One takeaway from Nothing Can Hurt Me — the 2012 documentary chronicling Memphis power-pop act Big Star's fraught 1970s tenure — is that the late bandleader Alex Chilton's career went in reverse: He stumbled into fame with the Box Tops, struggled for a commercial break with Big Star, and finally launched a difficult but rewarding solo career. Third, an album recorded by Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens as the group dissolved in 1974, captured the pivotal moment. The A-side features brassy swagger and ragged hooks; the flip, however, typifies the experimental proclivities Chilton went on to indulge. There's a haunted cover of "Femme Fatale," the opioid cruising ballad "Big Black Car," and downcast highlight "Holocaust," which feels saturated by specters courtesy of tape manipulation and chilling string arrangements. Upcoming at the Great American Music Hall, a staggering cast of players — including Stephens, Van Dyke Parks, the Kronos Quartet, and members of R.E.M. and Wilco — come together for a special rendition of Third.
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