To those who followed Alex Chiltons musical activities in the 1980s and beyond, the thought that he would ever revisit his Big Star-era music much less put the band back together seemed extraordinarily unlikely. So when it finally happened, with original drummer Jody Stephens plus the Posies (Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow), it came as quite a shock. A pleasant one to be sure, but a surprise nonetheless.

Columbia was a fine live album, one that helped remind modern-day listeners just what all the Big Star fuss had been about. And that live set was refreshingly free of maudlin nostalgia.

The reconstituted Big Star played quite a few live dates; that too was a surprise. Even more unexpected was the release in 2005 of an album of new material: In Space. Made up mostly of original tunes wr