February 14, 2004
No!
No! is the name of an album I want to recommend to all those parents out there who cannot bear to listen to Raffi anymore. It's by They Might Be Giants, an alternative rock band from Brooklyn, and it's just great.
The band deliberately set out to make an album that kids and parents can both enjoy. As far as this household is concerned, they succeeded. The songs have basic rhythms that kids can appreciate and lots of clear, simple lyrics that even a toddler can enjoy. But they also are full of absurd, screwball humor that will keep parents smiling even after the 20th or 30th repetition. I mean, with lines like "I am not your broom, I am not your broom, I've had enough, I'm shaking off my chains of servitude" and "No means no, a thousand times no", what's not to like? And of course, there's the Fibber Island song ("Here on Fibber Island, our house is made of pie, our dog is two miles wide...").
My favorite, being German, is "Don't cross the street in the middle, in the middle, in the middle of the block". (Someone was inspired by Rudy Giuliani?) Doug prefers "Robot Parade": "In a future time/children will work together/to build a giant/cyboooooorg..."
It's a very fun album.
Where to get it? Oh, you know. Amazon.com is the expat's friend... And if you're interested in They Might Be Giants, you can find their website here.
Posted by claudia at February 14, 2004 11:12 AMHi Claudia.
1. There is lots of Dorna milk in METRO Otopeni.(red&blue)
2. you forgot to add http:// in front of the last address from your post.
http://www.tmbg.com
Have a nice day!
Anca
My favorite, being German, is "Don't cross the street in the middle, in the middle, in the middle of the block". (Someone was inspired by Rudy Giuliani?) Doug prefers "Robot Parade": "In a future time/children will work together/to build a giant/cyboooooorg..."
[laughs out loud]
[yes, it's the scary Carlos laugh. can't be helped]
I saw TMBG a few years back at the Prospect Park bandshell. You could hear the horn section they used for "Istanbul" for blocks.
Paul Simon's "Graceland" holds up pretty well as kid-friendly music that won't drive adults mad (though I have to say it doesn't sound as fresh as it did back in the dark ages).
An exgf, after she settled down and got married, used to play Tom Waits for her children when they were that age. I don't know how that turned out. But they were riveted.
Then there are the American stand-bys: Schoolhouse Rock, the old Sesame Street albums (back before Oscar turned green, and Elmo was even a bit of red lint stuck in the dryer), and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Free to Be... You and Me is probably pushing it. [1]
C.
[1] Though I used to listen to it all the time. In fact, it's probably responsible for my cheery optimism.
PS did you ever get those mp3s to work?
Posted by: Carlos at February 14, 2004 05:57 AM"it's probably responsible for my cheery optimism"
Ah, that explains it...
Anyway, Tom Chapin ain't bad. A little preachy sometimes, but it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. "Baby Beluga" has its limits and some Barney-themed monstrosities will make your ears bleed after a couple of days.
B.
Posted by: Bernard at February 17, 2004 08:41 PMWould it be entirely evil to point out that Mark Mothersbaugh -- the guy from DEVO -- has written several albums of children's music?
C.
Posted by: Carlos at February 18, 2004 02:28 AM