Customer Reviews

Amazing Disgrace

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've read through the reviews here and most of them seem pretty off-base to me. Hurt and disappointment are just as much a part of life as joy and happiness, and feeling a full range of emotions is a part of being human, so I don't see why people would criticize an artist for expressing hurt and disappointment, which is what many of these reviews seem to be doing. It's kind of ironic that many people would criticize this album as being bitter and dispirited when the majority of the most popular albums of the 90's are much more bitter and dispirited than this one (either that or mindlessly angry and aggressive with little to no attempt at being tuneful about it). This album is the picture of buoyancy compared to work by Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, Pearl Jam, Tool, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Portishead, Korn-I could go on like this for days. This could easily be one of the top 5 albums of the 90's, and it's better than anything that I've heard by any of the acts that I've just listed. And none of those guys' (or girls) chops can compare to the Posies', these guys are an amazingly tight band (even when they rotate rhythm sections). The rhythm section this time around is Joe Howard on the bass and Brian Young on drums, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow take on their usual roles as songwriters, guitarists, and vocalists. The Posies are also way beyond most of those other bands as lyricists, and it's a major plus that the lyrics are included in the liner notes. At 14 tracks this album is an "amazing" value, I've seen "Amazing Disgrace" described as a tour de force and it's hard to disagree. The masterful slow to mid-tempo rockers which dominate this release are extremely well constructed, and they hold up unbelievably well to repeated listens. This album remains engaging all throughout because they keep the power-pop sound consistent but with enough variety in the mix to keep things from becoming monotonous. They even manage to throw in a few psychedelic tricks such as the pretty effective Hendrix imitation guitar solo on "World", which almost sounds as if it was lifted straight from the title track for "Are You Experienced", backwards phrasing and all. They even have a "Strawberry Fields" type freak out at the end of "Grant Hart". They incorporate a variety of tricks and techniques yet they never indulge in gimmick-ery for the sake of, because it's all done with the same inerrant sense of craftsmanship. Even grunge elements that are so often that sub-genre's downfall are used to great effect and in just the right doses by the Posies on this release (the distorted power chords that sometimes ring-out for up to 8 measures or more-it works because unlike many grunge bands, the Posies maintain an absolutely stellar rhythm section and a strong sense of harmony). This album, like pretty much all of the Posies' work (that I've heard so far) is FULL of hooks with infectious harmonies. They maintained this focus at a time when most acts created hooks that seemed to focus more on catchy and biting refrains than harmony. Even the hook for the controversial (at least for many of the reviewers here) "Every Body is a F------ Liar" has a great harmony. It's one of the best rockers on the album, and it's far from the mindless rant that the title may seem to suggest. The entire album is thoughtful and well-crafted, and full of both highly effective slow to mid-tempo rockers that perfectly capture the hurt and disillusionment that comes from deep disappointment, and high energy rockers that show the group at its power-pop best. And while they express disappointment and disillusionment, they still manage to offer hope along the way (Fight it) and reach out to tell a friend to open up and lighten up because things could get better (Will you ever ease your mind?). I know that it went largely ignored and unappreciated but this is hands-down one of the best albums of the decade.

When i first got this album, i listened to the first few songs, and thought I was in for a major dissapointment, having bought into the Posies on the basis of Frosting on the Beater. These songs were angry, abrasive and discordant. I left it in my car, and after a few listens, the songs began to get their hooks into me. It stayed there for many months.

In retrospect I've come to understand that as an album, it's one of the best ones I picked up in the 90's, and the fact that I've never heard a single song from it played on any radio station only adds to its allure I suppose. I don't know what the Auer and Stringfellow think about it, but I have to wonder whether or not the dare u to like us ordering of songs hurt them when they clearly have gravitated to playing songs like Throwaway and Please Return it (songs 3 and 4) in their live shows (and on their Best of collection).

Like a bittersweet secret amongst friends, Amazing Disgrace is chock full of suprising melodies and lyrics. Posies fans will not be dissapointed with the depth or running time (14 songs!) It also contains what I consider to be amongst the handful of best unknow Alternative/pop recordings, Fight it (If you want), and like so many Posies songs, offers optimism and ethical choices made in the face of disappointment. This is no 3 song collection however, and one of the things I've always respected about the Posies is the depth of their commitment to the concept of an album without filler. From what I've read, this album was recorded over the period of almost a year, and the care and craftsmanship shows. Like any number of DGC releases I own, this is a fantastic album that never received the promotion it deserved.

It seems other reviewers here simply do not understand this release. When Geffen first started, they signed bands that were talented and were not going to get a sniff from the majors looking for the next Hammer or Wilson-Phillips. The Posies had a 3 record deal with Geffen. "Dear 23" sold well..."Frosting" sold better, and then Geffen, as we knew it, was gone. No longer interested in variety, Geffen hung onto it's major alternantive acts and cut the rest loose...The Posies included.
So a formally promoted band was left to fulfill it's contract and then vacate the premises. How did the Posies respond? Anger. This album perfectly captures the bands mood at the time.
A lot of the songs were left over from the Dear 23 and Frosting days and fit perfectly at this time. I prefer albums that have a real feel, and capture what the artist is feeling at the time. Like Springsteen's underappreciated Nebraska, Disgrace finds the Posies at the lowest.

I am a huge fan of the Posies, but I had my doubts about Amazing Disgrace. I had heard a lot of mixed messages about the album, and the open obscenity of one track was a bit of a deterrent too. I finally bought it though, and I am glad I did. It certainly is more angry, harsh, and dissonant than their other records, but it has the same melodic sensibility, and the majority of the lyrics are still the tasteful poetry I hoped for. While not as musically brilliant as Frosting on the Beater, Disgrace has more emotion (tender and sorrowful as well as angry) and houses some tracks that are definitely among the Posies' best ever. "Ontario," "Precious Moments," "The Certainty," and "Song No. 1" all fit into the latter category, and most of the other songs are nearly as good. All in all, this is probably their second best (Frosting being the first), and it is better than Dear 23 (which is saying a lot because I really love that album). So don't balk at the mixed reviews, especially if you are already a Posies fan; this is one very good record, but it seems to be for some people more than others, so only you can really tell if you will like it.

The Beatles re-incarnated as Seattle grunge rockers ? Well, at least, on this album and its predecessor (Frosting On The Beater) its very hard to deny such an admittedly hyperbolic statement. Once the crunchy guitars, soaring harmonies and groovy backbeat get to you, there's no escaping the inevitable: The Posies have laid claim to that part of your brain where sweet melodies rule. Includes numerous could-a-been hits: "Throwaway", "The World", "Fight It (If You Want It)", the beautiful "Song #1" and "Grant Hart", a tribute to the former Husker Du drummer/singer/songwriter.

There's a lot of power pop out there that's either too pop or not enough power. Here's to an album that captures both and isn't afraid to give you them in the right dosage.

Just For a moment, imagine you were in one of the best pop/rock bands to ever grace the american music scence. Then after releasing 3 nearly perfect records---AND TOURING AS PART OF BIG STAR--you were still almost unknown beyound your circle of fans and hometown. THAT IS WHY IS RECORD IS SO BITTER IN TONE---THAT IS ALSO WHY THIS RECORD IS BRILLIANT! To all of you Posie fans who dislike this CD--You should understand! If only The Replacements would have burned out with such glory! Success was a ironic last stab--GET IT! DUGH!

... this is exactly what they would sound like. In an unfair world where posers like Pavement and Jon Spencer are revered, this is one more great band and album falling thru the cracks.

This is one of those CDs that has a few duds that you wish weren't there, spoiling the brew somewhat, but on the plus side some of The Posies' finest tracks are found on this, their farewell release on Geffen. A 6-song sampler issued promotionally for this release is the ideal item to own, as it contains the very best of the lot, including my favorites, "(Will you ever) Ease your Mind?", "Song #1", "Fight It (If You Want)", and "Throwaway". Geffen promoted "Please Return It" and then "Ontario" as singles, but they were obviously the wrong songs; neither picked up radio play. "Frosting On the Beater" is The Posies' classic, and should be heard first, but unless you can find a copy of the sampler CD, pick up "Amazing Disgrace" for its highlights, and forgive the band for such awful tracks as "Everybody..." and "Hate Song", and the mediocre "Ontario". Had they been left off, this would have been given a 5 star rating.

Amazing Disgrace has been a misunderstood album since day one, but don't let the mixed reviews fool you. Frosting typically gets the praise, and it's a great album, but Amazing Disgrace one-ups it in every way. The songs here have a lot more distinction to them, with an incredible variety of styles and sounds to keep things from blending together. From louder, punk influenced songs ("Grant Hart" "Everbody Is A F@#%ing Liar") to emotional ballads ("The Certainty") to classic power pop ("Will You Ever Ease Your Mind?" "Fight It") and even the odd progressive, almost jazzy cut like "Broken Record" with its challenging time signatures and rhythms. The production values are much clearer than the Don Flemming haze that floated over Frosting, and the track sequence seems to purposefully catch you off guard here and there to keep things interesting throughout. There's even a cameo (albeit poorly mixed) by Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick.

To those who claim that this album "doesn't sound like the Posies," let's not forget that these guys grew up playing in punk bands, and came of age surrounded by the underground Seattle scene that would later become known as "grunge." Their earlier albums may have been a conscious effort to stand out from the pack, but it can't be denied that the louder side of things has always been a part of who they are. After a few years of quiet acoustic guitars and sugary retro pop vibes, they re-embraced the Marshall stack in the early 90's, and took things to the logical conclusion here. The variety of sounds and production lift Amazing Disgrace above Frosting, and the hooks are just flat out stronger than on Success. If you're willing to take a chance on a "loud" Posies album, this is clearly the one to get.

What I love about this record is that after whatever number of amazingly, discomfitingly various chameleon-of-the-week albums (Failure=perfect '80s Brit-pop, Dear 23=dyspeptic '90s Sgt. Pepper, Frosting=stunning grunge turnaround), "Amazing Disgrace" is the Posies...posing as nobody. And it's brilliant. For the first time, they just fiercely make great art. For me, a touchstone record.