Customer Reviews

Parades and Panoramas: 25 Songs Collected by Carl Sandburg

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Dan Zanes is a hero-- pure love and guts-- and it shows here on this record, which is an album of FAMILY MUSIC. This is not the kind of saccharin sweet sanitary crud so often pushed off on kids (Raffi, et. al.), which sane adults raised on rock and roll can't bear to listen to without upchucking. This is REAL music, about real lives and real people, performed by real musicians with real musical lives which EVERYONE in your house-- ages 1 to 100-- will dig deeply. The songs-- American roots classics, all of them-- are tuneful, the recording elegant and gorgeous, the playing and singing sublime, and the arrangements clever and engaging at all turns.

I'd agree it's not right to call it a kids album, but not because it includes songs with bawdy or edgy lyrical themes. The album is TOTALLY appropriate for kids, because kids eat the songs up (my 5 and 8 year olds go crazy to the thing and it plays endlessly in my home and car) and because the songs about the noted potentially dodgy topics are presented with such love, humor, honesty, naivete, and innocence. Indeed, the songs, along with Zanes's and excerpts from Sandburg's notes about them, provide a real education about American history and life over the past 150 years that is likley to be much more insightful, informative, interesting, and excting than what is presented to kids in school. But it's not a kids album because grups will wanna put it on whether their kids are around or not. I, too, spin the thing endlessly even when my kids are not around, and my rock and roll band has pulled several tunes off the record and presents them in settings that have NOTHING to do with kids.

The vision and courage the man shows in presenting such a collection, rough edges, grup themes, and all in the context of music for FAMILIES -- kids AND their parents-- is truly heroic. This is a record for the ages. Buy it for your kids, buy it for yourself, buy it for your parents and grandparents, buy it for the whole darn family, and for goodness sake, go see the Dan the Man and his Band perform if they get within a hundred miles of wherever you are.

This is a real American treat.

Dan Zanes is an American classic, much like the songbag that he brings to life in this excellent recording. Anyone lucky enough to have heard him during his recent appearance on "The Diane Rehm Show" on NPR (it's still available on the archives) knows that this man loves music and, even more so, loves to share his love of music. We are all richer for it.

While "Parades and Panoramas" is not billed as one of his children's CDs, it is still a great choice for parents looking for music that their kids will enjoy (the last non-kid CD from Dan Zanes, "Sea Music", was less kid-oriented). My 4-year-old daughter is particularly fond of "Titanic" (she now knows the date that the Titanic sunk, thanks to the lyrics) and the Salvation Army ditty, "Roll The Chariot," and my 2-year-old son loves "Son of A Gambolier." We all love "All Night Long" (Father Goose and Barbara in the same song makes that a given).

The fact is, you cannot really predict what music a child will like; they throw us for a loop every day. But, if Dan Zanes and his talented friends are making the music, the odds are pretty good.

. . . how could you NOT share this CD with your kids?? It is simply and elegantly recorded, the songs are very singable, and truly the music of the people. I must disagree with the reviewer who said this CD was not for kids--frankly, you could hear songs with much more questionable lyrics on your local country music station. My kids and I have had this in the car CD player since the day it was released, and they love to imagine they're "son(s) of a gambolier" (and I don't think they will grow up to be barflys because they sing this song). I also highly recommend Dan Zanes "Night Time" -- my 4-year-old won't go to sleep without a few renditions of "Side by Side." Thank you Dan Zanes and friends!

I can't agree with the previous post--what's not to love? Dan Zanes and friends have taken Carl Sandburg's collection of traditional North American songs from the 1927 Songbag and created an album which we all love. The arrangements are not all strictly traditional and have a rollicking, ragtag quality which makes it feel as if we can make the music ourselves, which is a concept Zanes promotes. This is in constant rotation in our player. My 3 year old son belts out "Son of a Gambolier" with zest, and we know all the words to every song. The liner notes have excerpts from the Sandburg Songbag which provide some interesting insights into American history, and easy guiter tab guides, which my husband (who just started playing guiter) uses to play to our children. We just love this CD, as well as the entire Dan Zanes collection. Save the Lauri Berkner for someone else--we'll take Dan anytime!

We have a five year old and the requisite library of kid's music, ranging from the bad (Disney) to the pretty good (Laurie Berkner, Ralph's World, some Raffi, etc). This is definitely my favorite of all of them (even compared to DZ's others). It is not insipid, dumbed-down, or guaranteed to produce parental insantiy. Zane's inspiration is to recall that folk music was originally meant to be sung (and listened to) by everyone, young and old. There was no such thing as "children's music" 100 years ago (perhaps nursery rhymes). And, as all parents know, kids have a wonderful ability to rise to the occasion. So, when presented with a CD that didn't sound much like Disney or Raffi (and suspiciously like some of Dad's music), my daughter did rise to the occasion. She listened intently to the lyrics about the Titanic, trains, hoboes, gamobliers and began to hum along. She then asked us about stuff - "What was the TItanic?" So we had fun and learned at the same time. Perhaps the ultimate tribute to DZ's vision came last weekend when we were all working in the garden and my daughter suddenly launched into "Son of a Gambolier", only she called it 'Son of a Chandelier". Brilliant!

As others have stated, this is also excellent adult music. I have it on my laptop now as well as on CD.

Great stuff. Great for kids, and great for parents who share the space in their minivan with young ones.

Definately NOT a kid's album, this cd is full of wonderfully ecclectic Americana songs and a hodgepodge of gifted and well-suited musicians.
Though, we would definately listen to this cd with our little ones around, it is not one of his Kid's CDs. There are drinking songs and a song about the sinking of the Titanic etc.

My Children are 13, 11 and 4. All of them have listened/are listening to Dan Zanes, have seen Dan Zanes and like Dan Zanes. My typically grumpy 13 year old boy doesn't complain when we play any Dan Zanes for the 4 year old.

Regarding this collection, there are a few songs here that my Grandfather used to sing to my brothers and I back in the 1970's as we were growing up. He was a Railroad worker, born in 1907 and bummed around in the 20s and 30s before marrying my Grandmother, siring my Dad and settling down. Sure, there are references to drinking and a "rough life" so, if you are looking for some drivel to keep your kids occupied while you're on the phone, look elsewhere. My kids have listened to this disk and have asked questions and these questions have led to discussions about their Great Grandparents and have helped them achieve a deeper understanding of where they come from.

By the way, "Wanderin" is also a video on Dan Zanes' DVD "All Around The Kitchen" The video is home movies of the band on tour and is wistful and the song can make me a little goosebumpy.....

This is a classic CD, along with Dan'z Sea Music. It's definitely music for all ages. My wife and I, as well as our 3- and 5-year-old sons, quickly became captivated by almost all of the songs here. It is really a wonderful collection, from a guy who loves rock, jazz, folk, blues, gospel, and hip-hop.

i heard the interview last night on public radio..this music sounds wonderful..i cant wait to get my hands on the c,d,