Six Degrees: The Alex Chilton To My Chris Bell Edition

(from left: Michael Crow, Channing Lewis, and Alex Livingstone from Grand Champeen)

Six Degrees ... as in Separation, Kevin Bacon, etc. ... was another idea that came to me during last weekend's brainstorm. OK, storm may be pushing it. But it was at least a fusillade and rain was definitely involved. Anyway, as a former college radio DJ and one of the premier mixtape artists of our time, there is a perverse pleasure in being musical captain of the S.S. Geek-Out. It's the High Fidelity principle at work, and I'm pretty sure most of you know exactly what I'm talking about:

"A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You've got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention ... and then you've got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can't have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can't have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you've done the whole thing in pairs and ... oh, there are loads of rules."
--Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

So, in that spirit, let's kick things off and see where things take us.

Kinks - Acute Schizophrenia Paranoid Blues [purchase]

A true polyphonic spree ... replete with a Salvation Army-style brass band ... "Acute Schizo" is one of the most memorable tracks from The Kinks' last great album, Muswell Hillbillies (1971). Cocaine-fueled lyrical content aside, there's a tremendous irony in having one of Britain's earliest rock 'n' roll bands pay homage to the trad jazz sound that they, in fact, helped usher out the pub door.

Van Halen - Could This Be Magic? [purchase]

Van Halen's first single was their cover of "You Really Got Me." But, with their next single, "Runnin' With The Devil," the legend began in earnest. In fact, they're generally known for 3 things: Eddie's erupting fretboard tappage, David Lee's heroic stage banter (Henry Rollins calls him "the peroxided Mark Twain"), and rock anthems that, if converted into fuel, would power a fleet of '69 Camaros. But "Magic" was one of the band's early forays into country-blues and showed they could rock the heavy metal parking lot with acoustic guitars just as surely as they could with Marshall stacks. Better save the women and children first ...

Mike Nicolai - Mammoth [purchase]

Mike Nicolai is one of the best unknown American songwriters working today. Self-deprecatingly clever and honestly poignant, the dude abides. Admittedly, his voice is reedy and takes some getting used to, but when it does, you are hooked. Resistance is futile. "Mammoth" is his take on the Van Halen legacy ... Mammoth was VH's original name ... and is one of the funniest, most spot-on songs I've ever heard.

Grand Champeen - One And Only [purchase]

I'll die and go to heaven
But you're alive and well
You'll be the Alex Chilton to my Chris Bell

Grand Champeen has occasionally served as Nicolai's backing band, allowing Mike to tap into his inner David Lee. On their own, Champeen has been one of Austin's best, no-frills, mascara-free rock 'n roll bands for about the last decade. A mix of classic Soul Asylum, early Superchunk, and Austin's own Prescott Curlywolf, "One And Only" is a relationship song that uses the Big Star principals as a metaphor. Drummer, Ned Stewart, absolutely owns this song, which is probably why his low-fi tom-foolery is tacked onto the outro ... though part of me suspects its a clever homage to the end of Superchunk's "Hyper Enough" video. Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to link to that vid, who can say?

Big Star - O My Soul [purchase]

Speaking of drummers owning songs, how about this gem from Big Star's Radio City LP? Drummer, Jody Stephens, shows off absolute monster chops, but in total fairness, the whole band brings their "A" game. Bassist, Andy Hummel, dances around the pocket with Stephens and Alex Chilton's guitar work, especially from about 3:30-4:15, is stunning. A little known fact, too, is that former guitarist and songwriter, Chris Bell, co-wrote this tune with Chilton, but sadly, went uncredited. One of the great underrated tunes in the Big Star catalog.

Glossary - Don't Lie To Me [purchase]

Speaking of which, when the holy name of Big Star is invoked by power-pop acolytes, an inordinate amount of discussion is focused on the pop, not the power. Friends, let us make no mistake, Big Star could howl and crunch when needed and "O My Soul" pretty much proves that. Just ask Glossary, Murfreesboro, Tennessee's, auteurs of rock 'n' roll badassery. Their take on Big Star's "Don't Lie To Me" ... recorded live at The Grand Palace in their hometown ... is an incendiary, guitar-lover's wet dream. Incidentally, you can find this cover, and 12 others of similar vintage, on a Big Star tribute put out by my old label, Almost There Records.

And so concludes the maiden voyage of Six Degrees. Hope you enjoyed it. You can be the Alex Chilton to my Chris Bell anytime.