Though nobody knew it at the time-and too few know it now-Big Star was one of the greatest groups of the '70s, yet remains the least appreciated band whose influence can truly be considered incalculable. They gave an indifferent public three albums that prove nirvana can be reached at 45 rpm, and in the process, created power pop-a mix of crunchy guitars and Beatle-esque pop-that Cheap Trick and the Knack would later make money off of. Their influence extends well into the contemporary indie rock scene, so much that the existence of The Shins, Teenage Fanclub or The Posies would be inconceivable without Big Star.
That being said, their recently released album In Space lies somewhere between a cruel joke and cruel punishment. The set-up is deceivingly promising: After years of a solo career that was shaky at best, frontman Alex Chilton decides to bring back Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, recruit Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies and make a fourth Big Star album. But it seems whatever made Big Star brilliant got left behind somewhere in '75. In Space alternates between songs that nearly recapture Big Star's shambly, jangly pop perfection and songs that recapture the blandness of the last time you read the dictionary for fun.
The highlights are few but undeniably welcome. \Dony"" reminds us of the bad-ass bite guitar riffs used to have in the '60s, and ""Lady Sweet"" finds Chilton creating an affecting pastiche of fragile, depressive vocals and ultra-sweet background vocals. Along with ""Mine Exclusively"" and ""Best Chance,"" these songs find Big Star at least reminding us of their pop/rock brilliance.
But when In Space is bad, it goes all the way. ""Love Revolution"" explores new meanings of the word 'embarrassing' as Chilton attempts to create a sunny, '70s-style funk workout but in the end only ends up reminding us how white he is. As much as he tries to get the party started by throwing around phrases like ""Get a new groove y'all,"" ""We need to get together,"" and ""Shake that funky thing!"" he only succeeds in making you want to smash your stereo, computer or iPod.
On ""Love Revolution,"" Chilton proves he and funk have about as much in common as a nun and a vibrator, and this incongruity might be amusing (like Paul Anka singing Van Halen and Nirvana) if he didn't sound so enthralled with the whole lite-funk attempt.
Similarly unfortunate is ""A Whole New Thing,"" which couldn't be more inappropriately titled as the first 30 seconds are a complete rip-off of T. Rex's ""Bang a Gong."" And once it stops channeling T. Rex, it just gets lame.
We should be happy that the man who created the quiet desperation of Big Star's final masterpiece ""Third/Sister Lovers"" is now happy, but if his happiness sounds this bad, let's hope his Zoloft prescription expires.
