Like Flies On Sherbert
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''Like Flies on Sherbert'' is the first solo
album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
released 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 ...
. He had previously recorded a collection of songs in 1969 and 1970, ultimately titled ''1970'', but this was not released until 1996. Released in 1979, ''Like Flies on Sherbert'' was recorded at two Memphis studios,
Phillips Recording Phillips Recording Service is the short name widely used to refer to the Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio established in 1960 by Sun Records and Memphis Recording Service founder Sam Phillips at 639 Madison Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee to replace ...
and
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 1978 and 1979. Chilton had previously been a member of the Box Tops and
Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American ...
. The album was originally released in fall 1979 in a batch of 500 copies by Peabody Records, a label run by Memphis singer and guitarist Sid Selvidge. Aura Records, a British label, put out a version that differed slightly from the original issue. A number of CD releases followed in the 1990s and 2000s, some with added bonus tracks. Selvidge's 1998 Peabody CD reissue collects all the tracks from the previous Peabody edition and the Aura reissue and adds three tracks: "Baby Doll," "She's the One That's Got It" and "Stranded on a Dateless Night." The photograph used for the cover of the album was taken by noted American photographer
William Eggleston William Eggleston, (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition of color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...
, who had previously provided the cover for Big Star's second album '' Radio City''.


Recording

The songs on the album were either Chilton originals or obscure
cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...
of songs by artists including
KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits " Get Down Tonight", " That's the Way (I Like It)", "⁠ (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", ...
,
The Bell Notes The Bell Notes were an early American rock and roll group from the East Meadow area of Long Island, New York. The Bell Notes were regular performers in The Bronx in the 1950s, and performed at a bar owned by the father of Ray Tabano; he and St ...
,
Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), marked ...
and the
Carter Family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...
. Critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
described them as a "bag of wrecked covers and discarded originals". All were recorded with false starts and vocal and musical errors, either created by accident or on purpose. Producer
Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Li ...
later described the recording of "No More the Moon Shines on Lorena": "Sometimes there was somebody in the control room and a lot of times there was nobody there. The beginning of 'Lorena' where it's spoken, that was overdubbed because whoever started the machine didn’t start it soon enough."Crawdaddy: Alex Chilton 1975–81
/ref> The musicians also sometimes used instruments that were not fully functioning, as Dickinson explained: "The
Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...
was sitting around broken at
he studio He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter call ...
I played it and all I did was twist knobs." Chilton later said that when the recording sessions began, he began to think, "'Man these guys don't know the songs...this must sound terrible'. But when I went in the control room and heard what we’d been doing, it was just incredible sounding. Getting involved with Dickinson opened up a new world for me. Before that I'd been into careful layerings of guitars and voices and harmonies and things like that, and Dickinson showed me how to go into the studio and just create a wild mess and make it sound really crazy and anarchic. That was a growth for me."Robert Gordon, "It Came from Memphis", Pocket Books, 2005. Dickinson affirmed that Chilton consciously wanted the musicianship to be sloppy. He clarified that he plays guitar on the album despite not being technically proficient: "A lot of the guitar on ''Sherbert'' is me. Alex said, 'You still play like you’re 14 years old.' I said, 'Yeah, I play bad.' That's what he wanted." Years later, for Robert Gordon's book on the Memphis music scene, ''It Came from Memphis'', Chilton stated, "My life was on the skids, and ''Like Flies on Sherbert'' was a summation of that period. I like that record a lot. It's crazy but it’s a positive statement about a period in my life that wasn’t positive."


Critical reception

With its deliberately below-par sound quality and performances, reviews of ''Like Flies on Sherbert'' differ as to whether the effect is positive or merely substandard.
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's David Cleary noted that "sound quality is terrible, instrumental balances are careless and haphazard, and some selections even begin with recording start-up sound."Review by David Cleary at AllMusic [] and described the album as "universally slipshod and boorish...sloppy and lackluster." Another AllMusic critic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, claimed the album was "a front-runner for the worst album ever made." However, more recently, AllMusic critic Steve Leggett revisited the album and gave it a three-and-a-half-star review, saying, "In retrospect, ''Flies'' isn't quite the car wreck it once appeared to be." ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
s Ken Tucker described the album as "a small masterpiece of crudity and split-second invention", adding that "Chilton achieves his most startling, moving effects at precisely those moments when he seems least in control."Review by Ken Tucker at Rolling Stone
/ref> Critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
stated that "this long-time advertisement for self-abuse doesn't prove craziness is universal. Just makes you forget that things most certainly wouldn't be more fun if it was." It also received positive reviews in '' Sounds'' and was a featured release in ''
Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American rock music magazine and entertainment company, founded in Detroit, whose initial print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor ...
''.


Track listing


LP (Peabody version)


Side 1

#"Baron of Love, Pt. II" (Ross Johnson) – 4:11 #"Girl After Girl" (
Gary Shelton Gary Shelton (born 21 March 1958) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Playing career Shelton came through the ranks at Walsall to become a first-team player, catching the eye of neighbours Aston Villa. He ...
) – 2:28 #"My Rival" (
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 ...
) – 3:27 #"No More the Moon Shines on Lorena" (
A. P. Carter Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American musician and a founding member of the Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music. A.P. suffered from a tremor in his right h ...
) – 4:35 #" I've Had It" (Ray Ceroni, Carl Bonura) – 2:23


Side 2

#"Rock Hard" (Chilton) – 2:42 #"Waltz Across Texas" (
Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), marked ...
) – 4:46 #"Alligator Man" (
Floyd Chance Floyd Taylor Chance (December 21, 1925 – April 11, 2005), often credited as Lightnin' Chance, was an American session musician who played bass on many successful country and pop records, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. His bass playing can ...
,
Jimmy C. Newman Jimmy Yves Newman (August 29, 1927 – June 21, 2014), better known as Jimmy C. Newman (the C stands for Cajun), was an American country music and Cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the Grand Ole Opry. Early life Newman was born nea ...
) – 2:40 #"Hey! Little Child" (Chilton) – 3:43 #"Hook or Crook" (Chilton) – 2:25 #"Like Flies on Sherbert" (Chilton) – 2:08


LP (Aura version)


Side 1

#"
Boogie Shoes "Boogie Shoes" is a funk/disco song by KC and the Sunshine Band, which first appeared on their 1975 self-titled album. The song became a hit after it appeared on the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack in 1977. It was subsequently released as ...
" (
Harry Wayne Casey Harry Wayne Casey (born January 31, 1951), better known by his stage name KC, is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter. He is best known for his band, KC and the Sunshine Band, with co-founder Richard Finch (musician), Richard Fi ...
, Richard Finch) – 2:29 #"My Rival" – 3:27 #"Hey! Little Child" – 3:43 #"Hook or Crook" – 2:25 #" I've Had It" – 2:23


Side 2

#"Rock Hard" – 2:42 #"Girl After Girl" – 2:28 #"Waltz Across Texas" – 4:46 #"Alligator Man" – 2:40 #"Like Flies on Sherbert" – 2:08


CD re-release

#"Baron of Love" (Ross Johnson) – 4:11 #"Girl After Girl" #"My Rival" #"No More the Moon Shines on Lorena" #" I've Had It" #"Rock Hard" #"Waltz Across Texas" #"Alligator Man" #"Hey! Little Child" #"Hook or Crook" #"Like Flies on Sherbert" #"Boogie Shoes" #"Baby Doll" (Chilton) – 2:51 #"She's the One That's Got It" (Allen Page) – 1:54 #"Stranded on a Dateless Night" (
Cordell Jackson Cordell Jackson (née Miller; July 15, 1923 – October 14, 2004) was an American guitarist thought to be the first woman to produce, engineer, arrange and promote music on her own rock and roll music label. Early life She was born Cordell Mill ...
) – 2:33


Personnel

*Alex Chilton –
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
,
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
*Mike Ladd – guitar,
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
*Lee Baker – guitar *Jim Lancaster –
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
*
Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Li ...
– piano, keyboards, guitar *Ross Johnson – drums, vocals *Richard Rosebrough – drums *Lesa Aldridge – backing vocals * Sid Selvidge – backing vocals ;Technical *Alex Chilton, Richard Rosebrough, Pat Rainer, John Hampton - engineer, mixing *Larry Nix - mastering *
William Eggleston William Eggleston, (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition of color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...
- photography * Gustavo Falco - titling *Recorded at
Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...
Studios and
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. ...


References

{{Authority control Alex Chilton albums 1979 albums Albums produced by Jim Dickinson Albums produced by Alex Chilton