Album  Review:
. THE  AMERICAN  DREAM
BY CHRISTIANA GAUDET
Reprinted With Permission  From
NOTES FROM THE DARK FOREST
COPYRIGHT 1998
.

   Among Desert Rain's many albums (all recorded live or at Jan Goldstein's home studio) is a gem called The American Dream.  This concept album chronicles American history from the arrival of Columbus to present day. This is not a flag-burning, government-bashing free-for-all, but it's not exactly a tribute to our great success, either. All 20 tracks on this 60 minute album are songs that tell the story of our greatest failures and achievements with humor, irony, and no punches pulled. 

   While the music and performance of The American Dream  is a strong collaboration of a band that works together like a well-oiled machine, the concept and writing credits belong to Jan Goldstein. Goldstein describes himself as an amateur history buff. His musical influences include Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Ray Davies (The Kinks) and Frank Zappa. In The American Dream  Goldstein attacks the challenge of presenting our history in musical form with style and humor. He shows cause-and-effect by "telescoping" history. Yankee Doodle comes to town riding in a Chevy, a Ford, a Cadillac and finally, on a Harley. The song  Melting Pot  speaks of social problems born during the Ellis Island years, but makes a statement about life in America today; "We're living in a pressure cooker, not a melting pot."

   The title track of the album comes in two parts. The first, ostensibly celebrating the American standard of two cars in every garage and a white picket fence, degrades into bitter irony. Although we have "a TV set, a microwave and more than enough to eat," the listener gets a sense that the American Dream of material success might not really be enough to dream on. The second part deals with the plight of the homeless who eat out of garbage cans and sleep in cardboard boxes. They, too, according to Goldstein, are "Living the American Dream."

   Goldstein comments on the plight of the Native Americans in the song  Reservations,  a catchy, danceable tune with a clever chorus: "Without any reservations, we put them on reservations, and now they're taking reservations at casino hotels." This song invites us to "Step right up to the roulette wheel, white man, if you've got the nerve. . .you'll get what you deserve." Clearly, Goldstein has no patience for racism, as he proves again in an emotional song called Auction Block.  This song, complete with wailing guitar leads that would inspire any veteran rocker, brings to light one of the most disturbing aspects of American history, the slave trade. "They tell us that all men are created equal, come on down we've got a brand new stock. And personal freedom is a God-given right, free to come and bid at the auction block."

   As a lyricist, Goldstein's forte is the "list" style of song-writing, on the order of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." Nowhere is this more evident than  Age of Wonder,  where, starting with electric light bulb, he details with pride and awe all the modern conveniences technology affords us, complete with rhyme and rhythm. The end of the song packs a wallop, closing with the line "Technology was once your friend, but now you see your freedom's gone." 

   Desert Rain's treatment of the Great Depression is co-written by Dave Perrault, who adds a rocking flute sound reminiscent of the latter years of Jethro Tull. The building of the American railroad is celebrated with a joyous song that feels like the Grateful Dead's "Western stuff."   Goldstein chronicles all the American wars, including the Cold War. He takes no sides in his Civil War song, 1863,  remarking only that "No one had the sense to simply walk away." If there is a song on this album that truly inspires American pride, it's  1945,  which describes World War II as a time when "For once, we were truly united." Even this is followed with a sting in  Victory Parade,  where we are reminded that the African Americans who helped us win the war were instructed not to march in the Victory Parade, making the listener feel that perhaps even this was a hollow victory.

  The album ends with a haunting question in the song 220 YEARS :  "220 years, are we where we want to be? Are you living out your dreams, do you think you're really free?"   Goldstein refrains from making a judgment here. It seems his goal is simply to ask the question, and let us supply the answer. 

  As a documentary of American history, this album is more fun and certainly more honest than your average American History class. If it were not for the few four-letter words peppered throughout the album I might have allowed my son to share it with his second grade class as he requested. Musically, Desert Rain offers meaty, danceable, versatile rock on the order of The Who, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and, of course, The Grateful Dead. The band is tight, spirited, and intelligent. No sappy love songs here! No du-wops or sh-bops either.