The title of Dan Bern's most commercially successful album, Fifty Eggs, is an allusion to the films Cool Hand Luke and Reality Bites. In the latter film, Ethan Hawke's horribly pretentious character remarks that "No one can eat fifty eggs."

Perhaps Dan Bern's sense of self-deprecation kicked in when deciding on his album title-- because Fifty Eggs definitely isn't an album that everyone could enjoy.

The Short Version:
If you enjoy Ani DiFranco and Moxy Fruvous, you'll dig Dan Bern and his Fifty Eggs. If not, run. Run fast, and run far.

The Long Version:
I enjoy both Ani DiFranco and Moxy Fruvous. I first heard of Dan Bern while reading a review of an Ani DiFranco album in Billboard magazine a few years back-- and Dan was described as one of a handful of folk singers competing for the title of "The Next Bob Dylan." Ultimately, I don't think that comparison really fits Dan Bern's style-- his lyrics are far more direct and most of his songs hold some irreverent pop-culture references.

But, since comparisons to well-known artists is usually helpful for most people, I'd have to say that Dan Bern is the male approximate of recent (re: not angry) Ani DiFranco, with the humor of Moxy Fruvous thrown in for good measure.

That combination makes for a fascinating, often-brilliant musician who will be a bit much for the mainstream music fan to stomach. Add to this the stripped-down production of Fifty Eggs-- though, admittedly, this album has a more "involved" production than earlier Dan Bern albums-- and you have the epitome of indie-rock, unconventional and uncompromising.

The production isn't the focus of Fifty Eggs, however, so let's get that discussion out of the way first. Dan's vocals are emphasized on all fourteen tracks, often overpowering the music behind them. And Dan, talented though he is, is no Chris Isaak... his are not vocals that should be highlighted so strongly. He sings with a reckless abandon and all of the passion you'd expect from a dyed-in-the-wool folkie, and his raspy tenor is quite an expressive instrument. That said, his vocals often come across as labored and over-sung.

Anyway. Back to the production-- to note that Ani DiFranco produced Fifty Eggs, which accounts for some of the little tweaks that show up sporadically throughout the album. Some of these additions work, while others just serve as distractions. Perhaps my favorite is the interlude during the song "Different Worlds," during which a toy piano clinks away at the melody; this certainly fits with Bern's great sense of humor and with the tone of that particular song. On "No Missing Link," however, the last word of the first verse (details to follow!) is awkwardly set apart from the rest of the song as Ani chimes in with an operatic harmony vocal. The first time I heard it, I found it funny. But less so on each subsequent listen.

One criticism of Ani DiFranco's more recent albums (starting with Little Plastic Castle) is that they're all a bit over-produced. And she definitely brought that to her production job on her friend Dan's album. Dan Bern rarely performs with an actual band; the ideal production for one of his albums, then, would be just Dan, his guitar, and his harmonica.

But you don't listen to Dan Bern's music for the production values or for the vocals... you listen to Dan Bern for his lyrics, and Fifty Eggs shows Berstein at the top of his game.

Anyone with delusions of political correctness will be deeply offended by this album... kinda like The Marshall Mathers LP but with a sense of humor and without the hype and controversy!

Fifty Eggs opens with the song "Tiger Woods," a song which has precious little to do with said golf superstar. The decency codes here at Epinions prevent me from sharing the best lyrics of this song, but, to summarize, they involve Dan's desire to have a certain part of his anatomy as "big as the swing of Tiger Woods." Despite the apparent toilet-humor, it's actually an intelligently-constructed song, fast-paced and hilarious.

In a similar vein are "No Missing Link" (re-read the title of this comment... I trust that you can put 2 and 2 together to figure out what this song is about), "Different Worlds," "Jesus Freak" (surprisingly, not the anti-religion anthem one might expect from a close friend of Ani DiFranco), and "Cure for AIDS." They're unabashedly politically incorrect, but manage to show an acute cultural awareness. Unlike Bob Dylan, however, Dan Bern is a social satirist, rather than a social commentator. For instance:
"The day they found a cure for AIDS/
everbody took one little pill and was okay/
the people who had plotted to get rid of all the gays/
admitted their guilt and then everything was fine..."
That's about as tame as Dan gets on this album. I think he's a riot, but I can fully understand how other people would be offended by his material.

Of course, Berstein can also write compelling non-inflammatory songs. Perhaps my favorite track on Fifty Eggs is "Monica," in which Dan rather poignantly recounts the stabbing of tennis star Monica Seles. "And then, did everyone who came close to you," he asks, "Suddenly hold a knife in their hand?".

My other favorite track is "One Dance," a kicka*s rock song that perfectly captures a neurotic male's inability to express his desires to his dream mate.
"Because I love you/ I get tongue-tied around you/ I never say smart stuff around you/ I never say anything around you/ That would make you want to be with me/ So because I love you/ I will never be with you." Ouch. The truth of the situation rings in Dan's attention to the smallest of details.

Ultimately, the only weak song on Fifty Eggs is the hokey hidden track, "Suzanne," which might make for a decent Matchbox Twenty song, but which pales in comparison to the good songwriting on this album.

Fifty Eggs, despite the flawed production and Dan's less-than-stellar voice, is a great folk-rock album, fiercely independent in its spirit and tone. Though certainly not a perfect album, it's always engaging. If only for curiosity/novelty purposes, I definitely recommend picking up a copy of Fifty Eggs, which will most likely have to be ordered from www.danbern.com.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends