Not for Kids Only

David Grisman, Jerry Garcia

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1993)
• Original Release Date: October 14, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Acoustic Disc
• ASIN: B000003913
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,086 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Music > Indie Music > Rock > Jambands
  #4 in	Music > Indie Music > Country > Bluegrass
  #12 in	Music > Children's Music > Folk Music

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An aptly named album if ever there was one, Not for Kids Only combines the talents of two legendary performers, the late Jerry Garcia, singer-guitarist of the Grateful Dead, and David Grisman, mandolinist and father of "dawg music," a melding of bluegrass, jazz, swing, Latin, and Jewish klezmer sounds. On this 1993 recording, the two devoted friends make seemingly effortless music, adapting traditional and old-time folk into a personalized sound so "homemade" (with jew's-harp and tambourine) as to inspire any child, young or old, to pick up whatever's at hand to play along. From the jaunty rhythms of "Jenny Jenkins" to the cornball humor of "Arkansas Traveler" and the laugh-out-loud lyrics of "A Horse Named Bill" ("I had a girl and her name was Daisy / And when she sang the cat went crazy"), this album, with Garcia's delightful hand-drawn cover art, tickles from top to bottom. --Alanna Nash

From Parents' Choice®

Gravelly voices, acoustic instrumentation (mandolin, banjo, jew's-harp, etc.) and an amused, ironic approach make twelve traditional cuts extraordinary. Dead-head Garcia and partner Grisman sing the ubiquitous Teddy Bears' Picnic backed by a muted jazz horn. Older children will be amused by the witty Arkansas Traveler, the lively Hot Corn, Cold Corn (not on the cob) and the lush Shenandoah Lullaby. Parents will find themselves humming along. After all ... this tape is "Not For Kids Only."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the real thing: engaging, wonderful music, July 3, 2000

By	Patrick Tufts (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a favorite with every kid I know. But what do kids know? They listen to Raffi. *

From an adult perspective, this tape is amazing. The playing is superb and intelligent, the lyrics are sincere, heartfelt, and often pull-your-leg funny. Grisman and Garcia play with and off each other beautifully.

The musical skill here is extremely high, but feels unforced and simple.

For example, listen to the song "Arkansas Traveller" about an encounter between a city slicker and a country bumpkin:

Slicker: Well, hello stranger.

Bumpkin: Why, hello stranger!

Slicker: Yer corn looks awful little and yeller.

Bumpkin: I planted the little and yeller kind.

[cue duet]

Listen to the banjo and mandolin duet of turkey in the straw; the playing is quite intricate and beautiful.

What's right about this tape: it entertains and engages without once stooping to dull playing or insincere, tired singing. Unlike Raffi, for example, this tape never feels like an act.

Recommended for any kid. Also, any adult who likes good acoustic or folk guitar. This is a tape I play all the time, whether or not kids are around.

--Pat

* Please, no hate mail from all 15 of you adult Raffi fans. I know the lyrics to Baby Beluga and I'm not afraid to use them.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars for kids of all ages, February 23, 2004

By	Matt Greer (West Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great album. It's a whole lot of fun. It's really just Jerry and Dave doing a bunch of kids songs. I don't have any kids so I can't really tell you how well this goes over with little ones; but then that should also tell you how nice this album is for adults.

This album features the bluegrass, twangy sound that Garcia and Grisman became known for. It's really no different there. But unlike just about all their other albums, this one you can sing along really loud and have a blast doing it. Good stuff.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uncle Jerry, Uncle David, May 29, 1998

By A Customer

The late Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist for The Grateful Dead, was never known for the kind of upbeat vocals typically associated with children's music. Still, this sincere album offers a very appealing assortment of toe-tapping American folk tunes whose simple lyrics and old-fashioned harmonies appeal to the kid in all of us. "Uncle Jerry's" acoustic guitar picking is the perfect companion to David Grisman's plucky banjo and marvelous mandolin. The album's selections evoke a summer jam session on your porch, where friends join in at times with fiddle, harmonica--and sometimes piano. (Ok, ok, so the piano wouldn't exactly fit on the porch.) The album closes with a heartfelt rendition of the melancholy river song, Shenandoah, shyly sung by Garcia ("Away, I'm bound away, across the wide Missouri...") This sailor's worksong melts gracefully into Brahm's lullaby with a radiant string assemble lead by Grisman's brilliant mandolin, making for a very sweet sign-off.