Disco de The Posies: “Dream All Day: The Best of the Posies”

. . . He Put My Baby in the Garbage Can.

The Posies were one of the 90s' great overlooked bands. Though they had bags of potential hits and plenty of exposure via tribute comps and soundtracks, they only had one radio song, 93's "I Can Dream All Day," which gives this collection its title. The band was heavily influenced by Big Star, but more by that band's overlooked sonic architect, Chris Bell, than Bell's quirkier, more celebrated collaborator, Alex Chilton, and the Posies' hommage to Bell, a cover of his great lost masterpiece, "I Am the Cosmos," is included here. The Posies didn't merely imitate, though, putting a contemporary spin on the Big Star formula of great hooks and harmonies by rocking harder and playing up the poor, poor pitiful me white boy shtick that was even more suited for contemporary audiences than back when Big Star first did it, but maybe because the Posies' angst came across as more genuine than prefab hucksters like Bush, who affected disaffection so that people might mistake them as credible (sadly, many did), listeners stayed away by the stadium-full, just like with Big Star, though this was probably one characteristic of their heroes that the Posies did not wish to emulate. The production already sounds dated on most 90s albums and this collection is really no exception, but the Posies packed a genuine emotional wallop, rendering this clutch of classics near-timeless. This is a shockingly well-assembled retrospective with no weak spots, making it more valuable than the individual albums; virtually all of their key tracks are here -- "Suddenly Mary," "Solar Sister," "Flavor of the Month," "Please Return It" (though I could've done with the inclusion of "Daily Mutilation," personally, but I won't quibble) -- along with some great unexpected album tracks like "Coming Right Along" and the epic "Flood of Sunshine."

I got this album from the clearance bin, never having heard any of the songs on it and not knowing what to expect. I knew they were an indie group from around Seattle so I thought maybe it would be something like Nirvana, but not as good. I was pleasently surprised with the album. The songs are catchy pop songs that you can sing along too, but it still has a raw sort of an edge to it. The lyrics are witty and at times insightful. Since I haven't heard the albums I can't comment on whether these are the best tracks to put on the "best of." However, I can say that most of the tracks here are good, my favorites being "My Big Mouth," "Any Other Way," "Suddenly Mary," "King Midas In Reverse," "Going, Going, Gone," and "Ontario."

First of all, the music on this album is GREAT!! I have loved the Posies for over twenty years. Why I am rating it with one star is the manner in which Amazon basically charged me for what is supposed to be a FREE download. They sent me an incorrect item, instead of this at first. I returned the wrong item and received the correct one via overnight mail. But, in the meantime, I downloaded the auto-rip, knowing I would be getting the correct CD and this function was free. Somehow, they thought I returned the Posies CD and charged me for the auto-rip....in ADDITION to the original CD price!! Not cool, Amazon!!!!