DEATH OF ROCK

Vinyl LP pressing. ItAEs 1978 at Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, TN. Peter Holsapple had rolled into town chasing the essence of Big Star. He hooked up with musician/engineer/friend-of-Big-Star, Richard Rosebrough after approaching, and being turned down by, Chris Bell who Holsapple had hoped might be interested in producing him. Together Richard and Peter started laying down tracks during the off hours at the studio. Chilton meanwhile, was knee deep in the making of Like Flies On Sherbert, also being tracked at Phillips. He told Peter, oI heard some of that stuff youAEre working on with Richard . . . and it really sucks.o Alex promised to come by and show Peter ohow itAEs done.o The results' AlexAEs tracks definitely line up with the chaos found on Flies, while several of PeterAEs songs found homes on The dBAEs albums (oBad Reputationo and oWe Were Happy Thereo) and on an album by The Troggs (oThe Death Of Rocko retooled as oIAEm In Controlo), so not a loss at all. What we have in these newly discovered tapes, is a fascinating pivot point with both artists moving past each other headed in distinctly different directions. Chilton moved toward punk/psychobilly as he began playing with Tav FalcoAEs Panther Burns and produced The Cramps debut, Songs The Lord Taught Us, within a few months of these recordings. Holsapple was off to New York to audition for The dBAEs and enter the world of osweet pop.o'