They grow up so fast. Can you believe Rockabye Baby, the world’s leading lullabizer of classic rock and pop tunes is already five years old? Well, check out the incredible guest list on the limited-edition two-disc birthday party, Rockabye Baby! Good Day, Goodnight – due out today, Sept. 6th.
In addition to Rockabye alumni like The Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, Kanye West, The Beach Boys and U2, the double platter features a slew of artists making their lullaby versions debut. Disc one, a daytime-themed disc, finds gentle renditions of Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up,” James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Disc two loves the nightlife and includes Kiss’s “Rock and Roll All Nite,” Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep till Brooklyn” and Van Morrison’s “Moondance.” All this and more among a total 24 tracks that will send your youngster floating off to Zonkville while you quietly rock the night away.
Description: We’ve been rocking the cradle for 5 years. To celebrate our anniversary, we transformed 24 rock gems into beautiful instrumental lullabies. This 2-CD set features exclusive new songs as well as Rockabye Baby’s most-requested nursery jams. Does your little angel want to rock n’ roll all day and all night? Leave it to us. We’ve seen a million cradles, and we’ve rocked them all.
Want to rock out at your baby shower? Here are more of our top picks to make a killer party playlist. Or if you just need a thoughtful baby shower gift (besides Rockabye Baby! lullaby CDs, of course!) a personalized mix CD is always in fashion.
Want to see more of our playlist picks? Don’t miss Part I in our series on music to liven up your shower.
Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag Part 1 – James Brown
There is no kind of party James Brown can’t start. Now get up off that thing.
Baby – Os Mutantes
Because psychedelic Brazilian pop belongs on every list.
Baby, Let’s Play House - Elvis Presley
We don’t need to explain this one, right? Just look at him with little Lisa Marie. Awww…
Love Child – Diana Ross & The Supremes
We could play it safe and pick “Baby Love.” That’s a great song, for sure, and everybody knows it. But the bittersweet grandeur of this saga of a girl born out-of-wedlock (to our younger readers–that was scandalous in the 60s) can’t be topped. Or why not play both?
You Don’t Have to be a Baby to Cry – Claudine Longet
The only reason we’re not advocating the classic Ernest Tubb version is because he doesn’t have a breathy French accent.
Little Sister – Elvis Presley
More Elvis, more often.
Rock Your Baby – Wanda Jackson
Wanda is the coolest rockabilly chick of all time and in the rock & roll hall of fame to boot. Rock your baby, and don’t be slow!
Tell Mama – Etta James
Don’t let Etta anywhere near your man, ladies. Baby shower material? Why not? Tell ‘em Rockabye Baby! said so.
Beat on the Brat – The Ramones
Warning: this might horrify your mother-in-law, unless she used to hang out at CBGBs. If you don’t think your friends and family will know you are only KIDDING, try their awesome version of Phil Spector’s “Baby, I Love You.”
I can still remember my first concert – my Mom took me to see James Brown during Bumbershoot, Seattle’s yearly arts and culture festival. It’s no exaggeration to say that my young life was forever changed. As my son Henry grows up, I was seriously debating what to give him as his first live music experience. Should I take him to see Bill Frisell when he comes to our tiny island? Or maybe a bluegrass hoedown would be more his thing? I know I wanted his first time experiencing the glory and power of a live band to be really something special.
So, of course, it’s no surprise that it happened entirely by accident – at a sprawling summer solstice party held by a local restaurant owner, a trio of high school students climbed up into a flatbed truck and started playing a set of covers. Before I knew it, Henry had plopped down on his butt in the grass and was swaying back and forth to “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith with a big dumb grin on his face. I guess it doesn’t really matter what your first is, as long as it’s not your last.
What was your first concert? How about your kids? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
Is there any better sight than a young one possessed by music to shake themselves out as wildly as possible? Kids dancing is great because they completely lack the censorship that adult self-awareness brings, and that’s reflected in their awesome gyrations. Here’s three records that always bring on the action at our house.
The hardest working man in show business at the peak of his powers in front of a raving audience of French fans? This is probably one of the best lie albums ever recorded, and every song is a winner. The classic JB groove is solid and steady, and kids love James’ dynamic, free-spirited vocal style.
This Berlin-based electropop duo boasts a lot of factors in common with straight-out kids music – band members with silly names, bouncy synthesizer beats, and simple lyrics. But those lyrics are in multiple languages, delivered with a manic zeal, and against a schizophonic backdrop of mangled music. Fun enough for grown-ups and still jamming for the kids.
British mod-rockers The Equals are barely a footnote in musical history, notable only for spawning the career of Eddy “Electric Avenue” Grant. But sometimes the best music comes from the margins, and this multiracial outfit released a string of irresistibly catchy singles between 1966 and 1971, including the #1 hit “Baby Come Back.” This double-CD compilation holds 40 of their best.
