Play List: Again with the Little Boy Blue Birthday Playlist

We had a birthday party recently for Little Boy Blue and while it wasn't necessarily close to his actual birthday, we didn't worry much about that. 

But the mix CD for guests, yeah, that we (OK, I) sweated over a bit.  And so for something like the fifth consecutive year (although I guess the most recent mix here is from a couple years ago) , guests got a mix CD of mostly -- but not entirely -- kids music.

Here's the playlist and, for those of you on Spotify, you too can enjoy the home experience via the Spotify playlist or direct link or widget below.

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They Might Be Giants – Figure Eight
Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke
Dean Jones – Snail Mail
Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke – Bigga Bagga
The Board of Education – I'm Not Here Right Now
Psy – Gangnam Style (강남스타일)
Lesley & the Flying Foxes – I Love To...
Ratboy Jr. – High 5 Your Shadow
Shine and the Moonbeams – High Five
Play Date – Anyone Can Sing
They Might Be Giants – Tubthumping - feat. the Onion AV Club Choir
Caspar Babypants – Too Dirty To Love
Boxtop Jenkins – Wag More (feat. Indigo Girls)
Recess Monkey – Fish Sticks
Paul Spring – Home of Song
Stevie Wonder – Uptight (Everything's Alright)
Billy Kelly – Don't Tell Me That I Don't Know What I Know (When You Know That You Don't Know What I Know That I Know)

Bill Harley & Keith Munslow – It's Not Fair to Me
Cat Doorman – Peaceful
The Not-Its! – Let's Skateboard
Counting Crows – Accidentally In Love
Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – A Bailar
Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke – Take Ten
Justin Roberts – All For You
Renee & Jeremy – Give It Away

Duplex – Figure 8

 

Play List: Yet Another Birthday Playlist for Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue had another birthday recently, and while I didn't make him his own Drumship Enterprise (it's beat up but still working), I did make him a sequel to last year's playlist. It's a mix of songs he's grooved to a lot over the past few months and new and thematically-appropriate tunes. Six Little Ducks - Raffi (More Singable Songs) It's Hard To Wait For Your Birthday - Lori Henriques (Outside My Door) Birthday - The Jimmies (Practically Ridiculous) All My Friends Are Different - Salteens (Kid Songs) Hey Pepito! - Key Wilde & Mr Clarke (Hey Pepito!) Everybody's Got Their Underwear On - Billy Kelly (Is This Some Kind of Joke?) The Sound I Found - Kira Willey (Dance For The Sun) Bluegrass For Breakfast - The Okee Dokee Brothers (Take It Outside) Cereal - The Verve Pipe (A Family Album) Mushy Berry Pie - The Thinkers (Oh Zoooty!) If Mama Had Four Hands - Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family (Go Waggaloo) Original Friend - Lunch Money (Original Friend) Your Favorite Book - Recess Monkey (Flying!) Keep It On The Paper - Keller Williams (Kids) Let's Dance - Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band (Oh Lucky Day!) Stick Tune - Music Together (Family Favorites) Carry Me - The Not-Its! (Tag, You're It!) Our Family - Mr. Leebot (Erratic Schematic) Tatooine - Jeremy Messersmith 150 Year Old Surfer Turtle - Cat and a Bird (Cat and a Bird) Vagabond Worms - Kindiependent Googly Eyes - Caspar Babypants (This Is Fun!) Cooperate - Sugar Free Allstars & Secret Agent 23 Skidoo Hay Que Trabajar - Moona Luna (Piñata Party) Dandelion - Steve Weeks (Dandelion) Particle Man - They Might Be Giants (TMBGs Other Thing Brass Band) Ooki Na Nuri No Ki No Shita De (Under the Big Chestnut Tree) - Elizabeth Mitchell (Sunny Day) Something That I Want - Grace Potter (Tangled) For what it's worth, this year's musical gift was ukulele of his very own...

Play List: Miss Mary Mack's Birthday Mix

Miss Mary Mack recently celebrated her birthday, and I took the opportunity to make her another mix CD. The disk included some favorite songs of hers, and some I thought she might like (or at the very least appreciate). I was amused at how many I'd initially put on the list that I had to remove because I realized that I put it on the last mix CD I'd made for her. I'm not going to reveal her age here, but the first song on the list is a pretty good clue... Sad And Dreamy - Alejandro Escovedo The Bottle Let Me Down: Songs For Bumpy Wagon Rides Antidisestablishmentarianism - The Okee Dokee Brothers Take It Outside Up And Down - Mr. T Experience Greasy Kids Stuff (songs from inside the radio volume 1) Metaphor - The Alphabeticians Rock Opposite Day - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo Underground Playground Is This a Joke? - Billy Kelly Is This Some Kind of Joke? Noble Gases - Duplex! Worser Meet the Elements - They Might Be Giants Here Comes Science Rattling Can - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke Rise And Shine Little Red Airplane - The Deedle Deedle Dees American History + Rock-n-Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees Know Your Inventors - Central Services Presents... The Board Of Education George Washington - The Galactic Heroes Greasy Kid Stuff 3 The Princess Who Saved Herself - Jonathan Coulton Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out - Daisy Mayhem Ranky Tanky Sing Like a Sparrow - Dean Jones featuring the Felice Brothers Rock Paper Scissors Pay Me My Money Down - Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions Horchata - Vampire Weekend Contra Violet - Jeremy Messersmith The Reluctant Graveyard Friend Donut - Lunch Money Original Friend So Long It's Been Good To Know Yuh - Dan Zanes & Friends Night Time! Place In Your Heart - Frances England Mind of My Own Wild Mountain Thyme - The Nields Rock All Night Song For You - Justin Roberts Meltdown! Peace Like A River - Elizabeth Mitchell You Are My Little Bird

Play List: Little Boy Blue's Birthday Mix (The Sequel)

Last year at about this time I made a mix CD for Little Boy Blue's birthday. Since Little Boy Blue recently had another birthday party, I went back and made another mix CD for the guests (and him). I gather last year's was popular -- one of the return attendees said that last year's mix saved them during their vacation road trip. (And it was popular with Little Boy Blue, too.) Anyway, here's this year's result, with some YouTubery to help you play along at home. Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here! - Dean Jones featuring the Felice Brothers (Rock Paper Scissors) Light It Up - Caspar Babypants (More Please!) When I'm Five - We Are The Not Its (We Are The Not Its) [YouTube] High Five! - They Might Be Giants (Here Come the 123s!) [YouTube] Sunny Day Rainy Day Anytime Band - Ralph Covert (At the Bottom Of The Sea) [YouTube] D Is For Drums - They Might Be Giants (Here Come The ABCs) [YouTube] F & G - The Pop Ups (Outside Voices) Favorite Names - Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke (Rise And Shine) [YouTube] I'm A Monkey - Candy Band (High Five) They All Ask'd For You - Daisy Mayhem (Ranky Tanky) [YouTube] Sodeo - Raffi (More Singable Songs) Evens and Odds - Gwendolyn And The Good Time Gang (Clap Your Hands) Moon Boots - Recess Monkey (The Final Funktier) [YouTube] We Go Duck - Justin Roberts (Jungle Gym) Look Both Ways - Egg/Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (Look Both Ways) Cars And Trucks - Sugar Free Allstars (Funky Fresh And Sugar Free) Every Day Is A Summer Day - Keith Munslow (Homemade Fun) Watermelon Song - The Biscuit Brothers (Musical Farm) I Like Cacti - Randy Kaplan (The Kids Are All Id) Bring 'em In - The Deedle Deedle Dees (American History + Rock-n-Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees) Take Me To Show and Tell - Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family (Go Waggaloo) violet - Jeremy Messersmith (The Reluctant Graveyard) [YouTube] Nice 'N' Clean - Chromeo (Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome) [YouTube] Queremos Bailar - Dan Zanes & Friends (House Party) Sing With Me - Haley Bonar (Sing With Me) Mama Papa Love - Renee & Jeremy (C'mon) Happy Doesn't Have To Have An Ending - They Might Be Giants (Bed Bed Bed) [YouTube] Inchworm - The Leisure Society (Sing Me To Sleep - Indie Lullabies) [YouTube] Stay Awake - The Innocence Mission (Now The Day Is Over)

Play List: Suitable For Little Ears, Vol. 4

When I started my "Play List" series, I hoped that others would join in and offer some play lists and mix CDs of their own. And they have. Today's list is from Chris Rosella, and he's been putting these together for awhile (as evidenced by the title). Got a mix tape of your own that you want to share? Let me know. But without any further ado... ***** Hi there. My name is Chris. I have been a music nut all my life. Back before the kids were born, I used to make my wife listen to all kinds of feedback and screaming, which she would usually just ask me to turn down, if not off. I also dragged her to some concerts that she endured more often than she enjoyed. Since the kids (3 ½ and 2) were born, I still like having music on in the background, but I find I am much more sensitive about lyrical content and scary sounds, even as young as my two are. So I have become increasingly interested in the wild and wacky world of children's music. I've always liked to make music mixes to inflict on people, even innocent bystanders who hadn't specifically asked me for anything. When I made the transition from recording tapes to burning CDs, I discovered that it was even more fun to mass-produce my creations and inflict them on a grand scale. So it was only a matter of time before it occurred to me to try my hand at kiddie music mixes. Of course, it's the parents who control the CD player; if the parents don't like it, they aren't going to let their kids hear it, so I tend to think of the parents more often than their kids. Speaking for myself, when I have my "Kid Stuff" playlist (29 hours and growing!) running in my living room or in the car, I'm listening to music I have deemed good enough for MY discerning ears as well as for my kids' innocent ones. I know there are parents out there who grit their teeth over some of the drivel their kids demand on those long road trips--I honestly do try to assemble a CD "the whole family can enjoy." One more note. A good two-thirds of the below playlist are individual downloads, not entire album purchases. If not for Rhapsody, I wouldn't be in the "business" I'm in. I'm giving you all the artists' websites if you'd like to know more about any of them; you should also be able to find most of them on Rhapsody for full-length preview and reasonably priced downloading. So below is the playlist for the fourth installment in the series I have titled Suitable for Little Ears. This one is subtitled "Three Chords and the Truth Mix" because that's the personality it eventually developed: 1. Tiny Dinosaurs--Lunch Money 2. We Are the Dinosaurs--Two of a Kind 3. Cave Baby--The Mudcakes 4. Dumpling--Dog On Fleas 5. Worms--Pencilhead and the Playground Punks 6. Are We There Yet?--Jam Toast 7. Cool to Be Uncool--The Jimmies 8. Superman--David Weinstone / Music for Aardvarks 9. Things You Want--The Hipwaders 10. Stop, Drop, and Roll--Doug Fleming, Jr. 11. Poo Party--The Mudcakes 12. The Veggie Song--Danny Adlerman and Friends 13. Fruit Salad--The Bad Goods 14. Eat Every Bean and Pea on Your Plate--Daddy a Go-Go 15. Monday Pants--Jam Toast 16. Bedhead--The Jimmies 17. I Scream, You Scream--Frances England 18. Space Song--Milkshake 19. Outer Space--Jetta and the Jellybeans 20. Skinnamarink--Debi Derryberry 21. Learning My Letters--The RTTs 22. I'm a Fire Engine--Uncle Rock 23. Back It Up, Dump Truck!--Mother's Little Helpers 24. Free to Be Me--Frances England 25. Go Wild--Milkshake 26. A Good Boy With a Bad Reputation--Dan Schorr 27. What a Wonderful World--Daddy a Go-Go Some comments on the songs, and on the artists who created them:

Play List: Bedtime Mix

As I noted in my original "Play List," I'm hoping to feature other folks' lists, and the first guest list is from reader Dan, who writes... Mixtapes have always been a hobby of mine and when the little guy entered our world I figured why stop. We have also found it to be beneficial in introducing new music (as well as a little bit of parent music) to help with those musical obsessions that can drive families a bit crazy (right now the non-stop play in our house is Pop Fly by Justin Roberts). This is our current favorite bedtime mix. "Let It Be" - Nick Cave - I Am Sam "Beautiful Boy -John Lennon" - The John Lennon Collection "Miracle- Renee & Jeremy" - It's A Big World "Over The Rainbow" - Dan Zanes & Friends - Rocket Ship Beach "Give it a Kiss" - Wingdale Community Singers- Bright Spaces 2 "Sleep, Little One, Sleep" -Kevin Locke And Sissy Goodhouse - Lullaby "Spirit Lullaby" -Sweet Honey In The Rock -Lullaby "Hush Little Baby" -Dean Jones - Napper's Delight "Butterfly" -Elizabeth Mitchell & Lisa Loeb- Catch The Moon "2/2" -Brian Eno- Ambient 1 Music For Airports On a good night our little guy is asleep by the end of the 3rd song, but the Brian Eno at the end is a nice transition into the CD ending if he is still awake by then.