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- Date Released: August 10, 1999
- Genre: Country/Folk
- Style: Alt-Country
- Label: New West Records
Fundamentalist Southern rock.
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We Say...
Led by former Uncle Tupelo roadie Brian Henneman, the Missouri-based Bottle Rockets have been obstinately mining their seam of fundamentalist southern rock for more than 15 years. Brand New Year, their 1999 release, brilliantly epitomises their creed, wedding riff-heavy Skynyrdesque tunes to lyrics laden with leaden humour. Opening track "Nancy Sinatra" is a heavy-breathing love letter to the lady in question, and "Helpless" is a defiant anti-computer anthem extolling the Rockets' Luddite creed. But the bulk of Brand New Year is as it should be: rueful drinking songs, among them "Alone in Bad Company," "Headed for the Ditch" and, most obviously rueful of all, "The Bar's on Fire" ("Somebody," pleads the refrain, "save the beer"). A subtly tuneful pop sensibility is also discernible, notably on the Cheap Trick-ish "Let Me Know."
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They Say...
The '90s turned out to be a little tough for the Bottle Rockets. Upon the release of its eponymous debut in 1993, the Missouri quartet was almost universally hailed as one of the leaders of the post-Uncle Tupelo Americana movement, but the band lost momentum when trying to make it in the big leagues. It wasn't for lack of trying. They labored over their official Atlantic debut, 24 Hours a Day, but when they were touring the album, the label pulled their support, leaving them to flounder. The Rockets regrouped and released a collection of outtakes, Leftovers, the following year, as they decided what to do next. Wisely, they seized an opportunity for a fresh start, which is what Brand New Year, their first studio album for Doolittle Records, is. They've decided to emphasize their roots as a bar band, cutting away their country tendencies and playing up their fondness for '70s hard rock. The twist is, Rockets leader Brian Henneman tries to inject some intelligence and self-aware humor into the lyrics. At times, it works, but it's just as frequently awkward or self-conscious, especially since it seems that the words have taken precedence over hooks or melodies. Even so, there's a sense of songwriterly craft, if not actual songs, that is welcome, and it's made all the more engaging by the earthy performances by what is, after all, a really good bar band. There's no question that Brand New Year is a proudly Luddite record, celebrating the virtues of loud guitars and living without computers (see "Helpless," as in "how come I don't feel helpless"), which naturally makes it feel like an album out of time, but that is its redeeming virtue -- it might not have the hooks of a classic rock album, but it's a good, solid slice of organic hard rock.
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| 01. |  |
Nancy Sinatra |
2:56 |
|
| 02. | |
Alone in Bad Company |
3:14 |
|
| 03. | |
I've Been Dying |
3:16 |
|
| 04. | |
Sometimes Found |
4:12 |
|
| 05. | |
Headed for the Ditch |
3:27 |
|
| 06. | |
Helpless |
3:17 |
|
| 07. | |
Let Me Know |
2:35 |
|
| 08. | |
Brand New Year |
4:43 |
|
| 09. | |
Dead Dog Memories |
3:06 |
|
| 10. | |
Bar's on Fire |
3:47 |
|
| 11. | |
White Boy Blues |
4:14 |
|
| 12. | |
Gotta Get Up |
2:15 |
|
| 13. | |
Love Like a Truck |
3:11 |
|
| 14. | |
Another Brand New Year |
4:29 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 48:42 Total Length
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Credits
- Eric Ambel - Organ // Eric Ambel - Organ // Eric Ambel - Guitar // Eric Ambel - Guitar // Eric Ambel - Vocals // Eric Ambel - Vocals // Eric Ambel - Guitar (12 String) // Eric Ambel - Guitar (12 String) // Eric Ambel - Producer // Eric Ambel - Producer // Eric Ambel - Slide Guitar // Eric Ambel - Slide Guitar // Eric Ambel - ? // Eric Ambel - ? // Eric Ambel - Shaker // Eric Ambel - Shaker // Eric Ambel - Wah Wah Guitar // Eric Ambel - Wah Wah Guitar // Eric Ambel - Dulcitone // Eric Ambel - Dulcitone // Eric Ambel - Guitar (Baritone) // Eric Ambel - Guitar (Baritone) // The Bottle Rockets - Main Performer // The Bottle Rockets - Liner Notes // Greg Calbi - Mastering // Paul Ebersold - Organ // Paul Ebersold - Mixing // Tim Hatfield - Engineer // Robert Kearns - Bass // Robert Kearns - Mandolin // Robert Kearns - Vocals // Robert Kearns - Fretless Bass // Robert Kearns - Group Member // Jim Duffy - Organ // Brian Henneman - Guitar (Acoustic) // Brian Henneman - Guitar // Brian Henneman - Vocals // Brian Henneman - Guitar (12 String) // Brian Henneman - Group Member // Mary Lee - Vocals // Matt Martone - Engineer // Matt Martone - Assistant Engineer // Matt Martone - Assistant // Mark Ortmann - Drums // Mark Ortmann - Tambourine // Mark Ortmann - Group Member // Kevin Whitley - Art Direction // Tom Parr - Guitar (Acoustic) // Tom Parr - Guitar // Tom Parr - Spoken Word // Tom Parr - Group Member // Bruce Dye - Photography // Bonnie Spanogle - Art Direction
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