Rocket Ship Beach

by Dan Zanes

Overview

Rocket Ship Beach introduced Dan Zanes' special brand of children's music, which mixes well-known songs for kids, standards, and traditional country and folk songs with a hand-crafted sound and plenty of affection for both the music and its intended audience. The "friends" who help Zanes with Rocket Ship Beach include Sheryl Crow, whose duet with Zanes on "Polly Wolly Doodle" gets the album off to a strong start; Suzanne Vega, who lends a lilting guilelessness to "Erie Canal"; and the Wonderland String Band, who guest on several tracks and give an extra twang to "King Kong Kitchie," "Keep on the Sunnyside," and "Brown Girl in the Ring." From the British folk-tinged "All My Friends Live in the Woods" -- which features Simon Kirke -- to the vaudevillian "Sidewalks of New York" to the reggae-inspired "On the Sunnyside of the Street," Rocket Ship Beach is as diverse as it is charming; the storybook-like packaging and Donald Saaf's whimsical illustrations add to its heartfelt, homespun look and sound. Zanes' other albums -- Night Time! and Family Dance -- are equally delightful, and all of them emphasize how important it is to enjoy music together as a family. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2002
Label:	Festival Five Records / Weatherbox
UPC:	0800495000123
Rank:	96411

Tracks

1. Polly Wolly Doodle
2. King Kong Kitchie
3. Bushel and a Peck
4. Go Down Emmanuel Road
5. Goodbye Old Paint
6. Father Goose
7. Keep on the Sunny Side
8. Erie Canal
9. Buckeye Jim
10. Brown Girl in the Ring
11. Hello
12. All My Friends Live in the Woods
13. Weather Report
14. Mole in the Ground
15. On the Sunny Side of the Street
16. Sidewalks of New York
17. Over the Rainbow

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dan Zanes   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
The Rocket Ship Singers   Primary Artist
Emma   Primary Artist
The Sandy Girls   Primary Artist
The Wonderland String Band   Primary Artist
Sophie   Primary Artist
Rankin Don   Primary Artist
Sheryl Crow   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist
G.E. Smith   Primary Artist
Simon Kirke   Primary Artist
Suzanne Vega   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guest Artist
Barbara Brousal   Primary Artist,Vocals
Donald Saaf   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Marc Ribler   Audio Engineer
Jon Wolfson   Audio Engineer
Dan Zanes   Audio Production,Composer
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Simon Kirke   Composer
Jimmy McHugh   Composer
Gary Garett   Composer
A.P. Carter   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Dorothy Fields   Composer
Frank Loesser   Composer