''Made to Be Broken'' is the second full-length album by
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dav ...
. It was released on January 18, 1986. It was the first of the three albums released by Soul Asylum in 1986.
[
The song "Never Really Been" contains the line "And where will you be in 1993." The band performed the song on their 1993 appearance on '']MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...
'', by which time they'd seen their first platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
-selling album and number one single.
Critical reception
''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' called the album "an essential Soul Asylum LP," writing that "raging dual vocals and interwoven guitar work by Pirner and Dan Murphy, supported by new arrival Grant Young’s precise, varied drumming, make the tuneful power of 'Tied to the Tracks,' 'Ship of Fools,' 'New Feelings' and the countryish title track shatteringly original."Spin Alternative Record Guide
The ''Spin Alternative Record Guide'' is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine '' Spin'' and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was edited by rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-i ...
'' wrote that "ave
''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
Pirner's punch-drunk, night-stand poetry took on real power when framed by new drummer Grant Young's off-kilter, rhythmic swerve and guitarist Dan Murphy's dual vocals."[
In a retrospective review, '' Stylus Magazine'' wrote that ''Made to Be Broken'' "taps into a potent spirit of underdog defeatism; it’s the sound of watching the tour bus through the window of the cramped van, gazing at the hotel en route to the fan’s couch or floor, and imagining a bath while showering in a sink."]
Track listing
All songs written by David Pirner, unless otherwise noted.
#"Tied to the Tracks" – 2:45
#"Ship of Fools" – 2:48
#"Can't Go Back" — ( Dan Murphy) – 3:05
#"Another World, Another Day" – 1:59
#"Made to Be Broken" – 2:35
#"Never Really Been" – 2:52
#"Whoa!" – 2:32
#"New Feelings" – 1:46
#"Growing Pain" – 2:17
#"Long Way Home" – 2:27
#"Lone Rider" – 1:50
#"Ain't That Tough" – 3:34
#"Don't It (Make Your Troubles Seem Small)" – 2:48
Personnel
* Dave Pirner — lead vocals, guitars, piano, saxophone
* Dan Murphy — guitars, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Can't Go Back"
* Karl Mueller — bass
* Grant Young — drums
Singles
#"Never Really Been"
#"Tied to the Tracks"
#"Made to Be Broken"
References
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Made to Be Broken
''Made to Be Broken'' is the second full-length album by Soul Asylum. It was released on January 18, 1986. It was the first of the three albums released by Soul Asylum in 1986.
The song "Never Really Been" contains the line "And where will you be ...
Made to Be Broken)
Albums produced by Bob Mould
Twin/Tone Records albums