Bargain Music Discography of CDs

Bargain Music music CDs Something very revealing happens on "Murderer," one of the tracks on Bargain Music's Cook the Beans. Introducing the rock-reggae tune in a faux-redneck voice, lead singer Josh Fischel mentions reggae star Buju Banton as well as some characters from The Dukes of Hazzard. Fischel is being goofy -- this band definitely has a sense of humor -- but he's also telling you a lot about his musical outlook. He's letting you know how eclectic his tastes are, and the word eclectic easily describes Cook the Beans (which contains both live and studio material and was released by the Washington, D.C.-based Beatville label in 2000). ...

Bargain Music discography Although Bargain Music circulated a demo cassette in 1998, 77 003 was its first CD and its official debut album -- and it's also the band's most essential release. 77 003 was produced by Mike Watt, who is known for his association with the Minutemen and Firehouse -- not a bad guy to have in your corner, and he helps pull things together nicely on this promising debut. Watt doesn't tame the band's free-spirited nature; he doesn't rob Bargain Music of its eccentricity or sense of humor, and he doesn't discourage eclecticism. Watt has no problem with the fact that 77 003 will combine ...

Bargain Music songs From the '30s and '40s to the '90s -- from jazz to country to hip-hop -- there have been plenty of artists who made humor an integral part of their music. That was true of Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong during jazz's pre-bebop era; it is equally true of artists who range from George Clinton and Frank Zappa to the Fat Boys to folk-rock singer Christine Lavin. And much to their credit, all of those artists knew/know how to be funny without becoming novelty acts. The same goes for Bargain Music, whose The Magic Is Over underscores the fact that the Los ...

Bargain Music CD discography Neither a standard greatest-hits, a proper odds-and-sods compilation, nor a normal live album, A Little Taste Of hits all of those points over the course of its 12 songs. This is, of course, entirely appropriate for an overview of Southern California's Bargain Music, a band whose previous albums have ranged from Sublime-style ska-punk to loosey-goosey jam band workouts to skewed country-rock. So here we have the woozy Tom Waits pastiche "Percolator" up against the live shaggy-dog story "Date #1" (which wouldn't sound out of place on a Jack Johnson album), both of them later followed by the ten-minute live reggae workout "Call It Quits" ...

Bargain Music albums Unlike their other albums (which reflect their penchant for funk/punk/reggae tunes), Bargain Music's 2006 release American Born is a solo acoustic affair. Lead singer/guitarist Josh Fischel is featured front and center here, and despite the stripped down setting, his droll lyrics are still prominently on display throughout, as evidenced by such tracks as "Billy." However, almost half of the 11 tracks on American Born are cover songs (and quite an eclectic mix, to boot), including one of the album's highlights, Peter Tosh's "Till Your Well Runs Dry," as well as Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels," the Who's "I've Been Away," and Lyle Lovett's "Family ...