The Gin Blossoms were one of the more truly damned rock & roll bands to grace the pop charts in the 1990s. The group was founded and spiritually led by singer-guitarist Doug Hopkins, who also wrote Read More.

• Verified Purchase. Anyone who has ever tried to cope with their emotional problems via cases of cheap beer and knock-off Jack Daniel's will immediately relate to 'New Miserable Experience', the high-water mark of the fine but tragically short-lived early-mid 90s rock band the Gin Blossoms. It would be easy to dismiss the Blossoms as just another self-piteous rock-pop band, but the atmosphere of factory town blues, heartache, hopeless obsession with ex-girlfriends, and general drunken misery.
• Added exclusive video of Doug performing with the Gin Blossoms. February 19, 2010 Site redesigned and updated. Site Requirements. New Miserable Experience Outside Looking In New Miserable Experience (Deluxe Edition).

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.^[5]

The band's 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.

Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience Deluxe Edition

Track listing[edit]

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

Track listing for the bonus disc included with the 2002 Deluxe Edition[edit]

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, CA

Critical reception[edit]

Rolling Stone praised the album, saying it 'sounds both fresh and highly personal.'^[8]AllMusic called the album 'a tight and lean collection of brilliant, edgy pop music.'^[6]

Chart performance[edit]

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

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'

Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience Deluxe Edition Full

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

Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience Deluxe Edition Review

Original 1992 release:

Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience Rarities Edition

• Art direction and design: Rowan Moore
• Photography: Dennis Keeley
• Radiator: Kelly Ray

References[edit]

1. ^Beach, Connor (June 7, 2018). 'Gin Blossoms Come Full Circle With Latest Record'. Long-Islander News. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
2. ^Meuth, Gary (April 27, 2017). 'The Gin Blossoms define sound of jangle pop'. Salina Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
3. ^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.
4. ^Hudak, Joseph (March 29, 2017). 'Gin Blossoms' 'New Miserable Experience': The Dark History of a Nineties Classic'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
5. ^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.
6. ^ ^abAnderson, Rick. 'New Miserable Experience - Gin Blossoms'. AllMusic.
7. ^Herrmann, Brenda (August 20, 1992). 'Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience'. Chicago Tribune.
8. ^ ^ab'Gin Blossoms: New Miserable Experience : Music Reviews (Unfinished review)'. Rolling Stone: 146. December 23, 1993. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
9. ^Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 332. ISBN0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone gin blossoms album guide.
10. ^Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1994). 'Turkey Shoot'. The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 23, 2015.

Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience Deluxe Edition Ebook