Congratulations I'm Sorry
| Congratulations I'm Sorry | ||||
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| Studio album by Gin Blossoms | ||||
| Released | February 13, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | Ardent Studios 1995, Memphis, Tennessee; Vintage Recorders, Phoenix, Arizona | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, power pop, jangle pop | |||
| Length | 44:29 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Gin Blossoms, John Hampton | |||
| Gin Blossoms chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
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| Chicago Tribune |
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| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Los Angeles Times |
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| The Music Box |
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| Rolling Stone |
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Congratulations I'm Sorry (typeset as Congratulations...I'm Sorry) is the third studio album by the American power pop band Gin Blossoms, and the follow-up album to the successful 1992 release New Miserable Experience, released in 1996 by A&M records. The album was named in reference to the success of 1992's New Miserable Experience, followed so closely by the suicide of the former band member Doug Hopkins in 1993.
Reaction to Congratulations I'm Sorry was mixed, with some critics feeling that the music lay too close to the sound of the previous album. One common complaint was that most versions of the album lacked the successful 1995 single "Til I Hear It From You", from the Empire Records soundtrack; however, some editions of the album did contain the track as its final.
The album's title, according to the lead singer Robin Wilson, came from the response band members usually received from people who both wanted to congratulate the band for the success of New Miserable Experience, while then offering apologies for their friend and former band member Doug Hopkins. The album eventually reached platinum status.
There is a hidden track following "Competition Smile".
Among tracks excluded from the album are "Seeing Stars", a song written by the lead singer Robin Wilson about the band's ex-lead guitarist Doug Hopkins, and the 1995 hit "Til I Hear It from You". The latter was released as a single (although it is included on the international edition of the album) and can be found on the soundtrack of the movie Empire Records, while the former was included as a B-side on the "Follow You Down" single, along with Wilson's "Idiot Summer" from the soundtrack of Wayne's World 2.
People magazine called the album "a quick fix for any dark mood", continuing, "the songs are so upbeat they almost conjure sunny summer afternoons."
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Wikipedia