LEGENDARY 1970s ALT-ROCKERS BIG STAR SHINE AGAIN WITH NEW SONY/LEGACY COLLECTION, PLAYLIST: THE VERY BEST OF BIG STAR.

14-song set compiles first complete 1972-2005 discography with studio tracks, rehearsal takes and rare live performances of the storied career of the influential cult band led by Alex Chilton.

Available November 26, 2013, through Columbia/Legacy

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While they never achieved commercial success during their brief and stormy run in the 1970s, power-pop group Big Star is now regarded as one of the finest "lost" rock and roll bands of all time. With interest in the group now at an all-time high - their gripping story is the subject of a new, feature-length documentary,Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me – Sony/ Legacy is pleased to present Playlist: The Very Best of Big Star, a 14-song collection documenting this unique band's remarkable musical journey.

Founded in Memphis TN by guitarist/songwriters Chris Bell and former Box Tops lead vocalist Alex Chilton ("The Letter," "Cry Like A Baby"), and rounded out by bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens, Big Star was an immediate hit with critics, who hailed their 1972 debut album, the rather dauntingly titled #1 Record, an instant classic.

Yet, while it featured such standout songs as "Feel," "The Ballad Of El Goodo," and "In The Street" (which millions would eventually come to know decades later as the theme from the hit TV series That ’70s Show), #1 Record was at the time a commercial disappointment. After a frustrated Bell left to try and pursue a solo career, Chilton took over leadership of the now stripped down trio, leading to 1974's Radio City, another critically-acclaimed set highlighted by such powerhouse tracks as "Life Is White," "Daisy Glaze," and the unforgettable "September Gurls" (later covered by the Bangles).

It, too, however, failed to generate much in the way of sales, and the band continued to struggle, beset by a combination of external problems (inadequate distribution and promotion) and internal strife (bassist Hummel departed not long after Radio City's completion). Big Star's story should have ended in the mid-’70s when Chilton dissolved the band and left Memphis to join the punk/new wave scene in New York as a solo performer. The group's music, however, simply would not disappear from the sky: succeeding generations of bands ranging from the Replacements to R.E.M. all proclaimed Big Star's inspirational influence on their own work.

While Chris Bell was tragically killed in a car accident in 1978, Chilton and Stephens reunited in the early 1990s, and with the help of Big Star-struck Pixies musicians Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer, the band's music was yet again re-discovered, drawing even more new fans to Big Star'saura. New work by the group would no doubt have continued to flow were it not for the sudden heart attack that in 2010 ended Alex Chilton's life–ironically, just as he was about to travel to be part of a Big Star tribute at Austin, TX's South by Southwest festival. 

Still, their music, and their story, live on. 2013 has seen the release of filmmakers Drew DeNicola and Olivia Mori's highly regarded new documentary about the band, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, and, as well, the new Legacy Playlist collection.

Playlist: The Very Best of Big Star includes selections from all three of the band's ’70s studio albums, as well as an assortment of songs recorded live in 1993, when a group of dedicated Big Star fans at the University of Missouri led a successful campaign to get the group to re-form and perform. Chief among these cuts are the hard-driving "Don't Lie To Me," Jody Stephens' heartfelt "For You," and a striking rendition of Chris Bell's haunting solo single, "I Am The Cosmos."

They may have never achieved that elusive #1 Record, or the mass market popularity implied by their name, but this ahead-of –their-time band's music continues to reach out and touch anyone who hears it. To quote the Replacements' Paul Westerberg: "I never travel far/Without a little Big Star."

PLAYLIST: THE VERY BEST OF BIG STAR - Legacy Recordings (88843 00426 2)

Selections:

1. Life Is White – from Radio City

2. Feel – from #1 Record

3. September Gurls (Rehearsal) - from Nobody Can Dance

4. Daisy Glaze – From Radio City

5. Stroke It Noel - from 3^RD

6. Kanga-Roo - from 3^RD

7. Don't Lie To Me (Live) - from Columbia: Live At Missouri University

4/25/93

8. I Am The Cosmos (Live) - from Columbia: Live At Missouri University 4/25/93

9. In The Street (Live) - from Columbia: Live At Missouri University 4/25/93

10. The Ballad Of El Goodo (Live) - from Columbia: Live At Missouri University 4/25/93

11. For You (Live) - from Columbia: Live At Missouri University 4/25/93

12. Back Of A Car (Live) - from Columbia: Live At Missouri University 4/25/93

13. Thank You Friends (Live) - from Columbia: Live At Missouri University 4/25/93

14. A Whole New Thing - from In Space