SAShepherd

Question for the parents out there...

Can you recommend any CDs (or music in general) for kids that you don't necessarily mind listening to?

I have an infant daughter (approaching toddler-hood) and am slowly phasing out the "lullaby" CDs and while starting to look for other music. And while I'd be happy just to have her listening to music of any type, all else being equal I'd rather be able to listen to it myself without grinding my teeth. (Although I don't mind folk music, I don't want that to be the only genre my daughter grows up with.)

So, does anyone have any recommendations? I'm game for anything -- any genre, any target age (well, keep it under 8 years old). Heck, lullaby recommendations are A-OK (though I don't need any). It also would be interesting to hear what "adult" artists your kids really latch on to. (It's been interesting to go to They Might Be Giants concerts and see 3-year-olds with earplugs on Daddy's shoulders near the back of the room.)

And, I may as well recommend a couple CDs I've found to be enjoyable: Ralph Covert's Ralph's World and Songs For Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Blade

Sound of Music soundtrack is a lot of fun if you don't hate the movie.

-David

Lokimok

I really don't understand this "children's music" business. Unless you only listen to hardcore rap or speed metal or songs with words you wouldn't want your kid to hear or say, why not just play what you like? If you're a big music fan, I say share what you like as soon as you can. You'll have a stronger & longer lasting bond. Wait til she's 10, 11, & up for the teeth grinding - when she's influenced by the radio & her friends & listening to bubblegum pop music.

My dad's really cool & has a big record collection. I've been listening to Frank Zappa (only certain albums), Beatles related, Pink Floyd, CCR, etc. since birth & I still really like all that stuff. (2 of my childhood favorites were Zappa's "Help I'm a Rock" & Floyd's "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave & Grooving with a Pict" - so you never really know what a kid is going to respond to. ) This caused me to be sort of ahead of almost everyone else musically at school. In jr. high/high school, I was always making tapes & turning friends on to good stuff. Since then, I've explored some different musical areas than my dad, but it is still fun to find something I think he might like & share & get his opinion.

Maybe you should get semi-creative & make some mix tapes. Jonathan Richman has a lot of kid-friendly songs - & They Might Be Giants, as you mentioned - & there's that Beatles song, "All Together Now" where they do a lot of counting. Even as a kid, I hated most kid songs. There was an album a few years ago of children's songs done by famous people. I don't know the name & never heard it all. I think it had Paul McCartney doing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" & Bob Dylan doing "This Old Man" - this is a song that always really bothered me, but I love Bob's version - can't imagine many kids liking it though.

SAShepherd

I do disagree somewhat. I like Nirvana, but I don't want my daughter listening to it when she's 4 years old. (OK, maybe that argument fits under the "words-you-don't-want-your-kid-to-hear" argument.) But I think the subject matter of songs, and the clarity of vocals, is an important component to getting kids to like music. The problem for me (and why I started the thread in the first place) is that a lot of what's advertised as "children's music" is pretty simple, guitar-based, humorless stuff. I'm looking for music about stuff that a 2-year-old might be interested in (i.e., bathtime, mealtime, funny noises), and while I think Wilco's Summerteeth is a great album, one that my daughter want to listen to in 10-15 years, I don't think she (even when she turns 4 or 5 years old) can quite grasp songs like "Via Chicago."

I don't think I'm being overly protective or under-adventurous, just trying to fit in "adult" music until the time when everything becomes "adult" music.

Tscott

How about Peter, Paul and Mary's "Peter, Paul and Mommy" album? I grew up listening to this one and still enjoy some of the songs- most noteably, "Puff the Magic Dragon".

Or some sort of 50's and 60's compilation CD of "weird" songs like "Purple People Eater", "Monster Mash" or "Isty Bitsy Tiny Tweeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini".

einTier

"Are you a pot smoker, Focker?"

Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm of the opinion that children should listen to "adult" music, provided the language and themes aren't too mature.

My parents were big music fans, and I was always encouraged to listen to their music instead of my music. In the car, we only listened to their music. Did I understand much of it? No. Not until I was much older, but it did help me to appreciate music, and most of all, all forms of music. My father was particularly fond of asking me what I thought of different peices and what they meant to me. It was interesting to watch my interpretations change as I got older and more mature.

I don't know what to play for her at 2 or 3, honestly, my first memories of music are of the music my parents listened to. My first 8-track was a KISS 8-track at the age of about 3 or 4.

milo bloom

Not really children's per se, but stuff that can be enjoyed by anyone is classical stuff like Beethovan, Bach, Strauss, Handel, Pachelbel, Taichovsky (sp?) , Mozart, what have you. I know one reason I like some of this stuff is all the Bugs Bunny cartoons that used stuff like that.

Heat

Look at the Sesame Street recording "Elmopalooza".

http://www.towerrecords.com/product.asp?pfid=1318360

Also, if you get Parenting or Child magazines, I believe that they do reviews of new kids music and will tell you how it sounds to adults.

I'd avoid anything that has children singing, those get old really quick.

Personally, I have some relatively mellow rock CDs that I listen to with my kids in the car. No, they don't catch the meaning behind the songs, but it is nice music for them to listen to. You say you don't mind folk songs, listen to folk music in the car.

Decker

My daughter really likes the O Brother soundtrack, for what it's worth. It's a lot better than some of the dreck that's out there. Another couple CDs that she likes and are very interesting for grown ups are these recordings by Woody Guthrie : "Nursery Days" and "Songs To Grow On For Mother And Child".

When will they release a compilation album of Beatles songs for kids? Yellow Submarine, Octopus' Garden, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Here Comes the Sun, ect. It's so obvious and I'll buy it again even though I have all the Beatles stuff already. Hmmm.... Maybe I'll just burn my own instead....

stevevt

Run, do not walk, to this web site: www.youaremyflower.org .

The cd they sell is incredible. All proceeds go to charity. Kids love this album (in my experience), and it's pretty good listening for adults, too.

By the way, the "band" on the cd is the 2 main members of the group Ida, one of my favorite bands.

SAShepherd

Thank you for the suggestions and comments. The "You Are My Flower" CD sounds particularly cool. Oddly enough, one of my recommendations, Ralph's World, is performed by Ralph Covert, who I gather has a "non-kids" recording life as well. So in some cases, being able to record music that's definitely "not for kids" may make their "kids" music more palatable for adults.

A common theme I see as I look at reviews of "kids" music at Amazon and other sites is that the best "kids" music is so good that adults listen to it when kids aren't around. It's probably not the only stuff they listen to, of course, but could easily be listened to on an occasional basis. In other words, the best "children's music" isn't "children's music" at all...

As I said before, I do think that there is a certain stylistic and lyrical approach that is better for kids (especially those 5 years old or younger) than most. So while I appreciate the fact that some of you listened to your parents' music without consideration of what might have been "kids" music, I guess I disagree that that should be the starting point for my daughter.

Hey, I listened to my parents' Herb Alpert, ABBA, and other easy listening music albums when I was very young, and I didn't end up too warped.

atlantamoi

My wife and I laugh pretty hard listening to Veggietales. Download "The Bunny Song" if you want to hear a goofy tune that adults could enjoy (in small doses).

DodgingCars

Yeah, Veggietales are great. I love the Waterbuffalo song.

Dansize

I'm into trying to get my daughter into my kind of music. She especially likes things with drums (not rap or drum machines - real drummers!).

The kid stuff she likes that we can listen to without contemplating driving the car off the road includes:

Disney's Tarzan soundtrack (we're Phil Collins fans already)

Bear in the Big Blue House: There are 2 recordings out there and there is a wide mix of styles and subjects. I am really impressed with the stuff they do as it is well written and produced for a kids' show.

Record the audio track from movies they like. I have done this from a few DVD's that she has already memorized including Toy Story 2, Chicken Run, tarzan, etc. I also think this help them visualize things.

I have also gotten her interested in Jimmy Buffet, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and others.

Heck when I was a kid, my favorite pieces of my dad's music collection included Dr. Hook and the Sloppy Seconds (not that I'd recommend that).

SAShepherd

Bump, given the discussion of introducing kids to "adult" music.

I'm still of the opinion that there may be some music parents should hold off on introducing to your kids.

But that's just me... it'll be a while before I play ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead for my 3-year-old. I'll stick with the Elizabeth Mitchell, Ralph's World, Laurie Berkner, and Dan Zanes.

PorkChopExpress

Try anything by:

Raffi
Sharan Lois and Bram
Charlotte Diamond
Fred Penner

All great choices, all great to sing along to with the kids.

Turd Ferguson

People don't realize how witty and well-written the VeggieTales stuff is. I think a lot of people just hear "Christian" and "kids" and run screaming.

GatorDeb

Have you tried Israeli songs? Seriously. They have good melodies and are great even if you don't know Hebrew. Check out a couple at the library ("Hora" is one of my favorite songs).

Groucho

Considering that most hippity-hop is aimed squarely at young children, the more swearing the less mature the audience, if you like that buy any album with "Parental Warning" on it.

Hollowgen

david bowie's "dance magic dance"

TheAllPurposeNothing

Let's see...for starters:

Carole King - Really Rosie s/t
TMBG- No!
Various - Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (vols. 1 &2)
Any Dan Zanes (former member of the Del Fuegos)
Just about any Muppets or Sesame Street album (esp. Born to Add)
Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Wilson - Catch the Moon
Mickey Dolenz - Puts You To Sleep
Harry Nilsson - The Point

Hiro11

My three year old daughter loves They Might e Giants and so do I. Problem solved.

dvduser6

I've been playing most of my music CD's to my kids since they were in the womb. I think we listened to Moby's "Play" CD so much I wore it out (if that's possible). I've always loved guitar music, so now my son and I listen to Joe Satriani or Steve Vai anytime I take them places in the car (much to my wife's dismay). But seriously, let them experience as many different kinds of music and rythyms as you can possibly find. As long as it's not offensive, I don't see the harm. We keed a mix of kids music and our regular music in the car. At home, the kids are too busy wanting to watch Nick Jr. as often as possible.

Rypro 525

if you can, you should buy the 3 disc "how the west was won" live album by zeppelin, as it has a nearly 20 minute drum solo.

xmiyux

Wow, i'm excited to find someone besides myself who grew up listening to that album. My favorite song as a kid was Queen of the Silver Dollar.

Another funny story is that when i was in kindergarten and the teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up i told her i wanted to be a wino. The reason was i listened to this old country song called (i believe) "I'm going to hire a wino" where the woman hired a wino to decorate her home like a bar so her husband would stay home and not go out. Well to me i thought a wino was someone who designed and decorated houses and that sounded fun to me at the time. My parents were shocked when my teacher called them to inquire about my wino aspirations...