Prior to the 2005 sessions at Memphis’ Ardent Studios that produced In Space, Big Star did the ideal prep by playing live dates in a lineup comprised of founder members guitarist /vocalist Alex Chilton and drummer/vocalist Jody Stephens along with the linchpins of the Posies, Jon Auer (vocals, guitar)and Ken Stringfellow (vocals, bass, keyboards). That sequence of events now seems light-years from a now-existing fan community so fervent it will no doubt feast on this release in both CD and vinyl formats).
Purists might quibble with the validity of this lineup. Nevertheless, it is simply not possible to hear the high vocal harmonies flow in and out of the electric guitars on “DONY” and not deem legitimate the participants’ decision. In an alternate timeline, Auer and Stringfellow might well have been members of Big Star from the start, so it occurs the four-square drumming, combining with more falsetto group singing on “Lady Sweet,” might easily pass for the Posies at any stage of that Seattle group’s career.
Which only reaffirms the timeless and durable quality of this two guitar/bass/drums and vocals configuration. And it’s a style all the more delectable when acoustic textures are mixed in during tracks like “Best Chance.” As depicted in the half-dozen demos and rough mixes including “February’s Quiet,” there’s hardly a whit of the affectation that sometimes made the original group sound a bit too arch for its own good. No question “Turn My Back On The Sun” owes a debt to the Beach Boys, right down to its title, but it’s an homage all the more honest because it’s rendered in note-perfect singing.
If there’s any attitude present at all on this remastered title, it’s tribute such as that and the funk overtones of the wry “Love Resolution:” Archie Bell & The Drells would be proud (and perhaps a little envious!?) of the way this Big Star quartet tightens up here. And while that kind of overtly derivative original material calls into question whether the original foursome would’ve evolved into such an open-minded ensemble–see the late Chilton’s solo projects for further hint–there’s certainly no doubt this one just loved to just play; as demonstrated through its willingness to accommodate the horns of Jim Spake and Nokie Taylor on that latter cut, this Big Star’s devotion to music is an end in itself, as much as (or more than) a means to expression of personal emotion.
There’s even an instrumental here, the cryptically-titled traditional “Aria Largo” It is no coincidence there’s a number here titled “A Whole New Thing” or, even more significantly, that “Makeover” is the last cut of a dozen on the album as Rykodisc first released it. With liner notes from that label’s A&R man Jeff Rougvie, recording session engineer Jeff Powell, as well as Stephens, Auer and Stringfellow, each individual offers a decidedly unique perspective, so that 2019’s expanded In Space is a time capsule that illuminates past, present and future.
