Stand Out Albums: The Posies ‘Amazing Disgrace’ (1996)

Stand Out Albums has been a showcase for my favorite albums across the vast performers that I love.  Covering a little bit of everything from classic rock to country hits, much like Key Movies of My Life, it has been the albums that shaped me.  This year, I am taking a slightly different approach by discussing the discographies of my favorite musicians, album by album, in release order.

A few weeks back I launched my review series about one of my all time favorite bands, The Posies.   This week we take a look at their fourth album, Amazing Disgrace. 

Why This Album?

I vividly remember buying this album at a record shop while on a school trip.  While I had begun ordering their older albums that I had missed and making sure to order any compilations they may have been on, I happened to be in probably Suncoast Music in some mall somewhere where I ran across this album and was more than ready for some new music.  That trip I picked this one up and happened to find the import Nirvana EP Hormoaning which made this school trip well worth it.  Sure, we did school stuff too but we all know that that is not why we wanted to go on these trips in the first place. Slipping my headphones on, I gave this my first listen on on the bus ride home via my off-brand walkman and I was instantly hit with an even heavier and somewhat angrier Posies than I had come to know.  This time, after the shock between D23 and Frosting, I was ready and boy was I thrilled for this intense and fun power pop.  

Amazing Disgrace is the Posies Power pop taken to the extreme.  The sorrow and angst of the previous albums have been replaced by a smoldering anger that is completely understandable considering that this was the late 90’s.  If you look at the Posies albums like a relationship, or an emotional journey, Failure is when you start learning who you are, D23 is when you settled but still want more, Frosting is when you begin waking up and looking for change, Amazing Disgrace is that change and that change is really damned good.  Between the pleading lyrics of ‘There’s an upside, there has to be an upside’ in Please Return It to the blunt but fair ‘Everybody Is A Fucking Liar’, it is clear The Posies have reached their boiling point by this album and have somehow managed to funnel that anger into something melodic, powerful and beautiful.

To me, this is the definitive Posies of my youth.  When I think of this band and where I was in the 90s when I loved them, it is Amazing Disgrace that pops into mind first.  I love this album and all of it’s anger, angst and energy.  It is truly the embodiment of a teenager in the late 90’s who sees the world changing and doesn’t know how to change with it without giving up everything they thought was real.  Thankfully, that’s exactly what I did and the Posies might deserve a little credit for pushing me toward better things. 

Favorite Tracks

Fight It (if you want).   This became my anthem through the remainder of Highschool.   ‘You can fight it if it doesn’t kill you, you can fight it if you want to fight’.   This song really got me thinking about what I wanted to do after everything was said and done with my school days and I was finally a part of society as a whole.  Filled with the Posies patented harmonies and melodies coupled with the intense nature of the album, this was truly my Fight Song and still is to this day.

Ontario.   I don’t know why I adore this song so much but it has always been one that I just freakin love.  Sometimes, that’s enough.

Song #1 (which is the 11th track on the album btw) Opening with what is clearly an outtake moment that they left in for fun, this song just speaks to me.  Sure, It’s easy to write it off as yet another of the Posies typical sorrowful lamentations of lost love, but man the way this song is put together just sells it.  

Ok, Where do I get it?

You can pick up a tremendous deluxe edition here which contains some AWESOME bonus tracks or even directly from Omnivore Recordings . Or, just give the original release a listen here.  Either way, give it a go. 

Next week we discuss the ‘final’ Posies album, Success.

Late to the Game 6/1/2021

---

Thanks for reading, If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also check out some retro tv goodness with the ongoing series Retro TV Reviews here. You can also find a few of my other Music Reviews Here.

As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with these movies as well. If you just happened by, tell me what you think! Don’t Forget To Follow us if you like the blog!