# Thursday, January 04, 2007

RFC: Baby Music

Update: List has grown...

They tell me that babies like the music. Since I expect to have a baby back in my life shortly, I plan to put together some CDs for the baby. I don't particularly like the sort of Barney or Raffi type stuff that is pushed as music for children, but I do understand that small humans prefer simple music to more complicated stuff.

I just started this yesterday, so I don't have much yet, but I have a deadline looming so I'm asking the world at large for assistance. I figure I need 2 discs, one for waking up/car time/play time and one for nap/bed time. So far I have only 4 17 items that I am sure I want:

  1. Big Rock Candy Mountain - Burl Ives
  2. Goober Peas - Burl Ives
  3. 500 Miles - Peter, Paul and Mary
  4. Whistling Gypsy - The Clancy Brothers
  5. Cotton-Eyed Joe - The Chieftains feat. Ricky Scaggs
  6. Que Sera Sera - Dorris Day
  7. Tacos, Enchiladas and Beans - Dorris Day
  8. Scarborough Fair - Simon & Garfunkel
  9. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
  10. California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas
  11. Hotel California - The Eagles
  12. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
  13. Purple People Eater - Sheb Wolley
  14. Mother Goose Medley - Spike Jones
  15. Istanbul - They Might Be Giants
  16. Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
  17. Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters

Yes, so far it's all folk music, but I like folk music so nyah.

I'm hoping I can find some acceptable tunes in some other languages too, no need to limit baby so early.

What would you put on a CD for babies?

life | music
#    Comments [6] |
Thursday, January 04, 2007 10:39:31 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
I recommend Trout Fishing in America. They've done a lot of great kids music that adults can also enjoy.

Also, They Might Be Giants has also done kids music.
Tom Ryan
Thursday, January 04, 2007 11:19:53 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
Prepare for pretention in 3....2...

Ok, after looking over my cd's, here's what I'd subject my kid to - it's a mix and match hodgepodge - some better for babies, some for older kids:

Reggae (Peter Tosh, Bob Marley)

Carefully selected Bjork tracks

Ruby Braff & Ellis Larkins "Duets"

XTC

Tosca - they have some instrumental discs that are totally relaxing

Loop Guru - it's naptime again

Djivan Gasparyan - Armenian Duduk player - "I Will Not Be Sad In This World" is an instrumental classic.

Brian Eno / Jah Wobble "Spinner" - instrumental

Some of the minimalist composers - Philip Glass (carefully chosen) Gavin Bryars "The Sinking of the Titanic" (Instrumental with voices - skip the first track, big crashing sound as the ship hits the iceberg, after that instrumental with faint voices) Michael Nyman (assorted tracks from the Piano)

YoYo Ma or the Bach Cello Concertos - the Mstislav Rostropovich set

Tortoise "millions now living will never die" - instrumental, a little off the beaten path, but very good.

Cesaria Evora

Vangelis "El Greco" - so soothing you'll fall asleep too

Stanz Getz, Joao Gilberto "Getz / Gilberto"

Vince Guaraldi "The Charlie Brown Suite"

Donald Fagan

Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald "Ella and Louis" - the cover alone is fun for kids - Louis with his Kramer-pants and that smile, and sweet Ella - what kid can resist?

Wynton Marsalis Quartet "The Magic Hour"

Fishbone - chose carefully, but I doubt there's a kid out there that won't start jumping around during "Party at Ground Zero"

Talking Heads

Paul Simon - his older work as well as Graceland

The Police

There's more, I'm sure but I've managed to get myself all excited and now I'll be up for a good long while listening to stuff that I musthearrightnow!





Dari
Friday, January 05, 2007 9:44:41 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
I started mine early on Metallica. They have lullabye renditions of lots of artists though.

http://www.babyrockrecords.com/web/page.asp?pgs=product&catid=41&id=408
Doug1
Friday, January 05, 2007 4:28:46 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
How overwhelming, Dari. Will that all fit on 2 CDs? ;-)

My official list is now at 17 songs:

1. Big Rock Candy Mountain - Burl Ives
2. Goober Peas - Burl Ives
3. 500 Miles - Peter, Paul and Mary
4. Whistling Gypsy - The Clancy Brothers
5. Cotton-Eyed Joe - The Chieftains feat. Ricky Scaggs
6. Que Sera Sera - Dorris Day
7. Tacos, Enchiladas and Beans - Dorris Day
8. Scarborough Fair - Simon & Garfunkel
9. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
10. California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas
11. Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake
12. Hotel California - The Eagles
13. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
14. Purple People Eater - Sheb Wolley
15. Mother Goose Medley - Spike Jones
16. Istanbul - They Might Be Giants
17. Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
18. Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters

Not necessarily in this order, of course.
Kearns
Saturday, January 06, 2007 12:08:21 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner, Ralph Covert, Justin Roberts and Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell are all faves with both my two toddlers *and* my wife. "Music Together," available at many libraries, is also popular with the kids. Congratulations on the baby!



Bill Day
Monday, January 08, 2007 4:38:05 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
Yeah, we do the Laurie Berkner thing. I like her, too.

On the other hand, for a while we just listened to the "oldies" station (which appears to include 80s music, just to make me feel old) and Dar joyously sang "We will, we will ROCK YOU!". ;)
katie
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