I never travel far without a little Big Star," sang Paul Westerberg on the Replacements' "Alex Chilton," an homage to the frontman of the post-Beatles power pop quartet. Ironically, neither Westerberg or members of his former band recorded a song for the Big Star tribute, called Big Star Small World, due out May 17 on Ignition Records.

The 'Mats aside, Big Star Small World boasts an impressive lineup of Big Star gazers, such as Matthew Sweet ("The Ballad of El Goodo"), the Afghan Whigs ("Nighttime"), Sister Hazel ("September Gurls") and the now-defunct Gin Blossoms ("Back of a Car"). Original Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, who played drums on Sweet's version of "The Ballad of El Goodo" and on Whiskeytown's "Give Me Another Chance," also joined his on-again, off-again bandmates for a new Big Star song called "Hot Thing." R.E.M.'s Mike Mills contributed bass to "El Goodo," which, according to Stephens, features a missing section towards the end of song, which was inadvertently omitted.

Other artists that contributed to the album include Juliana Hatfield ("Don't Lie to Me"), Teenage Fanclub ("Jesus Christ"), Wilco ("Thirteen"), the Posies ("What's Going Ahn"), Kelley Willis ("When My Baby's Beside Me") and the Idle Wilds ("You Get What You Deserve").

BLAIR R. FISCHER