Big Star has always been an alternative rock favorite, as you might be able to tell by its frequent references in anything written by Music Times staffer Joe "Memphis Delight" DeGroot. The power pop icons haven't always gotten the respect some fans feel they deserve from record labels however. For example, both of the band's first two albums, #1 Record and Radio City, have long been released together as one album with both titles. Stax Records will finally be releasing them as individuals again.
As you can imagine, the packaging will be special edition as well. R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills will write the liner notes, fitting considering his longtime promotion of the band's music and the fact that he played bass in Big Star Third, a super-cover-group formed with original drummer Jody Stephens following the deaths of Big Star honcho Alex Chilton and guitarist Chris Bell died during 2010.
"Songwriting has always been, for me, the most vital gauge of a band's quality, and these guys were clearly masters," reads a statement by Mills. "Big Star gave you something satisfying to listen to, no matter how many times you heard them."
Both albums will be available for purchase beginning September 2.
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