Various Artists – Songs For Children, Everywhere

This post is a celebration of the lost art of the children’s record. When I was a young lad, I had numerous records for younger listeners, be it compilations of songs from Disney films, nursery rhymes or even the absolute classic ‘All Aboard’ which featured songs by the likes of Bernard Cribbins and Arthur Askey. That album was one for the inspirations of this compilation and a number of the songs on that record appear on Disc 1. The second inspiration was a compilation released by Light in the Attic called ‘This Record Belongs To’. I was initially drawn to buying that as it contained the rather wonderful ‘Pinball Number Count’ by the Pointer Sisters, which was featured in episodes of Sesame Street. I also owned a couple of records on the BBC Record label which were soundtracks to children’s shows such as Play School and Play Away. 

On listening to ‘This Record Belongs To’, I wondered if there was enough material to extend this to a whole CD worth of music. It did not take me long for this to turn into a three CD set. Not every song is directly aimed at children (e.g. the songs included by Pink Floyd and the Velvet Underground), but they fit the general theme of this compilation. 

Disc 1

1. Dance Of The Cuckoos (Laurel & Hardy Theme) – Marvin Hatley
2. Tip Toe Through The Tulips – Nick Lucas
3. Trail Of The Lonesome Pine – The Avalon Boys feat. Laurel & Hardy
4. Whistle While You Work – Adrianna Caselotti
5. The Owl & The Pussycat – Elton Hayes
6. The Teddy Bears Picnic – Henry Hall & His Orchestra
7. Buckingham Palace – Anne Kinney Stephens
8. The Runaway Train – Michael Holliday
9. Nellie The Elephant – Mandy Miller
10. The Bee Song – Arthur Askey
11. I’ve Got No Strings – Dickie Jones
12. I Known An Old Lady – Burl Ives
13. Chim Chim Cheree – Dick Van Dyke & Julie Andrews
14. The Ugly Duckling – Danny Kaye
15. The Hippopotamus Song – Ian Wallace
16. Daisy Bell (On A Bicycle Made For Two) – Dinah Shore
17. Mr. Sandman – The Chordates
18. Robin Hood – Dick James
19. The Gnu Song – Flanders & Swann
20. Banana Boat (Day-O) – Stan Freberg
21. Goodness Gracious Me – Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren
22. Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf – Pink & Perky
23. Push Like A Button – Ninette
24. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport – Rolf Harris
25. My Boomerang Won’t Come Back – Charlie Drake
26. Right Said Fred – Bernard Cribbins
27. My Brother – Terry Scott
28. A Windmill In Old Amsterdam – Ronnie Hilton
29. Puff The Magic Dragon – Peter, Paul & Mary
30. Lazy Moon – Oliver Hardy

Disc 2

1. Little Cowboy – Harry Nilsson
2. The Clapping Song – Shirley Ellis
3. Scooby Doo, Where Are You – Larry Marks
4. Yellow Submarine – The Beatles
5. Siamese Cat – The Cowslils
6. Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear – Harpers Bizarre
7. The Gnome – Pink Floyd
8. Lazy Sunday – The Small Faces
9. Barefoot & Tiptoe – Sweet Shop
10. Dream, Dream, Dream – Zion De Gallier
11. Lighthouse Keeper – Sunforest
12. Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin’ In An Aeroplane) – The Beach Boys
13. Lily Pond – Vashti Bunyan
14. Mickey The Monkey – Tiny Tim
15. Best Friend – Puppet
16. Mabel – Procol Harum
17. Mellow Yellow – Donovan
18. Everybody Wants To Be A Cat – Scatman Crothers
19. London Bridge – Jonathan Moore
20. The Scarecrow – Pink Floyd
21. I’m An Urban Spaceman – Bonzo Bog Do Dah Band
22. (Theme From) The Monkees – The Monkees
23. Poison Apples – The Happy Medium
24. Corduroy Joy – The Staines Glass
25. Alice – Gil & Johnny
26. I’m A Lonesome Little Raindrop – Tiny Tim
27. The Land Where Animals Are People – Brother’s Legend
28. I’m Sticking With You – The Velvet Underground
29. Cellophane Mary-Jane – Astronaut Alan & The Planets
30. Oo-De-Lally – Roger Miller
31. Pretty Tress Around The World – Ella Jenkins
32. Mornington Ride – The Seekers
33. Laurel & Hardy – Jan & Dean
34. Little Cowboy (Reprise) – Harry Nilsson

Disc 3

1. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star – Steeleye Span
2. Play School Theme – Carol Chell & Brian Cant
3. Remember Your A Womble – The Wombles
4. Rupert – Jackie Lee
5. Rainbow – Tell Tale
6. Bang On A Drum – Rick Jones
7. Wotcher (Knocked ‘Em In The Old Kent World) – The Muppets
8. The Mandolin Man & His Secret – Donovan
9. Elementary, My Dear – Bob Dorough
10. Ernie (The Fastest Milkmen In The West) – Benny Hill
11. Gimme Dat Ding – The Pipkins
12. Snoopy vs. The Red Baron – Hotshots
13. Fat Sam’s Grand Slam – Paul Williams
14. The Smurf Song – Father Abraham
15. Pinball Number Count – The Pointer Sisters
16. Rubber Duckie – Ernie
17. Ricky & His Aeroplane – Derek Griffiths
18. Pure Imagination – Gene Wilder
19. Grandad – Clive Dunn
20. Two Little Boys – Rolf Harris
21. Autumn’s Really Here Now – Tell Tale
22. You Can Sing A Rainbow – Nina Simone
23. Love Is All – Roger Glover feat. Dio
24. Running In The Garden – Miss Abrahams & The Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class
25. Rainbow Connection – Kermit The Frog
26. You Give A Little Love – Paul Williams
27. Play Away Theme – Brian Cant, Toni Arthur, Lionel Morton, Julie Covington

The image on the front is a Fisher Price Music Box Record Player. This was a wind-up device which played plastic records. The tunes included classics such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘London Bridge’. I owned one back in the day and these records did better than the vinyl I was given as these were impossible to scratch. Some of the records I was given in my childhood were on the Surprise Surprise label. This was a subsidiary of EMI’s Music For Pleasure label and was designed to rerelease music specifically aimed at children. I thought that the logo of the rabbit in the box with the words Surprise Surprise above its head would be a perfect label for a release of this sort.