Become What You Are
1993 studio album by the Juliana Hatfield Three
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Become What You Are is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band the Juliana Hatfield Three, released on August 3, 1993, by Mammoth Records. The album includes the hit singles "My Sister" and "Spin the Bottle".
| Become What You Are | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 3, 1993 | |||
| Studio | Hollywood Sound, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:22 | |||
| Label | Mammoth | |||
| Producer | Scott Litt | |||
| The Juliana Hatfield Three chronology | ||||
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| Juliana Hatfield chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Become What You Are | ||||
Recording and release
The band's singer and guitarist, Juliana Hatfield, recorded Become What You Are with drummer Todd Philips, formerly of Moving Targets and Bullet LaVolta, and bassist Dean Fisher, who she met during high school in Duxbury, Massachusetts.[3] Unlike her previous album Hey Babe, which deals with personal topics, Hatfield decided to write songs about other things and make them more universal.[4] The title of the album was inspired by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whom Hatfield admired.[3]
The album was recorded at Hollywood Sound, mixed at Oceanway Studios and mastered at Precision Mastering in Los Angeles.[5] It was released on August 3, 1993, by Mammoth Records.[1] The song "Spin the Bottle" is featured on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Reality Bites.[6] As of February 2010, Become What You Are had sold 267,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan.[7]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [8] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[9] |
| Los Angeles Times | [10] |
| NME | 7/10[11] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [12] |
| Q | [13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| Select | 4/5[15] |
| USA Today | [16] |
Become What You Are received generally favorable reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised Hatfield's honest vocals on "Supermodel," "My Sister," and "Spin the Bottle", stating that "her talents are strong enough to carry the album over the weak spots."[1] The album was ranked No. 9 in NME's Albums of the Year list for 1993.[17]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Juliana Hatfield, except where noted.[5]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Supermodel" | 2:52 |
| 2. | "My Sister" | 3:22 |
| 3. | "This Is the Sound" | 3:01 |
| 4. | "For the Birds" | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Mabel" | 4:09 |
| 6. | "A Dame with a Rod" | 2:55 |
| 7. | "Addicted" | 3:16 |
| 8. | "Feelin' Massachusetts" | 4:11 |
| 9. | "Spin the Bottle" | 2:23 |
| 10. | "President Garfield" | 4:38 |
| 11. | "Little Pieces" | 3:05 |
| 12. | "I Got No Idols" (Juliana Hatfield, Dean Fisher, Todd Philips) | 2:16 |
| Total length: | 40:22 | |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]
The Juliana Hatfield Three
- Juliana Hatfield – vocals, guitar
- Dean Fisher – bass
- Todd Philips – drums
Additional musicians
- Denny Fongheiser – percussion
- Peter Holsapple – keyboards
Production
- Scott Litt – producer, engineer
- Ed Brooks – engineer, assistant engineer
- Martin Schmelzle – assistant engineer
- Steve Holroyd – mixed assistant
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
Artwork
- Jean Cronin – design
- Melanie Nissen – photography
Charts
| Chart (1993) | Peak |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[18] | 89 |
| US Top Heatseekers[19] | 1 |
| Billboard 200[19] | 119 |