New Miserable Experience is the second studio album by alternative rock band Gin Blossoms, released on August 4, 1992. The album was released to little fanfare and relatively lackluster reviews. However, nearly a year after its release the lead single "Hey Jealousy" entered the top 40.[1] With "Found Out About You" following a few months later, the album eventually reached multi-platinum status.[2]
| New Miserable Experience | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 4, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | February–March 1992 | |||
| Studio | Ardent (Memphis, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:02 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Gin Blossoms chronology | ||||
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| Alternate cover | ||||
.jpg) Re-release cover | ||||
| Singles from New Miserable Experience | ||||
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Background
editThe band's original lead guitarist, Doug Hopkins, was fired near the conclusion of the recording sessions for the album, ostensibly for his persistent alcohol problems. His replacement, Scott Johnson, is listed as a member of the band in the liner notes, but did not play on the album. Just as the album was becoming a success at the end of 1993, Hopkins died by suicide.
New Miserable Experience's initial release had completely different packaging. The album's original cover artwork depicted the Arizona desert. Several songs on the album were written with references to the area, people, and events surrounding the band at the time, such as "Mrs. Rita", which is a song about a local psychic from the Gin Blossoms' hometown of Tempe, Arizona. The majority of the songs rely on a melody-driven pop style, while the final track, "Cheatin'", leans into country.
The album was re-released in late summer 1993 with a new cover without the original Arizona desert photo. This re-release in conjunction with A&M's newfound support of the album. Lead singer Robin Wilson specifically requested artistic control over the new release, recalling, "I did insist that I have total control over the new cover. So what you see on New Miserable Experience, those are all my photographs. I did the layout, I handwrote all the lyrics and I made sure that I had control over that."[3]
Musical style
editThe album's music has been described as alternative rock,[4][5] jangle pop,[6][2] and power pop.[7]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Blender | [7] |
| Chicago Tribune | [9] |
| Los Angeles Times | [10] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[11] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [12] |
| The Village Voice | C+[13] |
Rolling Stone critic Paul Evans praised New Miserable Experience, saying it "sounds both fresh and highly personal."[14] In his review for AllMusic, Rick Anderson called the album "a tight and lean collection of brilliant, edgy pop music".[8] Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork described it as "a tender and sincere record that made the band famous while they grappled with tragedy."[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lost Horizons" | Doug Hopkins | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Hey Jealousy" | Hopkins | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Mrs. Rita" | Jesse Valenzuela, Jim Swafford | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Until I Fall Away" | Robin Wilson, Valenzuela | 3:51 |
| 5. | "Hold Me Down" | Hopkins, Wilson | 4:50 |
| 6. | "Cajun Song" | Valenzuela | 2:56 |
| 7. | "Hands Are Tied" | Valenzuela | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Found Out About You" | Hopkins | 3:53 |
| 9. | "Allison Road" | Wilson | 3:18 |
| 10. | "29" | Valenzuela | 4:18 |
| 11. | "Pieces of the Night" | Hopkins | 4:33 |
| 12. | "Cheatin'" | Valenzuela, Hopkins | 3:25 |
| Total length: | 45:02 | ||
To celebrate the album's tenth anniversary in 2002, a deluxe edition containing an extra disc of demos, outtakes and live performances was released by the label.[15] The Rarities Album was released separately in Abbreviated form in 2010 as Rarities, missing the three cuts from Dusted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Something Wrong" | Valenzuela | 2:40 |
| 2. | "Slave Dealer's Daughter" | Hopkins, Bill Leen | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Fireworks" | Hopkins | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Keli Richards" | Hopkins, Leen | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Just South of Nowhere" | Valenzuela | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Angels Tonight" | Hopkins | 3:33 |
| 7. | "Blue Eyes Bleeding" | Hopkins | 2:30 |
| 8. | "Soul Deep" | Wayne Carson Thompson | 3:05 |
| 9. | "Heart Away" | Wilson | 2:21 |
| 10. | "Cold River Dick" | Wilson, Valenzuela, Leen, Phillip Rhodes, Scott Johnson | 1:16 |
| 11. | "Christine Irene" | Wilson, Valenzuela | 2:42 |
| 12. | "Number One" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Neil Innes | 2:35 |
| 13. | "Idiot Summer" | Wilson | 4:13 |
| 14. | "Back of a Car" | Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel | 2:43 |
| 15. | "Allison Road '94" (Remix) | Wilson | 3:22 |
| 16. | "Hold Me Down" (Live) | Hopkins, Wilson | 4:55 |
| 17. | "Hey Jealousy" (Live) | Hopkins | 3:57 |
| 18. | "Mrs. Rita" (Live) | Swafford, Valenzuela | 4:20 |
| 19. | "29" (Live) | Valenzuela | 4:07 |
| 20. | "Movin' On Up" (Live) | Jeff Barry, Ja'net Dubois | 2:57 |
| 21. | "Folsom Prison Blues" (Live) | Johnny Cash | 3:08 |
| 22. | "Pieces of the Night" (with piano ending) | Hopkins | 4:20 |
- Tracks 1–3: from Dusted (1989)
- Tracks 4–6: from Up and Crumbling (1991)
- Track 7: outtake from New Miserable Experience
- Tracks 8–11: from Shut Up and Smoke (1994); "Soul Deep" also appears on the soundtrack album from the movie Speed
- Track 12: outtake from Shut Up and Smoke
- Track 13: from Music from the Motion Picture Wayne's World 2 (1993)
- Track 14: previously unreleased; intended for a Big Star tribute album
- Tracks 15, 22: alternate versions of songs from New Miserable Experience
- Tracks 16–21: recorded live on May 13, 1993, at Solana Beach, California
Personnel
editGin Blossoms
edit- Robin Wilson – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Doug Hopkins – guitars (Credited for performance and writing, uncredited as an active bandmember)
- Jesse Valenzuela – guitars, mandolin, background vocals, lead vocals on "Cheatin'"
- Bill Leen – bass guitar
- Phillip Rhodes – percussion, drums
Additional personnel
edit- Robert Becker – piano on "Until I Fall Away" and "Pieces of the Night"
- C. J. Chenier – accordion on "Cajun Song"
- Robby Turner – pedal steel guitar on "Cheatin'" and "Cajun Song"
Production
edit- Producers: Gin Blossoms, John Hampton
- Engineer: John Hampton
- Assistant Engineer: James "Left Of" Senter
- Mixing: John Hampton
- Mastering: George Marino
- Art direction: Barrie Goshko
- Design: Barrie Goshko
- Photography: Jay Blakesberg, Robin Wilson
- Crew: Jim Coleman, Scott Guess, Mike Chappell
- Recorded at Ardent Studios (Memphis, Tennessee), except: "Allison Road" and "Mrs. Rita", recorded at: AB Recorders (Phoenix, Arizona) by Andy Barret
Original 1992 release:
- Art direction and design: Rowan Moore
- Photography: Dennis Keeley
- Radiator: Kelly Ray
Chart performance
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1992–1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] | 63 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[17] | 43 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 53 |
| US Billboard 200[19] | 30 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[20] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[21] | 54 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[22] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[23] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Hudak, Joseph (March 29, 2017). "Gin Blossoms' 'New Miserable Experience': The Dark History of a Nineties Classic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ a b Masley, Ed (September 1, 2018). "Gin Blossoms' Robin Wilson on why 'Mixed Reality' is their best since 'Miserable' was new". AZCentral.com. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ Ryan, Jim. "Robin Wilson On New Gin Blossoms Album Mixed Reality, Celebrating New Miserable Experience On Tour". Forbes. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ Beach, Connor (June 7, 2018). "Gin Blossoms Come Full Circle With Latest Record". Long-Islander News. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ Hudak, Joseph (March 29, 2017). "Gin Blossoms' 'New Miserable Experience': The Dark History of a Nineties Classic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
While Hopkins' presence is all over New Miserable Experience – he wrote several cornerstone tracks, including autobiographical opener "Lost Horizons," the Byrds-like "Pieces of the Night" and the Modern Rock Number One "Found Out About You" – Wilson and Valenzuela provided their own songs that further cemented the album as a Nineties alt-rock favorite.
- ^ Meuth, Gary (April 27, 2017). "The Gin Blossoms define sound of jangle pop". Salina Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ a b Young, Jon (January–February 2003). "Gin Blossoms: New Miserable Experience (Deluxe Edition)". Blender. Vol. 2, no. 1. New York. p. 110. Archived from the original on February 20, 2004. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Anderson, Rick. "New Miserable Experience – Gin Blossoms". AllMusic. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ Herrmann, Brenda (August 20, 1992). "Gin Blossoms: New Miserable Experience (dad/A&M)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ Rosenbluth, Jean (August 15, 1992). "Gin Blossoms, 'New Miserable Experience,' A&M". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Rytlewski, Evan (March 3, 2024). "Gin Blossoms: New Miserable Experience Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ Gross, Joe (2004). "Gin Blossoms". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 332. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1994). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Evans, Paul (December 23, 1993 – January 6, 1994). "Gin Blossoms: New Miserable Experience". Rolling Stone. No. 672–673. New York. p. 146. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ Schabe, Patrick (November 7, 2002). "Gin Blossoms: New Miserable Experience (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 114.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2420". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ "Gin Blossoms | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Gin Blossoms Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Gin Blossoms Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience". Music Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
