''Bach's Bottom'' is the second solo album by American
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
musician
Alex Chilton
William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950March 17, 2010) was an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops ...
, 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. The studio was founded in the late 1950s by John King, Fred Smith, and John Fry. Over time, it has become a commercially successful recording studio.
...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
.
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, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...
'' 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 (magazine), Spin'' and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was editing, edited by the rock music, rock critic Eric Weisbard and Crai ...
'' deemed the album a "major 'lost'-era work."[ '']Stereo Review
''Sound & Vision'' was an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''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 activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
, Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
) – 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 musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
, Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...
) – 2:02
#"Summertime Blues
"Summertime Blues" is a song co-written and recorded by the American rock artist Eddie Cochran. It was written by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on th ...
" (Eddie Cochran
Ray Edward Cochran ( ; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", " Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in ...
, 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, piano, 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 – organ
*David Beaver – organ, clavinet
*Tommy Hoehn – piano, backing vocals
*The Bad Acoustics (Dave Rave, Lauren Agnelli, Gary Pig Gold
Gary Pig Gold (born May 30, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, author and journalist. His fanzine ''The Pig Paper'' was Canada's second independently published music magazine, and among the recor ...
), Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style.
Early life
Oldham's f ...
– additional backing vocals
References
{{Authority control
Alex Chilton albums
1981 albums