Customer Reviews

Big Trouble

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1982, I lived in Austin, Texas. You know, that place. One night, dejected after my English girlfriend dumped me for an English guy (probably cousins), I aimlessly headed out for a few "I'm sorry for myself" beers. I went to a tavern I'd never set foot in before when I noticed a sign for a group called "Trout Fishing in America." I read the sign again, thinking to myself, "Trout Fishing in America?" I went in.

The first sign that the evening might develop into something memorable was when I bumped into a guy with long blond hair, heading for the stage holding a guitar. Nothing unusual there, except I was about eye level with his Adams apple, and I'm six feet four inches. Then another guy who appeared to be about two feet shorter than the blond guy headed for the stage. "Hm," I thought. I shoved my beer back to the bartender and ordered coffee. Something told me that I wanted to be wide awake for this one.

I could have skipped the coffee. What followed was a slowly developing evening of enchantment. The great musicianship and particularly involving harmonies of those two guys had the effect of grabbing me, shaking the hardness out of my heart, and not letting go until closing time. I left the establishment with nary a thought of my now-former girlfriend and her English cousin.

Over the years, I sometimes thought about those guys, but before the internet, thinking about them was about all it came to. Fast forward to this year. My wife comes home and announces that we've been invited to go with some friends and their kids to see "Trout Fishing in America" here in northern California.

I ended up wiping tears from my eyes at least a couple of times that evening: once when I realized those two guys still had the magic, and again when I saw that my three-year-old son was enjoying them just as much as me.

So now, my son no longer demands to hear the Crash Test Dummies when we travel in the car. No, "Big Trouble" is now number one on his request list. As for myself, I'm entirely happy to oblige.

We bought this CD about 4 or 5 years ago after we saw them perform "Teddy Bear Picnic" for an adult audience in Texas. We were smitten. The music has become part of our family history. My husband sings the sweet "Lullaby" to our children and I always get a lump in my throat when I hear it. I think it will be a classic lullaby one day. Our kids sing all the words to all the songs. The lyrics are right on their level and are very funny. The CD is still a favorite even though they've grown and changed for 4 years. (Our oldest child is now 13.) I've never tired of hearing the music, because if you took away the words, the guitar and base music would grab you anyway. Keith and Ezra are very talented musicians and there's a thread of the blues running through some of their songs. Sometimes, I find myself (a non-singer) belting out a chorus along with my kids..."Pico de Gallo...don't get it in your eye-o!" We've gone to two of their live performances for children, which are great! If you want the feel of a children's concert, get their video "Go Fish." It has many of these same songs performed live on stage. I once got stopped for going 40 mph in a 30 mph zone. The policeman took one look at the photograph on my license and said, "Anyone who gets their picture taken wearing a Trout Fishing in America shirt can't be all bad." He did not give me a ticket! My kids were absolutely gleeful! Hey, you might say Trout Fishing got me off the HOOK!

I was first introduced to Trout Fishing in a bar when I was in college, and I LOVED them. I am so thrilled that they are still around and that they are still great. I love this CDs wry humor (I'm Gonna Be in Big Trouble) and the varied beats. These are two guys who totally remember what it was like to be a kid. My son (just 2) loves this CD and dances around the house with me when it's on. He really loves the gallumphing sound of When I Was a Dinosaur along with the dinosaur voices these guys have come up with. I love this CD and recommend it to anyone, but especially to anyone with kids.

A friend introduced me to the music of Trout Fishing when I was a single law school student. This album immediately became my favorite, and I love it even more now that I have two boys with whom to share it! My husband had no idea what was in our CD player, but he was hooked by the end of the first song. Everyone I have shared it with buys a copy. The music captures the essence of childhood and the every-day things children think and say. A friend with a child who hated her after-school day care was able to eliminate the tantrums by having her listen to "Day Care Blues." Most children's comments trigger a lyric for me. All the songs are great, but I especially love "I think I'll Need a Band-Aid" (it makes me laugh) and "Lullaby" (it makes me cry). Who cares if you don't have children; you'll love it anyway!

I don't have kids, but I love this album! It's become one of my standard gifts when my friends have babies.

The songs range from kid standards performed with wonderfully weird style ("The Cat Came Back," "Teddy Bears Picnic") to a nursery rhyme polka that must be heard to be believed ("The Window") to hilarious originals kids and adults will love equally ("I Think I'll Need a Band-Aid," "Daycare Blues.")

I know enough kids to know that when they like something, they play it over and over again. With Trout Fishing in America, their parents won't mind.

My 4-year old asks to hear this CD all the time! And I'm happy to comply, because I have my favorites, too. Each song is imaginative, clever, and up-beat. We enjoy singing the lyrics in the car, the shower, on our livingroom "dance floor," wherever. We highly recommend it!

I actually found out about TFIA while going to college in Mississippi. I heard growling sounds coming through the walls from my neighbor at the dorm and curiosity got the best of me. We listened and laughed till we cried. It wasn't till I had my daughter that I had an excuse to buy it (for me). Now she loves it and demands to hear the "Dinosaur Song" as she calls it. I get in big trouble myself if I don't have it in the car with us. My mother's even sat down and learned how to play the lullaby on her guitar after hearing it. It's music like this that makes having children fun- we have an excuse to listen to it now without people thinking we're strange.

I'm 16 years old, don't have kids, didn't grow up on the music, but I love it! My sophmore English teacher sang Pico de Gallo on May 5 for us, and I have been hooked ever since! Pico de Gallo is my favorite song ever! If you have never heard these guys, you don't know what you are missing!

This is the ultimate in silliness and so well done! Where else can you be lucky enough to have faster and faster toungue twisting singalong portions of an albumn and the only nursery rhyme polka I have ever heard. I loved this, my husband was hooked, we have seen this group twice in concert. We give this gift to all our friends with a sense of humour, kids, or both! You have to hear this music or you'll be missing out on big fun.

When I was hardly more than a kid, I used to hear about these guys all the time (having grown up on meals at Murrell's, the restaurant they salute in another album), and I thought they were just some old wannabes no self-respecting 80's man would sit for. Now that I have three boys of my own, we can't get enough of their witty, uplifting humor. The only problem is that each of our sons has memorized the track numbers, not being quite literate yet, so we frequently get into spirited discussions about which tracks are to be played first and how many times we can bear to have it repeated (the rule is <4)! Lots of fun, and if you stick to the kids-oriented albums, you will definitely not go wrong!