Album Deep Dive Requests #2: The Juliana Hatfield Three “Become What You Are”

[@andy57167]

juliana hatfield is legendary ,,this is a great album most of her subsiquent solo albums rock as well !.. her raw minimalist style and guitar playing and harmonys are a highlight thruout her career

[@SaintMartins]

I'm a huge Juliana Hatfield fan going back to when she released her first solo album. Saw her open for the Lemonheads in 1992 i was hooked. She's so cool & awkward. In 1995 I asked for her autograph, after signing her first name, she stopped & didn't sign her last name b/c she said "can't finish, i need to go to the bathroom." LOL

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Haha! When you gotta go…

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

Damn man you just talked me into looking for this album. Great video damn it. LoL

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks Rod! I hope you find it. ✌️✌️

[@georgezajkowski2723]

I have quite a lot of her albums and I agree with you that most of her songs are less than brilliant. But she's a very good guitarist and singer. And occasionally one of her songs can actually move me to tears like, MY DARLING. I think her downfall for many years was being associated with Evan Dando and having a faux relationship with him. I think this album is strong and tries to popify the whole alternative/grunge movement. Recently, she has been on a creative high and has put out a series of tribute albums on her own label i.e. The Police, Olivia Newton John and ELO. Who knows what next? Great deep dive Jeff. A+

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Thanks George! I think if I had actually had a physical copy of the album I might have enjoyed it more. I need to check out those cover albums!

[@sador42vinyl91]

@georgezajkowski2723 Agree with you 100% about the emotion I feel when listening to her songs, Jeff ripped 'For the Birds', but damn, even at 50 years old that song just gets to me. Maybe it's because it hit me back then when I was in my early 20s and brings me back to that time, but I still love all the lyrics on this album, cheesy or not.

[@cgcvinyl]

Hi Jeff! Thank you so much for doing this deep dive. I appreciate your hard work putting these together and your honest opinion. If the 3rd video gives you any issues, you can do The Monkees "JUSTUS" album instead. And NO! It's not a dumpster dive. 😂

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Haha! I will do one or the other. Thanks Christian!

[@sador42vinyl91]

This album is in my top 10 of ALL TIME, I Love This Record ❤ I realize music is subjective, but dang you broke my heart Jeff! 💔 😃 I was hoping for a 5/5, 10/10, 100% 😃 The song Mabel is about a woman with Dementia, I think that is why the lyrics are what they are. I have to disagree with you 100% though about the lyrics. Lyrics for any person or band are about a time and a place, Juliana was 25 years old when she wrote this album and when I heard this album in 1993 it hit me hard emotionally - I get that we are older now and lyrics like this might seem 'pedestrian', but they are of a time and place and I felt, even though they were direct, she was singing about things happening in her life at that time. And for whatever reason those lyrics with the melodies and hooks on this album just drew me in. You said it upfront that if you are asked to review something you might not like it, I appreciate that, but I can't say that I am not disappointed that you didn't become a fan of one of my favorite albums of all time. If anyone else reads my comment here, please give this album a chance, I think it's great! 😃

[@RekkidTalk]

Oh, now you have to face the wrath of the JH cult in the VC. There's about four or five of us, heh. Sure, her lyrics are sometimes a bit dopey but those melodies are gonna stick in your head. If you don't know, she's been very prolific and has over 20 solo albums and a number of side projects and in recent years has covered Olivia Newton-John, The Police, and most recently ELO in album-long tributes.

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

Uh oh! No disrespect to JH. I need to check out her Police and ELO covers albums!!

[@cgcvinyl]

I'm definitely in the JH cult as you already know Chris! She can do no wrong imho ✌😊

[@sador42vinyl91]

@@cgcvinyl I am a CULT member for sure, LOVE LOVE LOVE JH, you are right, she cannot do any wrong. 😃

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

I have not heard this album in years

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

I do like the lemonheads

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

Killer

[@mistery-ed7900]

I have 2 Blake Babies albums and her first album "Hey Babe". I used to have a CD of this album but it left the collection at some point. It's better than some I've kept but not so good that I need to bring it back. I like her but I would never become a Hatfield superfan.

[@vikingbrace]

Well you sound a bit underwhelmed. Which I get. But I also see how others are really into this. After hearing this, I’d say I’d be somewhere in the middle. You cracked me up with some of these comments 😁

[@jeffwhitchervinyldestinati4486]

It’s hard to be fair to an album I’ve only listened to once but so expected to like it more than I did. 👍

[@davidkornblatt851]

I have this album as well

[@johnmiller3689]

Decent record, def prefer Blake Babies, Sunburn is killer