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I'm guessing that there are quite a few parents of youngsters on this forum. I'm always looking for music for my kids that doesn't drive me nuts. My nearly 3 year old twins will listen to small doses of Wilco, Old 97's, Beatles, Dead, and Josh Rouse. But they're crazy for the Wiggles. Other kids' music they (and I) like include Dan Zanes, Ralph's World, Justin Roberts, Pete Seeger and Laurie Berkener. If anyone else can suggest music in that vain, I would be most appreciative!

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I'm guessing that there are quite a few parents of youngsters on this forum. I'm always looking for music for my kids that doesn't drive me nuts. My nearly 3 year old twins will listen to small doses of Wilco, Old 97's, Beatles, Dead, and Josh Rouse. But they're crazy for the Wiggles. Other kids' music they (and I) like include Dan Zanes, Ralph's World, Justin Roberts, Pete Seeger and Laurie Berkener. If anyone else can suggest music in that vain, I would be most appreciative!

I'm not sure if it will drive you insane..but I buy soundtracks to movies..such as Ice Princess, Music inspired by the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Bridge to Terebithia etc. Those usually have a decent mix of songs/artists and you don't get tired of listening to same person for 14 tracks...plus the age range of singers is vast and they aren't KIDDY songs.

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Be sure and check this out.

 

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I'd also suggest some classic Raffi....especially over the Wiggles. They suck. Daniel Lanois mixed the first couple of Raffi albums, here in Hamilton.

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The above is excellent.

 

Check out some Peter Himmelman, too. He puts out music fit for kids (and has some specifically for kids- My Green Kite is pretty good).

 

The SpongeBob Squarepants movie soundtrack is pretty damn good, too. Wilco, Ween, The Shins, Flaming Lips, Motorhead and a few others (Prince Paul's bubble tune is excellent). Beware, though: Spongebob, Patrick, et al. belt a few tunes, too.

 

I also ike the School House Rock discs. The same as when I was a kid and now my kids like it too.

 

Sounds like you're doing pretty well already, though.

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I've got a four-year-old daughter and in the past year she seems to have made a big jump from kids music to "adult" stuff, although she really loves Laurie Berkner and Dan Zanes.

 

Have you heard Trout Fishing in America? They're a lot of fun. Do your twins watch "Jack's Big Music Show" on Noggin? They feature some pretty good stuff, and I think they've released a CD. One of our favorites from the show is Audra Rox. Her song "I Hope My Mama Says Yes" cracks me up every time I hear it.

 

I recently bought my daughter a copy of the Johnny Cash kids album that was released in the '70s. It's finally available on CD, and she loves it.

 

Oh, and there's Candy Band! They're a bunch of punk mamas from Detroit who do revved-up versions of kids songs. So much fun!

 

As for adult stuff, my daughter likes a lot of Wilco's more upbeat stuff. She's recently figured out how to sing most of "Heavy Metal Drummer", which is going to get her booted out of her church-sponsored daycare. She likes a lot of White Stripes stuff (We are Going to be Friends, Apple Blossom, Seven Nation Army, Little Acorns, Jimmy the Exploder). She's been loving The Clash and The Ramones lately. She digs bluegrass, especially anything with a fast tempo.

 

One thing I started doing about two years ago that's kept us both sane - anytime she expresses interest in a non-"kids" song, I add it to an iPod playlist for her. Its called "Clara Jane's Addiction". :) We just keep adding to it, so it's pretty big. Several hours of stuff like Wilco, White Stripes, Springsteen (she loves his Seeger Sessions stuff), Arcade Fire, Neko Case, U2, Beatles, Outkast, etc. that the whole family can tolerate. It's a lifesaver on road trips.

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Soundtracks have been a good compromise for us, too. We end up buying the soundtrack to pretty much every movie our 5 year-old sees. He, too, likes to listen to Wilco, Flaming Lips, the Beatles, Shins, etc., but as far as kid music-good soundtracks are Curious George, Cars, Willy Wonka, and his very favorite is the Blues Brothers.

I'm not sure if it will drive you insane..but I buy soundtracks to movies..such as Ice Princess, Music inspired by the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Bridge to Terebithia etc. Those usually have a decent mix of songs/artists and you don't get tired of listening to same person for 14 tracks...plus the age range of singers is vast and they aren't KIDDY songs.
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Thanks for all the recommendations. Keep 'em coming! Some I'm familiar with, others not. As far as soundtracks, we all kind of like Paul Westerberg's soundtrack for "Over the Hedge". I think it's his best solo material!

 

Ben Folds and Rupert Gregson-Williams wrote all the stuff for the Over The Hedge Soundtrack.

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my girls LOVE Sheryl Crow, and if you can stand it~the Sound of Music soundtrack-it's cheesy, but sweet. Another idea is to make a kiddie-wilco mix because some of those lyrics are so powerful. I've talked to my kids often about the lyrics in Jesus,Etc. "our love is all of gods money," and What Light is another wonderful song for kids. Others my girls like...Hoodoo Voodoo, The Thanks I Get, CA stars, hmd-studio version :). Good Luck.

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I sure as hell don't have kids, but I've got a number of really intriguing children's records in my collection nonetheless. Woody Guthrie is known mostly as a polemecist today (although that's probably not the case in Wilcoworld, since many different sides of his writing were exhibited on the Mermaid records), but he wrote a number of fine sides for young audiences, stuff like "Car Car" and "Don't You Push Me," which can be found on his Songs to Grow On record. One of my favourite albums of the '90s is The Story of Harmelodia, by the underrated Canadian band Rheostatics. It's a wildly imaginative and stunningly beautiful suite of pop songs connected by an interstitial narrative, and the whole thing comes wrapped in a neat little hardcover book illustrated by the band's singer/guitarist/artist/designer Martin Tielli. Can't recommend it enough!

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my girls LOVE Sheryl Crow, and if you can stand it~the Sound of Music soundtrack-it's cheesy, but sweet. Another idea is to make a kiddie-wilco mix because some of those lyrics are so powerful. I've talked to my kids often about the lyrics in Jesus,Etc. "our love is all of gods money," and What Light is another wonderful song for kids. Others my girls like...Hoodoo Voodoo, The Thanks I Get, CA stars, hmd-studio version :). Good Luck.

 

Those are some of my daughter's favorite Wilco songs, too. When I was listening to the live webcast of the fifth night of the residency, she happened into the room during "What Light" and started singing along. She also loves "War on War", "Pot Kettle Black", "Candyfloss", and surprisingly, "Hell is Chrome". Go figure.

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I make mixes for my son (who is nearly 4) every couple of months. Here is the latest:

 

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da The Beatles

I'm Dancing In The Show Tonight Ween

Hoodoo Voodoo Billy Bragg & Wilco

Vega-Tables Brian Wilson

Crocodile Rock Elton John

Guanacoa Esquivel

Soda Pop G. Love and Special Sauce

3 R`s Jack Johnson

Busted Bicycle Leo Kottke

Hello Hello Mono Puff

Why Does The Sun Shine? They Might Be Giants

Reach For The Sun (Section 9) The Polyphonic Spree

Somewhere Over The Rainbow Israel Kamakawiwo Ole'

Nice Weather For Ducks Lemon Jelly

Get Your Crayons Out! Preston School Of Industry

Thank God I'm A Country Boy John Denver

Trains Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

Sesame Street Fever Sesame Street

We're Going To Be Friends The White Stripes

Toddler Hiway They Might Be Giants

My Dog Ben Folds

Just Pretend The Bens

This Land Is Your Land Woody Guthrie

 

Also he loves the They Might Be Giants Friday Night Family Podcast. Check it out here

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The Ramones.

 

Seriously.

 

My guys loved The Ramones at that age... especially stuff like "Blitzkreig Bop" and "Pinhead". Think about it: simple, catchy melodies, and those great shoutalongs ("Hey! Ho! Let's Go!"; "Gabba Gabby Hey!!!").

 

But, you know skip the stuff like "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", okay?

 

Give it a shot. I was happy that I did.

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I make mixes for my son (who is nearly 4) every couple of months. Here is the latest:

 

Great mix. Thanks for sharing.

 

My 2 1/2 year old loves the Cars soundtrack and anything that I play for him over and over again. I've even heard him singing part of Whiskeytown's "Houses on the Hill" and Public Enemy's "911 is a joke". It's pretty funny hearing him singing "the fellow who broke your momma's heart" or "911 is a joke in yo town."

 

We like some that have already been stated; They might be Giants, Farmer Jason, Justin Roberts, Curious George soundtrack. Tom Paxton is pretty good too.

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We're listening to the Sirius Kid's Music station right now, and a song from that Medeski, Martin and Wood album is on. Good stuff! Well, I'm liking it. My kid hasn't noticed it. :)

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