Even with all the great press that parent-friendly kids' music (or kindie rock, as it has been called) received in the last year, and the level of recognition that artists like Dan Zanes have achieved, there are still plenty of parents who are either unaware of all the amazing music out there or unwilling to give it a try. The "unwilling to give it a try" parents are the most frustrating to me, and they are some of the most difficult to sell on the idea that fantastic kids' music really does exist. The problem is, if they find some really awesome kids' music, they would have to stop complaining about the Wiggles. They'd rather curse the darkness -- or the Wiggles -- than turn on a light.
Well, I'm here to flip on the lights. I've compiled and ranked a list of my top 20 kids' albums for these parents are who unwilling to give kids' music a try -- for these purposes, I've dubbed them "parents who can't stand kids' music." (Although it might be more appropriate to call them "parents who think they can't stand kids' music." I'm such an optimist.) The albums on my list are all individual CDs; there are no box sets or DVDs. And these are all albums made for young children -- pre-schoolers, mainly, and maybe a couple years on either side of that. Music for bigger kids (8 and up) wasn't my focus here.
It's important to mention that several of my favorite kids' artists and albums didn't make this list. And some of the biggest current names in "kindie rock" don't appear. Dan Zanes is not here. Neither are Elizabeth Mitchell, Justin Roberts, Ralph's World, or many others. This is not a list of the "coolest" or "most rocking" kids' albums (although some of them are very cool and incredibly rocking). To be honest, some of these choices were influenced as much by the band's name, album title, or album art as they were by the song choices, writing, or music. These are the albums that I think would make an easy first step for parents who are hesitant to set foot in the genre of kids' and family music.
1. No! - They Might Be Giants
Maybe an obvious choice, but No! is important in that it's one of the first albums that effectively reached parents of our generation and got us excited about kids' music. It has served as an entry point for many families into the kindie-rock genre, and I consider it a landmark in the recent evolution of kids' music. I can still clearly remember getting this album when our first son was still a toddler and watching him dance to "Robot Parade." This is kids' music as only TMBG could do it -- strange and surreal, but broadly appealing and accessible at the same time.
2. Greasy Kid Stuff: Songs from Inside the Radio, Vol. 1 - Various Artists
This compilation from Greasy Kid Stuff was another one of the first CDs to appear in our kids' music collection. Greasy Kid Stuff is a long-time kids' radio show/webcast, and in 2002 they released Songs From Inside the Radio, Volume 1. The artists here represent genres ranging from surf/garage rock to punk rock to pop rock.....pretty much all kinds of rock. Some of the artists will be familiar to parents (The Mr. T Experience, Yo La Tengo), others just sound cool (The Zambonis, T. Lance & the Coctails, The Go-Nuts). Our favorite tracks are "Hockey Monkey" (see the video here), "One of These Things," and "Up and Down."
Generally speaking this is not music to put on at naptime. It's the kind of music to pop in when you are in the middle of an 8-hour car trip with your kids and everyone is getting cranky. Or when there is a snow day and your kids need some indoor physical activity. Or when you want to rock out with your kids, but you've learned it's no longer safe to play Ben Folds around them because Ben just can't get enough of the F word.
3. Greasy Kid Stuff: More Songs from Inside the Radio, Vol. 2 - Various Artists
Volume 2 brings more of the same Greasy Kid goodness -- an eclectic mix of bands covering familiar songs and introducing a few new ones. Guv'ner's "Lucky Ladybug," The Kabalas' "Underdog" (the theme song from the old cartoon), and Supernova's "Mommy" are favorites at our house. Other artists on Volume 2 include They Might Be Giants, Muckafurgason, and Let's Audio.
The only song here that gave me any hesitation was "Gimme," the official birthday song of Greasy Kid Stuff. What would be most likely to result in hate mail from my readers - as in ohmygod, did they just say UTERUS? - are the lyrics "We hope your mother's beauteous, you came out of her uterus / Happy, happy, happy birth-day!" Best rhyme ever, in my opinion.
Read the rest of my review of Greasy Kid Stuff here.
4. Mommy Says No! - Asylum Street Spankers
I'll admit up front that part of the album's initial appeal for me was the album art, the album name, and the fact that it was done by Asylum Street Spankers. What music-snob parent wouldn't love the feeling of superiority and smugness one gets when casually mentioning that your pre-schooler is a big Spankers fan?
But there's a lot more to love here beyond the externals. In fact, the writing and the music are just plain amazing. Spankers member (and the album's musical director) Christina Marrs wrote and sang "Be Like You," "Sidekick," and "Don't Turn Out the Light," all wonderfully sweet poppy tunes. At the other end of the musical spectrum is the Dead Kennedys homage title track, written and sung by Wammo (another Spanker). In between, there are plenty more great songs, demonstrating the band's incredible veratility. Jazz, blues, ragtime, bluegrass, swing, punk -- all seem natural and effortless to this ensemble.
5. If You Ever See an Owl - The Terrible Twos
The Terrible Twos endeared themselves to the "too cool for kids' music" crowd -- and to me -- when frontman Matt Pryor referred to certain other children's music as "annoying" and "cheesy crap." This positioned the Twos as the bad-asses of the kids' music scene, and sparked heated discussions like this one at ((sm))all ages a few months ago.
If You Ever See an Owl lands solidly in the "just right" territory of kids' music -- not trying too hard to be hip and cool for the parents, and not cheesy or preachy or talking down to the kids. These are smart and catchy pop tunes with poetic lyrics and a simple, acoustic sound. Recorded in Pryor's garage in Lawrence, the album has an intimate feel, which is heightened by Pryor's expressive vocals
Read the rest of my review here.
6. I Can Do it By Myself! - AudraRox
Sometimes you want music for your children that teaches essential pre-school concepts like counting or sharing. But then there are times you and your kids just want to rock. And that's when you need a copy of I Can Do It By Myself! Lead singer Audra Tsanos is a mom and music educator who is backed by an impressive crew of New York musicians, some of them parents themselves. Together they create a high-energy power pop sound with a punk rock sensibility, and they have the tattoos to go along with it. From the rebellious "Short Attention Span" to more heartfelt songs like "Don't Wake the Baby," the original lyrics are consistently clever and fun.
Read the rest of my review here.
7. Calling All Kids - The Candy Band
Hearing Calling all Kids raised many questions for me:
How could I have lived within 100 miles of this band for the last several years, completely unaware of them until so recently? How awesome can kids' music get? And what are the chances they would let me join Candy Band?
Calling All Kids also answered some questions for me. Questions like....What would it sound like if Kansas was fronted by Patti Smith and cut a track about monsters? (track 10) What if a female version of Metallica kicked out their interpretation of "This Little Piggy?" (track 7)
The Candy Band covers familiar kids' music themes -- the alphabet, birthdays, nursery rhymes, bikes, monsters -- but in a Detroit-glam-garage-band kind of way. This is the music to put on when you want to transform your family room into a mosh pit, when your kids (and you) need to dance and yell and jump around.
Read the rest of my review here.
8. Kids Rock for Peas - The Sippy Cups
This live album showcases the Sippy Cups covering late 60’s and early 70’s psychedelia, including Pink Floyd’s "Bike," The Rolling Stones’ "She’s A Rainbow," and The Beatles’ "Dear Prudence." The band has adapted these trippy classics for young children, without turning off their classic rock loving parents--even those old enough to remember when it was just called rock.
Read the rest of my review here. 
9. Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks - Various Artists
The old Saturday morning favorite Schoolhouse Rock was resurrected with covers by alternative and grunge bands in 1996 on this CD, which may have been as much for adult GenX-ers as it was for kids. "The Energy Blues" performed by Biz Markie or "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" performed by Ween -- what a perfect way for us to reminisce about our childhood Saturday mornings and introduce our own kids to these classic songs.
10. The Hipwaders - The Hipwaders
This Bay-area trio takes original approaches to some familiar topics for kids, while bringing a unique and energetic sound. They have all the necessary ingredients for a successful kids' album - high energy, a smart sense of humor, and a sound that merges the wholesome goodness of kids' music with the hipness and sophistication of parents' musical tastes.
Early tracks like "Messy Room Song" and "It's an Earthquake!" show off some amazing twitchy guitar playing with lots of chromatic runs, and establish the Hipwaders' jangly power-pop sound that continues throughout the album. At times I heard the influences of The Byrds and Nick Lowe, and on tracks like "Silly Robot Dance" I could hear Franz Ferdinand and Television.
Read the rest of my review here.
11. Fascinating Creatures - Frances England
A mom herself, England has put together a collection of songs that are lyrically and musically appropriate for kids, but with enough of an edge that they could pass for grown-up music, along the lines of Liz Phair or Cat Power. In fact, my first reaction to Frances England was something like this: "A kids' music artist who lists Liz Phair among her influences? I am so there!"....England's lyrics throughout the album are smart and original. Rather than going for obvious rhymes or perfect iambic pentameter, she writes in a conversational rhythm much of the time and creates beautiful images for the listener.
Read the rest of my review here.
12. For the Kids - Various Artists
Like TMBG's No! this album is an another early attempt to reach (or target) Gen X parents with kids' music. As a compilation (to benefit VH-1's Save the Music Foundation), For the Kids features a number of artists that appealed quite directly to parents in 2002 -- Cake, Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Darius Rucker, and Five for Fighting. It also includes a track from Dan Zanes, who by 2002 was already a leading voice in kids' music.
The follow-up, For the Kids Too! is worth mentioning, but it didn't land in my top 20.
13. Heroes and Villains - Various Artists
I wish the Powerpuff Girls had been around when I was young. I would have been a huge fan. But I got to experience the next best thing -- enjoying them with my own child. Honestly, I think I always liked them more than he ever did.
This compilation album (described as "songs inspired by the Powerpuff Girls") was released in 2000, a couple years before the Girls even reached their heights of popularity. In addition to the show's theme song, the album also includes The Apples in Stereo's "Signal in the Sky," which became almost a secondary theme song for the girls. Frank Black, Devo, and Shonen Knife also contributed tracks, and a few of the songs ended up in The Powerpuff Girls: The Movie.
14. Plays Well with Others - Uncle Rock
This artist is also known as Robert Burke Warren, the former bass player for CBGB's heydey-era music legends, The Fleshtones. But as Uncle Rock, he seamlessly merges his own high-profile rock and roll past with fatherhood and transforms it into family-friendly songwriting. Plays Well covers some of the usual kids’ music themes, but in unexpected and creative ways. Take for example, titles like "Disco Nap," or "Rock & Roll Babysitter," in which the title character has a tattoo on her back and plays in a girl band.
This is the album you imagine your former-rocker husband would love to make for your own kids--if only you had let him buy that Stratocaster last year instead of replacing the washer and dryer.
Read the rest of my review here.
15. Silly Reflection - Lunch Money
This album will be a huge hit in your house if you're a fan of female vocals and a laid-back, acoustic vibe. This trio, fronted by singer-songwriter Molly Ledford, keeps their sound simple, letting smart songwriting and sophisticated melodies lead the way. It's hard to resist lyrics like this one about a tricycle: I can go as fast as those things at the bank in the drive-thru that they put the money in. It's like they're channeling the pre-adolescent mindset, without ever sounding patronizing or adolescent themselves. All ten tracks are Ledford originals, and there’s not a bad one in the batch.
Read the rest of my review here.
16. Make Some Noise - The Quiet Ones (aka The Quiet Two)
With a post-punk sound, stacked harmonies, and offbeat and imaginative lyrics, The Quiet Ones bring a truly unique approach to kids' music on their 2005 release Make Some Noise. The Quiet Ones are two-thirds of the band Muckafurgason - Christopher Anderson and Andrew Ure.
The tracks on Make Some Noise range from lyrical ballads like "Park by Myself" and "I Remember Purple" with its beautiful cello counterpoint, to the hard-rocking childhood anthem "How Fast Can You Run?" Anderson and Ure are an interesting vocal combination, passing the lead back and forth throughout the album. In the back and forth, listeners may notice the distinction between Anderson (very American) and Ure (quite British); but the two voices and dialects blend beautifully.
Other musical highlights are the Doors-like organ on "You Can't Hide Your Bike," the bouncy keyboard on "My Keyboard," a Pete Buck-like guitar solo on "Constellations," and rich strings on "Park By Myself." Notable for its hilarious lyrics is "Invisible Trousers" - fun for kids because it's all about imagination, and fun for adults because it's about a guy walking around with no pants.
Read the rest of my review here.
17. Animal Crackers - Wee Hairy Beasties
Animal Crackers by Wee Hairy Beasties is a collaboration of Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Kelly Hogan, and acoustic blues/jazz combo Devil in a Woodpile. The Beasties have an eclectic sound, and a remarkable chemistry among them.
Musically, this ensemble is having way too much fun. (That is spoken by this classically trained musician, who gets itchy and tense when asked to improvise.) The Beasties are a reminder that, in the world of children's music, you can't take yourself too seriously. Judging from the amount of kazoo that you hear on Animal Crackers, it's clear that the Beasties are not taking themselves too seriously -- but because they are such accomplished musicians, they are able to put forth a fun and relaxed, yet tight and technically strong album.
Read the rest of my review here.
18. The Bottle Let Me Down - Various Artists
Released in 2002 by Bloodshot Records, this is a collection of mostly rockabilly and Western swing songs (Bloodshot refers to it as "roots rock") by various artists, including a favorite of mine - Kelly Hogan (formerly of the Atlanta band The Jody Grind). These artists cover some recognizable songs, like "Red, Red Robin," "Camptown Races," "On Top of Spaghetti," and "Rubber Duckie," while others sang some that were new to me like "Funky Butt" and "Down on the Farm."By far my favorite on this CD is "Don't Wipe Your Face on Your Shirt," an original track by the Cornell Hurd Band.
This record is full of smart, funny, upbeat songs performed by great musicians. It'ss described on the Bloodshot Records site as "wholesome AND subversive" - and that really nails it.
Read the rest of my review here.
19. For Our Children - Various Artists
This album was first released in 1990 as a benefit for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and was re-released in 1999 in a 10th Anniversary edition. It's an amazing compilation with lots of great artists -- Little Richard's "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is a classic, and Bob Dylan's "This Old Man" is surprisingly fun. Tracks by Sting, Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen and Ziggy Marley balance out a few less-impressive songs from Paula Abdul, Meryl Streep, and James Taylor. Even though today's parents are an entirely different breed (and different generation) than parents who were the target audience for this album in 1990, the album holds up incredibly well.
20. Colours Are Brighter - Various Artists
Maybe I'm too old or too girly, but this album didn't do much for me. In spite of my lack of enthusiasm, I do think it has appeal among parents who can't stand kids' music, and it has an impressive list of artists. So this album definitely belongs on this list. Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand, The Flaming Lips, and Kathryn Williams all contributed to the compilation, which was curated by Belle and Sebastian as a benefit for Save the Children UK.
April 15, 2007
The Top 20 Kids Albums for Parents Who Can't Stand Kids Music
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21 comments:
Great list, I think... We actually have only three of those twenty - TMBG, For The Kids, and The Hipwaders.
My kids grew up with mostly Ralph's World and The Wiggles. Eric Herman and Dan Zanes came along only recently.
Now that my son is 8, his attention has turned to the artists in my iTunes collection of 35,000 tracks. He asks for Beatles, XTC, Split Enz, and Simple Plan.
So, we missed out on a lot of this music. It's a huge investment that most parents don't want to make. They get 5 or 6 CDs and play them to death (as we did with Ralph's World).
Right now my kids won't let me take the new Mika CD out of the car. We just keep playing it over and over.
Oh I am just soooooo way out of touch with the current generation. I thought it was bad enough a decade ago when we came to the States and every other child knew about the "school rock,' but mine.
Looks like I have my homework cut out.
Cheers
Great list Amy! Great taste. Thanks!
Wow. I can't believe I never heard of Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks. My younger self would've snatched that up the week it hit the shelf.
Enjoyed reading your list.
these all sound amazing. i love so many of these ('kindie?') artists because their commitment to their music really shines through when listening to their albums. above and beyond their appeal to kids, artists like Dan Zanes & liz mitchell and frances england are brilliant and obviously doing what they love. i'm glad that i can share this with my own kids, even if they would probably choose to listen to the Village People and the Star Wars soundtrack 24/7 if they had their way...
Thanks for the list. Some stuff I've never heard of. Although I would not put wee hairy beasties in there, move the Candy Band a little higher and add Rockosaurus Rex in the top 5. Just my opinion.
Chag, my younger self DID buy Schoolhouse Rock Rocks soon after it was released -- several years before we even had kids!
And Kelli Ann, it's always fun to see what our kids actually end up liking. That might be another future list to post...
I used to play tracks from the Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks on my college radio show--thanks for bringing back some great memories! I can't believe I didn't remember this album when choosing music for my daughter....
Got here through JasonHare - great stuff, Mrs. Davis. As the parents of a music-crazy one-year-old, thank you for these glorious suggestions. May my wife and I never have to listen to that Choo-Choo-Soul Disney crap ever again.
I'm really interested in hearing some of these songs after reading your reviews. My daughter is too old for these, but I do wish these CDs came out when she was younger 'cause I would have bought many of them. :-)
Great list! You're right -- there's no good reason for parents to complain about bad kids' music anymore.
"The Bottle Let Me Down" has been one of our favorites, I'm glad you included it on the list. "Don't Wipe Your Face on Your Shirt" is indeed one of the best, but my kids really like "Senor El Gato" the best.
Elizabeth Mitchell is brilliant, I'm glad someone added that here. Also, there's Ramones for Kids altho I don't really see the point. Aren't the Ramones already for kids? Still, our 4-yr-old son is well on his way to a huge Brett Anderson (The Donnas) crush thx to her California Sun cover.
Isn't good grown-up music good enough for the kids? My 14 month old daughter loves just about everything my wife and I listen to.
I'd feel like I was putting her in the "slow class" by playing something that was specifically targeted at little kids. Maybe I'm just naive and when my daughter gets old enough to talk she'll demand some fuzzy wuzzy wiggle music or something, but for now she seems to be enjoying real music.
We do have Colours are Brighter and play a lot of TMBG, but I listen to those even when my daughter isn't around since they have some great music!
I think my list of top music for kids would be something like:
- Badly Drawn Boy
- Super Furry Animals
- Belle and Sebastian
- Wilco
- Plastilina Mosh
- Gomez
- Babyshambles
- older Blur
- Franz Ferdinand
- just about any Mozart piece
... and the list goes on... there's no shortage of good music out there! The best part is that you can keep listening to the albums you buy after the kids are grown.
I respect the time it took to assemble this list, but I'll take another path here. Initially wasn't going to post, as I won't be surprised by some instant umbrage to the following...
Ultimately, kids music is for kids, and if the adults can enjoy it, or at least tolerate it during endless minivan excusions, then it's a bonus side-effect. Classic example: Raposo and Cerf's Children's Television Workshop canon.
Otherwise, The Wiggles aren't writing and performing for you, soccer mom 'n' weekend dad, and rightfully so. The longer I've worked in this industry, the less surprised I am to find myself respecting lazily villanized monoliths like Barney, Elmo, et al. YOU'RE not the target audience, Gen X'ers, the kids are, so let 'em have their time in the sun. Even better, the kids aren't so worried about looking hip, they're just naturally enjoying what they like.
Barney and Elmo are pandering, you say? Zero arguments here, but then I'd also counter by saying that much of the above is just as pandering, plus with the occasional drop of Gen-X imbued irony and cynicism that our growing kids need.
If you need to occasionally rock out w/ the kids, then perhaps just play your old TMBG CD's in the car when you get the chance. Better yet, introduce 'em to some friendly Creedence Clearwater Revival or doo-wop. Just don't take it personally if they're not digging what you're digging.
Sean, I think playing "grown-up" music for kids is perfectly fine in most cases. But I love that the line between kids music and grown-up music is getting blurred more and more -- you mentioning that you listen to TMBG and Colours are Brighter without your kids around is the perfect example of that. As for the "slow class" comment, I have to disagree. Does reading kids' books or watching kids' TV or playing with age-appropriate toys also imply a "slow class" to you? I don't think music is all that different.
And Walkathon, yes, kids music is for kids. If you take a look around the rest of my site, you'll see plenty of instances where I agree with you on that. Also, there's a great essay on that here:
http://fidsandkamily.blogspot.com/2006/11/its-ok-to-hate-your-kids-music.html
mrs. davis: Great points. My "slow class" comment was out of line. But I would argue that kids books are appropriate based on the child's reading level whereas good music doesn't require any age-specfic skills. Don't get me started on kid's TV... I consider kid's TV to be MUCH worse than kid's music. Most of it is thinly veiled attempts to keep kid's eyes glued to the screen in order to sell sugary cereal during commercials or burn the brand into their mind so that you go out and buy the books, action figures, movie tickets, etc.
Of course, I'm painting all kids TV with a broad brush and there is a lot of good stuff, but the good stuff (most of the shows on PBS, for example) isn't the same as adult TV because they are teaching things like letters, numbers, etc. Once my daughter can read, write and speak I would much rather they watch a relevant documentary than Sesame Street. Although I'd rather just avoid the TV altogether.
Hey, what a great list--thank you! We've long been fans of Greasy Kids Stuff and No!, but I see a few albums/artists here that we definitely need to check out.
Wow! Great and helpful list!!! Thanks!!!!
hello I am hoping someone can lead me in the right direction
I have been trying to find a children's song that goes something like this:
oh daddy long legs, and momma short arms, lived in a wee house, upon a bug farm, and every morning at quarter past six....
That is all I can remember but it has a very catchy tune to to it.
Thanks in advance.
Anonymous please go to this site and you will find the song you are referring to. http://groups.imeem.com/dzOTUs4j/music/rfkD7iUT/doodle_bee_doo
It was funny because when you were looking for this song just a few weeks after you posted, I was also looking . Then I was on a mission and found the song. Hope you can enjoy it again.
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