Alex Chilton

1970 (Ardent)
by Joshua Brown

Between fronting Memphis’ alternative to the British Invasion of the ’60s known as the Box Tops, and forming Big Star, Alex Chilton recorded a solo album in 1970 that got lost in the shuffle. The original eight-track tapes surfaced in ’92, and the negligible touching up they needed was performed using only equipment that would have been used at the time of the recording. The sound is authentic 1970, and the music is post-psychedelic blues that is either timeless or dated, depending on your perspective.