I’ve been having a blast so far everybody. Look back at the decade that many of us grew up in feels like a refreshing blast of clean air. The last time it seemed like there was any kind of sanity in the world, the 1990s sometimes seems too distant in our memory. Fortunately, the music of that decade can often bring us back some kind of piece, and the subject of today’s review is a prime example of that. Though tragically releasing just this one record, the band I’m talking about today none the less crafted an album that can truly be called a 90s classic. I certainly liked this as a kid, but it’s been in recent years that I’ve truly LOVED this release, and I felt it was appropriate to do a review of it during this festival of our youth. So, get on your Jnco jeans, see if there’s some Crystal Pepsi nearby, and enjoy my review of the New Radical’s only album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. Let’s begin!
Background
Our story begins with one Gregg Alexander. Prior to forming the New Radicals in 1997, he had released 2 unsuccessful albums before hand. Michigan Rain in 1989 and Intoxifornication in 1992. Both weren’t that successful, generated no charting singles, and would receive mixed reviews from critics. Prior to actually forming the band, Gregg would be dropped by not one, but two record labels (A&M and Epic Records respectfully) put ultimately would get signed by MCA Records in 97 and allegedly received $600,000 in advance to record his first release under the company. That must have been true in some way, as on October the 16th, 1998, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too.
While recording the album, Gregg stated that he "completely ripped up the rules that applied to his first two records". Though Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too is credited as a New Radicals album, it’s more often credited as a Gregg Alexander album, as he wrote most of it’s songs, produced most of it’s songs, played several instruments on the album, and is the only constant band member. Alexander sand this in reference to the numerous guest musicians that helped him record this record:
“Most of that record was me pulling favors with studios or musicians that had played on earlier records and were like, 'Oh, Gregg's down on his luck—let's go play on his demo for the hell of it, we'll have a good laugh, have a couple of beers and maybe smoke a jay or whatever.”
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too would go on to be a surprising hit. Taken from wikipedia:
“In the United States, the album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 199 on the week of November 28, 1998. On January 16, 1999, the album rose into the top 100 on the chart for the first time, climbing 33 spots to number 79. The album reached its number 41 peak on February 13. The album remained at its peak the following week, then fell to number 51 on the Billboard 200 dated February 27. The album spent a total of 40 weeks on the chart, and placed at number 126 on the year-end Billboard 200 in 1998. It achieved Platinum status (1,000,000 copies sold) in the United States less than a year after its release.
The album also achieved some foreign success. On the UK Albums Chart, the album reached a peak of number 10. The album also charted within the top 40 in Austria, New Zealand, Germany, and Sweden, and peaked outside of the top 40 in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The New Radicals' debut single, "You Get What You Give", was released on November 13, 1998, and was commercially successful. It reached number one in both Canada and New Zealand, and the top five in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number 36, on the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached the top 10 of the US Alternative Songs chart, where it peaked at number eight, and also performed well on the Pop Songs and Adult Pop Songs charts, peaking at numbers 14 and 11, respectively. The song also entered the top 40 in Australia, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and Chile.
"Someday We'll Know" was slated as the album's second single, but the group disbanded before its official release, and the song was far less successful than its predecessor, charting in several European countries. In the United States, the song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, although it did manage to reach the Adult Top 40, where it spent 11 weeks and peaked at number 28. In the United Kingdom, the song managed to enter the singles chart, but it peaked at number 48 and spent only two weeks in the top 100. "Mother We Just Can't Get Enough" was planned to be the album's third single, but was never commercially released, due to the group's dissolution.”
Basic Description
The 90s.
I said it at the beginning of the month, and I will repeat myself again: if someone was to ask me what album best represents the 1990s as a whole, I would say that Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too is the best representative of the decade. Everything about the 90s is in each & every single song. All of the positivity. All of the negativity. All of what we were dreaming. All of what we feared. All of the potential. You name it! New Radicals were really tapping into the energy of the decade, even though the album was released towards the end of that time. It’s nothing brutal or heavy, but there is plenty of emotion across Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. On top of that, there’s this gentle hipster kind of vibe as the music plays. It’s not like the modern kind of hipster where you want to facepalm youself & slap the other guy, but it’s something else. I can’t quite explain it, but the hipster-ness on MYBBT is more innocent that what it’s like now. This all culminates in a package that’s upbeat & hopeful, yet at times goes realistic but not overwhelmingly so.
Best Track
I think people who’ve never listened to this album at the very least have of the first single off of this album. You Get What You Give definitely has a majority of the positivity on this album, what with the optimistic lyrics & feeling. Gregg Alexander has pretty strong vocals throughout the entire runtime, and the rest of the band are fantastic as well. Perhaps the part of this song that people who haven’t even heard the whole tune.....know the following lyrics:
“Health insurance, rip off lying
FDA, big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson
Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes
Run to your mansions
Come around, we'll kick your asses”
That bit definitely rubbed some egos back in 1998. Apparently, it was written like that because Mr. Alexander wanted to write some social commentary into the song, and was curious to see if it would go un-noticed by mention some celebrities he’s never met before. Marilyn Manson in particular went on record saying that if he met Gregg, he would punch him in the face, and Gregg Alexander ran up to Beck upon meeting him for the very first time & apologized profusely, saying that him calling Beck out in the song wasn’t personal. Given he was apologizing to a total stranger, it seems to be the case.
You Get What You Give
And then there’s the absolutely odd title track. In a way, it’s incredibly difficult to describe Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, as it’s such a headtrip. It’s filled with weird soundscapes, organs, and a moody yet mysterious atmosphere that feel like something you’d here in a hazy dream. I will say that there’s a solid beat throughout the whole thing, and Gregg Alexander has a much more subdued & ethereal way of singing on this song in comparison to the one I talked about above. Please do not skip this!
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
(Quick Note: according to one comment on Youtube, the reason the lyrics for "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" are different than what's published in the liner notes is because the original track was so insanely anti-corporate that they refused to publish it.)
Worst Track
While an undeniably fun album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too’s tracklist isn’t......perfect. For every catchy song, there’s one that either doesn’t start off the right way, or maybe is a bit too cheesy for it’s own good. Nothing on this album is bad per se, but when you have goofy lyrics in Jehovah Made This Whole Joint for You, the somewhat rough chorus in In Need of a Miracle (BTW, this song also has some silly lyrics in it), and Technicolor Lover with it’s overall ridiculous nature, which is ironic since it’s got a pretty good groove to it. I can easily understand why newer listeners may be turned off by Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too because of these 3 songs, but that would be an incredible disservice to the record as a whole.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
Overall Impression & Rating
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too is a relic of it’s time. Whether good or bad, you know that the album is straight from the 90s upon listening to just the first few notes of the opening track. Like I said at the beginning of the month & in the basic description above, this is the album I point to when someone wants to know what the 1990s were about. All of that decade’s positivity, negativity, hopes, dreams, fears, you name it! There are some songs that certainly lag behind in terms of energy, but the overall package is a treat. Newer music fans will love the vibes, but for someone like me, it’s another nice reminder of the last best decade.
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too gets an 8 out of 10 objectively, but on 90s nostalgia alone it’s a solid 10 out of 10 for me.
And that was my review of Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. The sadly lone release from the New Radicals, it somehow manages to hold up nostalgically for 90s kids like myself, while at the same time being an interesting curiosity for the newer generation. With that, my first look at the 1990s has come to an end. Join me in July for when I take a look at some of the most iconic anime to have been released in that time, but until then.......EXTREME!!!!!!!
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If you’d like a possibly less biased review than mine (One in which I used some aspects & info to help make this one), then click on the link below:
Rocked: All Time Favorite Albums: New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
Also, if you’d like to look at a more comprehensive take on the band, check out the wikipedia entry. It’s worth a read!:
New Radicals (Wikipedia)
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (Wikipedia)
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