Customer Reviews

Frosting on the Beater

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I remember hearing "Dream All Day" on the alternative station in Chicago back in 1993, but that's all. The other day I snagged this disc from the used CD store because I recognized that song's title, but this is the first time I've heard the rest of the tunes. Wow, where has this disc been hiding? This is sort of like dada meets T. Rex meets The Cars meets Big Star. Awesome, just awesome power pop, great hooks and melodies and harmonies. And the price is right. I wish I'd bought a new copy on Amazon instead of buying used -- the new is actually cheaper. Get this disc if you like smart, catchy power pop.

This is the high point of the Posies' career so far. Dear 23 is great; this one is even better. It rocks. It moves you. It's very creative, yet most of the songs sound like they belong on the radio -- at least, the mythical radio of my youth where all good, catchy songs are played. I wouldn't be surprised if this eventually becomes a serious cult favorite, one of those Big Star/Nick Drake things where a great artist or album that wasn't very popular in it's day becomes a touchstone many years later. That's how good this is. Five stars isn't enough. Six, maybe.

I'm not going to do anything but throw my voice in with the chorus. Brass ring indie rock. If you miss the days of smart propulsive music this is where to go.Tight harmonies, intriguing lyrics, jagged melodies, and full-on band interaction. A masterful malange of 60s, 70s, and 80s guitar rock mixed and matched with no concern for the namecheck.My only regret is I waited so long to buy this. Get this ahead of the revival curve where in 2010 everyone admits that they liked this on VH-1.Another piece to support my theory that guitar rock was perfected in the early nineties.

I am not going to be one of these people who will tell you that this album changed their life. I will, however, say that when I first heard this album, it did a pretty darn good job defining that point in my life. It's a great power pop/garage pop/catchy rock/whatever you want to call it record. It's intelligent, well written, and completely catchy. It's one of those records that seems to be impossible to get sick of, partly because it's so intelligent and partly because there's so much music to disect. Every time you listen to this album or read the lyrics I feel like you'll discover something new.

Well, anyway, if you want a catchy rock album that will put you into a good mood without being overly loud, this is completely an album to pick up.

Flashback to the dull, wet English summer of 1993. I had just broken up with the girl who I thought was the girl of my dreams, and was crawling around sloppy drunk with my metaphorical tail between my legs, when IT happened. After hearing 'Solar Sister' on the radio one afternoon, I came across this album in my local independent record shop, parted with some cash, and took it home. Sprawled in my room a couple hours later, with a big coffee and a bigger joint, I slid the CD into the player, kicked back and had my eyes opened... From the opening chiming powerchords of 'Dream All Day', to the squalls of modulating, downtuned jangle reaching up into the stratosphere at the close of 'Coming Right Along', this is an album of truly monumental proportions. Truly of it's own time, every track grabs you by the ears and plays tricks with your head- it seems every time I listen, I hear yet another melody or counter-melody. Stirring stuff... Even now, some eight years on, I still listen to this album almost every day. Even though I am now happily married, with a mortgage, dog, etc etc, I can still drift back to that lost drunken summer in the instant that it takes to press play and hear the greatest album I have ever heard all over again.

I've been listening to this (and their previous major label release, Dear 23) for the last several weeks in my car. I like it a lot. I first became aware of The Posies through Jon & Ken's involvement with Big Star. I had avoided The Posies' own music for too long. Now I know what they're about. Solid songwriting, mixed with some energetic guitar-fueled tunes, makes for an enjoyable time. The Posies display their pop chops on "Flavor of the Month", "Definite Door", "Solar Sister", and "Dream All Day". It just so happens that those 4 were all released as singles. The prime test of any worthwhile music is if it pops up in your head involuntarily; this does. I've enjoyed two bands from the 90s (Belly and Catherine Wheel) and now I have a third that I like. Gotta admire any band that puts The Hollies on a pedestal the way this one does. They obviously have good taste. "Frosting On the Beater" is The Posies at their best and it's their most popular release. On second thought, I give it a 5 star rating; it's that good.

I bought this album cause the cover looked cool. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I was amazed when I heard the music. The songs are catchy yet not poppy. They aren't trying to be anything but themselves on this record and it shows. I love the harmonies and the lyrics behind them. The guitars have an original sound that just drives through the speakers with such force. This is a great album to crank up REALLY loud and disturb your neighbors with. I have the other albums from The Posies, but this is the best one of them all. I have over 1600 CD's and this unknown band is the complete gem. If CD's could wear out from play this would be trashed. If there is ONE CD in the world that I would recommend to buy, this would be the top choice. Right along with albums such as, Beatles Abby Road, Pink Floyds Wish You Were Here, even though they are completely different types of music, they share the same quality of music throughout. I can't say enough about this album...

Mike

There's not much to be said on this record that other reviewers haven't already mentioned. I will ask you, however, if you are a fan of pop-rock music, to buy this album even if you have to go without food to do so. The Posies are very talented and clever, a true best-band-that-no-one's-ever-heard-of. Why the hell does Vertical Horizon flourish while these guys languish in obscurity? The world is an unfair place, everybody.

Before Seattle was famous for loud and angry , there was the Posies. Perfect pop without being shallow or insipid.... The Posies know how to lace just a tinge of sadness into their perfect pop melodies. Frosting On The Beater has no weak songs and is without a doubt one of the best albums of the 90's.

I honestly believe I started listening to music differently after I got this CD seven years ago. It has some amazing sounds coming from guitars and drums, well-written melodies and chords, and sometimes enigmatic lyrics. And the way Jon and Ken sing brings it all together.

The tunes are hummable, but not in the annoying bubble-gum way, especially because of the subject matter in a lot of the songs. It's hard to count how many true gems there are on this CD. "Solar Sister," "Love Letter Boxes," "Burn & Shine" all rank high on my list, but I truly enjoy every single song.

I can't think of a single album since the 70s that I would recommend as strongly as this one.