''Bach's Bottom'' is the second solo
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
musician
Alex Chilton
William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...
, released in 1981.
[ ''Bach's Bottom'' was recorded in September and October 1975 at ]Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.
History
Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Arden ...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
.
Production
The album was produced by Jon Tiven, who also played guitar in place of Chilton.
Critical reception
The ''Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' wrote that "nothing is pretty on ''Bach's Bottom'', but it's all beautiful in a scary, decrepit sort of way."[ The '']Spin Alternative Record Guide
The ''Spin Alternative Record Guide'' is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine '' Spin'' and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was edited by rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-i ...
'' deemed the album a "major 'lost'-era work."[ '' Stereo Review'' called it an "unholy mess of an album," writing that "if you like Chilton at his most ludicrously dissolute, you'll be glad to have it."]
Track listing
;Side 1
#"Take Me Home and Make Me Like It" (Alex Chilton, Benny Davis
Benny Davis (August 21, 1895 - December 20, 1979) was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs.
Biography
Davis started performing in vaudeville in his teens. He began writing songs when working as an accompanist for Blossom Seeley. In ...
, Danny Graflund, Grover DeLuca, Jon Tiven) – 2:32
#"Everytime I Close My Eyes" (Jon Tiven) – 1:47
#"All of the Time" (Alex Chilton, Lesa Aldridge) – 2:42
#"Oh Baby I'm Free (Part 1 & 2)" (Alex Chilton, Jon Tiven) – 6:22
#" I'm So Tired (Part 1 & 2)" (John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
) – 3:12
;Side 2
#"Free Again" (Alex Chilton) – 2:20
#"Jesus Christ" (Alex Chilton) – 2:18
#"Singer Not The Song" (Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
, Keith Richards) – 2:02
#" Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran
Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...
, Jerry Capehart
Jerry Neil Capehart (August 22, 1928 – June 7, 1998) was an American songwriter and music manager. Capehart co-wrote the songs "Summertime Blues" and " C'mon Everybody" with Eddie Cochran, whom he also managed. One of his most-recorded so ...
) – 2:35
#"Take Me Home Again (Part 1 & 2)" (Alex Chilton, Danny Graflund, Jon Tiven) – 3:52
Personnel
*Alex Chilton - vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, backing vocals
*Ken Woodley - bass
*John Lightman - bass
*Jonathan Sanborn - bass on "Take Me Home and Make Me Like It (Version 1)" and "I'm So Tired"
*Rick Clarke - bass, piano, backing vocals
* Chris Bell - guitar, timbales on "All of The Time"
*Richard Rosebrough - drums, engineer
* Jon Tiven - acoustic and electric guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals, percussion, producer
*Andy Hummel
John Andrew Hummel (January 26, 1951 – July 19, 2010) was an American bassist and singer-songwriter best known as the bass player of Big Star. - organ
*David Beaver - organ, clavinet
*Tommy Hoehn - piano, backing vocals
*The Bad Acoustics (Dave Rave, Lauren Agnelli, Gary Pig Gold), Andrew Loog Oldham - additional backing vocals
References
{{Authority control
Alex Chilton albums
1981 albums