Customer Reviews

Planet Sleeps

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My visiting year-old nephew was fussy and his parents were taking a much-needed break. I put on A Planet Sleeps, sat down in the rocking chair, and was enveloped in the profound longing that parents all over the world and in all times feel to protect their children, to provide them with safety and peace. It was beautiful not only to feel my nephew melt out of his agitated uncertainty with this strange aunt into total trust, but also to feel myself held by something larger: an archetypal parental longing for and invocation of peace in music and song. Don't miss reading the beautiful little booklet and finding out the story of the songs. The write-up on "Oj, Talasi" (Oh, The Waves) alone is worth the cost of the CD. It was recorded in 1994 in the Sarajevo Cathedrahl, despite bitter cold and constant bombardment. The song, translated, ends: "On a long journey today I go and you, sea, remain calm until safely home I come, until safely home I come."

This CD is exactly what I have been looking for. I play it softly as background music while playing with my 2 year old and 6 month old. "Ana Latu" is one of our favorites. I also feel that the write-up on "Oj Talasi" alone is worth buying the album. David Field journals his work at compiling these lullabies, adding to the feeling of connectedness that imbues from this collection. I was especially glad (and surprised) to find a lullaby from my own distant heritage, "Yahnaway Hay Yowna". This disc makes a wonderful baby shower or blessingway gift for expectant parents. The "jewel" case is all-natural, too, better for our Mother Earth!

This CD was a wonderful find for our family. While we bought it for our newborn, this is music that we all still enjoy. There are lullabies here from the US (Iroquois), Cambodia, Algeria, Tonga, Chile, Haiti, Ireland, Cameroon, India, France, Israel, Japan, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina and New Zealand (Maori). The songs are performed beautifully by singers from the country represented.

An accompanying booklet gives information about each country and song with anecdotes by the performers.

This will be a wonderful addition to your family's CD collection whether you add it to the lullaby or world music section. Another great CD in a similar mold is "On a Starry Night".

Initially, I ordered The Planet Sleeps to add to the multicultural music collection at my daughter's elementary school library; the CD arrived last night, and I became so taken with it that I already plan to order several more as new baby gifts as well as one for my own children. The hauntingly beautiful "Chi Mi Na Morbheanna" (which I listened to nearly 20 times in the first 24 hours) is worth the entire purchase price, but the other songs are marvelous too, and those that don't have immediate appeal will most likely grow on you. I was holding my toddler son in my arms while listening to the CD, and he fell asleep during the sitar lullaby from India. For those of us trying to raise our children with a familiarity and appreciation of other world cultures, this lullaby collection is truly invaluable.

The extensive liner notes (36 pp.) are often quite moving, offering details about each artist, country, song, and recording experience as well as a song translation. The back of the case says "music meant to bring bliss into a frantic world." This collection certainly achieves its goal--and it's not just for bedtime by any means.

I bought this for my new niece, along with World Sings Goodnight and World Sings Goodnight 2, and a couple of others that gather voices, languages, and cultures from all over the world, and I found that as beautiful as all the music is on all of the CDs, this one was the best overall, easily!

It would seem that on lullaby CDs, it would be taken into consideration that babies (or adults) are going to be happily drifting off to sleep at some point during the CD and it is counter-productive to have the occasional song begin with a harsh transition, whether with the pace of the melody, or with a technical irregularity. This CD is flawless in its pacing, sorting of tracks, and arrangement of styles. The technical smoothness of the recordings is unfailing. The music is so beautiful, I bought a second one of these for myself, and I am out like a light with happy dreams every night! It is also a welcome addition to my day when sadness, frustration or stress seeks to overwhelm.

The accompanying CD-ROM extras built into the CD are well done and educational for a small child first learning to operate the computer, with guidance. I personally found the booklet that comes with it to be extremely satisfying in that it tells the tale of discovery behind EACH track, along with the translated lyrics and researched history of both the music and the region from which it hails. That is something I *craved* in the other CDs I bought, but didn't find.

Having received all the CDs I ordered at once, and having forgotten how much I had paid for each, the mistake was easily made that I thought this was the most expensive of the lot I had purchased, when in fact, it was the least expensive of the lot. In that light, it makes an even better shower gift than I ever thought it would before I received it.

My only complaint is there are not more tracks. I would buy Planet Sleeps 2, 3, & 4 if they were ever released!

YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS TREASURE!!!

I bought this disc for myself in Toronto when I was in my mid-twenties; based upon a review in a college magazine. It is a fantasic collection which I passed on to my sister when my nephew was born a year or two later. Remember that neither a newborn's ear nor mind have been "tuned" to the cultural sounds and expectations that we adults carry. What sounds 'strange' or 'odd' to adults is a reaction learned by omission - if you haven't heard it / aren't used to it, it can be a bit disconcerting. Babies carry no such "bias." They can, and will, find comfort in all of these songs. The only tune I still can't adjust to is the Algerian lullaby; to which I only jokingly remark "With sounds like that at night during childhood; it is little wonder they did not spearhead the industrial revolution." (I am sure "rock-a-bye baby" sounds just as strange to Algerian parents.) For my part, this disc "opened my ears" to the sounds of Melanesian choirs, and I still love them today. In short; a higly recommended CD for children and adults.

Out of all the baby Cd's we have purchased, this one is the best, and most eclectic. When my daughter hears this she stops what she's doing and lays down for her nap and bedtime. It's very hypnotic and we as parents never get tired of hearing this CD over and over. The musical talent is amazing, we look forward to more albums by these people, The planet Sleeps beats Brazilian, African, and Celtic lullabyes by far, (which we have but never listen too, those sound like bad elevator music.)

I received this CD as a baby gift and the whole family instantly loved it -- especially my newborn -- who is now 4 and still falls asleep to it.

This album made nap time and bed time non-issues in our home. I would simply put him to bed, kiss him and turn on the CD -- the results were AMAZING!

In fact, now that I'm thinking about it -- I used it while breastfeeding because it relaxed the both of us and made for a wonderful time.

I loved this so much, I'm getting it now for a friend.

My wife and I picked up this CD several months before our son (who is now 21 months old) was born. It is sooooo relaxing that it took quite awhile before we could listen to it without falling asleep about halfway through. After Jimmy was born, The Planet Sleeps became part of his naptime/bedtime routine and I don't think it's ever failed to lead him gently to sleep. However, now that I've been able to stay awake on many occasions to hear the whole CD, I can attest to the fact that it's more than a nice sleep-inducing device. It's transcendantly beautiful music that will take you to a very peaceful and inspiring place, if you let it.

The only word that can describe this CD is Miracle! I purchased this CD for my 5 month old and she has never made it to the middle of the second track with out falling asleep! The first track will instantly stop her from crying, I have never seen anything like it. Even during a bout of hysteria after treatment for constipation, you can just imagine, the minute the first track started she stopped crying and was calm. I have purchased several copies of this CD so I have one in each car and the house. Everyone I know who is having a baby will be receiving this CD!