Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
we're more free for this record..., February 7, 2000
I love this record. I remember listening to it and watching a movie in elementary school at least 22 years ago and really THINKING about the messages in songs like "William Wants a Doll". Anything that inspires deep philosophical thought in a 7 year old is amazing. Later I came across this record when I was 17, brought it home and cried while listening to it over and over again. If you grew up in America in the 70's it's a little piece of your childhood. It's also amazing to think about how far we've come and where we got stuck trying to make this world a better place for all kids. I took the album with me to college and it was a favorite with everyone, men and women. I remember a guy on my floor said something about how lucky we were to grow up in a generation that began to question gender sterotypes. I just bought this CD for my nephew, as much as I love it I'm kind of sad that the messages are still pertinant nearly 30 years later.
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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm soooo not a Hippie!, January 21, 2005
I think it's funny that so many reviewers who didn't like this album (and yes in the 70's they were albums) refer to those of us who DO give high reviews as hippies. I have news for you. Children of the 70s were not hippies, their parents were. I was born in the early 70s, my teenage years were in the 80s and my young adulthood was in the 90s. I really don't qualify as a hippie in any way, shape or form.
Having said that, I still have my old album, which I saved all these years because this was my absolute favorite album of all time! (I no longer have a record player, but the album lives on!) I loved these songs so much as a child. I remember the movie we used to watch in school. They are such wonderful memories. Twenty something years later, I found the cd and purchased it immediately. I now sing and play these songs for my baby. True, the songs are somewhat dated. The 70s were very big on feminism and equality - but is that such a bad message? Plus, as a child, I didn't pay attention to the message, just to the silliness and the catchy tunes. I had no idea who Alan Alda, Carol Channing, and Marlo Thomas were. When I sing these songs to my son now, it's not becaue I want to raise a budding feminist, but because I loved it so much and I would love to share my fond memories. And if he doesn't enjoy it as much as I did, that's ok too.
PS - for other 30-somethings who want to relive another childhood memory - check out the School House Rock series (DVDs, Cd's etc)... another cheesy 70s tool to educate our children about grammar, science, politics, etc. (I'm sort of embarassed to admit this but most of what I know about how a bill is passed through Congress comes from the "I'm just a bill" song.)
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get it while you can, in a plain brown wrapper., January 23, 2005
"Free to be...." should be a yard-sale trifle, too corny for consideration as anything other than baby-boomer nostalgia.
If only...
We live in a time when the word "free" is subject to daily, fanciful redefinition, and even a cartoon sponge arouses suspicion.
The gentle lessons of "Free to Be..." are more relevant than ever. And they're political dynamite, as proved by the nasty reviews seen occasionally below.
Get this disc to remember. Get it for your kids, none of whom may ever have the luxury of taking tolerance for granted, as some of us did in an abbreviated era when cultural moments like "Free to Be..." helped heal the past, and made the future seem infinitely bright.
Belated cheers to Marlo and all participating artists. At this point in our decline and fall, I've begun to take down names...
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