Dan Bern

Amazon.com
Dan Bern's obsession with Bob Dylan (and, to an extent, Elvis Costello) is easy to stomach because he takes himself so humorously. "If you must put me in a box, make sure it's a big box, with lots of windows," he sings, before declaring himself the Messiah, on the talking-blues opener "Jerusalem." He also wonders what would have happened if Marilyn Monroe had married Henry Miller, not Arthur Miller, on the catchy "Marilyn Monroe." The singer/songwriter's debut occasionally drags, especially on long songs like "Wasteland" and "Rome," but this disc hints at a career worth following. --Steve Knopper

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Dan Bern

Average customer rating: TERRIFIC album! Only one track I liked on this album... Gotta Love Dan Bern The Outsider Strikes wonderful!!

New American Language Dan Bern Manufacturer: Messenger Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Singer Songwriters | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Fleeting Days Fifty Eggs Dan Bern My Country II Breathe ASIN: B00005QC62 Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

1. Sweetness
2. New American Language
3. Alaska Highway
4. God Said No
5. Turning Over
6. Black Tornado
7. Albuquerque Lullaby
8. Tape
9. Honeydoo!
10. Toledo
11. Rice
12. Thanksgiving Day Parade

Amazon.com

"If you judge me tonight, judge me by the songs I write," Dan Bern sings in "Black Tornado," thus serving notice that he's sick of the comparisons to various iconic songsters. Bern has never suffered from a lack of ambition, tackling pop culture and personal foibles alike with fervor and an utter disregard for taboo. Bern takes on similar subjects here, but backed by a five-piece folk-rock combo and warmly produced by Chuck Plotkin (the Dylan and Springsteen vet who presided over Bern's 1993 debut), he strips away the sophomoric gags and cloying cleverness that have plagued his past. Only the title track falls for the easy, ironic cop-out (key lyric: "OK, I guess, whatever"). Cuts like "Turning Over" ("I can't find me one new leaf worth turning over") and "Albuquerque Lullaby" ("Don't let your heart get broken by this world") come off heartfelt and unforced. And while much of New American Language finds Bern mellowing into a newfound maturity, he's still happy to poke holes in hype and hypocrisy. "Toledo" offers wry tribute to "The Church of the Holy McDonald's," while the freewheeling "Alaska Highway" sucker-punches everyone from Eminem to God. --Anders Smith Lindall

Album Description

'New American Language' captures Bern in full-band mode, leading a propulsive five-piece through his finest set of songs yet. The combo injects a manic energy into the songs that makes their unique take on Americana come alive. These songs careen from one coast to the other, like the van he coaxes to each festival and show, finding new angles, new niches, and new modes of expression along the way. (Messenger Records)

Customer Reviews:

TERRIFIC album!.......2007-05-13

I discovered Dan Bern when Craig Cardoff performed a cover of "God Said No" at a concert, which absolutely blew me away. I bought the whole "New American Language" CD just for "God Said No" and was ecstatic to find the entire album is amazing! Dan's voice sounds like a combination of Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. He writes wonderful lyrics and great, catchy melodies. "God Said No" and "New American Language" are my personal favorite songs, but everything on this CD is excellent. I even bought it as a birthday present for a friend of mine, who now loves it, too. Highly recommended.

Only one track I liked on this album..........2007-02-25

I'm opposing the majority. Alaska Highway stole my complete attention via satellite radio one day and I still love to listen to it, but after listening to the rest of the album and then visiting his web site, I felt bad for having bought it. I had hoped he'd be great! I was wrong. I have a feeling Danny boy is the kind of artist who always has the last laugh after having successfully pulled the wool over many eyes - and probably on many an occasion. But I've got to laugh myself now at some of his lyrics. I dislike when musicians try to sound "deeper" than they truly are capable of, when they convey a message that appears to be meaningful but actually isn't. He's too pretentious of a musician for me to get into but I do admit I love Alaska Highway. NOT the lyrics though. The lyrics are mildly adolescent as are all of the other lyrics to his songs on New American Language. It's a shame that his lyrics don't meet genuineness because he has a great voice and a musical soul to boot, that can't be denied. I hope he still has room to grow because he needs it.

Gotta Love Dan Bern.......2006-03-19

OK, I know that Dan gets sick and tired of being compared to Dylan. Well Dan, thats tough but I mean that in a good way. His album "New American Language" is a fine piece of work, and the title song is one of my favorite pieces ever. It makes me laugh every time I hear it and I find my self singing "I have a dream" for hours after listening to it. Classic rock with Dan's twisted contemporary lyrics in cuts like "Sweetness" and "Black Tornado" gets my body moving to the sound and thinking with the words. Not enough can be said about "God Said No" but in short it pulled tears from me for the lost hopes and innocence of youth in a universe beyond our control. The only critisism I would venture in regards to this album is that on some of the cuts the mixing seemed somewhat inconsistant, the volume level would suddenly change unexpextedly (realy only noticable with ear phones). Having said that, this is not the first album I have of Dans and it will not be the last. Recommend-buy Dan Berns

The Outsider Strikes.......2005-05-31

Positioning himself somewhere between an acerbic Elvis Costello and a Gutheriesque, world weary young Dylan, Bern illuminates his,'New American Language'. As for the title, given the aforementioned well-established groves, Bern is being ironic at best, and at worst, self-mocking. Which is not a bad place to be in the context of the pop music industry. I doubt that mainstream awards will flow his way, but with a healthy irreverance for not only the industry, but just about every other wee cherished item on middle America's shopping lists, he provides a healthy antidote to self satisfaction and greed. And, subversively, he does this without assuming the high moral ground. Check out the title song, 'God Said No,' Turning Over,' or 'Black Tornadoe' to hear how deadly the deadpan can be. Bern's voice is world-weary and flat, in direct contrast to the material he is expressing. The familiar, simple strumming style belies the fact that scanning his texts is no simple affair. Their intellectual richness, punning rhymes and poetic freedoms are relentless. An album of such economic word density demands a lot of attention, and it is probably to its advantage that Bern sets his concerns against fairly minimal musical settings.

wonderful!!.......2005-02-24

this cd is amazing!! When I bought it, and still, I listen to it everyday. I saw him live and i never thought about the whole Dylan thing, I guess his voice is a bit the same, in some way...but hes very talented in his songwriting and catchy-ness. This was my first Dan Bern, but I have more on the way...
I know every word to this cd, its great and catchy and some of the lyrics are just grand. I think this cd is super great!!

Average customer rating: Talkin' Dan Bern Breathe It grows on you. 'Breathe' by Dan Bern a TREAT for new and old listeners alike! The Best Dan Bern CD Yet

Breathe Dan Bern Manufacturer: Messenger Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Breathe Easy New American Language West Dan Bern Fifty Eggs ASIN: B000HIP4E2 Release Date: 2006-09-19

Tracks:

1. Trudy
2. Breathe
3. Feel Like A Man
4. Remember Me
5. Suicide Room
6. Tongue-Tied
7. Rain
8. Visit In My Dream
9. Past Belief
10. Another Man's Clothes

Amazon.com

In the closing track, Dan Bern sings of standing in "Another Man's Clothes." In the opening "Trudy," it sounds as if those clothes are any of Bob Dylan's that Bern can salvage. With its reedy vocals, wheezy harmonica, and midtempo melody evoking the "My Back Pages"/"Chimes of Freedom" era, that cut sounds more like Dylan than any of the generations of "new Dylans" who have preceded Bern. Yet the rest of the album shows a musical range and strength of songwriting that elevates Bern from mimicry. The buoyant rock of the propulsive "Rain," the insistent pulse underlying the riveting narrative of "Suicide Room," and the majestic build of the epic, eight-minute "Past Belief" all testify that Bern is an artist of considerable command as well as worthy influences. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Talkin' Dan Bern Breathe.......2007-01-14

I guess a lot of people compare Dan to Bob because of the superficial aspects of his songs: the traditional folk structure, the voice. Heck, Dan even wrote a song about it, "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce & Dan Blues". After that, though, you've got a songwriter who is completely unique. I love his early stuff, especially the hilarious 50 Eggs. I hope Ani Difranco will produce another of his albums someday. When I started listening to New American Language, I felt that maybe he was growing up, getting more somber. In fact, he was taking his sense of humor and putting it to good use. On his recent EPs, you get the feeling that he has gotten closer to his own voice. "Jail" is as funny as anything on 50 Eggs, but with more depth.

Breathe is a great album. It sounds almost hokey to say this, but I feel like I'm growing alongside Dan, feeling the same things, wondering about the country and the future along a parallel line. The title track is especially poignant. It's easy to tell someone to "breathe, take it easy", but Dan finds a way to make it seem natural and real. His songs don't blare out their messages, they sneak up beside you. They're more like friends than advertisements.

There's a lot of good music being made today. This is among the most personally rewarding.

It grows on you........2007-01-10

I'm a huge DB fan, and I really do love just about everything he's ever written and/or sang. This album has a more of a studio-produced sound than many of this others, and some of the melodies sound distinctly like some of his earlier tunes. Still, this is a great album with great songs. Dan is the man!

'Breathe' by Dan Bern.......2007-01-04

This is probably Dan's most smoothly produced album, but none the worse for that, as he continues to amaze with his consistently high standard of songwriting. If you like Dan Bern you'll like this album. If you have never heard of him this will be a good place to start, followed by 'New American Language' and 'Smartie Mine' and then.........

a TREAT for new and old listeners alike!.......2006-12-03

I purchased this album as soon as I could because I love Dan Bern so much and love supporting his grass roots artistry! His music is emotional, humorous, intellectual, honest, & real. Obviously I'm a fan, but if this particular album was a dud I wouldn't write a glowing review. This is a great album!! The energy level is down a few notches compared to earlier albums, and there's a slower groove to the songs. As always, Dan takes chances which pay off with truly original and beautiful folk music. Old fans will be pleasantly suprised by the direction he's gone. This album I also think is a great intro for new listeners. There's no one else out there like Dan Bern. He is an original. A great artist to have in your collection to enhance your life and make you think. Genuinely enjoy every song on this album except Suicide Room which I'm just not that into. Loved Breathe (great song), Trudy (makes me smile/feel inspired every time!), Feel like a man, Remember me (sweet and simple/Lennon-like), Rain (more old school pumping dan bern), & finally Past Belief (my favorite song on the album). Don't hesitate with this one. It's very good!!

The Best Dan Bern CD Yet.......2006-11-04

When I read the lyrics for this CD from Dan's website, I loved them and it really wouldn't have mattered to me what the music was like. What a pleasant surprise to find that the music is the best of any Dan Bern CD I have heard so far.Dan's lyrics are always thought-provoking,socially relevant, just plain beautiful.For anyone who likes the folk-rock genre, I'd highly recommend this CD.

Average customer rating: A Time and a Place for Everything... Dan vs. Bush Land of Ostriches & Home of the Corporate After the election is over Dan vs. Bush

My Country II Dan Bern & the IJBC Manufacturer: Messenger Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Country | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: New American Language Fleeting Days Breathe Fifty Eggs Breathe Easy ASIN: B0002T2QVU Release Date: 2004-08-31

Tracks:

1. President
2. Sammy's Bat
3. Tyranny
4. Ostrich Town
5. After The Parade
6. My Country II
7. The Torn Flag
8. Bush Must Be Defeated

Amazon.com

Summoning the ghosts of Phil Ochs and Woody Guthrie, Southern California's most irreverent town crier throws his hat in with the anti-Bush crowd and lobs a grenade or seven for good measure. A few wind up as duds: tyranny may come with no surprises, but then neither does the song, and Bern doesn't do the gay-rights movement any favors by fantasizing about allowing monkeys to marry. Much more biting and catchy are the mass-media satire "Ostrich Town," the brutal troop support of "After the Parade" (a soldier's wheelchair remains the most devastating antiwar image), and the obscure Pete Seeger poem "The Torn Flag," with its call to redesign old glory's revolutionary ideals. The blue-state hit "Bush Must Be Defeated" (rhymes with "Rose Garden weeded" and "goodbye coffee heated") closes this EP with a drum machine and a final plea: "Do not vote your conscience!" These satires will make a fine souvenir of the 2004 election, but they're not likely to age well after the last ballot is counted. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

A Time and a Place for Everything..........2007-06-12

Besides the excellent hallucinatory track "Sammy's Bat", the rest of this EP doesn't live up to the high standards of Dan Bern's other recorded work. It's probably the most sincere novelty record of all time, though, with Dan's unique take on the state of the union circa 2004, complete with references to G.W., Guantanamo Bay, and Middle East oil. In a couple of years, I might be able to pull out this album (sub-titled "Music to Beat Bush By") and remember where I was when Bush was re-elected.

Dan vs. Bush.......2005-10-22

It's a wonder that Dan hasn't pulled this album. Not only is it dated, but it's also pretty pathetic. Not only is he very well not known, but an album like this becomes laughable in 2005. While I enjoy hearing sad individuals moan through song about the injustice of a demacratic society (yes, Bush WAS re-elected by the American people) as much as anyone else, his song "President" wherein he maps out his first week in office is, for lack of better words, fascinating. On his first day he would undo all border patrol so there would be no more "human smuggling." I think any sane person realizes that "human smuggling" isn't the only thing coming over the borders. I would certainly criticize this unfruitful album some more, but unlike Mr Bern here, I don't waste my time.
Musically the album is okay, albeit Dan's voice sounds like Bob Dylan swollowed Kermit the Frog, the music is interesting and I enjoy some of his earlier work. Unfortunetly this project is weighed down with so much left wing ubsurdity that it's completely unenjoyable. Here's to failed attempts: Kerry and Bern.

Land of Ostriches & Home of the Corporate.......2005-03-14

Dan Bern's "My Country II" is vibrant folk music. It's topical & bubbles with the best protest music. Rather than tracks such as "President," "Bush Must Be Defeated" & the title track seeming outdated because of George Bush's election, this is part of the soundtrack of the continuing protest of a government dominated by Republicans in the executive, congress & in the courts. The music becomes even more on point because of the spiraling debt, intolerance of gays & lesbians and bellicose foreign policy of what has been referred to in the past as "the land of the free."

Brian Schey's bass riffs joyfully on the title track with Bern's lyrical sense in top form, "I don't drive a Mercedes Benz & I don't desire to own one; I'd sooner watch a flower grow than the latest from Sylvester Stallone. I don't have me a country club membership; I ride the Greyhound bus. I don't have a cabin two hours north of here & I don't celebrate Christmas, but it's my country too." Bern sounds like a nouveau Woody Guthrie on "The Torn Flag." "Bush Must Be Defeated" is creative if only for the unique lyrical rhyme that Bern utilizes, "Bush must be defeated, his evil gang unseated, his base of power deleted, his energy depleted." "President" is one of those fantasy tracks of what Bern might do if he were president & is as humorous as it is poignant. "Sammy's Bat" is another of the best tracks on this set with the fast repeat on "I had a dream." "Ostrich Town" is an excellent metaphor for America in the Bush era where the politics of selfishness & greed supercede the traditional American values of caring for others, helping the little guy & loving your fellow man. "After the Parade" is a sad epitaph for how America celebrates its veterans by cutting their benefits and pay. Obviously, this is not music for the right wing. Along with Stephan Smith's "Slash & Burn," some of Rickie Lee Jones', the Mammals & Kate McDonnell's new "Where the Mangoes Are" CD, this is vibrant political music in an era that needs some hope. Enjoy!

After the election is over.......2004-11-19

If you're a real Dan Bern fan ... as am I ... then you'll love this album.

But: As the other reviews indicated, it was a pre-election Bush bash. "Bush must be defeated," sang Bern, but he wasn't. Now what?

Thoughtfully, Dan answered the question on another EP released right before the election: Anthems. While his modified-Guthrie call to vote against Bush as "the greatest thing mankind has ever done" is now a melancholy listen, other songs on Anthems are indeed Anthems for those of us what to do with our electoral energies after the balloting is over.

"Take Back the New Millenium" he sings, "this one was going to be ours." "Planes crashing into airplanes..... can't pull us apart."

"Revolution Begins in the Basement" is Beatlesque in its apparent appeal for political action mixed with surrealism.

I ordered Anthems from MessengerRecords; now it's on Dan's site too. Hopefully Amazon may start carrying it. It's my soundtrack for the next four years.

Dan vs. Bush.......2004-09-02

I've been a Dan fan for many years and have seen him perform many times- mostly at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Dan's great strength as an artist is his spontaneity + his musicianship. When he is "on" few can compare.
His "stream of consciousness" approach to his music can also result in performances that don't always match up with his best.

"My Country II", I am very happy to say, is among his best efforts. People who love Dan know that he's great at being smart and sarcastic. When he's empathetic and tender he really shines though. "After the Parade" and "The Torn Flag" are my favorite tunes on the new CD; as good as "Sister" and "Wasteland" from previous CD's.
I've looked forward to the release of this CD and Steve Earle's "The Revolution Starts Now" for the past month. I can hardly believe what's happening to our democracy. I love Steve and Dan but think that Dan has put out the better CD. If you're looking for emotional/spiritual/political support over the next couple of months I'd recommend both of these CD's... unless you're a Republican.

Average customer rating: Why bother with Chelsea Hotel?

Breathe Easy Dan Bern Manufacturer: Messenger Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Breathe My Country II The Swastika E.P. World Cup: A Sort of Travel Diary (book and CD) Fifty Eggs ASIN: B000JJ3Y1Y Release Date: 2006-08-15

Tracks:

1. Breathe
2. Chelsea Hotel
3. Storm
4. Pride
5. Joe Christ

Product Description

This 5-song EP contains one track from the full-length CD "Breathe" and four great new tracks from the same recording sessions. This CD is available only online and at Dan Bern shows.

Customer Reviews:

Why bother with Chelsea Hotel?.......2006-10-29

Dan is the man. but why did he have to put another version of chelsea hotel on this EP? Any dan fan has heard that song 5 million times already. However, the rest of the songs are great. Joe Christ is particularly good. I remember seeing him perform that song live for the first time at Joe's Pub in NYC.

Average customer rating: between what i feel&what i say is a 30 ft. barbed wirefence Dan's Best What can be said? Its the quality, not the quanity that counts! Dan Bern caused quite a stir in Corpus Christi

Dog Boy Van Dan Bern Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Fifty Eggs New American Language Dan Bern Fleeting Days My Country II ASIN: B000002C49 Release Date: 1997-10-21

Tracks:

1. Jerusalem
2. Kurt
3. Hannibal
4. Live Another Day
5. Talkin' Alien Abduction Blues
6. Oklahoma

Customer Reviews:

between what i feel&what i say is a 30 ft. barbed wirefence.......2004-04-12

Dan's first official release came after spending many years roaming the L.A. coffeehouse/ bar scene. It begins with his most famous song (famous in a relative way) the hilarious over-the-top "Jerusalem" and ends with the heart-wrenching account of the Ok. City bombings "Oklaholma."
Dan has a way of powerfully binding the most ridiculous with the most profound in a way that does not leave you feeling like he is the least bit insincere.
This may be the place to begin to quench curiosity about him.
He switches back and forth from the confident "Jerusalem" to the touching ode to "Kurt" and Mr. Cobain's young confused "little girls who cried like rain." From the questioning of life found in "live another day" to the silly playful "talkin' alien abduction blues."
He would go on and make more ambitious work, but this is a snapshot of an artist ready to take on the world.

Dan's Best.......2003-10-04

Absolute perfection. Spare, but solid production THE best officialy released Bern CD. Powerful, brooding, hilarious, and expansive. This one has it all (with no clunkers or missteps). If you haven't heard Dan Bern before, this is the one to check out. If you're already a fan, why don't you already own this?

What can be said?.......2003-07-02

Dan Bern is great, he can sing, some and he has wonderfull [lyrics!!!] I say Dan Bern Live and it was beyon words! I'm hoping to see him next time he comes to Anchorage. *crosses fingers*

Its the quality, not the quanity that counts!.......1999-10-15

A single CD can only contain so much greatness, thats why only six tracks. "oklahoma" and "live another day" are effectively poingnant. "Kurt" is mortality satire. "Jeruselm" wanders in and out of a love song. "Talkin,Alien abduction blues" is sci-fi satire. "Hannibal" Im still working on this one, but I suppose its about narrow minded biggots. I always play the whole CD, and sometimes once isnt enough. what can I say, Dan's the Man

Dan Bern caused quite a stir in Corpus Christi.......1998-07-19

Dan Bern showed up in Corpus Christi split our heads open and ate the insides. When I heard Jerusalem for the first time, I knew this guy was too warped to be forgotten. I was so taken with that song, I played to a group of college students. Judging from their blank expressions, it was a bit esoteric for them. I suppose if he changed his name to Electric Frog Toast, they might have gotten it. In any case, this CD rocks!

Average customer rating: This album shows Dan's versatility Great Follow-Up Album A big disappointment A Feast "Fleeting Days" makes me hold onto my days a little tighter

Fleeting Days Dan Bern Manufacturer: Messenger Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: New American Language My Country II Fifty Eggs Dan Bern Breathe ASIN: B00008IAL5 Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

1. Baby Bye Bye
2. Eva
3. Superman
4. Closer to You
5. I Need You
6. Chain Around My Neck
7. Jane
8. Crow
9. Don't Make Me Leave
10. City
11. Fly Away
12. Graceland
13. Soul

Customer Reviews:

This album shows Dan's versatility.......2005-08-03

For diehard fans, at first listen you may scratch your head a bit with this album, as Dan takes a bit of a turn in the road, so to speak. Mostly gone from this offering are the tounge-in-cheek politics and pointed rants that we all love so much, but what we get in it's place is equally rewarding and speaks to his versatility as an artist. His lyrics on this album are more introspective and personal as a whole, and while I did miss Dan's wicked sense of humor here, I was impressed with his deceptively light and breezy depth and his surprisingly strong pop sensibilities. This is not his best album, but it's still better than 99% of the crap out there. The IJBC is tight and backs Dan with really awesome, if understated musicianship. I would recommend this album to anyone really, it probably has the broadest appeal and is more universally accessible than any of his other work. You will like this, and your grandmother probably would too. My real recommendation though, is that if you like Dan Bern, you MUST go see him perform live. It is an experience like no other, and I am constantly amazed that he is not one of the most famous and beloved performers in the world. I have been to literally hundreds of concerts over the years, and have seen many of the greats do their thing, and I would put Dan's live performances that I have been lucky enough to witness right at the very top. As much as I love his albums, there is nothing like just Dan and his acoustic guitar up on a stage. If you are just getting into Dan, I would recommend picking up "New American Language", "Dan Bern" or "Fifty Eggs" before getting this, but once you get reeled in by those and his many EP's, this album becomes essential in rounding out the spectrum of who Dan is musically and fleshes out the true extent of his copious musical powers.

Great Follow-Up Album.......2004-02-18

I'll be honest. It took me a few listens to see the brilliance and beauty of this album. But it finally clicked and rocketed to the top of my list of favorite albums of the year. I think it's fantastic--another great collection of incredibly catchy, clever, well-produced songs. I loved New American Language but I think I might almost love this even more.

A big disappointment.......2003-12-03

As a Dan Bern fan, I was eager to purchase this CD and ordered it as soon as it came out. I must day, it was not at all what I expected. These songs sound like Elvis Costello's throwaway tracks. The lyrics are flat and poppy (none of the philosophical zingers he's known for) and the arrangments are uninspiring and, at times, manic and nonsensical. Even the lovely "I Need You" loses its charm from overproduction (the acoutstic version I have is MUCH better). I don't know where these 5 star ratings are coming from. They must have heard a different CD than I heard. Coming after the PERFECT "New American Language" this was simply a big disappointment.

A Feast.......2003-07-24

Dan has been cranking albums and EPs out fast lately (hey, the guy writes songs constantly. Whatdaya gonna do? Not release them? That would be a crime!), but don't worry. There's nothing shoddy about this. It's a beauty all the way through. The stand-out track is Fly Away. At once absurdist and serious, it builds and then comes together perfectly.

Dan has the ability to channel other singers when they were at their best and yet still remain very much himself at his best. In the past, he has inhabited Tom Petty (Marylin), Leonard Cohen (Rome), and Bob Dylan (well, there's a few of those). "Fleeting Days", you can hear traces of Bruce Springsteen (Baby, Bye Bye) and even The Eagles (City--which is better than any Eagles since Hotel California). Then of course there is his Graceland song--which is a lot more fun than Paul Simon's (if not completely successful). Pop music, like literature, should reference that which has come before. And Dan shows that there are better ways than sampling to harken back while going forward.

On most of the songs, all you hear is the pure Dan Bern sound. Which is getting better all the time. I still want to hear just him and the guitar sometimes. But if you're going to have a band, this is the way to do it.

Dan, hurry up and get the next one out!

"Fleeting Days" makes me hold onto my days a little tighter.......2003-05-04

This latest offering from Dan Bern and the IJBC is a wonderful tapestry of witty pop, soul-country, airy-folk, and even some dirt-road blues. His usual combination of biting sarcasm and humor are displayed in the songs "Graceland" and "Crow", but Bern also appears to be venturing out into new ground. "Don't Make Me Leave" is a beautiful ballad that asks some of the same questions he was asking in "Turning Over" from 2001's "New American Language". But, like many of the songs on this new album, he's making his point faster and more poignantly--'I would like to live forever/With you and me as all the people/All the roles would be defined/Here's the church, here's the steeple'--. His slight nasal voice gets to the heart of these songs while his Martin Guitar is creating the backbone for his incredible lyrics to ride upon. Backing him, the brilliant, Wil Masisak produced, IJBC, finds their moments to truly shine on the songs "Fly Away"(possibly the best track on the CD), and "Baby Bye Bye". There aren't many artists today making music with this kind of spirit, soul and integrity.

Average customer rating:

The Swastika E.P. Manufacturer: Messenger Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Folk Rock | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Alternative Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: My Country II New American Language Dog Boy Van World Cup: A Sort of Travel Diary (book and CD) Fifty Eggs ASIN: B0000C0VOB Release Date: 2002-11-12

Tracks:

1. Talkin Al Kida Blues
2. My Little Swastika
3. Jail
4. Friends
5. Lithuania

Album Description

Just when it seemed as if the American scene couldn't get any messier, along comes Dan Bern to add his particular brand of spice to the fire with the brilliant new The Swastika EP. As always, the incomparable Iowan proves to be a lightning rod to the most sensitive and disturbing issues, the ones that we all are now faced with confronting in the post-9/11 version of America.

As on his previous full-length recording, the highly acclaimed New American Language, Dan uses the five songs here to say the things many of us think, few of us have the courage to admit, yet all of us need to hear about the current state of the nation. Not many songwriters are capable of eliciting the belly laughs that Dan does as he sings about the creeping totalitarianism of yellow terror alerts, government-sanctioned snooping, and stealth disinformation, not to mention the plight of the poor, unfortunately named "Al Kida" in Cleveland, Ohio.

But Dan also has bigger dictators to fry, and he does just that with "My Little Swastika," on which he reclaims the swastika as the ancient, sacred symbol of peace and prosperity, life and luck, that it represented for millennia before its appropriation and perversion at the hands of the Nazis. In the process he takes out Hitler and his whole propaganda machine with a potent, rockabilly of a right hook. "Lithuania," the EP's anchor and a longtime concert favorite of fans, too deals in both direct and oblique ways with the Holocaust‹of which Dan's parents were survivors‹and the extraordinary Jewish contribution to America's intellectual and cultural tradition, from Albert Einstein to Groucho Marx to Leonard Bernstein to Sandy Koufax. It closes the album on an appropriately haunting note.

Dan Bern and the International Jewish Banking Conspiracy may not be intent on unilateral world domination. But they certainly have rock & roll nailed down. Also check out Dan's book and CD "World Cup: A Sort of Travel Diary"

Average customer rating: I love this man....

Smartie Mine ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Swastika E.P. Dog Boy Van Fifty Eggs My Country II Dan Bern ASIN: B000059R3A Release Date: 2005-09-20

Customer Reviews:

I love this man...........2007-01-15

This is perhaps my favorite of all the Dan Bern cd's and I've bought it for a few of my friends. Not only does it have more songs than any of his other releases, it has a lot of variety. I highly recommend it to any of his current fans who may have missed buying it, or any new fan that would like to hear more. My favorite tracks include: Chelsea Hotel, Two Month Affair, and Sculpter, but I've been known to pop one of the cd's in my car and listen to it for a week at a time.

Average customer rating:

In Harmony with the Homeless Brenda Russell , Eric Lowen , Dan Navarro , David Morgan , Laura Harding , Dan Bern , Jonathan Cain , Tiffany , Box Town , and Carl Anderson Manufacturer: Miramar ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B000FMPHMO

Product Description

In Harmony with the Homeless //Songs written by formerly homeless men and women in collaboration with professional songwriters. 1. Heart of the City - Brenda Russell 5:47 2. How Much More - Eric Lowen & Dan Navarro 4:24 3. Before You Get the Meal - David Morgan 4:47 4. Song for Thomas (Lay It Down) - Laura Harding 4:06 5. Party by Myself - Dan Bern 3:35 6. Hope Is Alive and Well - Jonathan Cain 4:44 7. You Don't Belong Down Here - Tiffany 4:33 8. Homeless - Box Town 4:19 9. This Blue Tattoo - Carl Anderson 4:19 10. Turn It Around - Mavis Staples 4:19 11. When I Find You - Marty Raybon & Lisa Stewart 4:49 12. A Building Condemned - Barbara Weathers 3:43 13. Heart to Heart - Rita Coolidge & Richie Havens 4:17

Average customer rating: Too Long "True revolutionaries never bomb buildings ..." The Best Artist of this Generation The man who saved folk music Bern's "Smartie Mine" a rare gem for music fans

Smartie Mine Dan Bern Manufacturer: Chartmaker ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Folk | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Singer Songwriters | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Fifty Eggs Dan Bern New American Language The Swastika E.P. Dog Boy Van ASIN: B00000I7I7 Release Date: 1998-11-01

Tracks:

1. Smartie Mine
2. One Thing Real
3. Tiger Woods
4. Chelsea Hotel
5. City Of Models
6. Krautmeyer
7. Crosses
8. Colors
9. Airplane Blues
10. Freight Train Blues
11. Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce & Dan Blues
12. Ballerina
13. Simple
14. Beautiful Trees
15. Joe Van Gogh
16. Little Russian Girl
17. Gamblin' With My Love (Pete Rose)
18. Murderer
19. Alia
20. Two-Month Affair
21. Baby Love
22. Sculptor
23. Dark Chocolate
24. Decadent Town
25. Hooker
26. Cocaine/Blue Jay Way
27. True Revolutionaries

Amazon.com

Dan Bern's double-CD indie foray into clearing out his songwriting drawer yields a number of gems. His inimitable knack for critiquing (not to say rudely peering at) 20th-century antiheroism makes for some of Smartie Mine's most memorable moments, as well as one true masterstroke: "Krautmeyer," which finishes off the Charles Manson ("shitty album") hipster myth in bitterly hilarious fashion. Other, more sober highlights include "Airplane Blues," a long subterranean meditation on Lightnin' Hopkins, celebrity, and one fan's relationship with art; "Little Russian Girl," on an encounter with a sad coffee-shop clerk; and a flurry of noise called "Two-Month Affair." More than just a holding action, Smartie Mine makes a fine excuse for itself. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

Smartie Mine is an independent Dan Bern release, featuring 27 studio tracks.

Customer Reviews:

Too Long.......2002-11-18

Great album with too many filler songs. Dan's best song (Chelsea Hotel) is here, and so are the best versions of his other classics (Tiger Woods, One Thing Real, both of which are much lusher and fuller than they are on 50 Eggs), so it's a great CD. But this should have been pared down to one CD; if it had been, this would probably be my favorite album ever. I'd recommend New American Language for first-time Dan Bern listeners, while for everyone else this is a great investment, if too long.

"True revolutionaries never bomb buildings ...".......2001-11-19

When I first heard Dan Bern doing "The Day They Found A Cure For AIDS" several years ago on NPR, I was not impressed. But "Smartie Mine" proves that first impressions can be mistaken.

This is a brilliant album that almost transcends the limitations of the folk music format. Drawing on influences ranging from the obvious Bob Dylan touches to the Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, and Beatles type of arrangements, this double disk set shows that Bern is at least a good enough artist to steal his riffs from the best, and at his finest even able to combine the many different sounds of his forebears into new and interesting tunes that seem both catchy and clear in their purpose.

By exploring styles as varied as those from blues and country and folk to those of jazz and pop and rock, Bern takes a lot of artistic chances. And yet they usually pay off. Highlights on the first set include "Chelsea Hotel" (not the classic Leonard Cohen song but a beautiful original piece), the hilarious "Krautmeyer" put-down of the Charlie Manson media legend, and the wonderful old chestnut "Freight Train Blues," which still seems fresh here with a funky, loose, and playful appeal that seems in perfect sync with the material.

Side two has equally good work. My favorites here are the wry, funny little ditty "Joe Van Gogh" (about the unlucky son of the famous painter), the sleek "Little Russian Girl," the talking blues stageplay of "Gamblin' With My Love (Pete Rose)," and the great hooks in "Dark Chocolate," which really comes across as the sort of thing Costello and Warren Zevon would do at their most creatively deranged. Then there are the neat grooves in the "Cocaine/Blue Jay Way" medley, and how smoothly Bern and his band make the two songs blend together in a seamless manner that hits the ear as entirely natural. It has an utterly relaxing feel to it that only softens you up for the power ballad parody opus of "True Revolutionaries." Original and startling enough at the time it came out, with its plea for understanding even the evil of Timothy McVeigh and the Unabomber, it strikes the listener as almost haunting or prophetic today, now that some of the worst nightmares envisioned in the lyrics have come true.

There are some weak numbers on here, though. "Hooker" runs long and a handful of other pieces like "Crosses" and "Sculptor" fall short. Yet for every dud such as Decadent Town," there are two winners such as "One Thing Real" and "Alia." Overall, one cannot find much to complain about in this rather bizarre collection of disparate elements. Bern is a talented writer who challenges his audiences to question their core beliefs, but always with his own unique brand of subversive and irreverent humor. "Smartie Mine" is the most accomplished release I have heard from a single artist in years, and many of the tracks on the album will only grow on you as you play them over again. That is the mark of good music. This is the kind of record that not only deserves attention, it demands respect. Give it a spin and it will have you tapping your foot even as your head is reeling with the clash of ideas Bern asks you to consider in his world of pain and pleasure. From the headlines of the evening news to the poetry of the ages, he covers a lot of ground.

The Best Artist of this Generation.......2000-10-07

Quite simply, there are no superlatives that do fit justice to the music of Dan Bern. Henceforth, I will not try to apply any. What I would like to say is that if you have not already bought Smarty Mine (or all of Dan Bern's other releases for that matter), do so immediately. Further, he has just released a new album which is sure to equal his past accomplishments. Look into it.

The man who saved folk music.......2000-05-16

There are absolutely no words to do this collection justice. The first time I saw Dan at in NYC promoting his first album, they hustled Elvis Costello into the club after the lights went down. He launched into "Tiger Woods" and my friend looked at me with horror and said "what the hell kind of concert did you take me to?"

Dan busted Folk music wide open. Why? Because its topic area was too small before he came along. When folksingers sung about "the world", they could only be bothered with stuff about politics, injustice, oppression, and other "noteworthy" topic areas. Enter Dan Bern, for whom anything is fair play: an imaginary chat between Bart Giamatti and Pete Rose, having Vincent Van Gogh's son as a roommate, longing for a Russian coffee shop waitress, or seeking the blessings of Bruce Springsteen by breaking into his house.

The music world has been bereft of originality since December 1993 when Frank Zappa died, but this artist filled the gap very nicely. He is simply the best thing to happen to folk/pop music in a very, very long time. Check out his first record to get your feet wet ... his song, "Marilyn" (which answers the musical question, 'what if Marilyn Monroe married Henry Miller rather than Arthur Miller?') is worth the price of admission.

And see him play live for goodness sake!

Bern's "Smartie Mine" a rare gem for music fans.......2000-05-13

Dan Bern doesn't take himself terribly seriously. And for that reason, among others, you should. Every few years, an album comes along that reminds true fans of music that everything hasn't been done. There is new territory yet to be explored. While Bern has obvious influences (Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Elvis Costello, to name a few), he also has a unique voice and message that represents a refreshing change of pace from the cacophony of bubblegum, formulaic pop, so-called-alternative and loud statement-rock that dominates the airwaves. Bern's music is firmly grounded in the tradition of modern folk pioneered by the likes of Dylan and Woody Guthrie, but he's not so impressed with his predecessors and himself that he can't have fun with his songs. Another Amazon.com reviewer of this two-CD, 27-song set observed that upon practically every listening of "Smartie Mine," the listener finds a new favorite song - one he or she hadn't fully appreciated before. I agree. This is an album that listeners who "get it" will never get tired of listening to. Bern's raw vocals, harmonica and acoustic guitar add to the authenticity of most all the album's songs. The discs contain socially poignant tracks like "One Thing Real" and "City of Models" scattered among entertaining, funny and subtly masterful compositions like "Tiger Woods," "Krautmeyer" and "Gamblin' With My Love." Bern also is not above treating listeners to the occasional tender love song, as witnessed with "Alia," "Baby Love" and "Sculptor." And on tracks like "Chelsea Hotel," "Crosses" and "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce and Dan Blues," listeners will swear they're hearing the second coming of Bob Dylan. However, no comparison to an existing artist is adequate to describe the album's coup de maitre and final track, "True Revoultionaries." From Timothy McVeigh to Nike, all bases are covered. Enough said. In summary, check out Dan Bern if you'd like to reminisce about a time when music meant something, or dream about a time when it can once again.

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