Official URL: myspace.com/137806457
List Price: $15.98
Rating:

Oddly enough, after reading all the glowing reviews of the Wee Hairy Beasties’ other music, I had my guard up. I’ve heard some pretty awful kids’ music and I’m fairly hard to please. I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed this music. It was refreshingly original and not at all monotonous. This CD would be an excellent gift for kids of all ages, appealing most to the toddler, preschool and early school age groups.

PACKAGING

This CD comes in a cardboard and plastic folder type of case that is surprisingly sturdy. The cardboard is double layered and firmly affixed to the plastic CD holder. It appears to be even more durable than a jewel case because the plastic is of a harder material than a typical CD case. The cover art is very cute and unique, with a charming sketchy quality. Some of the illustrations go along with the songs (a cartoon with a snowman and someone reading a “Beware the yellow snow� sign). There are only liner notes included, no lyrics. Since the words are very clear and easy to understand, this is not an issue for me.

PRODUCTION QUALITY

Excellent, excellent excellent! The sound mix is perfect and the musical instruments are clearly audible. The vocals are very good and the pieces are well arranged. It is one of the higher quality children’s recordings I have heard.

MESSAGE

I’m not totally in love with some of the messages contained in the music. The short song “Eat Your Greens PSAâ€? is a bad idea in my opinion. For kids that take things literally, this gives them an argument about brushing their teeth and eating their vegetables (I’m the proud parent of such a child). “The Lonely Vampireâ€? lyrics seem a little too mature for the age group the CD is geared toward. Other than that, this music is just unapologetically fun. It doesn’t really try to be preachy so even its gross moments aren’t shocking. The lyrics are filled with humor that will be appreciated by grown-ups and kids alike. I laughed out loud at the “Belly Button Bluesâ€?.

MUSIC

This CD contains 10 full length songs and 4 shorts (labeled PSA). Each song is unique, which avoids the usual pitfall of a kids’ CD where everything sounds the same. The music is upbeat and bluesy. They make you want to tap your foot and hum along. Here is a brief summary of the songs:

1-Belly Button Blues – A humorous if somewhat gross song about all things found in a belly button.

2-Here Comes My Shadow - A song about a shadow and the different ways it changes as the day goes on.

3-Yellow Snow PSA - A very short song about the perils of yellow snow in winter.

4-The Tail of the Night Before – A narration about the night before Christmas for the prehistoric age, an intro to “Dinosaur Christmasâ€?.

5-Dinosaur Christmas – About the way Christmas was when dinosaurs roamed the earth and Santasaurus brought their gifts.

6-Pumpkinhead - Very upbeat song about the king of the pumpkin patch, Pumpkinhead.

7-Tidy Up! PSA - Short little ditty about cleaning up after yourself.

8-Wee Scary Beasties – A song about the spooky Beasties and their locations and activities.

9-Holidays Gone Crazy – A cute song about confusion between holiday characters (i.e. the tooth fairy and Easter bunny) and silly new holidays made up just for fun (Macaroni and Cheese Day anyone?).

10-Eat Your Greens PSA - Another short about eating veggies and brushing your teeth not being so important. “Sometimes ice cream for breakfast after sleeping till two is the best thing that you can do.� Not my favorite.

11-Bury Me in the Sand - A song about a trip to the beach.

12-The Lonely Vampire – A song about a vampire named Vlad who’s lonely because he lives in a land where the sun never sets and can’t go outside.

13-Tummy Trouble PSA – A short song about flatulence.

14-Jug Rag – An instrumental with someone playing the “jug� as the melody.

ISSUES/NITPICKS

While the music on this CD is pretty kid-friendly, more conservative parents may not like the “gross-factorâ€?. While most kids think talking about belly button lint and farting is hilarious, many parents discourage such discussion. A couple of the songs could be scary if your child is VERY sensitive but I doubt this would be a common problem. I personally think the music and lyrics are written in such a humorous way that they’re fairly benign, but it is worth mentioning in the interest of being thorough.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Wee Hairy Beasties-Holidays Gone Crazy is a well-made children’s music CD that your whole family can enjoy. With its toe-tapping beats and fun lyrics, you and your kids will be singing along and dancing wildly in no time.

BUY AT

Amazon.com as well as other merchants online and off.