Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Stuff, August 31, 2004
It can be hard to combine art and message; they can all too easily get in the way of one another leaving neither satisfying. But sometimes art can give messages wings to reach us in new ways. Woodie Gutherie, Dylan, Lennon, and many others, have numbers to their credit that succeeded in combining the two. Bern hits some out of the park on "My Country 2." "Sammy's Bat" is an awesome tune. It's my favorite right now (I just got the album yesterday). A great rollicking rolling song with terrific biblical imagery that makes stark comment on the dangers of growing fascism and complacency:
I had a dream, I had a dream
something about Guantanamo Bay
and something about all these cows ...
"President" is a fun tune. Even if you don't agree with all of Bern's "proposed initiatives," the ideas make you think some about the problems that face us from illegal immigration and dependence on foreign oil to nation building and armed service.
"Tyranny" speaks to the insular echo chamber of this neocon led administration, our global society, and the work we all need to do to make democracy succeed and gives it a good beat!
"Ostrich Town" is a rather scathing indictment of too many in our society who are too comfortable to question what's going on or care. This melodious little number kicks sand in the face of complacency and self-indulgence.
"After the Parade" is as hard hitting a song about war and the sacrifice of the troops as any that have been made. In the vein of Dylan's "Masters of War" and "With God on Our Side."
"My Country II" makes earnest commentary about class divisions and the all too common intolerance these days of those who love America, but don't necessarily buy into every aspect of American majority culture (flag waving, consumer culture, etc.):
I pay my taxes
vote on election day
stop at stop signs
just like you
"The Torn Flag" is a nice translation of a powerful poem into music a la Wilco and Bragg's effort with Gutherie's poems on Mermaid Avenue.
"Bush Must Be Defeated" is a catchy chant that serves as a great coda. The rhymes are sometimes humorous, but this hardly detracts from the number in the way Roy Kasten suggests.
Kasten obviously is not a Dan fan. This EP is completely in line with Dan's often sly and frank lyrics from past efforts.
I completely disagree with Kasten's dismissive assessment that this some kind of disposable novelty. It's anything but.
Rather, it represents a terrific effort by one of the best and most real musicians of the present era. Dan's the man and these numbers deliver not just interesting messages, but GREAT MUSIC.
And, oh yeah, Bush must be defeated.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dan vs. Bush, September 1, 2004
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
After the election is over, November 18, 2004
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.
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