"Children by the millions/sing for Alex Chilton." It escaped my notice that Alex Chilton passed away on St. Patrick's Day. I confess that Alex Chilton escaped my notice during his entire sixty year existence. "Alex Chilton," on the other hand, commanded my attention from the first time I heard it. I speak, of course, of The Replacements song in tribute to Alex Chilton. It's their best, and, perhaps, top ten, of late '80s-early '90s American alternative. To inspire a song that good, Alex Chilton must have been pretty good himself. Rest in peace. "I'm in love. What's that song?"

You tube Big Star or Alex Chilton. September Girls. Big Star is pretty good. Kind of like The Byrds meets Cheap Trick.

Not to mention the Box Tops, of which Alex was the lead singer. "The Letter" hit #1 on the Billboard charts in 1967 when Alex was sixteen years old.

If you like Chilton, see the band Big Star and Chris Bell's album "I am the Cosmos". Bell's music/sound, delininating from the Beatles, Yardbirds, Who, and Electric Light Orchestra influenced the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet, the Jayhawks, the Mius 5, etc. "Power Pop" is what they dubbed it, but the album, "I am the Cosmos" is a must have.

This post illustrates one aspect of the generation gap. Younger folks think Alex Chilton is a song, older ones think he's a musician.