In Space
In Space is the fourth and final studio album by American rock group Big Star, released in 2005. It was the first new Big Star studio recording since Third/Sister Lovers, recorded in 1974 and released in 1978.
| In Space | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 September 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Studio | Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Power pop | |||
| Length | 39:04 | |||
| Label | Rykodisc | |||
| Producer | Big Star, Jeff Powell | |||
| Big Star chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
| Pitchfork | 5.3/10[3] |
The album features original Big Star members Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, with two more recent recruits, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Auer and Stringfellow had been members of The Posies before joining Big Star in 1993 for sporadic live performances and tours.[4]
In Space features new original material by the four members, plus a cover of "Mine Exclusively" – originally recorded by The Olympics in 1966 – and a new arrangement of "Aria, Lago" by Baroque composer Georg Muffat. One Alex Chilton song, "Hot Thing," was originally recorded by the band in 1997 as its contribution to the tribute album Big Star, Small World, a project delayed by a succession of record label failures before its eventual release in 2006.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jon Auer, Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens and Ken Stringfellow, unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dony" | Chilton | 2:45 | |
| 2. | "Lady Sweet" | Auer | 3:40 | |
| 3. | "Best Chance" | Stephens | 3:04 | |
| 4. | "Turn My Back on the Sun" | Stringfellow | 2:38 | |
| 5. | "Love Revolution" | Auer, Chilton, Jim Spake, Stephens, Stringfellow, Nokie Taylor | Chilton | 5:49 |
| 6. | "February's Quiet" | Stephens | 2:44 | |
| 7. | "Mine Exclusively" | Shirley Mae Matthews | Chilton | 2:31 |
| 8. | "A Whole New Thing" | Chilton | 3:52 | |
| 9. | "Aria, Lago" | Georg Muffat, arr. by Auer, Chilton, Stephens, Stringfellow | Instrumental | 2:30 |
| 10. | "Hung Up with Summer" | Auer, Chilton, Bill Cunningham, Stephens, Stringfellow | Chilton | 3:03 |
| 11. | "Do You Wanna Make It" | Chilton | 2:46 | |
| 12. | "Makeover" | Chilton | 3:42 |
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Hot Thing" | Chilton | 4:14 |
| 14. | "Dony (rough mix 4/17/04)" | Chilton | 2:49 |
| 15. | "February's Quiet (Jody/Jon demo)" | Stephens | 2:44 |
| 16. | "Lady Sweet (Jon Auer sketch #1)" | Instrumental | 1:21 |
| 17. | "Lady Sweet (Jon Auer sketch #2)" | Auer | 0:59 |
| 18. | "Turn My Back on the Sun (a capella)" | Stringfellow | 2:31 |
Personnel
- Big Star
- Jon Auer – guitar, vocals
- Alex Chilton – guitar, vocals
- Jody Stephens – drums, vocals
- Ken Stringfellow – bass guitar, vocals, keyboards
with:
- Jim Spake – saxophone ("Dony", "Love Revolution", "Do You Wanna Make It" and "Makeover")[5]
- Nokie Taylor – cornet ("Love Revolution")[5]
- Technical
- Jeff Powell – producer, mixing
- Adam Hill – assistant engineer
References
- Mark Deming. "In Space". Allmusic. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- Robert Christgau. "Big Star". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- Stephen M. Deusner. "Big Star In Space". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- Big Star at Allmusic
- "Big Star - In Space (CD, Album) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved November 24, 2016.