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/ News

Chilton Illuminates New York in Unearthed 1997 Show

August 15, 2013 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

Alex

Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of that famous blackout that hit New York and parts of the Eastern seaboard for much of the afternoon and evening. How ironic, then, that we turn your attention today toward the impending release of a previously-unreleased live concert from the late Alex Chilton, recorded under similar circumstances.

Electricity by Candlelight showcases an unbelievable set by the Big Star frontman on the floor of New York's Knitting Factory on February 13, 1997. Chilton was in town for two performances at the venue; before his second set of the night, however, The Knitting Factory inexplicably lost power, and refunds were issued. But in an almost too-good-to-be-true twist, Chilton and touring drummer Richard Dworkin made their way to the floor. Chilton accepted a random concertgoer's loan of an acoustic guitar, and played.

What happened next was more than a dozen ethereal covers, from Loudon Wainwright III ("Motel Blues") to Joni Mitchell ("A Case of You"), standards including "The Girl from Ipanema," "My Baby Just Cares for Me," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Walk the Line" and "If I Had a Hammer." In a brilliant hat tip to one of his most transcendent pop contemporaries, he also performed The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Surfer Girl," plus relative obscurity "Solar System," from 1977's Love You.

Recorded by a concert attendee, a Mr. Jeff Vargon (who also penned the set's liner notes), Electricity by Candlelight certainly bears all the earmarks of a lo-fi personal recording. But, either by luck or by virtue of the unbelievable scene taking place, the audience is respectful of this up-close-and-personal set, allowing for the best possible presentation of Chilton's strumming and that inimitable quavering voice. The disc also features a rare studio track, a cover of Johnny Lee's country tune "You Can Bet Your Heart on Me," from a European compilation released in 1993.

Electricity by Candlelight is available from Bar/None Records on October 8. Amazon links are not yet live, but a track list is below.

Electricity by Candlelight/NYC 2/13/97 (Bar/None BRN-CD-220, 2013)

  1. Last Bouquet
  2. Step Right This Way
  3. Let's Get Lost
  4. D-I-V-O-R-C-E
  5. Raining in My Heart
  6. Lovesick Blues
  7. The Girl from Ipanema
  8. My Baby Just Cares for Me
  9. Motel Blues
  10. Someone to Watch Over Me
  11. Footprints in the Snow
  12. A Case of You
  13. Wouldn't It Be Nice
  14. Surfer Girl
  15. Solar System
  16. I Walk the Line
  17. If I Had a Hammer
  18. You Can Bet Your Heart on Me

Tracks 1-17 recorded at The Knitting Factory, New York City - 2/13/1997
Track 18 released on Love is My Only Crime (Intercord/Veracity Musik IRS CD 986.966 (EU), 1993)

Categories: News

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Mike Duquette

Michael Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he discovered there was more than one version of John Williams' soundtrack to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, with bylines on catalog at Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Prince and credits on titles including the Grammy-winning 'Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with an ever-expanding collection of music.

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Comments

  1. 45spin says

    August 15, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    "Wouldn't it be Nice" to see Alex Chilton doing The Beach Boys,

    Reply
  2. Chief Brody says

    August 15, 2013 at 6:30 pm

    That show literally happened almost three months to the day after I left my hometown of Queens for Detroit. My mom died exactly a week BEFORE the show, and I was in town to visit her one last time. A buddy told me that Alex was coming to the Factory, and I really, really wanted to go, but there was just way too much going on, obviously. So this release definitely means a LOT to me on a personal level, not just musical. I'll be getting it for sure.

    Reply
  3. Jeff Vargon says

    August 16, 2013 at 11:45 am

    Great article; you have captured the gist of this recording perfectly. A couple minor corrections though: this was the second set of the *evening* as the first went off without a hitch; the club lost power before Alex could take the stage for the second. The recorder's last name is Vargon.

    Reply

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