ALEX CHILTON

A Man Called Destruction 7/10 Big Star leader’s mid-’90s reinvention

Alex Chilton’s career after Big Star was inconsistent – perhaps wilfully – but deserves reappraisal. Chilton had a perverse side, and his solo work was loose to the point of dishevelment – almost as if he was attempting to undermine arguments about his own artistic significance. this album, augmented here with seven (even) looser tracks, dates from 1995, when Chilton had reformed Big Star. A singer-songwriter tour with Guy Clark and townes Van Zandt led to the jazzy covers album, Clichés, which then took him back to Big Star’s home studio, Ardent in Memphis, for a more studied rock’n’roll album on which Chilton’s bar-band instincts were augmented by a horn section, anchored by Jim Spake on tenor sax and Stax session man Nokie taylor on trumpet. tightness, for Chilton, is a relative concept, but the band adds depth to Chilton’s sketchy vocals, while leaving room for some fiery guitar. the highlight is the swinging “Don’t Stop”, run close by the astrologically playful “What’s Your Sign Girl?” and the surf rush of the Jan & Dean hit “New Girl In School”. Also worth noting, the backing chant of “Satan rules” on the playful “Devil Girl”. Extras: 7/10 Seven unissued tracks, liner notes by Bob Mehr, initial vinyl is translucent blue.