Music

Various Artists, The Best of Schoolhouse Rock
(Kid Rhino, 1998)
That the incredibly catchy three-minute videos from the 1973–85 TV series were as compelling as they were instructive is no surprise, since the show’s creators were ad execs. Songs like “Conjunction Junction,” “The Preamble,” “My Hero, Zero” and “A Victim of Gravity” are as relevant as ever (so, unfortunately, is “Tyrannosaurus Debt”). Start with the best-of CD; your family can graduate to the CD/DVD boxed set later.

The Ramones
(Rhino/Wea, 2001 remaster of the 1976 release, with bonus content. Yes, we’re cheating.)
Some parents might reflexively shield their offspring from the NYC quartet, but the Ramones’ two-minute blasts appeal to little punks’ most primal instincts. “My eldest, Jimmy, loved the Ramones’ first album,” Langford says. “I had to explain ‘Beat on the Brat’ as being a song about the poor quality of bratwurst in NYC.”

Sir Colin Davis, the London Symphony Orchestra, Holst: The Planets
(LSO, 2003)
Why are bits of Holst’s celestially inspired suite so often found in kids’ entertainment, including video games and The Simpsons? “Its colorful orchestration, bombastic brass and percussion, and evocative melodies are innately compelling to children,” says Tolle.

The Jellydots, Changing Skies
(Pokey Pup, 2008)
Even tweens get the blues, and the second album from Austin’s Doug Snyder acknowledges that inevitability. Tracks like “Travelin’ Man” and “Remember Me,” about a romantic interest who’s moved away, serve as a beautifully timely soundtrack to the lonelier moments in a maturing kid’s life.

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Books | Movies | Music | Theater | Television | Toys

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Incredulous because we overlooked your faves? Don’t get mad; set us straight! Email kids@timeoutny.com with your new classic picks. 

Time Out New York Kids / Issue 41 : Mar 1–31, 2009

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