Made to Be Broken is the second full-length album by Soul Asylum.[9][10] It was released on January 18, 1986.[11] It was the first of the three albums released by Soul Asylum in 1986.[7]
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, by which time they'd seen their first platinum-selling album and number one single.
Critical reception
Trouser Press 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."[12] The Spin Alternative Record Guide wrote that "[Dave] 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."[8]
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."[13]
Track listing
All songs written by David Pirner, unless otherwise noted.
