In 1975 Yoko Ono gave birth to Sean Lennon, whose father was one of the most creative musicians of our time. John took on the role of doting parent and would draw with and for his son. The collected works became Real Love: The Drawings for Sean, a 48-page collection of water-color drawings and simple, charming puns.
Drawing was a form of communication between father and son, which is true for anyone who ever sat down to color with their kids.While the book will definitely appeal to Beatles’ fans, it will no doubt appeal to the kids of those fans even more.
Our kids are going to grow up listening to music on their computer, iPod, iPhone or whatever new contraption makes it easy to carry tunes around. But years ago we used to have these things called LPs, as in long playing records, and while music wasn’t as portable as it is today, the size of the album cover artwork more than made up for it. The album art was as much a part of the experience as the music was.
Good design lets you in on what the artist is thinking about and what they are trying to convey with their music. Certain CD covers are so great, they overcome the size limitation, but I wonder if the album cover is becoming a lost art in this age of digital music delivery. I hope not.
So I thought I would make a list of the top 5 rock album covers that you should share with your kids to get them talking about music, art, or anything the pictures suggest to them. Be sure to add your favorite album covers in the comments!
5) Jay Z – Blueprint 3
Yes, the album just came out in 2009 but the cover is both striking in its simplicity and grand in its message. Combining all the instruments into one big bland white structure, Jay may be asking “Whatever happened to all the great music?” Kids will get a kick out of the structure and trying to identify all the instruments.
4) Supertramp – Breakfast in America
Their 1979 album takes a cheeky look at New York City from an airplane window. Instead of the Statue of Liberty, we see a woman holding a glass of orange juice. I think kids will like the funny perspective, and it seems like the recording industry did too because the album won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.
3) Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
Simple yet colorful, Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album remained on the charts for over 741 weeks, longer than any other album in history. The prism that shines the colorful spectrum was exactly what the band wanted, something smart, neat and classy. Kids will dig the rainbow and it is definitely a good catalyst to spark a conversation on colors.
2) Nirvana – Nevermind
According to Kurt Cobain he conceived the idea for Nevermind’s album cover while watching a television program on water births. Nirvana’s second album showed infant Spencer Elden chasing a dollar bill on a hook in a pool. Kids will probably find the image funny and engaging.
1) Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Like most lists about rock music, this one ends with the Beatles. There were many trippy images on album covers in the sixties (see Jimi Hendrix) but the Beatles dressing up as a psychedelic marching band surrounded by cardboard models ruled them all. The cover was art directed by Robert Fraser who was a London art dealer and a friend of McCartney’s. The collage included over 70 people such as Marilyn Monroe and Bob Dylan. So if nothing else it could be a good history lesson for the kids. See who else you can spot!
If your kids are anything like mine then they like two things, ice cream and noise. I figured the best way to get them into rock music and off of stuff like Teletubbies and Barney was to show them how loud and out of control rock & roll could be. I started to make a list of the best rock screams and had them listen to the music and countdown to the point where the rock yell comes in. Here are my top rock screams. Hopefully this helps to teach your kids about the power of rock & roll.
Paul McCartney
The Beatles should be on every list with the words “rock music” in it. Check out the scream at the beginning of “Helter Skelter.” The song is one of their most rockin’ but the yell is that much better because Paul seems to run out of breath and lets fly with a furious “Yeeeeeeah.”
Bruce Springsteen
Number two might be hard to come by. It’s off of Bruce Springsteen’s Live 75-85 box set. His “Darkness on the Edge of Town” was a great mid tempo track from his 1978 album, but this live version is worth waiting until the end to hear Bruce hold that lost note as he bellows “Tooooooooooooown.” A great rocker proving that his live show is always worth the price of admission.
(This version isn’t from Live 75-85, but it is from the same tour as the one used on the box set.)
Roger Daltry
Finally, the top of the list belongs to Roger Daltrey and The Who on “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” The song is a little long but it’s worth it for your kids to sit through the whole thing. The scream comes at the end of the breakdown. Roger releases an anthem with his “Yeeeeeeeeah” as Pete Townsend replies with his windmill guitar. There’s a quick final verse about meeting the new boss after that works perfectly with his yell. The scream is so long that I let my kids see if they can mimic the length (something my wife is not too fond of).
What, no Axl Rose, no Robert Plant? No Demon of Screamin’ Stven Tyler, fer cryin’ out loud? Check back for Part Two, coming soon! Name your favorite rock scream in the comments.
If you have never seen a Cirque du Soleil production, simply imagine the most creative circus and then add sun. While that might seem too literal, their productions are really like no other circus around, and now Cirque de Soleil is going to create a show choreographed to Michael Jackson’s music.
The first project will be an arena-touring show debuting in fall 2011. The second one is a permanent show in Las Vegas set to open in late 2012. Cirque du Soleil has already created imaginative productions based on the music of the Beatles (Love) and Elvis Presley (Viva Elvis). Both are eye-popping productions that your kids will love (pun intended!). As their jaws drop, they’ll also get an earful of some truly classic music.
Have you ever wanted to hear Beatles songs like “Eleanor Rigby” performed by kids with so much energy you’re sure they’re going to break through your computer screen and give you a big hug? Well The Castillo Kids must just be that group.
The Castillo Kids consist of Julie (10), Jessie (12), and Joey (14). They play lots of Beatles songs and some originals quite well, and with such energy that you’re sure to want to take them home. The girls play bass, violin, guitar, and probably more. Joey seems to mostly play guitar, but also the sax and he takes lead vocals more often than not. The girls provide great backup and have tons of energy that we all wish we still had, not to mention some groovy choreography.
I read that they auditioned on America’s Got Talent, but haven’t found the results as of yet. A simple search on YouTube will yield a plethora of results, however. These kids have been doing this for years, one would guess with the guidance of their parents (who else is holding the camera?). Some of the older videos show a lot of promise; hell, I wish I could have played guitar so well at age nine! Not to mention the complexity of the harmonies on some of these songs. The Beatles didn’t really phone it in too often.
Check out their website with tons of video links, pics and more. And keep an eye out for these kids to make some moves in the future!
P. S. They’re playing the Largest Beatles festival in the world Abbey Road on the River from May 27-31 in Louisville, KY. Check them out if you can!
Kids love listening to the Beatles, whether it’s the simple catchy beat of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” or the trippy, psychedelic lyrics of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” My son loves the fact that there is a whole song about an octopus! The Beatles were arguably the greatest rock band ever so we thought it would be fun to take a look at the band’s own kids. Could the success of the Fab Four ever continue on with their kids? Do talented parents crank out talented offspring?
Paul has four kids with his late wife Linda. His son James (named after his father James Paul McCartney) is trying his hand at music but aside from popping up on dad’s albums he hasn’t set the charts on fire. The real success in the McCartney children is daughter Stella who is a world-famous fashion designer and has a joint venture with Gucci. While it might not be music, you know growing up in a house with Paul and Linda would lead you into some sort of artistic endeavor.
George and his second wife Olivia begat Dhani, who also followed in his father’s footsteps. He ended up finishing his father’s album Brainwashed (imagine subbing for a Beatle, even if it is your father) after George passed and formed a band called thenewno2. Check out Dhani playing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at George’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
John and his first wife Cynthia had a son Julian, who was a popular musician in the eighties with hits like “Too Late for Goodbyes” and has put out 5 albums. John’s other son, Sean, who he had with Yoko Ono, became a noted indie rocker who has several solo albums, co-wrote a Lenny Kravitz hit and plays with Cibo Matto and The Plastic Ono Band. Two boys, both following in their late father’s footsteps.
Perhaps one of the most successful musicians of all the Beatles’ children was Ringo’s son, Zak Starkey who became what else? A drummer like his dad. Zak has been known to back The Who and you probably saw him perform at this year’s Superbowl halftime show.
It’s never easy to have a famous rocker as a father, especially when that dad was in a band like the Beatles. But it seems that music has flowed from fathers to sons in their case with most of them becoming quite successful at it.
If you’ve heard Ke$ha’s number one hit Tik Tok, you might want to listen to it again before allowing your toddler to dance to it in their diapers. While the song has an infectious beat and Ke$ha’s stirring repetition of “Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa” might get your feet tapping, this current Billboard Hot 100 topper has true party lyrics which are not appropriate for little kids. Try explaining to your kids what “Brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack” means or why “Boys are trying to touch my junk”. If you’ve seen the video you know Ke$ha is a party girl whose appearance includes an attire that proves she has been living the lyrics to her hit.
Instead of playing this latest hit try these 5 other songs to get your toddler dancing:
1) The Police – De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
The song title says it all. If this song isn’t geared towards young kids I don’t know what is.
2) The Faces – Ooh La La
Same idea. The song title sounds like something your two year old might have come up with. That coupled with the fact that the song is about wishing you were wiser when you were younger is perfect.
3) The Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There
Sure, all early Beatles songs are great for young kids (and many of the later ones as well) but this one stands out because of the way they held the high notes when singing “Held her hand in Miiiiiiiiine”.
4) The Bangles – Hazy Shade of Winter
Although written by Paul Simon it is the Bangles version that gets my kids jumping. The way the song shifts from slow melodious sixties groove to a guitar rock song makes their heads pump in a way that would make any father proud.
5) Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
Considered a rock anthem by most and a state anthem by New Jersey, kids will love the break in the middle followed by Bruce’s scream of “1,2,3,4” and moving right back into the song.
These are our favorite Beatles covers from The Muppet Show. Our list would go on forever if we added Sesame Street (Letter B, anyone? Still cracks us up!), though we just may do that someday. Muppets performing Beatles is a magical combination.
5. Beetles Sing Beatles - This one makes the list in spite of its lack of Muppet starpower (Kermit introduces the bug band as a talented young group of unknowns) because of the classic grumpy Statler and Waldorf comeback at the end.
4. Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da - Two muppet blokes and a chorus of canines equals wacky fun.
3. Floyd’s Guitar Gently Weeps - The lead guitarist for Electric Mayhem shows his softer side, on what looks to be the set of Hitchcock’s Rear Window. How could you not love The Muppet Show?
2. A Little Help From My Friends - Janice the hippie Muppet is tied up, about to become the human sacrifice of a stone, saxophone-playing Eagle, and she still manages to beat out some pretty slinky percussion. The members of Electric Mayhem sneak past her pig captors to save the day. That’s what friends are for.
1. Gonzo Acts Naturally - Gonzo, a mirror, a ukulele and a Buck Owens song that the Beatles covered. What could be more entertaining?
Want a really cool rock & roll-themed activity for your kids? Beatlefans.com scanned an official 1960’s Beatles coloring book. You can print and color your favorite images of John, Paul, George and Ringo, while teaching your little ones the ABC’s of rock. B is for Beatles!
In the age of Radio Disney, does classic rock & roll still speak to children? One very clever dad decided to find out. Will Hodgkinson from the Times Online (UK) wondered if the current round of Beatlemania was being lost on his kids. He bribed them with toffee to participate in a very unscientific focus group where played them Beatles classics to get their thoughts. We have to say it’s one of the funniest things we’ve read in a long, long time! Here’s a sampling:
Apart from Rowan, who claims only to know about the beetles in her garden, panel members are vaguely aware of the Beatles. “They look like me so I like them,” offers Otto, proud possessor of a mop-top bowl cut.
“They are a rock band from olden times,” adds Isabella. “They did lots of songs,” says Pearl, somewhat unhelpfully, but then Pearl’s musical interests are focused entirely on the soundtrack to Mamma Mia!, so she can be forgiven.
Resolving to give the study session a chronological overview, I begin by putting She Loves You on to the record player. “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah,” sing Lennon and McCartney on their Number One smash from 1963. “No she doesn’t,” Otto says.
“I thought it was quite strange,” comments Rowan when the song is over.
“It’s different from most of the songs I’ve heard.”
If you’ve heard Ke$ha’s number one hit Tik Tok, you might want to listen to it again before allowing your toddler to dance to it in their diapers. While the song has an infectious beat and Ke$ha’s stirring repetition of “Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa” might get your feet tapping, this current Billboard Hot 100 topper has true party lyrics which are not appropriate for little kids. Try explaining to your kids what “Brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack” means or why “Boys are trying to touch my junk”. If you’ve seen the video you know Ke$ha is a party girl whose appearance includes an attire that proves she has been living the lyrics to her hit.
