Naughty Songs for Boys & Girls

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Barry Louis Polisar, little kids' answer to Adam Sandler, clearly was on the receiving end of some flak around the time he recorded 1978's Naughty Songs for Boys & Girls. "I've had to listen to my share of adults who are concerned that I might be giving children bad ideas," he writes in the CD liner notes, but "if my songs were acceptable to absolutely everyone, I wouldn't feel as if I was doing anything worth noting." That said, and rebel spirit intact, Polisar pelts his listeners with a perfectly polished batch of wacky, imagination-stretching, roundly hilarious songs suitable to any parent/child team willing to poke fun at itself. Included are the perfectly reasonable "Don't Put Your Finger up Your Nose" (which carries the equally logical lyric, "Don't stick your finger in your ear / 'Cause then your ear will find it hard to hear"), "Never Cook Your Sister in a Frying Pan," and "You Can't Say Psbpsbpsb on the Radio"--"psbpsbpsb" being the equivalent of a raspberry. There's also a smidgen--thankfully not an overdose--of sweet fare on this disc, in the form of "With a Giggle and a Hug and a Tickle and a Kiss" and "You're as Sweet as Sugar on a Stick." There's only one track on Naughty Songs conceivably capable of inciting young listeners to rebellion, and that's the exceptional last tune, the anthem "Marching Shoulder to Shoulder," featuring the fictitious Front for Kids' Liberation, led by Polisar. "One, two, three, four / Lower the doorknobs on the doors! / Five, six, seven, eight / Don't eat the dinner on your plate!" demand the Front's members. After spinning this disc in its entirety, one gets the sense that there's probably no better advocate for those under three feet. By refusing to make nice on his records and instead zooming in on the not so warm-and-fuzzy aspects of kids' lives, he gives them oft-overlooked props. That he's so funny is the kicker that ought to convince more folks to give him a listen. --Tammy La Gorce

Naughty Songs for Boys & Girls, Music, Barry Louis Polisar, Childrens, Christmas Music, Pop

Average customer rating:

I too grew up with this album

Naughty Songs is a classic

A throwback to when we weren't so darn sensitive!

It's Terrific! Bravo for Naughty Songs.

I grew up with this!

Naughty Songs for Boys & Girls
Barry Louis Polisar
Manufacturer: The Orchard
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2000-03-11

Tracks:

Thump Thump Thump
Hey Jack, What's in the Sack?
You Can't Say "Psbpsbpsb" on the Radio
My Name Is Hiram Lipshlitz
With a Giggle and a Hug and a Tickle and a
Man and the Chicken
Don't Put Your Finger up Your Nose
I Can't, I Can't
Mom and Dad Are Always Right
They Said, "Eat the Broccoli"
Never Cook Your Sister in a Frying Pan
Brontosaurus with Bronchitis
Tyrannosaurus Nix
My Mother Ran Away Today
Poetry Lesson
Do This, Do That
Dad Says That I Look Like Him
Leroy Is a Late Bloomer
You're as Sweet as Sugar on a Stick
Marching Shoulder to Shoulder

Amazon.com

Barry Louis Polisar, little kids' answer to Adam Sandler, clearly was on the receiving end of some flak around the time he recorded 1978's Naughty Songs for Boys & Girls. "I've had to listen to my share of adults who are concerned that I might be giving children bad ideas," he writes in the CD liner notes, but "if my songs were acceptable to absolutely everyone, I wouldn't feel as if I was doing anything worth noting." That said, and rebel spirit intact, Polisar pelts his listeners with a perfectly polished batch of wacky, imagination-stretching, roundly hilarious songs suitable to any parent/child team willing to poke fun at itself. Included are the perfectly reasonable "Don't Put Your Finger up Your Nose" (which carries the equally logical lyric, "Don't stick your finger in your ear / 'Cause then your ear will find it hard to hear"), "Never Cook Your Sister in a Frying Pan," and "You Can't Say Psbpsbpsb on the Radio"--"psbpsbpsb" being the equivalent of a raspberry. There's also a smidgen--thankfully not an overdose--of sweet fare on this disc, in the form of "With a Giggle and a Hug and a Tickle and a Kiss" and "You're as Sweet as Sugar on a Stick." There's only one track on Naughty Songs conceivably capable of inciting young listeners to rebellion, and that's the exceptional last tune, the anthem "Marching Shoulder to Shoulder," featuring the fictitious Front for Kids' Liberation, led by Polisar. "One, two, three, four / Lower the doorknobs on the doors! / Five, six, seven, eight / Don't eat the dinner on your plate!" demand the Front's members. After spinning this disc in its entirety, one gets the sense that there's probably no better advocate for those under three feet. By refusing to make nice on his records and instead zooming in on the not so warm-and-fuzzy aspects of kids' lives, he gives them oft-overlooked props. That he's so funny is the kicker that ought to convince more folks to give him a listen. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

I too grew up with this album.......2007-07-05

Someone, my mom I think, bought me this album, in record form, when I was a kid. I played that thing for years and LOVED it. I can still remember most of the songs, and sing some of them to my 3 year old. She loves "don't stick your finger in your nose." I'll be picking up a cd for her soon, perhaps for her birthday. Personally I find nothing offensive in his music. Only humor.

Naughty Songs is a classic.......2006-11-21

As a teenager in the early 80's I bought the LP version of this for my sister's tenth birthday. I hadn't yet heard it, but comparing it to the other kiddy records and knowing my sister would probably play it continuously for the next few months made me think I could probably stand hearing songs like "My Mother Ran Away Today" over and over rather than the Strawberry Shortcake Rap or whatever insipid swill was passing as wholesome family entertainment. Not only did I stand it, but I actually liked this record. It was subversive and musical enough to satisfy me and silly enough to make my sister happy. Probably the only song we ever sang together was "Never Cook Your Sister in a Frying Pan." Twenty years later I have children of my own. To this day I admonish my kids singing "Don't Put Your Finger Up Your Nose," though I had forgotten most of the words and none of my family had heard the original until we came across the cassette of this at the local library last week. Everyone enjoyed listening to the album, laughing and singing along with nearly every tune (I admit I even like the sweet songs). Thus I feel compelled to say something favorable on behalf of Polisar's collection of good humored folksy songs. It's too bad the negative reviews here resort to insult and hyperbole. That probably says more about the commentators than the record itself. Fortunately this isn't another Loony Tunes, Strawberry Shortcake, Pokemon or Disney record. It is lovingly hand-crafted idiosyncratic fun in the vein of Shel Siverstein or Roald Dahl. I guess it isn't for everyone. Grandma always said I had a puny sense of humor which may explain the appeal. I don't know much about human emotions or connections to children but this record made enough of a positive impression on my family that I decided to make my first comment on Amazon in praise of Polisar's classic.

A throwback to when we weren't so darn sensitive!.......2006-03-10

This guy played my pre-school to a packed house and I remember it vividly. We had the albums and played them in our neighbors basement incessantly. I directly blame (or credit) Barry for my sense of humor even now as I purchase this album for my son. Barry teaches that everything doesn't have to be so darn serious and we really don't have to tip toe around everybody afraid that we might ruffle a few feathers. The world is an absurd place and Barry gets kids ready to laugh it all off when things get out of control!

It's Terrific! Bravo for Naughty Songs........2005-09-19

I have four children and we listen to this CD in the car all the time. Our favorite songs are: Thump, Thump, Thump; You can't say pthhht on the radio; Don't Cook Your Sister in A Frying Pan and The Poetry Lesson. It is a fun compilation of catchy tunes, with clever lyrics. It would also make a great gift.

I grew up with this!.......2004-11-20

When I was about, oh, nine years old, my Mom got me this album. I lived in Maryland then, only actually 15 minutes away from Barry's house. He performed once at the local mall, and I got to meet him.

I love this album still, and I am 34. I gave my sister the album when she had her first child, so I am going to buy the CD. Barry Louis Polisar will live on in this house!

Love Blows as the Wind Blows: English and American Songs / Jonathan Lemalu

Average customer rating:

Promises Kept
Third Time's a Charm for Larger-Than-Life Lemalu and His Transatlantic English Repertoire

Love Blows as the Wind Blows: English and American Songs / Jonathan Lemalu

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel
Songs: Brahms, Fauré, Finzi, Schubert
Vaughan Williams: Willow Wood
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
Russian Album

ASIN: B000B63IF2
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

Who Is Silvia?
When Daffodils Begin To Peer
How SHould I Your True Love Know?
Sigh No More, Ladies
Dover Beach Op.3
A Song Of Enchantment
Silver
Tit For Tat
The Mouse And The Bumblebee
Baby, Baby, Naughty Baby
As I Walked By Myself
Santa Chiara
When Lights Go Rolling Round The Sky
I. In The Year That's Come And Gone
II. Life In Her Creaking Shoes
III. Fill A Glass With Golden Wine
IV. On A Way To Kew
I. Come Away, Come Away, Death
II. Who Is Silvia?
III. Fear No More The Heat O' The Sun
IV. O Mistress Mine
V. It Was A Lover And His Lass
Song Of Black Max (As Told By The De Kooning Boys
George
Waitin

Customer Reviews:

Promises Kept.......2005-12-01

Some months back Jonathan Lemalu was introduced to us with a collection of Opera Arias, a recording that showed great promise of an important voice but also one that raised questions about the durability of the vocal technique. He sounded promising: with this excellent recording he shows that those promises are being kept!

In an entertaining potpourri of English songs the handsome and charismatic New Zealand baritone proves that he can complete with the likes of Thomas Hampson and Bryn Terfel and while he has not yet the finesse that only comes with time (he is a young 29!), the communicative powers are clearly present.

Lemalu's voice is rich and dark when the music demands (as in Barber's 'Dover Beach' accompanied by the Belcea Quartet) and yet he can lighten the tone and color and take on the technically difficult light and airy tunes which abound on this recording. His astute and sensitive collaborator is Malcolm Martineau who provides just the right mood for each of the songs selected. He seems completely at ease in this medium and his enunciation is crisp and clear. He makes the listener feel assured that here is a new star on the rise in the bass-baritone cadre, He is a joy to hear! Recommended. Grady Harp, November 05

Third Time's a Charm for Larger-Than-Life Lemalu and His Transatlantic English Repertoire.......2005-11-14

Having just come home from Jonathan Lemalu's recital with pianist Malcolm Martineau in Berkeley, I am convinced that the New Zealand-born Samoan is fast moving to the front ranks among bass-baritone singers. His third solo disc, the second to be released in 2005, is further evidence of his burgeoning talent, this one focusing exclusively on an eclectic mix of English and American songs accompanied again by Martineau. With an ebullient personality that comes across on record as well as on stage, Lemalu has a large, rich voice capable of surprising nuance and particularly resonant in its middle and lower ranges. Only 29 years old, he carries a tone more callow than his more mature colleagues like Bryn Terfel, but Lemalu's more youthful sound, as well as his large-scale theatrical sense, is placed at a greater advantage with this program than in his previous opera arias disc. That's because the 25 tracks here are short pieces from a variety of sources ranging from poems about childhood to well-known passages from Shakespeare to off-kilter cabaret songs.

There was a tantalizing glimpse of Lemalu's affinity with English art songs on his 2002 debut recording, for example, John Ireland's strapping "Sea Fever". Here he tackles two more Ireland works with the melancholy swoon of "Santa Chiara" and the rollicking "When lights go rolling round the sky". Lemalu also tackles Roger Quilter's "Four Shakespeare Songs, Op. 30", with ease. He downshifts his powerful chest voice to enhance the open yearning of "Who is Silvia?", deliver the vocal pizzicato of "When the daffodils begin to peer", perform the sonorous "How should I your true love know?" and provide a confident reading of the advisory "Sigh No More, Ladies". As an intriguing contrast, Lemalu sings Gerald Finzi's more animated version of "Who Is Silvia?" written a decade after Quilter's, the second of a five-Shakespeare song cycle called "Let us garlands bring".

Lemalu achieves a particular depth of pathos on "Fear no more the heat o' the sun". Accompanied by the assured Belcea Quartet, Samuel Barber's "Dover Beach Op. 3", the longest continuous piece on the album at nearly eight minutes, is a moving and eloquent sea metaphor for finding love against the most dire of odds. The quartet shows up again to great effect on four highly atmospheric songs from George Butterworth's "Love blows as the wind blows" starting with the haunting "In the year that's come and gone" and ending with the reflective "On the way to Kew". Sounding very much like pieces from his epic "Peter Grimes", Benjamin Britten's "Tit for Tat" provides the source for three selections ideal for Lemalu's immaculate taste - the wistful "A Song of Enchantment", the mournful "Silver" and the more emphatically dramatic title song.

Richard Rodney Bennett provides three selections from "Songs Before Sleep" written expressly for Lemalu, all based on nursery rhymes, including the energetic "The Mouse and the Bumblebee" and the pensive "As I walked by myself". The comical side of Lemalu's personality pops out in William Bolcom's "Cabaret Songs", the first two bordering precariously on camp - the Kurt Weill-sounding "Black Max" about a dastardly pimp, the quixotic "George" about the life and death of a drag queen, and the moving "Waitin". This is an exquisite recording of a major talent that continues to grow.

Average customer rating:

I too grew up with this album
Naughty Songs is a classic
A throwback to when we weren't so darn sensitive!
It's Terrific! Bravo for Naughty Songs.
I grew up with this!

Naughty Songs for Boys and Girls

Manufacturer: Rainbow Morning Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Teacher's Favorites
Family Trip
Old Dogs, New Tricks
Old Enough To Know Better: The Worst of Barry Louis Polisar
Juggling Babies

ASIN: B00004TGHR
Release Date: 1993-04-01

Tracks:

Thump Thump Thump
Hey Jack, What's in the Sack?
You Can't say "Psbpsbpsb" on the Radio
My Name is Hiram Lipshlitz
With a Giggle and a Hug and a Tickle and a Kiss
The Man and the Chicken
Don't Put Your Finger Up Your Nose
I Can't, I Can't
Mom and Dad Are Always Right
they Said, "Eat the Broccoli"
Never Cook Your Sister in a Frying Pan
A Brontosaurus with Bronchitis
Tyranosaurus Nix
My Mother Ran Away Today
The Poetry Lesson
Do This, Do That
Dad Says that I Look Like Him
Leroy is A Late Bloomer
You're As Sweet as Sugar on a Stick
Marching Shoulder to Shoulder

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

I too grew up with this album.......2007-07-05

Naughty Songs is a classic.......2006-11-21

A throwback to when we weren't so darn sensitive!.......2006-03-10

It's Terrific! Bravo for Naughty Songs........2005-09-19

I grew up with this!.......2004-11-20

Average customer rating:

Along the Road of Dreams

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000058TI2
Release Date: 2001-02-27

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The Vagabond King: Only A Rose - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
Along The Road Of Dreams - Webster Booth
Heavenly Night - Webster Booth
The Maid Of The Mountains: A Paradise For Two - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
In Old Madrid - Webster Booth
A Brown Bird Singing - Webster Booth
The Bing Boys Are Here: If You Were The Only Girl In The World - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
Pale Moon - Webster Booth
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The Second Minuet - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
Strange Harmony Of Contrasts (Recondita Armonia) - Webster Booth
Love's Old Sweet Song - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
Merrie England: The English Rose - Webster Booth
Ideale (My Life's Ideal) - Webster Booth
Bitter Sweet: I'll See You Again - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
Indian Summer - Webster Booth
The Geisha: Star Of My Soul - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
The New Moon: Lover, Come Back To Me - Webster Booth
Song Of Songs - Webster Booth
Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes - Webster Booth
Naughty Marietta: Ah, Sweet Mystery Of Life - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler
The Bells Of St. Mary's - Webster Booth
Break Of Day - Webster Booth
Perchance To Dream: We'll Gather Lilacs - Webster Booth/Anne Ziegler

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