One That Got It;
Tav Falco’s Panther Burns – Burgeous Blues;
Tav Falco’s Panther Burns – Snake Drive;
Scott Adams – Torso Tourinado;
The Cramps – What’s Behind The Mask;
The Cramps – I’m Cramped;
The Gories – Smashed;
The Gories – Stranded;
Lorette Velvette – Eager Boy;
Alex Chilton – No Sex;
Alex Chilton – Thing For You;
Alex Chilton – Magnetic Field;
Alex Chilton – Guantanamerika;
Alex Chilton – Gavotte;
Alex Chilton – I’ve Never Found a Girl;
Alex Chilton – Lipstick Traces;
Alan Vega, Alex Chilton & Ben Vaughn – Candyman;
Alan Vega, Alex Chilton & Ben Vaughn – Promised Land;
Big Star – Dony;
Big Star – A Whole New Thing;
Alex Chilton – It’s Your Funeral.

Flashlite #77

Personal And The Pizzas Today we have Nick Curran and Personal And The Pizzas for the first time at the Little Lighthouse. Curran is a retro deal, heavily heavily influenced by Little Richard and Gerry Roslie and his new album Reform School Girl is very exciting. Personal and The Pizzas are a funny band from New Jersey. We also have a brand new album for the Drive-By Truckers called The Big To Do. As a speciall little ditty, we have a vinyl reissue of an old Rollerball single, and Rollerball was a first band for Elton Motello, of Jet Boy Jet Girl fame. I was just finishing updating this episode when I heard that Alex Chilton died. Next week, we will have a full blown show dedicated to this magnificent character from the book of rock’n’roll.

Kropotkins – If I Had My Way;
Bob Dylan – Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window;
Rollerball – Lay You Down;
Tyla Gang – Fireball;
Gentleman Jesse and His Men – I Get So Excited;
Real McCoy – I Get So Excited;
The Equals – I Get So Excited;
Nick Curran & The Lowlifes – Baby You Crazy;
The Sonics – Keep A Knockin’;
Little Richard – Keep A Knockin’;
The Service Industry – Have to Go to Work;
Personal and the Pizzas – I Can Read;
Drive-By Truckers – This Fucking Job;
Patterson Hood – Range War;
Todd Rundgren – Range War;
Ninja Gun – This is where I belong;
Lazy Cowgirls – This is where I belong;
The Kinks – This is Where I Belong;
The Kinks – Stop You Sobbing;
The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset;
The Kinks – Set Me Free.

Flashlite #76

Freddy Mark Linkous Today’s show is dedicated to Mark Linkous, a guy that contributed a lot to the 90s rock’n’roll with his band Sparklehorse and who committed sucide last Saturday. We pay a very special tribute in this show to Mark Linkous with an unexpected song selection. Hear Mark foot stomping with Bryan Harvey, playing with Susanna Hoffs and rocking out with his 80s band Dancing Hoods. We also have the new Roky Erickson and a new Jason and The Scorchers tune. We have a Cleveland band Whiskey Daredevils who have their debut album out these days. They have a song on it dedicated to Johnny Cash. Which reminds me, there’s the sixth volume of his American recordings out.

Grant Hart – My Regrets;
Roky Erickson – Stand For The Fire Demon;
Roky Erickson w/ Okkervil River – Goodbye Sweet Dreams;
Pierced Arrows – Tripped Out;
House of Freaks – This Old Town;
Dancing Hoods – Not The Only One;
Dancing Hoods – Falling Down;
Sparklehorse – Rainmaker;
Susanna Hoffs – Enormous Wings;
Kris Kristofferson – For The Good Times;
Johnny Cash – For The Good Times;
The Godfathers – Walking Talking Johnny Cash Blues;
Whiskey Daredevils – Never Saw Johnny Cash;
Jason & The Scorchers – Mona Lee;
Jack Oblivian – Make Your Mind Up Part II;
Glossary – Trembling Boy;
Outrageous Cherry – Anymore;
Uzi – Pale Light.

Flashlite #75

Fred Cole Today we feature Fred Cole, legendary Oregon rocker who’s been around since the Nuggets days. Of course, his best known band is Dead Moon, but he was also in The Lollipop Shoppe, Zipper and The Rats. His newest band is the great Pierced Arrows, which I was lucky enough to see live on a stormy winter night last weekend here in Cleveland. Pierced Arrows have a brand new second album out called Descending Shadows. We also introduce the German band Locas In Love obviously named after the Love and Rockets comic book episodes involving Maggie and Hopey. They appeared on the new Walkabouts tribute called Got No Chains. The Hotrats are the two dudes from Supergrass, one of the most annoying nineties English bands. Still, Hotrats are not that bad at all and we hear their interesting treatment of Beastie Boys original You Gotta Fight…. Things turn around! Home Sweet Home is another project by Luther Dickinson and it again, it’s done in the spirit of Luther’s father Jim. Also, we hear a new mp3 by Abby Travis recorded specially for the new Dave Markey’s movie The Reinactors.

Luther Dickinson And The Sons Of Mudboy – Let It Roll;
Beastie Boys – (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party);
The Hotrats – (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party);
The Len Bright Combo – The Golden Hour Of Harry Secombe;
The Five Americans – Western Union;
Dale Hawkins – Heavy On My Mind;
Lollipop Shoppe – Don’t Look Back;
Zipper – Born Yesterday;
The Rats – Descending Shadows;
Pierced Arrows – Paranoia;
Dead Moon – Kicked Out-Kicked In;
Los Trendy – Needs A Little;
The Walkabouts – The Light Will Stay On;
Locas In Love – The Light Will Stay On;
Home Sweet Home – Let Your Light Shine On Me;
Abby Travis – 1000 Times A Day;
Kropotkins – My Body Lies on the Mountain.