This Is All You Will Every Be

Speaking of bands that were buried by the onslaught of grunge in the early nineties, The Posies rank near the top of my favorite bands of the last twenty years. Other than their first odd but endearing new wave-ish LP, every record since then has remained on my frequent playlist. The bass player and drummer positions were revolving doors throughout the first ten years, then the group went on several sabbaticals under the billing of a break-up. But the co-lead vocalists and songwriters Ken Stringfellow and John Auer keep drifting back together. They have a penchant for beautiful close harmonies a'la the Byrds and Hollies. Coupled with their fine guitar work and songwriting abilities, they were asked by Alex Chilton to join him and Jody Stephens for the third and last edition of Big Star.

Frosting On The Beater hit the record shelves in 1993. Unlike their pop-filled sophomore effort Dear 23, FOTB contains a definite movement towards a harder rock sound. It is filled with moments of grandeur as well as some of their finest melodies up to that time. Definite Door has a possible sci-fi premise with hints about "another dimension", but underneath it really seems to be about a life out of control. Heavenly harmonies come in with the second section of the bridge at 0:56, then around 1:24 an instrumental interlude kicks out the jams. The simple bass line alone is worth the price of admission. It knocks me in the gut every time I hear it.

Keeping track of the eyesight streaming
Isn't part of the regimen
Many hours of sleepless dreaming
Unaware of the mess you're in
And if you didn't have a clue
You probably never will
And all the things you didn't do
Will inundate you still...

All The Lonely People

For a change of pace, here is a live Beatles' cover by Jellyfish that breaks the mold and goes off into its own little world of melancholy. It really gets me how the chords have been altered ever so slightly in a way I could never have imagined would work. Normally I would toss off any attempt to alter this classic, but it all works beautifully.

God's gift to oxygen

Jellyfish could do no wrong in my book. Yet they barely dented the charts during their regrettably short two LP career. Grunge was ruling the airwaves in the early 90s so there was no large audience for a band with killer chops, Beach Boys harmonies, and complicated melodies. Pity because if there is any band that I wish had hung together for more recordings, it would be this one.

Listen to the impeccable harmony work in The Ghost and Number One. I have no idea who the "knappy superstar" is who inspired the rant in the lyrics but there is real venom exuding here.

Sure life's no cherry but a cupcake for the meek
So he shoots up his poison until the frosting tastes so sweet

At 1:23 the song enters a Pet Sounds-inspired musical universe. And again at 2:40, what with the banjo, chimes, and bass line, the spirit of Brian Wilson lives on.

Mrs.Lynn the fruit of your labour
Gives us a savior, nappy superstar.
To you we bid congratulations, to him adulation.
A blessed life begun, for the ghost at number one.