New Miserable Experience

New Miserable Experience
Studio album by Gin Blossoms
Released	August 4, 1992
Recorded	Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN
Genre	Power pop, jangle pop, alternative rock, pop rock
Length	45:02
Label	A&M
Producer	Gin Blossoms, John Hampton
Gin Blossoms chronology
Up and Crumbling (EP) (1991) New Miserable Experience (1992) Shut Up And Smoke (EP) (1994)
Alternate cover
Re-release cover

New Miserable Experience is the breakthrough album by pop-rock band the 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, lead single "Hey Jealousy" ascended into the top 40, with "Found Out About You" following a few months later. The album eventually reached multi-platinum status.

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 committed suicide.

New Miserable Experience's initial release contained completely different packaging. The album's original cover artwork depicted the Arizona desert, the background behind which the band began. Songs on the album, such as "Mrs. Rita," a song about a local psychic from the Gin Blossoms' hometown of Tempe, Arizona, were also written with references to the area, people, and events surrounding the band at the time. The majority of songs rely on a melody-driven pop style while the final track, "Cheatin'," leans into country. The album was re-released in its current form in the late summer of 1993, in conjunction with A&M's newfound support of the album. To celebrate the album's tenth anniversary, a deluxe edition containing an extra disc of demos, outtakes and live performances was released by the label in 2002.

Track listing

1. "Lost Horizons" (Hopkins) – 3:20
2. "Hey Jealousy" (Hopkins) – 3:56
3. "Mrs. Rita" (Swafford, Valenzuela) – 4:25
4. "Until I Fall Away" (Valenzuela, Wilson) – 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'" (Hopkins, Valenzuela) – 3:25

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Rolling Stone praised the album, saying it "sounds both fresh and highly personal."^[2] Allmusic called the album " a tight and lean collection of brilliant, edgy pop music."^[3]

Chart performance

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"	Modern Rock Tracks	39
1995	"Found Out About You"	Adult Top 40	38

Personnel

• Bill Leen - bass
• Phillip Rhodes - percussion, drums
• Jesse Valenzuela - guitars, mandolin, background vocals
• Robin Wilson - acoustic guitar, Vocals
• Doug Hopkins - guitars
• 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, & Cajun Song'"

Production

• 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 & design: Rowan Moore
• Photography: Dennis Keeley
• Radiator: Kelly Ray

References

1. ^ Allmusic Review
2. ^ Evans, Paul 1993-12-23-1994-01-06, "1993 the year in recordings". Rolling Stone (672/673):146
3. ^ Anderson, Rick (undated), "New Miserable Experience: Critic's Review". MSN.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-06