The Bottle Rockets/The Brooklyn Side Reissues

Photo Brian Blauser Mountain Stage

Bottle Rockets/The Brooklyn Side Reissue on Bloodshot Records Release Date: November 19, 2013

* Both complete albums + 19 previously unreleased bonus tracks.
* Remastered under the supervision of Eric “Roscoe” Ambel.
* 2 CDs in a double digi-pack.
* 40 page booklet.

When The Bottle Rockets hit the scene in the mid ‘90s, the world wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. With their punk-rock pedigrees and arena-rock energy, their tougher-than-Springsteen storytelling and their romantic hearts sewn bare on their denim sleeves, the pride of Festus, MO confounded musical generalities as they laid waste to clubs across the Midwest and then, soon enough, the nation. The Bottle Rockets’ first and second albums, Bottle Rockets and The Brooklyn Side, are widely revered as not only two of the band’s finest releases, but also two formative, flagship recordings in the nascent era of a now-broadly recognized genre. The band was unceremoniously birthed in 1992 and they very quickly became a forebearer for the new style alongside Uncle Tupelo, Old 97’s, and Whiskeytown.

Bottle Rockets and The Brooklyn Side are collected here as a remastered two-CD deluxe reissue set of the long out-of-print albums, with an additional 19 previously unreleased tracks. The package consists of an extensive 40-page booklet detailing the band in full context of the ‘90s alt- scene, with editorial contributions from respected peers and fellow musicians such as Steve Earle, Patterson Hood, Lucinda Williams, and many others. Both reissued albums and bonus material have been meticulously remastered under the supervision of famed producer and musician Eric “Roscoe” Ambel.

Bottle Rockets was originally released in 1993 and was the first true showing of the band’s signature country-aware, rough and ragged rock ‘n’ roll style, matched with Henneman’s blue-collar songwriting skills, with lyrics depicting the life, struggle and dark humors of everyday people. The eponymous album notably features back-up vocal performances from former members of Uncle Tupelo: Jeff Tweedy (now of Wilco) and Jay Farrar (Son Volt). Bonus tracks include original demos from Henneman, both solo and backed by the members of Uncle Tupelo, acoustic demos, and Chicken Truck/pre-Bottle Rockets-era recordings.

Listen> Bottle Rockets LIVE On Mountain Stage October 21, 2013 

Now 20 years in, the roots rock band was recognized as one of the most clever and poignant acts in the early '90s revival of the genre. After seven appearances on Mountain Stage, the group finally performs the popular "Radar Gun."

The songs, stories and sentiments found on Bottle Rockets and The Brooklyn Side sound just as fresh and relevant now as they did when they were first released. The Bottle Rockets never did it the easy way and never compromised their sound or themselves. Always too punk for country audiences, too genuine for the smug irony of the hipster scene, and too smart for the outdoor one-hitter rock festival crowd, The Bottle Rockets remained The Bottle Rockets, and this is a document of where it all started.

Disc 1:

1. Early in the Morning

2. Gas Girl

3. Trailer Mama

4. Wave That Flag

5. Kerosene

6. Every Kinda Everything

7. Got What I Wanted

8. Manhattan Countryside

9. Rural Route

10. Bud Nanney Theme

11. The Very Last Time

12. Hey Moon

13. Lonely Cowboy

14. Indianapolis (1991 Acoustic Demo with Uncle Tupelo’s Jeff Tweedy & Jay Farrar)

15. Manhattan Countryside (1991 Acoustic Demo with Uncle Tupelo’s Jeff Tweedy & Jay Farrar)

16. Wallflower (1991 Acoustic Demo with Uncle Tupelo’s Jeff Tweedy & Jay Farrar)

17. Idiot’s Revenge (1991 Acoustic Demo with Uncle Tupelo’s Jeff Tweedy & Jay Farrar)

18. Dead Dog Memories (Acoustic Demo)

19. Hey Moon (1993 Radio Performance on Thirsty Ear)

20. Get Down River (1993 Radio Performance on Thirsty Ear)

21. White Trash (1989 Chicken Truck Version)

22. Radar Gun (1989 Chicken Truck Version)

23. Lonely Cowboy (1989 Chicken Truck Version)

24. Coffee Monkey (1989 Chicken Truck Version)

25. Wave That Flag (1989 Chicken Truck Version)

26. Brand New Year (1989 Chicken Truck Version)

Disc 2:

1. Welfare Music

2. Gravity Fails

3. I’ll Be Comin’ Around

4. Radar Gun

5. Sunday Sports

6. Pot of Gold

7. 1000 Dollar Car

8. Idiot’s Revenge

9. Young Lovers in Town

10. Take Me to the Bank

11. What More Can I Do

12. Stuck in a Rut

13. I Wanna Come Home

14. Queen of the World

15. This Is What It Sounds Like When You’re Listening to Lindsey Buckingham and Thinking of Your Friend’s Girlfriend at the Same Time (1994 Acoustic Demo)

16. Building Chryslers (1994 Acoustic Demo)

17. Smokin’ 100s Alone (1994 Acoustic Demo)

18. Truck Driving Man (Previously Unreleased Track)

19. Welfare Music (1994 Live at Mercury Lounge)

20. Farmer John (1994 Live at Mercury Lounge)

Upcoming Shows:

Dec 06 Mojo's 

w/ Otis Gibbs

Columbia, MO

Dec 07 Off Broadway 

w/ Otis Gibbs

St Louis, MO

Dec 12 Kiki's House of Righteous Music

w/ Otis Gibbs

Madison, WI

Dec 13 The Hideout

w/ Otis Gibbs

Chicago, IL

Dec 14 High Dive

w/ Otis Gibbs

Champaign, IL

Jan 23 Narrows Center for the Arts Presents

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Fall River, MA

Jan 24 Infinity Hall

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Norfolk, CT

Jan 25 Iron Horse

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Northampton, MA

Jan 26 Tupelo Music Hall

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Londonderry, NH

Jan 29 Sellersville Theater

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Sellersville, PA

Jan 30 Boulton Center for the Performing Arts

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Bay Shore, NY

Jan 31 Birchmere

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Alexandria, VA

Feb 01 The Newton Theatre

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Newton, NJ

Feb 04 Ashland Coffee and Tea

w/ Marshall Crenshaw

Ashland, VA