Six Degrees: The Alex Chilton to Chris Bell Edition

(L-R: Michael Crow, Channing Lewis, and Alex Livingstone from Grand Champeen)

In the spirit of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, regular bacon, and Sir Francis Bacon, here are six songs connected in different ways. The bond may be tenuous, but it exists, and it illustrates the interconnectedness of music from so many different eras.

Kinks - Acute Schizophrenia Paranoid Blues (1971) [CD] [Vinyl] [eMusic]

On the surface, it's ironic that Ray Davies pay homage to the trad jazz sound he and his invading ilk ushered out the pub door. However, in early 1963, a young Ray cut his guitar chops in Dave Hunt's Rhythm & Blues Band, who he later said played "a lot of mainstream jazz numbers and a lot of traditional jazz, and a few blues numbers." By the way, when people say "trad jazz," they're referring to a specific, New Orleans ragtime sound featuring acoustic stringed instruments, woodwinds, and brass. Even back then these guys were retro. In modern terms, think Squirrel Nut Zippers.

"Acute Schizo" is a kneeling drunkard's plea for sanity that is either paranoid conspiracy or journalism. I vote the latter. I love the expert use of Salvation Army brass band. One of my favorite tracks from Muswell Hillbillies, I also like the live version from Everybody's In Show-Biz, Muswell's slightly underrated follow-up released the following year.

Van Halen - Could This Be Magic? (1980) [CD] [Vinyl] [MP3]

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 1967 Camaros. "Magic" was one of the band's atypical forays into country-blues and showed they could rock the heavy metal parking lot with acoustic guitars as they could with Marshall stacks and a Jim Beam bass. Better save the women and children first.

Mike Nicolai - Mammoth (2003) [MP3]

Mike Nicolai (pictured right with Grand Champeen guitarist, Michael Crow) is one of my favorite singers and songwriters because his songs play so hard to get. The hooks aren't where you expect them to be, the lyrics take awhile to reveal themselves, and his vocal phrasing is weird. Totally memorable, but weird. He can be a tough get, especially if you're impatient, but once you get him, Nicolai rewards you twentyfold.

I celebrate Mike's entire catalog, which combines elements of Paul Simon and Roger Miller with wounded narratives and clever wordplay ("I just washed the TV off my face, neuropath wasn't busy"; "And bimonthly he'd betray her with Jennifer St. John"). "Mammoth" is Nicolai's hilariously spot-on overview of the Halen legacy ... Mammoth being VH's original name ... and is notable for introducing "less than rockin' results" into the critical lexicon.

Grand Champeen - One And Only (2003) [CD] [MP3] [eMusic]

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 remains one of the country's best rock bands, despite slowing down considerably in output. With regard to Van Halen, I've seen them cover "Little Guitars" and have it on good authority that the members once dressed as VH for Halloween. That said, for those of you who cut your teeth on classic Soul Asylum, Replacements, and Superchunk, and Prescott Curlywolf, Champeen is either already one of your favorite bands, or waiting to be.

"One And Only" brilliantly uses the Big Star principals as a relationship metaphor, though whether that relationship is romantic or band-like in nature is deliberately vague. Drummer Ned Stewart (with popsicle above) owns this song with four-wheel drive and acres of fills, 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 video, who can say?

Big Star - O My Soul (1974) [CD] [MP3] [eMusic]

Speaking of drummers owning songs, how about this gem from a 1974 Big Star rehearsal (heard on Nobody Can Dance). Jody Stephens shows off monster chops, but in fairness, the whole band brings their A game. Bassist John Lightman dances around the pocket with Stephens, while Alex Chilton's guitar work, especially from about 3:30-4:15, is stunning. A little known fact is that former guitarist and songwriter, Chris Bell, co-wrote this tune with Chilton, but sadly, went uncredited. One of the great tunes in the Big Star catalog. Incidentally, when Big Star is invoked by power-pop acolytes, an inordinate amount of discussion is focused on the pop part of that equation. "O My Soul" demonstrates that the Chilton-Lightman-Stephens power trio ... like the Chilton-Hummel-Stephens lineup occasionally before it ... was a wonderful luxury for Alex Chilton the songwriter.

Glossary - Don't Lie To Me (2007) [CD]

We switch Tennessee coasts to revisit the Glossary compound. "Don't Lie" was recorded at The Grand Palace in their hometown of Murfreesboro and is an incendiary, guitar-lover's wet dream. This and 12 other covers are on a Big Star tribute disc released by Almost There Records, a label started by Ty Chandler of Gleeson fame. The rest of the album are studio cuts and include contributions from Grand Champeen ("Daisy Glaze"), Mike Nicolai ("Nightime"), Archibalds ("O Dana"), and Gleeson themselves ("Blue Moon"). Worth tracking down, for sure.