About the Artist
Barry Louis Polisar is a true pioneer in the world of books and music for children. A 4-time Parents Choice Award winner, Barry began writing and recording songs for children in 1975 with little publicity and without the benefit of a major recording label. Thirty years later his songs and stories still stand out as unique and refreshing. In addition to recording more than one hundred songs for children, Barry has written numerous children's books, poems and stories. He travels throughout the United States as a visiting author in schools and libraries and his songs and stories can be heard on radio and television. Barry has performed at The White House, The Smithsonian and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He has written songs for Sesame Street and The Weekly Reader, starred in an Emmy Award-winning television show for children, and was featured regularly on The Learning Channel. Barry works with literacy groups, Chapter I programs and has presented author visits, concerts and workshops in schools and libraries throughout the United States and Europe. He has won a Special Library Recognition Award for his "ability to communicate with children and excite them to read." Welcome to the world of Barry Louis Polisar.... for those who want something a little different.
Product Description
Barry's new CD is not what you might think from the title. The popular childrens musician took a look back at his least favorite songs from his 1970s-era albums and reworked them into brand new songs. Barrys teen-aged children once the subjects of some of his songs contributed to the project. His daughter helped edit and re-shape many of the lyrics and his son joined him in the studio, playing saxophone and clarinet. The result is this two-CD compilation capping his groundbreaking efforts and provides two CDs for the cost of one. Most people do a "Greatest Hits" album after twenty or thirty years. As Barry approached the 30th year of his career, he thought hed try something different. "I talk a lot about the writing process in my school visits so I thought Id challenge myself to take all my worst songs and see if I could re-write them." And so he did. Then he went into the studio and began recording the songs and adding instruments and branching out into completely new musical directions. In fact, after recording an entire CD of twenty songs, he decided to dig up more songs and see if he could turn them into something. Hence, a bonus CD is included in this collection with an additional twenty songs. "Ten years ago I had a chance to re-write and re-record my favorite songs," Barry says. "I began thinking about all the songs I had left behind. There were many songs I had written that I simply didnt like anymore. I began tinkering with many of those older songs and poems, re-writing the lyrics and changing the melodies....sometimes I kept to the spirit of the original; other times I just used the opening line to write a totally new song....And once I began recording what I had written, I had so much fun I went back to the very bottom of the well -- finding songs that I disliked even more for a second disc." Why a double CD for kids? Polisar answers: "I just had so many bad songs!" So here they are...Barry Louis Polisars worst songs...but with a brand new twist! As Polisar says, "with forty different songs and poems, theres something for everyone to dislike!"