Dinosaur Song Factory [Soundtrack]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Without question, the coolest thing about Disney's Song Factory is its interactive element: Pop it into a CD-ROM drive, and it turns an ordinary computer keyboard into multiple musical instruments. Depending on which of the Aladar's adventure-themed songs kids are playing along with, they can hit any letter on, say, the A row of keys and find themselves commandeering electric guitar, synthetic strings, acoustic piano, overdrive electric guitar, or synthetic brass while also jamming on rock organ, steel drums, slap bass, or vibraphone on a different row. Just as on a piano, the farther little fingers wander to the right, the higher the notes go. Especially fun for kids learning to read music is the onscreen staff, which allows for tracking chord creations and random notes, none of which, thanks to technology, can be off-key.

Song Factory no doubt took shape from findings more recent than prehistoric--research from the American Music Conference shows that music benefits kids most when they're active participants in making it. Not to be given short shrift, though, are the songs themselves. A genre-spanning collection of eight thoroughly modern-sounding tunes satisfies hard rockers ("Dino Beat"), alterna-punks ("Top of the Food Chain"), R&B smoothies ("Paradise"), and pure poppers ("Break an Egg," a big borrower of the Smash Mouth sound). Selective shoppers looking to unearth a single remnant among the deluge of "Dinosaur"-derived products will do well to stick by "Song Factory"; its sound plus its play-along factor add up to built-in staying power. --Tammy La Gorce

Tracks:

Dino Beat - Ty Cobb, J.R. Taylor
Big Rock
Top of the Food Chain - J.R. Taylor
Herd
Paradise - Virgil Seals
Perfect Size - Helen Darling
Break an Egg - J.R. Taylor
Make Some Music - Laura Benedict

Amazon.com

Without question, the coolest thing about Disney's Song Factory is its interactive element: Pop it into a CD-ROM drive, and it turns an ordinary computer keyboard into multiple musical instruments. Depending on which of the Aladar's adventure-themed songs kids are playing along with, they can hit any letter on, say, the A row of keys and find themselves commandeering electric guitar, synthetic strings, acoustic piano, overdrive electric guitar, or synthetic brass while also jamming on rock organ, steel drums, slap bass, or vibraphone on a different row. Just as on a piano, the farther little fingers wander to the right, the higher the notes go. Especially fun for kids learning to read music is the onscreen staff, which allows for tracking chord creations and random notes, none of which, thanks to technology, can be off-key.

Song Factory no doubt took shape from findings more recent than prehistoric--research from the American Music Conference shows that music benefits kids most when they're active participants in making it. Not to be given short shrift, though, are the songs themselves. A genre-spanning collection of eight thoroughly modern-sounding tunes satisfies hard rockers ("Dino Beat"), alterna-punks ("Top of the Food Chain"), R&B smoothies ("Paradise"), and pure poppers ("Break an Egg," a big borrower of the Smash Mouth sound). Selective shoppers looking to unearth a single remnant among the deluge of "Dinosaur"-derived products will do well to stick by "Song Factory"; its sound plus its play-along factor add up to built-in staying power. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Dinosaur songs rock (and roll!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2004-10-21

FINALLY! At first I only had the demo (which plays Dino Beat and Paradise, and not even the whole song). But now I have the entire thing! My favorite songs are Paradise and The Herd. Here's a sample bit of lyrics from each song: (Dino Beat) Brachiosaurus - raise the roof. (Big Rock) And for Aladar no food could be found. Only sand on the land to kick around. (Top of the Food Chain) At the very top is the Carnotaur. He's a real bad meat-eating dinosaur. (The Herd) (I can't do the whole song? Bummer...) Say what we are with just one word - we are the herd! (Paradise) So from nose to tail we will walk this trail. With the help of one another, we can never fail. (the Perfect Size) When you're very tall, it seems the world down there is a distant view. (Break an Egg) You don't know what's in an egg until somebody breaks it. If Aladar is hiding or a Carnotaur's deciding. (Make Some Noise) Squeaky wheel don't get no grease. When you click on a song, an image pops up on the right. There's a clear picture and a fading-into-the-background picture, as well as a word or two from the lyrics, and the title. Here's what they are: (Dino Beat) Clear picture: Aladar. Fading Picture: raptor. Word from lyrics: thunder. (Big Rock) Clear picture: Aladar (different view, though). Fading picture: either a dinosaur bone or the fireball. Word from lyrics: megaton. (Top of the Food Chain) Clear picture: rather pinkish Carnotaur. Fading picture: different Carnotaur. Word from lyrics: none. (The Herd) Clear picture: some of the herd, Neera and Bruton (ooh!). Fading picture: Pteranodon. Word from lyrics: stand forever. (Paradise) Clear picture: Aladar (with a scar from Kron's thumb spike) and Neera. Fading picture: Yar/Carnotaur/cliff (I'm not sure). Word from lyrics: together. (the Perfect Size) Clear picture: Suri. Fading picture: Baylene. Word from lyrics: Suri (boy whoever wrote that song sure loves Suri!) (Break an Egg) Clear picture: baby Aladar half in his egg (that's the cutest little picture!) Fading picture: adult Aladar charging at the Carnotaurus (all you can see is Aladar, though; that's not cute - that's scary!) Word from lyrics: chance. (Make Some Noise) Clear picture: Eema. Fading picture: Aladar. Word from lyrics: Eema (not really lyrics. This woman talks to Eema before she sings). The whole game is great! As my classmate Brittany would say... Rock on!!!

Dinosaur Song Factory Rocks!.......2002-06-28

This music CD has been played in our car just about as many times as the years it's been since dinosaurs went extinct. Well, yes, a little exaggerated...BUT, it seems like that to me. My two sons, a five-year-old and an eight-year-old, so love the songs on this CD. The words are in the enclosed booklet, which quickly became worn out. That's OK though because they had memorized the words by then. Clear lyrics for the most part and lively music makes for a great dino-beat. Favorite song: Dino Beat.