![Gin Blossoms were formed in 1987 in Tempe, AZ, by lead guitarist/songwriter Doug Hopkins, Bill Leen and then-lead vocalist Jesse Valenzuela, (who eventually relinquished the lead vocal position to Robin […]](http://www.obsessed-with-music.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2017-03-12-at-8.51.54-PM-620x250.png "Classic Gin Blossoms Albums Get Vinyl Reissue")
Gin Blossoms were formed in 1987 in Tempe, AZ, by lead guitarist/songwriter Doug Hopkins, Bill Leen and then-lead vocalist Jesse Valenzuela, (who eventually relinquished the lead vocal position to Robin Wilson) taking their name from a photo of W.C. Fields in Kenneth Anger’s legendary Hollywood Babylon book, which depicted him “with gin blossoms,” referring to his rosacea-ravaged face. Gin Blossoms’ first full-length studio album, New Miserable Experience, came out on August 4, 1992, on A&M Records, followed four years later by Congratulations, I’m Sorry, on February 13, 1996. Both albums have been reissued on black and limited edition colored vinyl on March 24, marking the 25th anniversary of the release of New Miserable Experience.
New Miserable Experience was the follow-up to the band’s 1991 EP Up and Crumbling, and it was an apt description of the process. The band’s guitarist and chief songwriter Doug Hopkins was fired near the conclusion of the sessions because of his alcoholism, and then unexpectedly passed away in December, 1993, shortly after receiving his gold plaque for writing the hit single “Hey Jealousy,” leading to the title of their follow-up, Congratulations, I’m Sorry. Scotty Johnson, from The Feedbags assumed lead guitar duty following Doug Hopkins’ departure.
New Miserable Experience spent three years on the charts, eventually selling nearly 5 million copies. Rolling Stone praised the album, saying “it sounds both fresh and highly personal.” That album’s 1996 successor, Congratulations, I’m Sorry, spawned two more hits and earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Duo or Group, where they lost to The Beatles’ “Free as a Bird.” Thanks to a combination of non-stop touring and radio airplay, the album went on to sell more than 1.5 million in the U.S., but shortly after, Gin Blossoms took a four-year hiatus, returning to the road in 2001, and recording two more albums, including Major Lodge Victory (2006) and their most recent, No Chocolate Cake (2010).
More info/buy: New Miserable Experience | Congratulations I’m Sorry
Track listings
New Miserable Experience
Side A:
“Lost Horizons”
“Hey Jealousy”
“Mrs. Rita”
“Until I Fall Away”
“Hold Me Down”
“Cajun Song”
Side B:
“Hands Are Tied”
“Found Out About You”
“Allison Road”
“29”
“Pieces of the Night”
“Cheatin’”
Congratulations, I’m Sorry
Side A:
“Day Job”
“Highwire”
“Follow You Down”
“Not Only Numb”
“As Long As It Matters”
“Perfectly Still”
Side B:
“7th Inning Stretch”
“My Car”
“Virginia”
“Whitewash”
“I Can’t Figure You Out”
“Memphis Time”
“Competition Smile”
More info/buy: New Miserable Experience | Congratulations I’m Sorry
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