These reviews by Fred Koch appeared in the August, 1998 issue of “Chicago Parent Magazine.” Reviewed in this column:
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If your family is like mine, you spend a lot of time in the car during the summer. Singing and listening to music are great ways to pass the time as you travel, as well as opportunities to introduce the kids to all kinds of music. This month, I've chosen some recordings your family is bound to enjoy as you go along your merry way. Good traveling music comes in most every style, but to start with, I perused the music shelves for "car songs"--recordings with a road-related theme. Billboard Presents Family Travel Classics (Kid Rhino Records, 1998) is a noteworthy new release. It's a compilation of material, including many previously-released songs from film, television and Broadway. You'll find everything from the "Main Theme From Star Trek" to "Ease On Down The Road" from the Broadway production of The Wiz. You'll also hear Judy Garland singing "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe" from the movie The Harvey Girls, and "Fabulous Places" from the original, 1967 version of Dr. Dolittle. Three of the tracks have never been released before. They include "I'm On My Way" sung by Sally Field from the 60s TV series The Flying Nun, "Whistle Your Way Back Home" from the 1964 animated feature Hey There, It's Yogi Bear, and Hayley Mills' charming version of "Side By Side" from the 1955 movie Bring Your Smile Along. My favorite song on this recording is the theme music from the '60s television series Route 66, composed and performed by Nelson Riddle and his orchestra. And my only regret is that there are only ten songs in total, which go by in less than 28 minutes. But given this recording's very affordable retail price ($9.98/CD; $5.98/cassette), you really can't complain. Plus you get liner notes with lots of background information on each song. (Family Travel Classics is just one in a series from Kid Rhino which also includes Family Lullaby Classics, Family Christmas Classics, Family Scarytime Classics and the most recent, Family Friendship Classics.) Go Back to Top My 7- and 8-year-olds can't seem to get enough of a recent release with a particular type of trip as its theme: My Name Is Cheech, The School Bus Driver (1997 Sony Wonder). Cheech, of course, is Cheech Marin, from the '60s comedy duo, Cheech & Chong (and, more recently, from the TV program Nash Bridges). He's great at that quirky kind of stream-of-consciousness banter that fits naturally within the child's world. Cheech either wrote or co-wrote all of these songs, with the exception of Peter Alsop's "Courage." The music tracks on this recording will keep you smiling as you bounce down the road. The title song (set to an infectious Tex-Mex beat) serves as the introduction to this "day in the life of a school bus ride with Cheech." Next, Cheech explains the primary colors with "Red and Blue and Yellow Too." This time the catchy rhythm is a reggae/island hybrid. With a more Mexican than Polish feel, "Mathematical Polka" is a numbers song that serves as a prelude to a friendly math competition between Cheech and one of his young passengers, Eugene, "the smartest kid in the whole school." Cheech challenges him to a few uptempo math problems, which Eugene immediately solves. Eugene counters with a math problem for Cheech, who has no idea how to solve it until he gets a clever hint from Eugene. It's a fun interchange with nicely-conveyed messages about how our impressions of people can change and about celebrating intelligence. "Courage" is a great discussion starter about facing your fears. It deals honestly with the subject without being sappy. "Tell Me What To Say" centers on the school bully, who is smitten by the new girl on the bus. She speaks only Spanish, so he has to learn some of the language to tell her what a nice guy he is. Again, there is great character development as we see the bully learn to change his behavior. With only one exception (I couldn't stay with "The Tunnel Song's" fantasy adventure story) My Name Is Cheech--The School Bus Driver is musically satisfying, laugh-out-loud funny, and chock full of interesting characters. But I consider it my duty to mention that some of the banter between the songs has a bit of a raw edge and not all of the characters model ideal behavior all of the time. Younger kids (under 7 or 8) and some adults may not see the humor in some of this--after all, this is Cheech we're talking about. There, you've been warned. Go Back to Top When selecting your traveling music, don't just stick to kids' music, either. One of the more grown-up recordings that can help connect you and your children with classical music is Hush (Sony Music, 1992). This Grammy-Award-winning collaboration spotlights cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the vocal artist Bobby McFerrin. They display superb musicianship as they romp through "Flight Of The Bumblee," get soulful on "Hush Little Baby," then serve up a tender version of "Bach's Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3." There's some Vivaldi and Rachmaninoff and a few Bobby McFerrin pieces here, too. Go Back to Top All of these recordings are widely distributed, so you shouldn't have any problems finding them in stores. Or buy them from one of the many online music retailers doing business on the Internet. Write to me at Chicago Parent or e-mail me (fkoch@lfelem.lfc.edu) and let me know about your favorite tapes for the car. I may do another column on this topic and I'd love your input. Go Back to Top |
