Customer Reviews

Success

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

 

 

For their last album, the Posies emptied their songwriting drawers and came up with their best, and most relaxed, effort. The surprise here is that nearly every song here was written between 1991 and 1995 - some predating even Frosting on the Beater. That doesn't mean these songs are inferior by any means - they just never found their way onto albums. In fact, when DGC was trying to sell them as a "grunge" band they overlooked out-and-out pop masterpieces like Somehow Everything, Beautiful One, Farewell Typewriter and Every Bitter Drop. DGC's loss is Popllama's gain. Each of their previous albums had been rather 'extremely' produced in one way or another (reverb drenched, entirely distorted, etc.) as though DGC were desperately trying to sell the Posies to a certain market demographic. For Success -tellingly, on an indepenent label- the Posies finally distilled their sound. Brilliantly. Success contains many of the Posies best songs, idiosyncratic as they can be sometimes, and would make an ideal introduction to a misunderstood, often overlooked band.

Musically, this album posseses somewhat less brilliance than my favorite Posies record (Frosting), or my second favorite (Amazing Disgrace). Nonetheless, it is more sonically interesting than either, featuring a highly unusual production style, and communicating a sense of the bittersweet more strongly than any other record I have ever heard. Some of you will probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but there is an indefinable emotion of beautiful sadness that some music evokes in me, which to me is the highest attainable goal for anyone who makes music. The Posies captured this with "Song #1," "The Certainty," and others on Disgrace, but it is strongest on this album; notably on "Fall Apart With Me," "Somehow Everything," and "Fall Song." Every song is excellent, however; personally I don't care much for "Placebo" or "Start a Life" (which is a very odd expirement for the Posies), but these are both high quality songs nonetheless, with many good points. And of course any review of Failure would be incomplete without a mention of "You're the Beautiful One," an astounding pop gem that causes your throat to tighten and your eyes to tear up by the final chorus. The ending line "What's so beautiful about you is... you didn't have to explain it to me" alone easily catapaults this song onto the higher tiers of my "top ten songs of all time" list. Highly recommended for Posies fans or anyone who wasn't laughing when I tried to describe this "ethereal bittersweetness."

For a starting anecdote, let me just say that I saw an acoustic set by The Posies recently in Dublin and they were openly ridiculed by the majority of the crowd - certain people booed and others got up and left.
This has always baffled me !

After two (brilliant) albums which were panned by the critics and ignored by the public ('Frosting On The Beater','Amazing Disgrace'), the Posies disbanded to get their thoughts together and pursue some solo work.
On their return they created what was to be their last studio album and arguably their masterpiece.

'Success' boasts a collection of excellent power-pop songs.
Jon and Ken both possess the singing voices of angels and when they sing together ,the effect is fantastic.
Posies have been wrongly accused of trying to develop a more grungy sound because they come from Seattle and to 'cash in' on the success of bands such as Nirvana but hey - grunge never sounded as good as this.
I would like you to imagine Crosby,Stills and Nash coupled with the guitar work of a Jimmy Page or a Johnny Marr as a pointer to the sound of the Posies when they rock out.On their slower numbers which are no less excellent, they have an ear for a melody also and their voices manage to convey sorrow without ever descending into overt sentimentality.
'You're The Beautiful One' and 'Friendship Of the Future' being two good examples.
For my money the highlights on this album are 'Looking Lost' with its unrelenting guitar riff ,superlative drums and harmonica and 'Fall Apart With Me' with its catcy chorus and faultless drumming.

All in all this album is a fabulous swansong for a band which was never understood by the critics or the public but which is constantly cited by other artists as a major influence.

The Posies album Success has to be one of the 3 to 5 best albums of the 1995-2000 era. This one seems to me like a kind of modern version of the Beatles album SGT. Pepper; not in the use of Semi-Classic and Indian motifs, but in the assimilation of different styles. SUCCESS manages to invoke the spirits of Queen, R.E.M., the Beatles, Prince, Nine Inch Nails, and Cheap Trick, but still manages to tie it into a cohesive whole and make it sound like the Posies. This is their most ambitious album and it is a SUCCESS!

"You're The Beautiful One", a ballad set to kind of a hip-hop/soul beat, sounds like some great lost Prince song. "Fall Apart With Me", and "Placebo" both sound influenced by Cheap Trick's Dream Police period. "Looking Lost", and "Fall Song" are both kind of Queen-like. "Grow", a song about death, is a Nine Inch Nails-like dirge. "Every Bitter Drop" would be very at home on R.E.M.'s AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE. "Somehow Everything" has a very Beatles flavor to it.

"You're The Beautiful One", and "Every Bitter Drop" would have been top 5 hits if properly exposed to the public because they are very memorable, and performed very well. A very good album that makes you wonder if radio stations and video channels were sleeping or what? in 1998-99.

To quote the song "You're The Beautiful One", "What's so beautiful about you is that you didn't have to explain it to me." Sums this album up well.

Back on Pop Llama, they label where they debuted in the late '80s, the Bellingham, WA popsters' formal full-length swan song --they have occasionally reformed and pseudo posthumously released an EP, a box set and some other odds and ends-- includes a few of their finest tunes. Among them: "Somehow Everything", "You're the Beautiful One", "Friendship of the Future", and "Every Bitter Drop".

This is the last studio album (to date) by the Posies, who may or may not have broken up for good. This band is the Everly Brothers of the grunge world, with an effortless sense of pop melody, a keen ear for chord changes, and KILLER two-part harmonies. "Success" is a return to form for the Posies after the angry, dispirited "Amazing Disgrace". This album is full of great songs, from the pure pop of "Somehow Everything" and "Farewell Typewriter" to the synthesized "Start a Life", the full-out rock of "Looking Lost", and the wistful ballads "You're the Beautiful One" and "Every Bitter Drop". My favorite song is the careening "Fall Apart with Me". The Posies aren't the greatest musicians in the world, but they play exactly what the song needs, and they know how to use the whisper-to-a-scream dynamic range to full effect.

The Posies deserve SUCCESS by now. Their latest CD is a strong masterpiece and it should finally give them the bigger audience they deserve. So, don't let them get even more cynical, just buy this one. In doubt? Just check out track 2, 'Every Bitter Drop', where The Beatles meet Crowded House. There's also some more uptempo and stronger stuff. Don't complain you weren't told!

This cd is one of my favorite by The Posies. I'm glad I bought it. Many great tunes. My favorite? "You're the Beautiful One."

After three major label releases, the band returns to Indie land where they began for this, their 5th release. "Success" follows the Posie tradition of "the song is the star", and there are plenty of stars to be found here. The exciting "Placebo" and "Fall Apart With Me", as well as the beautiful "Grow" shine particularly brightly. A new version of "Start A Life" had a great video to go along with it. On this 12-song collection The Posies offer up a slew of catchy, memorable melodies along with some scorching bursts of guitar, and, most effectively, British Invasion-style hooks. "Success" indeed.

Success being the Posies 1998 release and their 5th studio album was yet another album that I took a chance at after seeing it in my local library. The sound is straight forward rock music with generic lyrics and sound. All the lyrics are included in the booklet. Throwaway is a great track but many tracks sound similar. 3/5.