Hmm...even if that story of jumping out the window is not true (and I am thinking it is not), it certainly was entertaining to read. Thanks! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie" To: Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 8:46 PM Subject: Re: How does Big Star rate with you? > Hi Mark, > > I've read a couple of different explanations of this; some may be > myth, and some may be for real. > > I read where the Box Tops producer Dan Penn had a way that he thought > things should sound and coached the heck out of Alex on his vocal > performances. And though I've yet to hear a Dan Penn solo album, > I've read where Penn sounds just like Box Top-era Alex, so he must > have had Alex doing it how he thought it should be done. > > Then I've also read, a myth possibly (?), where 16-year old Alex was > having sex with his girlfriend at her parent's house on the day > before "The Letter" was to be recorded. The girls father or mother > knocked on the door, and Alex ended up jumping out of the window, > naked on a cold winter day, and sneaking back to his own house, > hiding behind shrubs and stuff along the way. So he had this gruff > voice the next day, due to a cold night out. And then supposedly, > Dan Penn liked the voice, and before recording future Box Tops songs > had Alex drink a little whisky, smoke a pack of cigarrettes, and sit > in a restaraunt freezer for a period of time before recording vocals. > > Then after the break up of the Box Tops and before the actual start > of Big Star, Alex was supposed to have admired the style of Roger > McGuinn of the Byrds, and had tried to develop a style like that for > himself, which I think I can hear a little bit in "The Ballad of El > Goodo" and "Watch the Sunrise". > > I've also read where the Big Star voice is closer to Alex's natural > voice, and part of his reason for eventually leaving the Box Tops was > that he hated doing his Box Tops voice. This may be true because on > the Box Tops' 1999 reunion album, Alex doesn't use his 1960s Box Tops > voice, he sings more in the style of his 1980s and 1990s solo work. > > Peace, > > W.D. > > --- In audities@yahoogroups.com, "Mark Eichelberger" > wrote: >> >> This is an aside to the ongoing discussion regarding Big Star. I > admit >> that I have not heard a lot of Box Tops songs other than The > Letter, but can >> someone explain why Alex's voice sounds so much different when he > sang with >> the Box Tops than when he sang with Big Star? It's as if 2 > different >> singers were in those bands. Was he just trying to sound > more 'soulful' in >> the Box Tops? >> >> Mark E. > > > >