Customer Reviews

24 Hours a Day

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Bottle Rockets are one of the best bands in the whole "alt.country/roots rock" scene. You know what that means? They're one of the best bands in the world, period, right now! This is the Bottle Rockets' best record. Just about any song on it should be a hit in a better world. Just consider the title track

"I quit my job, no time to work, gonna spend 24 hours a day -- LOVING YOU!"

This has got to be one of the secret anthems of all guys. Brian Henneman is the singer, and main songwriter, but guitarist Tom Parr contributes two songs, and drummer Mark Ortmann writes one too. Some songs have fierce electric riffs, and others are acoustic, but as a whole they tell stories about working class folks trying to get by, with brilliant insight.

"Can't go West, can't go East, I'm stuck in Indianapolis with a fuel pump that's deceased... Is this Hell or Indianapolis?"

It could be the very character in this song who realizes too late that he's neglected his girlfriend, and sings about "When I Was Dumb." A couple of the most intense songs on the album are "Things You Didn't Know," and "Waiting On a Train," a breakup song with a screaming guitar riff that threatens to blow the walls out:

"He's got two things on me, you know, diesel power and he feels no pain!"

The other records by these guys are all great too -- THE BOTTLE ROCKETS (93), THE BROOKLYN SIDE (95) and BRAND NEW YEAR (99).

(verified purchase from Zia Records in Tucson)

This band is America's Hidden Treasure. Absolutely, one of the most pure and simple bands since Lynyrd Skynyrd. Brian Henneman is a songwriting genius. Brian writes songs about his own life experiences, whether it actually happened to him, or his friends or what he probably read in a newspaper. He doesn't sit around and think about what to write, he writes songs that touch your mind, heart, your spirit and your soul. It's that pure and simple. Every song on this disc is a classic from Kit Kat Clock to Perfect Far Away to One of You. The clincher is Smokin' 100's Alone and Indianapolis. The first being one of the most beautiful heartache songs EVER!! The latter being a classic road trip gone to hell stuck in all places, Indianapolis. If you love heartland music ala John Cougar Mellencamp's (who is immortalized in Indianapolis song) Scarecrow era songs, then you'll love this album and eventually The Bottle Rockets. A true Americana classic.

...and that's a good thing! Although I saw these guys open for Steve Earle years ago I somehow managed to overlook them. My loss then is my treasure chest now! I love to "discover" bands like this that have a catalog of underrated and overlooked songs which are better than 95% of the crap that fills corporate radio these days. I guess Festus MO is too country for rock and too rock for country when it comes to radio programming. Solid songwriting, jangly and growling guitars all over the place, plus a band that takes music serious but doesn't take themselves too seriously and you have a really good album that sticks in your head. Chuck Berry meets Wilco backstage at a Steve Earle show. Pick it up!

The Bottle Rockets follow up album to "Brooklyn Side" is one of the best of the alt.country genre. The Rockets tend toward the rock'n'roll side of the alt.country movement, and many of their songs are quite up tempo, though the song "Smokin' 100s" is a great blues ballad. The band reaches its creative peak with "Indianapolis" (about a guy and a broken down van) and "Dohack Joe," two excellent pieces of songwriting that have the advantage of being FUNNY. The band's good humor shows throughout. Too bad their record company had no sense of humor and failed to properly support the album--leading to its quick disappearance. Fans of everyone from the Allman Brothers to Steve Earle should definately give it a listen.

24 Hours A Day could possibly be the best post-Skynyrd recording in many a while. It takes the feeling and drive of their previous album, and ups the ante both production wise and content wise. Brian Henneman feels more at ease expressing himself, and the band rocks hard. When he sings about being stuck in Indianapolis and that he'll "puke if that jukebox plays John Cougar one more time", you feel his pain.

The Bottle Rockets are not the second coming of the Beatles. There is nothing on this album that's originality will lay your mind to waste. What you will find is solidly written songs, excellent musicianship and a pervasive sense of humor.

Brian Henneman got his start with Uncle Tupelo, cutting his teeth with the best this then emerging genre had to offer. While this album has not received the aclaim that "The Brooklyn Side" has, it stands on it's own merit.

A friend of mine told me once that "Smokin' 100's Alone" was perhaps the stupidest song he had ever heard. I will admit that this portrait of trailer-park isolation may not be everyone's idea of stimulating lyrical content, but it does paint a picture in vivid detail.

Henneman's gift is telling the stories of a regular life, asking the questions we have all wanted to ask "Who knows where time goes? I waste mine thinking 'bout it, I suppose" and places it within rock and roll's most current and exciting format.

The Bottle Rockets are one of the few bands today who are putting down in the studio exactly what you will get in the bar or concert hall; loud, raunchy rock with a heavy back end, gravel-edged vocals and real life reflections on everyday situations.

If you're looking for alt.country hooks and humor with a grinding metal backbone, look no further than 24 hours a day.

The Bottle Rockets come up with some strange lyrics, but man can they pound out a tune. One thing I love about these guys is that they have recorded all over the place. Missouri, New Jersey, New York, wherever they end up, they manage to record a tune & my point is this. Lyrics of the like, these guys write, come from driving and kicking around the U.S. feeling like a fancypants if you can check in to Super8 that night instead of some flea bag motel. These lyrics drip of Americana and if you like your Rock with a little country edge, then you'll like these guys. Actually some songs have good country lyrics to a rock beat & vice versa.. who knows.. you can't figure these guys out- it's just good.

Nineteen or so years ago, listening to a Bloomington,IN FM sation I heard, I'll Be Coming Around, from the Brooklyn Side. Catchy hook, sounded like fun, so I picked up the CD. It didn't take long to see Coming Around was definitley not the best song on the CD. Instant fan, so much that road trips were put together as often as possible as could be, chasing these boys down all over St. Louis and southern Illinois. Never hard to find someone who wanted to ride along. I never knew any of my friends who didn't like them. On top of that we all were of the mindset that "Live Music is Better" bumper stickers should be issued.

I have a real problem now however. Divorce is never pretty, but when your CD's somehow become anothers property it's not just ugly, it could lead to binge drinking and missing a decade or so. My problem isn't binge drinking or divorce though, it's finding a copy of the Bottle Rockets first CD. I'm not about to pay $39.95 as advertised on Amazon. I love the CD, but I was never a fan of rape.

If you should find yourself in divorce court, do yourself a favor and don't buy into the bull your ex may feed you. "We can always remain friends". My freinds ass. My friends would at least let me make a copy. What's worse is she never did like the Bottle Rockets anyway.

Intelligent but simple lyrics that can go from the best feeling you can have, to frightfully sad. Listen and see. "If Kerosene Works Why Not Gasoline" rips my heart out, but I don't know how much longer I can go without the CD it's on.

24 Hours a Day is another gem. I can't see these boys could go wrong. Maybe if they did something like record a tribute album to Doug Sahm. Wait a minute.

Have you ever heard two people arguing over the relative merits of The Bottle Rockets classics, The Brooklyn Side and 24 Hours a Day? Me neither, but I suspect it has happened at some point. Maybe the best way to resolve this argument is to compare track versus track. Here goes:

Welfare Music vs. Kit Kat Clock: Are you kidding me? Welfare Music is brilliant both musically and lyrically, while Kit Kat Clock is merely a very good song with silly lyrics. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side.

Gravity Fails vs. When I Was Dumb: Both great songs, but Gravity Fails has a little more kick, and again, When I Was Dumb has sillier lyrics. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side

I'll Be Comin' Around vs. 24 Hours A Day: Talk about a tough one. Both excellent songs, with I'll Be Comin' Around rocking and sweet and 24 Hours A Day rocking and funny. I'll go with rocking and sweet. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side

Radar Gun vs. Smokin' 100s Alone: Another challenge. These songs are both great, yet totally different. Radar Gun rides a filthy ZZ Top-ish riff and amusing lyrics to glory. Smokin' 100s Alone is a tuneful depressing tearjerker. Like Mariah Carey, I don't wanna cry. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side

Sunday Sports vs. Slo Toms: 24 Hours a Day finally gets on the board with Slo Toms and its crunchy riffs. It doesn't get much cooler than when Brian Henneman suggests they head on over to Slo Toms to check out `Gary play Sweet Home Alabama on his Peavey guitar.' Advantage - 24 Hours a Day

Pot of Gold vs. Indianapolis: Pot of Gold is charming and simple, but Indianapolis is one of the best songs The Bottle Rockets have ever written. It'll make you think twice about making a road trip through Indiana, that's for sure. One thing I can't figure out: Is Brian being sincere or facetious when he says he `hopes they play that John Cougar one more time'? Advantage - 24 Hours a Day

1000 Dollar Car vs. Things You Didn't Know: 1000 Dollar Car is clever and catchy. Wish I could say the same for Things You Didn't Know. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side

Idiot's Revenge vs. One of You: This one's also not even close. Idiot's Revenge is a rocking account of some pretentious chick who thinks if "you like country music, then you deserve to die." By contrast, One of You is slow and a bit dull - you keep waiting for it to build up to something, then nothing happens. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side

Young Lovers in Town vs. Perfect Far Away: I could go either way on this one, though give the nod to Perfect Far Away since it does such a nice job of ripping off the riff from Michael Jackson's Beat It and manages to incorporate the lyric `she ripped through this heart of mine like a weed-eater with brand new line'. Advantage - 24 Hours a Day

Take Me to the Bank vs. Waitin' on a Train: Take Me to the Bank recalls Bocephus in a relatively good though derivative way. Waitin' on a Train is catchier and more original with a nice guitar solo in the middle. Advantage - 24 Hours a Day

What More Can I Do vs. Dohack Joe: What Can I Do is the only weak song on The Brooklyn Side, sounding like a bad alternate version of the Rolling Stones' "Far Away Eyes". "Dohack Joe" is pleasant if mildly ineffectual. Tell me, what exactly is `that java face' anyway? Advantage - 24 Hours a Day

Stuck in a Rut vs. Rich Man: This where things start to become a blowout. Stuck in a Rut is a cool grinder that sounds like it wouldn't be out of place on Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gimme Back My Bullets album. Rich Man starts out with some nice picking but ends up sounding uninspired, telling the tired tale of a rich man who works so hard he forgets to enjoy life. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side

I Wanna Come Home vs. Turn For the Worse: I Wanna Come Home features some sweet, though sad, lyrics and even sweeter guitar. Turn For the Worse is a good song, but listen to what it is competing with. Just listen to it. Advantage - The Brooklyn Side

Queen of the World vs. Nothing: The Bottle Rockets didn't even bother to record a 14th song for 24 Hours A Day. Wise choice. It's unlikely they could have come up with anything to rival Queen of the World anyway, a classic tear in your IBC song if I've ever heard one. When Brian describes that girl "singin' Hank Williams when (he) walked through the door", you can picture the scene. For me it conjures up images of a twenty-something Connie Criswell crooning Your Cheatin' Heart at the bar in the late, lamented Olde Towne Pizza. Queen of the World probably sounds a lot like something Hank would have recorded if he'd been alive in the 1990s instead of the 1940s. Darn near perfection.

Final Score: The Brooklyn Side 9, Twenty-Four Hours a Day 5

Ratings: The Brooklyn Side 5 stars, Twenty-Four Hours a Day 4 stars

Advice: Buy them both, fool!

His lyrics contain subtlties that make most other music seem phoney as a 3 dollar bill! I recently listed to garth brooks greates hits, and found it wasnt half as believable as BottleRockets. I used Garth as an example, because he is as "deep" as country gets. On the rare ocasions when I do listen to country, it bcause Im testing my abilaty to predict the next obvius rhyme before they have a chance to spit it out. As you can see I dont like country, but 50's rock plus country= bottleRockets, and the sum is greater than the whole