Like most people my age, I’d wager, I first became aware of him through the song by The Replacements. From there, I bought the Big Star albums and some of his solo stuff. “September Gurls” and “Thirteen” rank among the best songs of the 70s, IMO. Sad to see him go.
Well that just ruined my day.
Oh, no, how sad…damn, I was around that crowd in Memphis in the 90’s… Chilton,Panther Burns, The Hellcats, Easley Brothers… Alex was a good hero leader of the alternative singer songwriter, an important transition from 60’s pop to 80’s more cerebral player, who paved the way for the next generation. Big Star is definetely on my Desert Island chosen bands to have.
Crap. He was really great. Gotta go shed some tears…RIP, Alex, hope yer soul is up there with Dickinson and Burnside.
Oh no! I really hate to hear this. Big Star is one of my favorites!
Dear Alex, I can’t live without you no more. Don’t take a train, it’s too slow, so take an aeroplane, k?
Hurry,
Your Baby
My god I’ve always loved that song. RIP Alex.
I just came here to see if there was a thread about this. It’s definitely a sad day.
I actually first learned about Big Star from these forums, so I’ll have to give a big thanks to whoever it was that talked about them at the time.
I’ve noticed people don’t talk about any of his solo music. I haven’t heard much of it but I have the Black List EP and it’s pretty good.
I met Alex Chilton several times back in the early 1990s. He performed at the small campus club where I did sound. He was always a really friendly guy, always took time to actually talk to the people who came to see him, and could play for hours and hours and always seem to be enjoying himself. His fans were rabid: they could tell you in detail why they loved his music and 
why you should too.
It’s been rare that I’ve seen the level of devotion that Alex Chilton fans displayed; commercial success be damned, this guy touched hearts and minds like few others. I mean, he maybe didn’t touch so many wallets, but when his music connected with a fan it was as if it somehow rewired part of their brain, making synapses link up in such a positive and world-enlightening way, no one ever wanted to go back to the dim room they had been living in before.
R.I.P. Alex. We’ll all miss you.
Dead on - my experience exactly. Sad, he was definitely a major talent and 59 is too young.
Also That 70’s Show should have had the balls to use the full lyrics of “In The Street”.
Much, much respect.
Tough life, but what a legacy.
The run of songs on Big Star’s Radio City album from Mod Lang, Back of a Car, She’s a Mover and September Gurls are some of highest ranked “is really a track from The Beatles’ Rubber Soul” songs I have ever heard.
RIP Alex.
I guess I’m older than most of his fans here; I first became aware of him when my first band (when I was 13) learned his hit with the Box Tops, The Letter. We were thrilled to find out that he was only 16 when the song was recorded, and we were sure we would follow in his footsteps.
I learned about Big Star some time in the 70s by reading about them in Rolling Stone and bought #1 Record and Radio City when they were released. I always loved his voice and his writing. I’m really sorry I never saw him perform. Gone too soon. RIP.
So sad.
I was a fan of The Box Tops well past “The Letter,” though that’s a great trivia answer to #1 songs under two minutes. “Neon Rainbow” was a beautiful psychedelic song but a poor follow-up single and that might have hurt their momentum, although “Cry Like a Baby” brought them back. “Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March” has got to be one of the most amazing tracks even for the 60s. To this day it has to be the least played Top-40 hit of any major group.
It’s interesting that given Chilton’s later career as a singer/songwriter that The Box Tops were one of the few top groups who didn’t write any of their hits. I don’t think that most fans knew or cared back in the 60s. It just becomes ironic later.
Just chiming in to say this is sad news. I listen to those 3 Big Star records all the time.
His solo stuff is erratic but has its moments.
I’d go even further. Those are some of the best pop songs ever made. “September Gurls” may even be THE Perfect Pop song.
Very sad to see another legend pass away.
I knew the song “The Letter” (and probably others that I haven’t connected in my head to being his work), but encountered the song by The Replacements via the video game Rock Band. Hopefully out there, there are lots of people, especially teens and younger, who played this song and are seeking out information about him as a result.
RIP Alex. I hope SXSW gives him a fitting wake.
Well, fuck.
Wow, I was supposed to see Big Star here Saturday at SXSW. That sucks.
That’s sad. 59 is way too young.
RIP, Alex, you will be missed.
Nice shout-out in Congress this morning:
Alex Chilton