New Miserable Experience
| New Miserable Experience | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 4, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | February - March 1992 | |||
| Studio | Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock,[1] jangle pop[2][3] | |||
| Length | 45:02 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Gin Blossoms John Hampton | |||
| Gin Blossoms chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
.jpg) Re-release cover | ||||
| Singles from New Miserable Experience | ||||
| ||||
New Miserable Experience is the second studio album by 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.[4] With "Found Out About You" following a few months later, the album eventually reached multi-platinum status.[3]
The 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 music. The album was re-released with a new cover without the original Arizona desert photo, in late summer 1993, in conjunction with A&M's newfound support of the album.
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. The Rarities Album was released separately in Abbreviated form in 2010 as Rarities, missing the three cuts from Dusted.
Track listing[edit]
- "Lost Horizons" (Doug Hopkins) – 3:20
- "Hey Jealousy" (Hopkins) – 3:56
- "Mrs. Rita" (Jesse Valenzuela, Jim Swafford) – 4:25
- "Until I Fall Away" (Robin Wilson, Valenzuela) – 3:51
- "Hold Me Down" (Hopkins, Wilson) – 4:50
- "Cajun Song" (Valenzuela) – 2:56
- "Hands Are Tied" (Valenzuela) – 3:17
- "Found Out About You" (Hopkins) – 3:53
- "Allison Road" (Wilson) – 3:18
- "29" (Valenzuela) – 4:18
- "Pieces of the Night" (Hopkins) – 4:33
- "Cheatin'" (Valenzuela, Hopkins) – 3:25
Track listing for the bonus disc included with the 2002 Deluxe Edition[edit]
- "Something Wrong" (Valenzuela) - 2:40
- "Slave Dealer's Daughter" (Hopkins, Bill Leen) - 2:32
- "Fireworks" (Hopkins) - 3:05
- "Keli Richards" (Hopkins, Leen) - 3:04
- "Just South of Nowhere" (Valenzuela) - 3:26
- "Angels Tonight" (Hopkins) - 3:33
- "Blue Eyes Bleeding" (Hopkins) - 2:30
- "Soul Deep" (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 3:05
- "Heart Away" (Wilson) - 2:21
- "Cold River Dick" (Wilson, Valenzuela, Leen, Phillip Rhodes, Scott Johnson) - 1:16
- "Christine Irene" (Wilson, Valenzuela) - 2:42
- "Number One" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Neil Innes) - 2:35
- "Idiot Summer" (Wilson) - 4:13
- "Back of a Car" (Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel) - 2:43
- "Allison Road '94 (remix)" (Wilson) - 3:22
- "Hold Me Down (live)" (Hopkins, Wilson) - 4:55
- "Hey Jealousy (live)" (Hopkins) - 3:57
- "Mrs. Rita (live)" (Swafford, Valenzuela) - 4:20
- "29 (live)" (Valenzuela) - 4:07
- "Movin' On Up (live)" (Jeff Barry, Ja'net Dubois) - 2:57
- "Folsom Prison Blues (live)" (Johnny Cash) - 3:08
- "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, CA
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Chicago Tribune | [6] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
| The Village Voice | C+[9] |
Rolling Stone praised the album, saying it "sounds both fresh and highly personal."[7] AllMusic called the album "a tight and lean collection of brilliant, edgy pop music."[5]
Chart performance[edit]
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Heatseekers | 1 |
| The Billboard 200 | 30 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Hey Jealousy" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 |
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 25 | ||
| Top 40 Mainstream | 20 | ||
| "Found Out About You" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 1 | ||
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 25 | ||
| Top 40 Mainstream | 6 | ||
| "Mrs. Rita" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 36 | |
| 1994 | "Until I Fall Away" | Adult Contemporary | 23 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 40 | ||
| Modern Rock Tracks | 13 | ||
| Top 40 Mainstream | 13 | ||
| "Allison Road" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 20 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 39 | ||
| 1995 | "Found Out About You" | Adult Top 40 | 38 |
Personnel[edit]
Gin 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
- 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, TN), except: "Allison Road" and "Mrs. Rita", recorded at: AB Recorders (Phoenix, AZ) By: Andy Barret
Original 1992 release:
- Art direction and design: Rowan Moore
- Photography: Dennis Keeley
- Radiator: Kelly Ray
