No comments about Kindergarten Sing & Learn.

4 comments about Fruit of the Spirit.

1. This is the original 1977 kid's classic, Music Machine. It was recorded by a group called Agapeland who also recorded other successful kid's Christian records like Bullfrogs and Butterflies, Sir Oliver's Song, and many others. But this is the one that started it all. I grew up listening to this album, and 30 years later I can still honestly say it is the greatest piece of recorded music ever made. About 5 years ago I remember someone going around and asking everyone what was the greatest piece ever recorded, and some people were citing Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, but I cited this album.
   
   I agree with another viewer that, if the child falls in love with the album in a certain way, it truly can shape the entire life to follow. These are songs about love, and peace, and patience, self-control. It is almost scary because when I was very little I dropped one of my toys on the record while it was playing and the song about faith ("without faith, it's impossible") was seriously scratched. And to this day, that is the one fruit of the spirit I still have the most trouble with. Now that I have that track on CD, maybe I can find a little. No, but seriously, these tracks will resonate with both child and parent alike in a sweet, innocent way where you will hear them singing in your head for decades to come. And the whole thing sort of has this retro-70's feel to it, which I happen to adore. My only complaint is that the beautiful artwork created for the original LP is not included here with the CD.



2. I am thrilled to have finally found this album...I have been searching for years. I participated in this musical at my childhood church in the 70's. I have since had many of the lyrics still in my head and drive my kids crazy singing, "have patience" when they need it! I can't wait to have them hear the whole song, as well as the rest of the album that I hold near and dear to my heart. Great memories, great messages, and a great family album to be enjoyed at any age.



3. I listened to this when I was a child and I KNOW that it helped shape me into who I am today. It is great for teaching kids values and morals. I hope my little one loves it as much as I did.



4. This is an album that I played for my children 25 years ago and now that they have their own babies, they are looking for it. I believe that is the best recommendation which can be given. The songs have wonderful messages framed in catchy tunes which do not offend adult ears. It took me some time to find out that the new name is FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT and not THE MUSIC MACHINE, which was a frustration I hope otheres can avoid. For young Christian parents of any denomination, I offer a warm recommendation to you and sincere hopes that you enjoy singing these songs together in the car with your little ones as I did with mine.

3 comments about Mommy and Me: Old MacDonald Had a Farm.

1. I HAVE THREE OF THE FOUR MOMMY AND ME CDS AND MY TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER LOVES THEM. WE LOST ONE AND SHE WAS DEVASTATED. THEY ARE ALL SUNG BY CHILDREN AND ARE SOOOO CUTE!! WELL WORTH THE MONEY.



2. I have this CD and the other mommy and me collections in a CD called 50 all time favorites. My baby girl is 8 months old and for the past 4 months, she has been hooked on this cd. the music is very cute and very sing-a-longable!! The best part that I like about these CDs is that there are CHILDREN singing on these CDs and that's what my baby likes. Any time she's fussy inthe car, I turn this CD on, she's quiet and listens. Another point, my friends bought the Time Life children's music from TV. These are the same songs repackaged. Kinda wierd. But we love it!



3. This is the worst children's CD I've ever heard. It was a Christmas gift for my daughter and we had to take it away. It is just SO AWFUL! The "music" is extremely mechanical and sounds like it came from a toy synth keyboard. The "vocals" sound like they came from the keyboard... they must have sped them up. It all sounds so artificial. Every song is sung in the same key and ends with the same mechanical rit. I guess if you like the "music" that comes in toys these days, then this might be your cup of tea, but otherwise, keep looking.

No comments about Hey, Ludwig!.

5 comments about La Vida Mickey.

1. I got this CD at the library for my kids a while back and we liked it so much that I decided to buy it. We play it nearly once a day and I still love listening to it!



2. We purchased this CD at Disney World and listened to it many times over on the 16 hour drive home to Ohio. Neither the kids nor the adults ever tired of it. It is very high energy and is fun to pass the time in the car on family trips! I highly recommend it!



3. The title song was excellent, especially in the music video you can download at disney.com. I liked it how they used scenes from the "Mickey Mouseworks" TV show, which I didn't see much of even though I get ABC. I know that the show still airs under the title "House of Mouse", but they don't show as many cartoons as "Mouseworks" did, so those of us who missed most of it will never get to see "Mickey Foils The Phantom Blot" or the Mousetails shorts on HoM.

   And BTW, you can watch a music video for "Mumbo #5" on the Goofy Movie DVD. Call me when they come out with a DVD that has the "Livin' La Vida Mickey" music video on it.




4. This CD has been put on the jukebox at my favorite watering hole. It has often been the topic of conversation. On several occaisions I have seen patrons walk over to look at the display to see what it is. Everybody seems to love it and one of the bartenders told me it got more play than anything else.

   I defy you to listen to this music and not at least tap your foot or more likely, break out in a full salsa attack. There is not a bad cut on this CD.




5. Great for road trips and chilly mornings at the rink. You can't go wrong with this lively collection!

2 comments about Gross Songs.

1. I've been searching high and low for a re-issue of Tom Glazer's "On Top of Spaghetti", which was purchased for me on vinyl sometime around 1964 and, lo these many years later, is still my all-time favorite kids' album.
   
   When I saw that Dunderdeck was featured on this CD, I had to check it out. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold a candle to Glazer's version.
   
   The best I can say about this CD is that it goes refresh my memory of all the gross-out songs we loved as kids. In this ever-so-PC, Raffi-infested world, that alone is refreshing.



2. My mom taught me the words to Gofer Guts as a child and we used to sing it and be silly... this is a great thing to buy... let your kids be silly sometimes.... and hear them say ewwww it won't hurt them... just remind them they are songs... silly and gross but not real events....
   My daughter and I will enjoy these around a campfire for a long time....

No comments about Cantos De Alabanza.

5 comments about Ultimate Kids Song Collection: 101 Favorite Sing-A-Longs.

1. I read all the great reviews for this CD and bought it. I HATE it! I can not stand to listen to the children on the CD singing off tune. The quality of the singing is so poor. The CD does have many familiar songs (I didn't listen to all 4 disks, I gave up after 3) but I just can't bear this one. My toddler didn't seem so fond of this collection either. I laid all of his CD's out for him, and he has not once chosen to listen to this one after I initially played it for him. He does have many other favorites though. This one really is torture if you care for good music at all.



2. Our 23 month old daughter LOVES this set! As soon as she gets into the car seat, she says, "Play my music?!" She bobs her head happily and claps along joyfully. She really enjoys the animal sound effects and the children's voices. She has the first cd memorized already and enjoys singing along to the different songs.
   
   Some parents may find some of the songs annoying, as some of the arrangements may not be as they remember. I tend to skip over some of the "original" songs (playing w/matches, strangers), just because I think they sound too fun for such serious issues.
   
   Overall, this is a good purchase for your child. It brings out the kid in all of us!



3. Since I became a new mom, I had bought several CDs of children's songs for my baby. However, most of them are [weak]. So I didn't expect too much from this set of CDs. What a nice surprise, the Ultimate Kids Song Collection is by far my favorite as well as my 1 year old's. Baby loves it and starts bouncing whenever I play the CDs. The set contains 3 CDs with 101 songs (over 3 hours of music). This is quiet a bargain at around [$$] considering the great quality of recording. The performance by the Wonder Kids choir is superb. Also, the songs were recorded in split tracks so you can have karaoke style fun.



4. The music on Disc 3 is snappy, upbeat and a pleasure for adults and children. I am a rock-n-roll fan but this is a cool disc. My wife and I will certainly locate and buy the remaining discs in this set.



5. Please do not get me wrong. I received this collection as a gift and it is quite comprehensive. However, as an elementary school teacher and mom I have had plenty of experience with the genre. I am a firm believer that children deserve the same (or better) quality as adults do (in music and all other things).

   That said, this recording is very inferior. The recordings are of a quality that makes them unpleasant (almost downright irritating) to listen too. The nice melody, rhythm and careful arranging that goes into other recordings is missing here. The end result is considerably less enjoyable, than say a Raffi or even a Barney CD, and there is a whole lot more of it to endure.

1 comments about Baby's First Classics, Vol. 3.

1. As a first time parent I want to give my child every advantage I can. Studies have shown that playing music to your child helps to enhance their learning ability.

   I saw "Baby's First" cd series and as they were so affordable I decided to go ahead and buy them without hearing them first.

   My decision has been rewarded! The cd's are very good, and provide hours of music to stimulate my babies mind.

   Buy this CD today, you won't be disappointed, and neither will your youngsters! :)

3 comments about The Story of John Henry.

1. The Rabbit Ears series of radio teleplays of classic folk tales, which I believe was originally produced
   for NPR, is uniformly terrific. Besides presenting literate and accessible versions of these stories for
   kids, Rabbit Ears uses famous narrators, mostly actors and comedians, and popular musicians to
   accompany them, enabling adults to thoroughly enjoy them too.

   Among the best is John Henry, the great legend of the steel-driving hero who battled and beat a steam
   drill before dying "with a hammer in his hand", as told by Denzel Washington with music by B.B.
   King. It goes almost without saying that Washington and King do a great job, but, of course, the real
   magic lies in the story itself. Based on a purportedly historical figure, who worked on digging the Big
   Bend Tunnel in West Virginia for the C & O Railroad, the legend of John Henry stands for the
   quintessential American value of the indomitability of the human spirit and the capacity of the
   individual to accomplish the extraordinary. It also highlights the undercurrent of Luddism that has
   characterized the West's uneasy relationship with machines and our recurring fear that they will make
   humankind obsolete.

   But heck, kids won't care about any of that stuff and the cultural import won't even be at the forefront
   of adult minds. Listeners will simply be enthralled by an amusing tall tale brilliantly told. Highly
   recommended for car rides.

   GRADE : A+




2. Many things make this a "do not recommend" - which is tragic when so much time and talent seems to be poured into it.

   a) The constant backbeat is distracting and based on the assumption that kids need continual noise and "background music" to anything they are listening to. This scatters kids attention.

   b) Denzel does a great actor's job of a Jamaican accent, which is full of terrible English. I don't want my kids talking this way.

   c) Political correct nonsense. One story is about a Tiger and a Spider. Denzel says it is an African story brought when slaves were taken here. Well, there are no tigers in Africa, so I guess you took it from somewhere else, mon.

   I don't want my kids told lies about their African heritage, there is enough truth. I don't want them speaking like an unschooled huckster, and we don't need six layers of jazz to listen to a story!




3. My husband and I recently went on a 12 hour road trip with our kids ages 5 and 6 and I was scrambling for diversions. On a whim I picked up this CD and it was the hit of the road trip. We listened to it over and over again and after a few times everyone could recite their favorite lines by heart-even my husband! Denzel Washington gives a great performance on CD just as in the movies and BB King's music was very cool! I look forward to purchasing more Rabbit Ears stories on disc. Not only does it provide great music but the kids remember a great classic story they might not have wanted to sit still and read.