If you expect this record to be of a piece with Number One Record or Radio City, you will no doubt be disappointed. Those records (and Third/Sister Lovers) were of a time and place, and the circumstances surrounding them cannot be replicated.

Chilton and Stephens have been performing as Big Star with Auer and Stringfellow of the Posies since 1993, and making a new record was a wholly logical idea for the band. And it IS a band; most of the songs are credited to the four of them; Auer and Stephens share lead vocal chores with Chilton. I think I'd describe the album as sounding like jangly solo Chilton, which makes sense. There are some pure power pop tunes-- these cluster toward the begining-- that are evocative of the Big Star sound, but also sound contemporary, and if this was a brand new band you could as easily say they were influenced by the Posies.

There are several songs that would be right at home on a Chilton solo record; "Love Exclusively" is a funkier, jauntier take on something like "Thing for You." "A Whole New Thing" would not be out of place alongside his cover of "Little GTO" or his original "Jailbait." Overall the record is tauter and more jangly and catchy than Chilton's solo work, and more ragged and R'n'B-inflected than classic Big Star.

One thing that seems to jump out from what once would have been grooves: this is four guys having fun together. And fun is generally infectious. Don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of fun.

All of this is to help you triangulate the sound, and to help you to form-- or really, dissolve-- expectations. Because free of baggage and taken on its own terms, In Space is a sheer dance-party-fun romp. Nothing more-- and nothing less. Play it loud and invite the neighbors over.

Don't look for this reunion CD to reach the legendary heights of Big Star's three classic 70's albums, although it has some fun and very enjoyable moments for die-hard fans. To their credit Big Star have tried to duplicate the quirky sonics of those original Ardent Studio productions (wide separation of instruments, doubled vocals, hard compression) and most of the performances have a loose, raw yet conformable feel similar to "Radio City" and Alex's best solo albums.

The biggest problem with this CD is the inconsistent songwriting, which ranges from great to just plain lousy. Jon & Ken have tried hard to integrate their own sound into Big Star, but their own contributions wind up sounding just like Posies tracks due to their smooth harmony vocals and sophisticated lyrics. It's always a wonderful pleasure to hear them, but these songs just don't quite sound like Big Star. Still the tracks they star on like the gorgeous "Lady Sweet" are a real treat.

And just like Alex's solo albums, the guy can be brilliant, a blast, or totally embarrassing like a drunk Karaoke singer at your local beer joint. "Dony" winds up the closest to the original Big Star feel and sound. "February's Quiet" is a breezy sweet pop tune, and "Mine Exclusively" (originally done by the Olympics in 1966) is a great Box-Toppy upbeat track with a tough Alex vocal with fun counterpoint vocals and airtight drumming from Jody Stephens.

Had Big Star stayed focused on creating tight 3 minute Power Pop songs this CD would have been a lot better. But the rest is just knocked-off filler. "Do You Wanna Make It" is just another Chilton mock-soul number with some nice guitar soloing that saves it from being a dud. "A Whole New Thing" and "Love Revolution" might be fun songs to see them play live, but in the studio they wind up dumb and annoying. "Makeover" and "Aria Largo" sound like something they whipped up ASAP when the tape was rolling to fill up some CD space. These two tracks should have been wiped or dumped as UK EP tracks.

To wrap it up, I didn't expect much from this CD and didn't get much. I suggest checking this album out first on a pay music download site (EMusic or ITunes) where you can sample and then download individual tracks to save some cash.

I mean for god's sake it's most of Big Star after 30 years! We should be groveling at the feet of Alex Chilton in fanatical thanks! Those Posies are incredibly lucky and they know it.

Listen to Love Revolution again - they are cracking up the whole time. They're having so much fun with that song, how can you not LOVE IT?? I usta have a Disco Sucks tee but I've been referring to myself as Disco Fox lately.

I'm just so glad Alex wasn't washed away in his New Orleans home during Katrina - he was one of the first folks I axed my N.O. peeps about. I'm happy to hear him doing ANYTHING.

PS: There's a Love Revolution mp3 RINGTONE at this site:

http://www.funtonia.com/mp3ringtones/songs/Big_Star/Love_Revolution/

I'd love to get it but am suspicious - I assume there will be tons of hidden fees and resulting spam.... But if anyone buys it, email me and let me know if the company sucks or not. tcassin@emory.edu

A perfectly nice pop record that sounds halfway like an Alex Chilton album from the past two decades (lots of goofy R & B and garage rock) and halfway like (pick your favorite Big Star derivative: Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Velvet Crush, Imperial Teen...). Which means that it's a Big Star record in name and half its personnel only--because what made Big Star unique was that they sounded a lot more desperate than perfectly nice while cranking out the indelible hooks. So don't necessarily avoid--but don't be disappointed if what you hear sounds nothing like Radio City and only a little bit like #1 Record.

It was really a big ( and great ) surprise, when I read in a magazine this Spring that Big Star had been in the studio to record a new album; now it has finally been released - the first new studio album for 30 years.

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Alex Chilton was always the key-member of Big Star, but original drummer and occasioanal singer Jody Stephens is also still there. New members are guitarist and singer Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, bass keyboards and vocals.

I was a little anxious that the album would be a big disappointment ( reunion albums often are!!), but having heard the opening track "Dony", written and sung by Chilton, on the internet, my expectations grew. This actually sounded like Big Star. "Dony" is a typical Chilton/Big Star power-rocker with great guitar riffs.

The album continues with Jon Auer's "Lady Sweet", an absolute highlight on the album; a beautiful song with great vocals ( both lead and harmonies ) that evokes memories of "Thirteen" and "Ballad of El Goodo" from the first album.

High standards are kept with Jody Stephens' "Best Chance We've Ever Had" - fine track that really sounds like Big Star.

From here the album becomes slightly more uneven. Stephens contributes another highlight with "February's Quiet" and Stringfellow's Beach Boys inspired "Turn My Back to the Sun" is quite good.

It's not that the songs with Chilton in front are bad; they just sound less like original Big Star. "Mine Exclusively" is a funky/soul number, sounding very much like a 1960's track ("Heat Wave") - great vocals from Chilton. "Love Revolution" is another very different track; a disco/funky/dance type a track, that some will love and others probably will hate. "A Whole New Thing" is a classical Chuck Berry type rocker, and though "Hung Up With Summer" is quite a good song, it sounds somewhat underproduced like a demo.

Too sum things up a little, I would say that first half of the album is mostly great ( occasionally outstanding ) and second half uneven with a few rather weak tracks. So I cannot at all say I'm disappointed, and though this is hardly a new masterpiece, it brings hope for more great Big Star music in the future; it sure sounds like the right chemistry is there within the band.