''Bottle Rocket'' is one of the albums from

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

. The album was released on August 5, 1997 and was produced by

Steve Taylor Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, film maker, assistant professor, and actor. A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed ...

. This album delved deeper into the alternative and

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

genre the band explored in their previous album.

Track listing

# "Are We Feeling Comfortable Yet?" (Rowe, Taylor) - 3:15 # "Bottle Rocket" (Bach, Palacios, Rowe, Taylor) - 3:43 # "Coffee Can" (Palacios, Taylor) - 3:44 # "Revelation" (Bach, Rowe) - 3:46 # "What Does It Take?" (Rowe, Taylor) - 4:09 # "Babble On" (Palacios, Rowe, Taylor) - 4:26 # "Blue Light Special" (Bach, Palacios, Taylor) - 2:43 # "Break Me Down" (Palacios) - 3:40 # "The Water Is Fine" (Palacios, Taylor) - 2:45 # "My Queen Esther" (Palacios) - 3:47 # "Hell to Pay" (Palacios, Taylor) - 3:22 # "Fear the Auctioneer" (Palacios, Taylor) - 2:56 # "Harder Than It Seems" (Rowe, Taylor) - 4:15 # "Salvation" (Bach, Palacios, Rowe) - 3:58

Song Meanings

* "Coffee Can" was written by guitarist Tony Palacios and was inspired by a recurring dream his mother had shortly before she died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. In the dream she was trying to fly to heaven on a coffee can, but couldn't get it more than a foot or two off the ground. "The dream image became a metaphor for the futility of trusting in one's own strength, and consequently a metaphor of the deep need for grace". * "My Queen Esther" and "What Does It Take" deal with the easing of burdens at the foot of the cross for "those who labor and are heavy laden." * The title cut, "Bottle Rocket," (a 90's version of "This Little Light of Mine") is an encouragement to live out your faith in view of the world.

Personnel

Guardian *

Jamie Rowe Jamie Rowe (born April 7, 1970 as Earl Wilson Rowe, Jr.) is a musician best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. He has also been vocalist for New York-based AdrianGale, power pop band, London Calling (which br ...

– vocals *

Tony Palacios Tony Palacios is the lead guitarist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. Palacios joined the band in 1986 and has remained with them since, releasing nine studio albums, including three in Spanish. In 1998, Palacios released his first ins ...

– guitars, vocals * David Bach – bass, vocals * Karl Ney – drums Guest musicians *

John Mark Painter John Mark Painter (born c. 1967) is an American multi-instrumental musician, composer and arranger. He is best known for his role, with his wife, singer Fleming McWilliams, in the rock duo, Fleming and John. Painter grew up in Miami, and beg ...

–

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

(2), strings (2),

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

(2, 10, 11), keyboards (12) *

Eric Darken Eric A. Darken is an American percussionist, composer, and programmer. Biography Drawing inspiration from his grandfather, a band leader. Darken began playing drums at age 12, and played timpani and mallets in high school. Darken attended ...

– percussion * Russ Long –

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

(6) * Shane Boyd – poetic recitation (7)

Production

– producer * Jim Chaffee – executive producer, A&R direction * Russ Long – engineer, mixing * Steve Bishir – additional engineer * Wade Jaynes – additional engineer * David Schober – additional engineer * Chris Grainger – recording assistant, mix assistant (5, 9, 14) * Rich Hanson – recording assistant * Dave Latto – recording assistant * Amanda Sears – recording assistant * Jason Van Pelt – recording assistant * Kenton Kelsey – mix assistant (1-4, 6-8, 10-12) *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

– mastering * Buddy Jackson – art direction * Christine Knubel – design * Matthew Barnes – photography * Lord & Michaels Inc. – management Studios * Recorded at Quad Studios and The Carport (Nashville, Tennessee). * Mixed at Sound Kitchen (Franklin, Tennessee) and The Carport. * Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine).

References

{{Authority control Guardian (band) albums 1997 albums