Children’s Favourites from Acoustics
Hilary James & Simon Mayor - CD
review
Living Tradition
In the course of having a son and four grandchildren I've heard
plenty of 'children's' albums. With very few exceptions I've been
unwilling to inflict them on my kids. It wasn't the songs, I had no
quarrel with the various White Ducks, and Little Red Engines, they were
okay, it was the arrangements that put me off. Some were nauseatingly
twee carrying enough sugar to kick-start diabetes. Others had songs
rendered by shrill sopranos with cut-glass accents and patronising
tones fit to put the kid's newly-cut teeth on edge.
Luckily for all concerned Simon Mayor and Hilary James had their own
ideas on music for children and devoted a large part of their career
towards getting their stuff into circulation via schools and
broadcasting work. Their 'Musical Mystery Tour' shows not only brought
out fresh songs but they introduced children to the sight and sound of
real people playing real instruments. I know from my own bit of schools
work how some younger children were amazed to see someone simply stand
up and sing directly to them. I can well imagine the effect upon
children presented with the dazzling virtuosity of this pair.
This album is a gathering of material from their Musical Mystery Tour
CDs, with the addition of a track or two from Simon's mandolin albums.
It's not all songs; there are dialogue sketches such as 'Simon's
Doorbell' and 'King Canute at Cleethorpes', and as you would expect,
some instrumental tracks. The opener, 'Turkish Toetapper' sets the
standard, and the last track, a piece of Vivaldi, is just sublime. Not
your average 'children's material' I grant you, but all the better for
that in my opinion. The next stop for my copy of 'Children's
Favourites' is down to my niece's house where Maisie and Kate will give
it their full approval I'm sure.
Roy Harris.
BBC Website
29-track compilation mostly from the educationally-committed
duo's Musical Mystery Tour children's series. Classics, original songs,
tunes and sketches delivered with charm, wit and expert musicianship.
Rambles
When I listen to this CD, words like charming, refreshing, playful and
irresistible pop up in my head. I may be 53 years old, but if this is
only meant for children to listen to, then count me in that category.
Children's Favourites is a collection of songs and instrumentals
recorded especially with children in mind. There are a few pieces of
"classical" music on it, like a hornpipe from "Water Music" by Handel
and the first movement from Vivaldi's "Concerto for Mandolins". And
Mayor sings a lovely new lyric to Schubert's "The Trout," renamed "The
Slippery Slimy Trout." Then there are some traditional ones. James
sings "Lavender's Blue" in a very slow fashion, bringing out the songs
original use as a lullaby. Then there is a French lullaby, "Fais Dodo,"
sung in the original language. And they have rewritten "As I Was Going
to Banbury," reworking the lyrics and changing the tune. Here it is
called "The Road to Banbury."
And interspersed between the songs are small sketches, featuring Mayor
and James doing small introductory dialogues.
But what impresses me most about this collection is their ability to
write new songs for children. I must say I have a very critical mind
when it comes to newly written children's songs. During my short stint
as a music teacher, I avoided many of them. Often I found them
underestimating the children who were supposed to sing them. After all,
children do not want to be small. Their wish is to grow up and to be
taken seriously by their elders.
James and Mayor have the ability to write songs that appeal to children
and to the child within adults without ever sounding childish. They do
not oversimplify things, but trust their audience to be able to pick up
on clever musical passages and word games in the lyrics.
"The Snowman's Song" tells of the dangers of being a snowman. Either
you have to freeze, or else you melt away. And can a snowman fall in
love, or will the warm feelings melt him? "The Spider in the Shed"
describes in detail how a spider chews his prey. "My Bike" is James's
description of how any sport but cycling is too dangerous. And "The
Farmyard Tango" cleverly includes a bit of can-can while describing the
difficulty experienced by some of the animals at the farm ballroom
dance.
Well, I could mention all the tracks on it. I really enjoy it, but you
have already guessed that, haven't you? And the label on the cover
"Real Music, Real Instruments" tells it all really. Guitars, mandolins
(of course), percussion, whistles, vocals and sound effects. Everything
is superbly executed and it all fits in.
I have only one question. Will we parents (and grandparents) really
pass it on to our children (and grandchildren)? Or will we keep it for
ourselves? I am in luck, my grandchildren do not understand Swedish,
so...
Lars Nilsson
Kevin's Celtic & Folk Music CD
Reviews
Here is a “Greatest Hits” from Mayor & James. This British duo has
more than done their bit down the years to popularise classical music
written for stringed instruments, especially the mandolin.
The duo also has a long tradition of recording albums aimed at children.
And they have particularly raided the back catalogue of those kids’ CDs
to come up with a fine selection that offers astonishing value as it
delivers 1 hour and 13 minutes of music and comedy.
I have said in a previous review of their work that “they are
ultra-talented, multi-instrumental musicians, and both are vocalists
who can safely negotiate the minefield that an ostensibly simple
lullaby can represent”. That holds true as much for this album as the
previous one.
My favourite cuts were “A Magpie Sitting On A Broken Chair” (one of
their own compositions), the traditional “Lavender’s Blue”, Vivaldi’s
“Concerto for Mandolins First Movement” and the blisteringly-good
all-hands-to-the-instruments “Hornpipe from Handel’s Water Music”.
The occasional comedy sketches are pretty good and relevant to the song
that follows them, but I guess these sketches would register more with
your average 8 year old than 80 year old.
But the songs and instrumentals will register with ALL of us.
Recommended.
Dai Woosnam
Acoustics Records
PO Box 350
Reading RG6 7DQ
England
Tel: +44 (0)118 926 8615
www.acousticsrecords.co.uk