Alex Chilton – Went from Top 40 AM Hits to Seminal influence – and Rock was forever grateful.

Once again, tapping into the AJC Project at Archive.org for this stunning concert by Alex Chilton, recorded at Cabaret Metro in Chicago on December 19, 1987.

I have often wondered who, of the many house mixers out there who used to routinely record shows from their mixing panels, if they managed to keep any or if any have survived. I am probably the last one to ask, since both my brief stints at The Whiskey A go-go and The Troubadour, the only thing I ever recorded was Tom Waits in 1974. It fell into “honest, I’ll bring it back” hands and has since made numerous rounds on the bootleg circuit. So don’t bother to ask.

But for lunch today, this Friday Jr., we’re talking about the extraordinary and extraordinarily influential Alex Chilton. I admit, during this tenure as co-founder of The Box Tops, their top 40 hit Neon Rainbow was arguably the best song to shag to. 1967 had a lot going for it.

But Big Star was no slouch either – all told, the works of Alex Chilton are mainstays (or should be) in just about every serious Rock collectors library. Not lying; the man was a treasure trove. And listening to this Chicago gig give ample reason why.

Club gigs are alway fascinating documents to explore – the intimacy of a front row literally five feet away from you can expose a lot of truths, and more often than not, are inspiring bits of magic. It does also expose warts and all. Listening to a lot of these Aadams Jacobs tapes, the adrenalin does not lie and the amount of missed notes and gaffes can be cringey at times, but the overall experience is one of gratitude – it’s nice to know Rock wasn’t always at the mercy of Autotune and these tapes from the 1980s to 2000’s are textbook examples of what the actively gigging artists go through any given night.

Save for a devoted and hardcore following, Alex Chilton is not the household name he should be. Let’s face it, the platform for household names is getting pretty crowded and it’s up to the one-to-one fans to keep the fires lit. Alex Chilton is not destined for obscurity, that’s for sure.

To get an idea, if you aren’t already familiar, or to get a refresher course if you are – grab lunch, have a sitdown and listen to this one. It’s worth the hour you’ll spend.

Bring your own party favors.