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
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 3, 1993
StudioHolywood Sound in Los Angeles
GenreAlternative rock, power pop[1]
Length40:22
LabelMammoth
ProducerScott Litt
The Juliana Hatfield Three chronology
Become What You Are
(1993)
Whatever, My Love
(2015)
Juliana Hatfield chronology
Hey Babe
(1992)
Become What You Are
(1993)
Only Everything
(1995)
Singles from Become What You Are
  1. "My Sister"
    Released: August 30, 1993[2]
  2. "For the Birds"
    Released: 1993
  3. "Spin the Bottle"
    Released: 1994

Recording and release

edit

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

edit
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Chicago Tribune    [8]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[9]
Los Angeles Times    [10]
NME7/10[11]
The Philadelphia Inquirer    [12]
Q     [13]
Rolling Stone     [14]
Select4/5[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

edit

All songs written by Juliana Hatfield, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
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" (Hatfield, Dean Fisher, Todd Philips)2:16
Total length:40:22

[5]

Personnel

edit

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]

Charts

edit
Chart (1993) Peak
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[18] 89
US Top Heatseekers 1[19]
Billboard 200 119[19]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Become What You Are – Juliana Hatfield Three / Juliana Hatfield". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  2. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. August 28, 1993. p. 27.
  3. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (March 1994). "Mystery Date". Spin. Vol. 9, no. 12. pp. 32–35, 82. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  4. ^ Scanlon, Ann (January 1994). "Interview with Juliana Hatfield". Vox.
  5. ^ a b c Become What You Are (CD booklet). The Juliana Hatfield Three. Mammoth. 1993. 7 92278-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ "Juliana Hatfield: The reluctant heartthrob". Lakeland Ledger: 3C. 1994-04-13. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  7. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (2010-01-09). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 6–. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ Kot, Greg (1993-08-26). "Juliana Hatfield Three: Become What You Are (Mammoth/Atlantic)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  9. ^ Frost, Deborah (1993-08-06). "Become What You Are". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  10. ^ Rosenbluth, Jean (1993-08-29). "The Juliana Hatfield Three, 'Become What You Are,' Mammoth/Atlantic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  11. ^ Harris, John (1993-07-31). "Bulimian Rhapsody". NME. p. 26.
  12. ^ Moon, Tom (1993-07-25). "Matthew Sweet: Altered Beast (Zoo) / The Juliana Hatfield Three: Become What You Are (Mammouth)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  13. ^ Maconie, Stuart (September 1993). "Coltish". Q. No. 84. p. 80.
  14. ^ Mirkin, Steve (1993-10-28). "Juliana Hatfield: Become What You Are". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  15. ^ Collis, Clark (September 1993). "Juliana Hatfield: Become What You Are". Select. No. 39. p. 89.
  16. ^ Ayers, Anne (1993-09-21). "Mellencamp's 'Human Wheels' comes out rolling". USA Today.
  17. ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  18. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 126.
  19. ^ a b "Become What You Are – Juliana Hatfield Three / Juliana Hatfield (Awards)". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2012-08-28. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
edit