Originally posted at You Can Take The Boy Outta Brooklyn…

One of my favorite recent discoveries is the unfortunately-named Sea Wolf, whose music conjures images neither of the ocean nor our fine lupine friends. What it does, however, is get stuck in my head. A lot. Their debut EP Get To The River Before It Runs Too Low is a brilliant collection of lush indie folk-pop, and the combination of acoustic strumming and cello in the first single “You’re a Wolf” reminded me pleasantly of Badly Drawn Boy. Get To The River is just a taste, too — a proper debut album is due out later this year, and based on the strength of the EP, which doesn’t have a single stinker on it, the LP is already on my shopping list.

I love the EP so much, in fact, that I feel the need to share it with you. That’s right, it’s contest time! I’m giving away a copy of Get To The River Before It Runs Too Low to a lucky reader over at my other blog. To enter, just send an email to forepac(at)yahoo(dot)com with the subject “Sea Wolf” (you can also click here for the same effect). I’ll select the winner randomly and contact them before sending. You’ve got until Thursday, June 21 to enter.

Give “You’re a Wolf” a try below, and if you like it, enter the contest. The rest of Get To The River is as strong as that song, so I’m sure you’ll dig. Good luck!

Download: Sea Wolf, “You’re A Wolf” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Or, more accurately, their parents? The inspiration for this month’s theme came to me from two different sources: my brother-in-law Nale and the season finale of “Scrubs.” Let me explain:

Whenever we travel to visit my sister- and brother-in-law and niece back in Kansas City, we invariably end up driving long distances in their minivan. The car is equipped with a DVD player, and the only way my niece Carley will calm down for the trip is if the flip-down player is on and a Disney movie is playing. You know the type: tot-friendly, often straight-to-DVD sequels loaded with warm family values and insipid musical numbers featuring dancing meerkats and the like. Carley’s seen them all a million times, but Nale hasn’t seen a single one of them — he’s too busy driving up in the front seat. He’s heard them a million times, tho, and he often sings along under his breath. That just seems like torture to me: trapped in a small space with a sometimes fussy kid for hours on end while having to hear the same saccharine, bland, toothless, mind-numbingly feel-good songs over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over… He’s a much stronger man than I, and I tip my proverbial cap to him.

If you saw the Scrubs season finale a couple weeks back, you’ll remember that Turk and Dr. Cox (played by the peerless John C. McGinley) compared war stories of a sort: they each admitted to having gone to see the Wiggles in concert twice. The Wiggles, for those of you lucky enough to not have babysat for a kid recently, are a quartet of Aussie singers who were once described on the Today Show as “the Rolling Stones” of kids music (as a lifelong Stones fan, that hurts on a number of levels) in regards to their level of popularity among the non-potty-trained set. Seeing them twice? In arenas full of screaming kids, only half of whom are probably paying any attention? No thank you, sir! Even as part of a fictional show that seems cruel.

So what’s a music snob to do? I’m not planning on having kids anytime soon (I’m an awesome uncle, tho, I’ll have you know), and the thought of being subjected to banal children’s “entertainment” makes me put fatherhood even farther off in my imagination. But what if you didn’t have to do that to yourself as a parent? What if there was decent, kid-friendly music out there? Actually, it turns out that there already is.

My challenge to the uncles: put together a playlist of good, solid tunes that parents can enjoy with their kids. We’ll be helping parents stay sane and maybe, just maybe, even helping kids everywhere develop good taste.

Let’s have at it!

• Uncle Sam’s “Kid-tested, Music-snob-approved”
• UNKLE Matt’s “Kid Rock”
• Onkel Rudi’s “Youth is wasted on the young”

I accepted this challenge from Uncle Sam by thinking of the late Phil Hartman’s impeccable Frank Sinatra impersonation on Saturday Night Live:

“I’m puttin’ out an album of tunes dat the young people will enjoy. I’m calling it Tunes Dat The Young People Will Enjoy.”

I decided to take the tack of going with songs that are both kid-friendly and adult-friendly. This could include songs written for kids, songs written for adults, and everything in between - in other words, I simply went with a bunch of stuff that had catchy hooks or might fit the bill when the kids (and their parents) need a “nice choon” (to quote Geoff).

Some of these songs are ones I enjoyed as a kid. Other are ones that I’ve seen kids groove to. All should be fun for kids and their pet adults.

1. “Sloop John B” by The Beach Boys
   My first exposure to this song was on a 6th grade camping trip to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. My teacher, Mr. Gadette, was a great guitarist and singer, and he taught us this song as a fun sing-along. He broke us up into three groups to do the overlapping harmonies at the end, too - really cool. After this trip, many in the group called Mr. Gadette “Elvis,” which he found very funny.
2. “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon
   This song evolved out of a word game that Paul Simon played with his eldest son, Harper. The whole “slip out the back, Jack” rhyming game structure is standard kids fare. Simon takes this fun game and flips it into a song about breaking up with one’s lover, which was appropriate given that Simon was in the midst of breaking up with his first wife (and Harper’s mother), Peggy. And this song gets the kids grooving for another reason: Steve Gadd’s impressive drum work.
3. “All Together Now” by The Beatles
   I think I first heard this song on The Muppet Show when I was a kid, where all of the Muppets join in. Naturally, as The Muppet Show was a family-oriented affair, they doctored the lyrics a bit. Gone was the line “can I take my friend to bed,” and other lines were retooled to fit the Muppet idiom. But the original, which was the closing song in The Beatles’ animated classic, Yellow Submarine, is still an infectious, playful song.
4. The Rainbow Connection” by Dixie Chicks
   Another Muppet reference. I can’t listen to the original version from The Muppet Movie without tearing up, as Jim Henson died on my birthday in 1990 - probably the first celebrity death that moved me so much. So I give you this wonderful version by the Dixie Chicks, from the compilation Mary Had A Little Amp.
5. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” by John Lennon
   John wrote this lullaby for his son, Sean, near the end of his “househusband retirement” in 1979. It’s one of the most beautiful things he ever committed to tape, and it’s sad that Sean had his father taken from him at such a young age. Paul McCartney says that this is one of the 10 45-rpm records he’d take with him if he were to be stranded on a desert island - quite the strong recommendation!
6. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” by Frank Zappa
   Zappa is not naturally an author of kids songs. But this song get heavy play on The Dr. Demento Show, which was must-listen radio when I was a kid. It’s a manic song, for sure, but the whole “don’t you eat the yellow snow” refrain makes it all about the juvenile humor.
7. Green Eggs And Ham” by DylanHearsAWho.com
   A Dylan impersonator sets Dr. Seuss’ classic story to a tune that would fit in on Highway 61 Revisited, and to great effect. Enjoy this one - and try and see if your local kids can understand what “Bob” is saying.
8. Effervescing Elephant (edit)” by Syd Barrett
   Yes, Syd was an acid casualty, and his solo work was hauntingly inconsistent and usually quite dark. But this song is simply fun: a song about tigers and elephants, performed in a whimsical style.

Download: “Sloop John B” - The Beach Boys (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “50 Ways To Leave Yuor Lover” - Paul Simon (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “All Together Now” - The Beatles (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “The Rainbow Connection” - Dixie Chicks (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” - John Lennon (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” - Frank Zappa (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Green Eggs And Ham” - DylanHearsAWho.com (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Effervescing Elephant” - Syd Barrett (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Onkel Rudi’s “Youth is wasted on the young” (XML Playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

You can also take the whole thing home in a handy-dandy ZIP file:

Download: “Youth is wasted on the young” (ZIP)
(Click here for download instructions)

When Uncle Sam first put forth the idea of songs for children as a theme, I immediately thought of stuff like Marc Cohn’s “The Things We’ve Handed Down” and John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy” - beautiful songs to children or about children. But I like the idea of songs that are actually for the listening enjoyment of a younger generation. I’ve been trying to find some stuff by Raymond Scott, but knew I wouldn’t have it in time for the playlist, so instead I mixed in some personal nostalgia and looked for songs from my childhood that kids may still appreciate today. I grew up with tons of Disney and Sesame Street vinyl albums, storybooks and read-a-longs and so forth. Mary Martin and Marni Nixon became very familiar voices for me. I still have some from back then, but unfortunately my rather impressive collection of vinyl has diminished over the past ten years of moving and losing. But I have picked up a bunch of new old stuff - whenever I pop into a record shop, I buy just about anything spoken-word or made for children, just on the offhand chance of finding cool weird songs or samples. For this playlist, I’ve spotlighted mostly fun peppy jazzy be-bop stuff from various vinyl sources. Some of this stuff has been released on CD, most of the stuff I have never will be. Why Disney doesn’t release its old storybooks on CD is a mystery to me - the “Alice In Wonderland” vinyl is actually better than the film. But anyway, put on your kid-sized zoot suit and follow along with me. When you hear the chime, turn the page…

1. Roger Miller, “Whistle Stop”
Artist credit for most of these Disney songs is a bit vague, so I’m just going to list the writers as credited on the album cover. This is the wonderfully laid-back and cool opening song from “Robin Hood”, which I haven’t seen in so long that I can’t remember whether it’s the Friar Tuck character or someone else loping along whistling like this. But it’s a great performance, and I actually sampled it once for a TYPE 4 song. I apologize for the old vinyl crackles, but in a way it adds to the nostalgia.

2. Bob Dorough & Friends, “The Four-Legged Zoo”
I was dismayed to learn that Uncle Sam had never heard Dorough’s exceptional work for “Multiplication Rock” - a situation I attempted to rectify by filling up his SuperLego with that and many other MP3s. “Three Is A Magic Number” is probably the best-known track, if only for being covered by De La Soul. But this is my favorite, perhaps not surprisingly because it features the number 4 and was consequently sampled by me…

3. The Muppets, “Mahna Mahna”
I grew up taking the two Muppet Show cast albums out of the public library all the time, so one of the first purchases I made once I discovered eBay was a couple of mint vinyl copies. I know most if not all of this has been recently released on CD, but this is off my crystal-clear vinyl. I think most people know this song, and it got a new shot in the arm when it started off the second series of BBC’s “The Office”.

4. Stan Freberg with The Shorty Rogers Group, “Three Little Bops”
This is the complete audio from this classic old Looney Tunes cartoon, a be-bop take on the old three little pigs story, as included on the “That’s All Folks!” compliation CD. It was a tough decision, this over “What’s Opera, Doc?” and “Book Revue”, but I think the music style of this track best fits the mood of this playlist.

5. Paul Tripp & George Kleinsinger, “Old MacDonald Had A Band”
This is from the “Tubby The Tuba with Songs About Music” album. A bit simple and repetitive, it nonetheless entertains. If I could have located the old Sesame Street song, “We All Sing With The Same Voice”, that would have replaced this no problem. But alas, couldn’t locate my recording of that song - perhaps I’ll include it later as an “extra”. That and the commentary by Steven Soderbergh and myself…

6. The Muppets, “Sea Chanty”
From the second Muppet Show cast album, this really shows off the entire cast at their best. Henson, Oz, Goelz, Nelson, they’re all here having a blast. Listen to this, it’ll clear out that bad aftertaste of “Pirates 3″.

7. Louis Prima, Phil Harris & Sebastian Cabot, “I Wan’na Be Like You”
Okay, my birthday is in a couple weeks, and I’ve apparently done myself a grave disservice for almost 35 years: I’ve never seen Disney’s “The Jungle Book”. If this track, and the album it’s from, are any indication, I’m missing something grand. I mean really, Louis Prima? Louis Prima!!! I don’t even care what the story is, the music just flippin’ rocks. I’ll have to go rent (or as the kids verb these days, “netflix”) this and sit and enjoy the heck out of it. For now enjoy this pretty amazing track, and pay attention to the very end when Prima goes off like an opera singer in the background. This guy was cool, even if he never did show up for Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub’s dinner party…

8. Morey-Churchill, “Little April Shower”
I’ve always loved this track, a beautiful song from “Bambi”, one of the most beautiful films ever made, animated or not. It starts off with little plucks and stabs from the orchestra, illustrating musically the start of a shower, the raindrops hitting leaves slowly and softly, then picking up in rapidity and intensity. The chorus has a wonderfully ethereal reverb to it, and pay attention to the weird “Wizard Of Oz”-ish bit in the middle, where the chorus is sped up and slowed down willy-nilly. This was 1941 folks, and the film is that good, that beautiful, and the music holds up the same. And I’ve got to figure this song was a direct inspiration for XTC’s “River Of Orchids”, with its raindrop beginnings.

Download: Roger Miller, “Whistle Stop” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Bob Dorough And Friends, “The Four-Legged Zoo” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Muppets, “Mahna Mahna” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Stan Freberg with The Shorty Rogers Group, “Three Little Bops” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Paul Tripp & George Kleinsinger, “Old MacDonald Had a Band” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Muppets, “Sea Chantey” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Louis Prima, Phil Harris & Sebastian Cabot, “I Wan’na Be Like You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Morey-Churchill, “Little April Shower” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: UNKLE Matt’s “Kid Rock” (XML Playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Grab the whole thing as a ZIP file:

Download: “Kid Rock” (ZIP)
(Click here for download instructions)

There are just some things you can’t know or understand about being a parent until you actually are a parent — I get that. But I’ve watched friends of mine avoid psychotic breaks by mentally switching off their ears when The Lion King 1 1/2 comes on the TV for the 487th time, and I don’t think they should have to. They should be able to share good music with their kids, and hopefully set them on the right path: you know, the kind that avoids the soundtracks to the 27 eventual sequels to High School Musical.

I think this list is a pretty good place to start: these songs are great on their own, and I think they’ll appeal to your kids, too. Hope you (and they) dig ‘em:

1. Junior Senior, “Move Your Feet”
   This Swedish dance duo’s day-glo debut (how’s that for alliteration?) was one of my favorite albums of ‘05 — it was an undeniably fun mixture of lo-fi dance beats and punky attitude, and this lead single became an instant classic thanks to its’ good vibes and awesome 8-bit animated music video that featured a troublemaking squirrel.
2. The Zambonis, “Hockey Monkey”
   They’re “North America’s Favorite All-Hockey Band!” and it shows. This quartet, who I discovered thanks to my hockey-obsessed pal Erin McKenna, plays infectious pop-rock songs that are all about the best sport on skates: ice hockey. They’ve sung odes to Craig McTavish, the last player to skate without a helmet; referees; hockey terminology like slapshots and breakaways (years before Kelly Clarkson did, fo’ sho’); and this little jumpy punk/pop ditty which is 100 seconds of goofy good times: it’s got animals, sports, and scientists — what’s not to love? If it sounds oddly familiar, you might have watched all 6 episodes of Fox’s short-lived sitcom “The Loop,” which used this tune for its’ theme.
3. Gorillaz, “19-2000 (Soul Child Remix)”
   We go from monkeys to their bigger cousins Gorillaz. The original version of this track appeared on their less-loved but much more interesting first, self-titled album, which featured more the complex, dubby production of Dan “The Automator” Nakamura. The Soul Child remix speeds the tune up, tones down the beats, and adds a dash of horns to boost Tina Weymouth’s vocals in the chorus. It’s a great, fun song to begin with, and the remix does a nice job of making it even more catchy. It also sounds like it should have been the theme to some demented Japanese cartoon — weird, wild stuff.
4. The White Stripes, “My Doorbell”
   I have anecdotal evidence to support this tune’s inclusion: my friend Ted’s kids were obsessed with White Stripes music videos for a while, and this was a favorite. I can totally see why this tune would appeal to them, too: it’s got a catchy rhythm and a bright, sing-songy chorus. As a bonus, it rocks, too.
5. Eels, “I Like Birds”
   My love of the Eels’ gift for delicate quirk is well-known, and this song is full of delights for everyone: the lyrics are alternatively warm (”If youre small and on a search/I’ve got a feeder for you to perch on”) and silly (”But its alright if you act like a turd/’Cause I like birds”); the melody is fantastic; and the arrangement is fun, full of keyboard choruses and whistling. Happy times.
6. The Ramones, “Surfin’ Bird”
   I couldn’t help myself — this song was one of the first that came to mind when thinking about this list. I had hoped to track down Pee Wee Herman’s crazy version from the soundtrack to the Frankie & Annette revival flick Back to the Beach, but it’s looooong out of print. The Ramones’ take, however is my second-favorite, and it never hurts to expose kids to punk music early on.
7. Bruce McCulloch, “Daves I Know”
   Most folks probably won’t recognize this song, but it’ll resound with fans of the classic sketch comedy show “Kids in the Hall” (like me). McCulloch was the troupe’s resident musical guy, and his goofy, oddball songs were made into sketches from time to time. “The Terrier Song” was probably more popular, but this was his pièce de résistance — the music is foot-tappin’ punky indie rock, and the lyrics are off-the-wall zany, especially the chorus (”Some of us are Davids, but most of us are Daves/We all have our own hands, but we come from different moms”). There’s a quick mention of getting “drunk and sick,” but the rest of the song is so darn catchy and fun that it’s worth inclusion here despite that.
8. De La Soul, “The Magic Number”
   I think all kids should have a good, solid grounding in positive, smart, fun hip-hop, and De La fits the bill. The mood is upbeat, the chorus is singable, and, according to Matt, the tune’s primary melody and sample (”Three is the magic number”) is lifted from an old kids record.
9. Wilco, “Heavy Metal Drummer”
   In addition to having an infectious piano hook and loop-enhanced rhythm track, anecdotal evidence also prompted its’ inclusion: in recent interviews, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy revealed that this tune is his young son’s favorite Wilco song. I think this fact completely obfuscates the possibly-objectionable “Playing Kiss covers, beautiful and stoned” line in the chorus.

Bonus song! School of Rock, “School of Rock”
I didn’t think any playlist of this type would be complete without this song, but I didn’t feel right including it with its’ gratuitous mid-song shout of “ass.” So how could I include Wilco’s song with “beautiful and stoned” or Bruce Mcculloch’s “got drunk and sick” but not this? Good question — at some point after I finalized the list, I had a great answer, too. Guess I’m too drunk, sick, beautiful and stoned to remember. Anyway, the tune, from the movie of the same name, is a wry updating of “School Days” that pays tribute to gods of rock and/or roll like The Who and AC/DC while keeping its’ tongue planted firmly in cheek. Jables rules!

Download: Junior Senior, “Move Your Feet” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Zambonis, “Hockey Monkey” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Gorillaz, “19-2000 (Soul Child Remix)” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The White Stripes, “My Doorbell” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Eels, “I Like Birds” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Ramones, “Surfin’ Bird” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Bruce McCulloch, “Daves I Know” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: De La Soul, “The Magic Number” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Wilco, “Heavy Metal Drummer” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: School of Rock, “School of Rock” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Uncle Sam’s “Kid-tested, Music-snob-approved” (XML Playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

You can also take the whole thing home in a handy-dandy ZIP file:

Download: “Kid-tested, Music-snob-approved” (ZIP)
(Click here for download instructions)