Customer Reviews

Philadelphia Chickens (Sandra Boynton's Imaginary Musical Revue)

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We sort of did this out of order... we got Rhinoceros Tap first and LOVED it! Then, we took out this one, and it was a bit of a tougher sell.

The songs - I have to say - are great! However, to some extent, you feel like the "celeb singers" are showing off a little more than the lone singer (Adam Bryant) on the Rhino Tap album.

While Bryant's voice becomes friendly and familiar through that collection, here, each new song basically introduces a new singer; the success of this format, in my mind, is varied.

For what it's worth, we didn't have the liner notes and had NO CLUE who was singing what until I just now checked on Amazon. So here are our top picks - the kids' and mine - based solely on how much we enjoy the song and singer:
2. Nobody Understands Me - Meryl Streep (worth the price of the album if you're a Streep fan!)
5. Please Can I Keep it - Laura Linney
9. Faraway Cookies - Caitlin McEwan (a fantastic ballad to chocolate chip cookies!)
11. Fifteen Animals - John Stey (they're all named Bob!)
17. Pig Island - Scott Bakula (hee hee)
10. The Intermission Song! - Aaaardvarks

Least faves:
3. Philadelphia Chicken - The Bacon Brothers (I know, it's the title track, but the sound is too jazzy for my kids!)
12. Belly Button (Round) - The Heath Sisters
We also don't enjoy the instrumental reprise at the end of the album... I don't feel it's necessary and the kids always ask me to skip past it.

Some of the songs CAN get tedious pretty quickly, like "Be Like A Duck (Keith Boynton)" which just seems to go on WAY too long. There were a couple like that on Rhino Tap as well (like the Dinosaur round), but maybe those songs would appeal to younger children (my "big kids" are 10 and 11 and the baby doesn't have an opinion yet!).

Overall, this album features the same great mix of tuneful tunes, intelligent lyrics and Boynton silliness as Rhinoceros Tap, with only a couple of minor low points. Every member of the family will enjoy this album over and over - which is saying a lot, since my car-music "insanity threshhold" is usually kinda low. :-)))

I have given this cd/book/music to many kids and adults, including my mom. I've also kept it for myself! The songs are so fun and funny, they crack you up. They also introduce kids to all types of music, from blues to jazz to country to everything. The book itself is great, and I read stories to my grandson and nieces from it. And this is the best bargain in the business: You get the cd with 19 songs, the hard cover book with illustrations and words to each (which we enjoy as stories), and the sheet music for piano and additional lyrics in the back. The favorite of one of my nieces is "Please can I keep it -- it followed me home." The other niece loves "Those Dinosaur Blues," and MY favorite (or one of them) is "Be Like a Duck." But then the song by aardvarks pretending to be cows is charming, too. You just can't go wrong. BUY THIS!

The tunes are so catchy, and the lyrics so funny and memorable, that I sometimes find myself lying awake at night unable to get them out of my head. If you're on the fence, do yourself (and your kids) a favor and pull the trigger. It's great stuff.

This CD is one that every child should have in his/her collection! It is just awesome! It is so upbeat. My 4 year old loves singing to it, and my 8 month old moves to the music. As an adult, I think the lyrics are very clever, and give parents a break from the normal kids songs!

My sister and my wife both had their first babies within 8 weeks of each other last year. We are from Philadelphia, so this caught my sister's attention. The songs are fresh, contemporary and hip for children's fare. Adults can appreciate homage to various music styles and hearing celebs get their kiddy-groove on. The artwork and theme (a fictional musical stage show) lend a lot of character and personality to the lyrics and "performers" (cows, aardvarks, dinosaurs, etc.). The actual singers are typically great in their roles. A favorite of ours is Kevin Kline singing BusyBusyBusy in the mode of ...Modern Major General... A theme all of us 30-something two-income families can relate to. Just enough of a tweak about our hectic lifestyle to cause a reflective pause. Everyone should stop and create the opportunity to enjoy this marvelous little frivolity with their kid(s) and partner.

This CD is magnificent! If you can find the book to go with it, it's even better. My 4 and 5 year olds can't get enough. It's done like a little show, and they love to perform it for me. The music is so catching that we find ourselves singing the songs all the time, and once it's on you just can't keep from dancing. Many of the songs are sung by well known people and done wonderfully. I can't say enough about this superb work by Sandra Boynton!!!!!!

To say babies can't dance to it (read the negative review) is SOOOO wrong. How can you NOT dance to SWING?!! That's what its for!

My twin babies (15 months) and I CRACKED up all through this CD. We were in the car so we didn't have our whole bodies dancing (the whole time), but I know the other drivers thought we were NUTS! We bounced, waved, clapped and sang throughout this entire CD!

How very clever and smart it is -- lyrics are intelligent humour and the music (also clever) finds its roots in broadway, swing & blues. How can you not like a singing chorus line of cows and aardvarks?!

I look forward to more...
By the way, the cast list is exceptional - Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Patti LuPone, Eric Stoltz..........to name a few......

This CD keeps growing on me and my daughter loves it too. We have a couple of the books that go along with the songs like "Snuggle Puppy" and "The Belly Button Book". My daughter Eva is 16 months and she now tries to sing along. I especially love the songs by the Bacon Brothers , Eric Stoltz and Kevin Kline. I find myself singing and dancing to them along with Eva. She likes the songs about the "cows", "ducks", "belly button" and "puppy".

We got this CD as a gift from Grandma 2 years ago and we are still listening - and enjoying - this CD to this day. We have a 3 year old and a 1 year old who listen to it in the car, in the living room, even when they are bathing the big request is ALWAYS - Philadelphia Chickens! If you are really searching for great music that both you and your child will love then BUY THIS ONE! I can't express enough how lovely and whimsical this CD is. From charming songs like "Snuggle Puppy" sung sweetly by Eric Stoltz to the down right silly "Please can I keep it". You surely won't be disappointed!

We get most of our kids' music from the library, as this ensures Mom and Dad don't have to listen to any given album more than three weeks in a row. We've expanded our family's repetoire of songs, and tried many different styles, but - until now - have always been a bit relieved when the three weeks are over, and we can listen to something new. The Philadelphia Chickens, however, was returned almost a month ago, and we all still really miss it - Mom and Dad too! The lyrics are silly enough to tickle the funny bones of tots and parents alike, and the wide range of musical styles is good exposure for the kids, and an interesting change for parents. Plus, my four year old son singing "Snuggle Puppy" is about the cutest thing I've ever heard! Okay, I'm biased some, but still....