It's Recess Monkey's acclaimed double album, "Wonderstuff." As heard on NPR's All Things Considered, this 2-CD set will change your life! Follow Everett, Harold and Sammy's epic quest to save the Magical Meadows from The G... more »ray! Meanwhile, treat your ears to 20 catchy, family friendly pop gems that are as fun for parents as their kids!Recess Monkey is three elementary school teachers from Seattle who love to rock out. Available at Amazon while supplies last, also at CD Baby. Thanks for listening!« less
It's Recess Monkey's acclaimed double album, "Wonderstuff." As heard on NPR's All Things Considered, this 2-CD set will change your life! Follow Everett, Harold and Sammy's epic quest to save the Magical Meadows from The Gray! Meanwhile, treat your ears to 20 catchy, family friendly pop gems that are as fun for parents as their kids!Recess Monkey is three elementary school teachers from Seattle who love to rock out. Available at Amazon while supplies last, also at CD Baby. Thanks for listening!
CD Reviews
Superbly performed and flawlessly recorded musical story
Midwest Book Review | Oregon, WI USA | 12/03/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A two-CD collection of superbly performed and flawlessly recorded musical story of Everett the Wonderbee, his friend Harold the Rat, and their struggle to save their home from a mysterious evil force called The Gray and its concrete and steel cronies, "Wonderstuff" is comprised of tracks that range across a wide variety of musical styles and present pure, 'kid friendly' entertainment for children of all ages. Disc 1 features: The Wonderbees, Busy Bees, My Pet Rock, Don't Want to Go to Bed, Magical Meadows, Bad Ideas, The Rat, The Sun Will Shine for You, Backpack, and Best Friend. Disc 1 features: The Pool, Come Out of Your Shell, The Funniest Thing, The Gray, Down Down Down, The Golden Seed, Roudn and Round, My Friend Shadow, Helping Hands, The Wonderbees (Reprise). "Wonderstuff" is enthusiastically recommended for family, school, and community library collections.
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Brilliantly Creative in a Time of Mediocrity
Paul T. Franklin-bihary | Seattle, WA United States | 01/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the second Recess Monkey CD I've listened to that I loved. Most kids music is tripe. But this is intelligent and enjoyable, even for grownups. The story makes the album much more kid-focused than "Aminal House," but the songs and goofiness make it hard to dislike. A concept album for kids. How great is that?
*Addition 2/26/08: Now this may sound strange, but this album improves with every listen! I've never said this about a children's album in my life. Most kids music grates on the nerves after a listen or two. This album, like many of my other 'grownup' favorites, grows on you. New details emerge in the story, new musical textures float to the surface, the songs become part of the psyche, and the overall whole becomes more completely understood. Classic albums like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and David Bowie's middle period albums such as "Low" also fall into this category for me. The first listen: not bad. After listen 5 or 6: wow!"
Great album - our family is addicted!
C. R. White | United States | 01/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Our 28-month-old daughter is in love with Recess Monkey. We have all three of their albums and listen to them several times a day. Our daughter's current favorites off Wonderstuff are "My Pet Rock" and "Backpack", though there are numerous other great songs on this album. The lyrics are simple enough for our daughter to follow along--and she loves to dance to the songs and belt out her favorite verses. The music is easy on parents' ears, too (I appreciate the Beatles' influence), which is a big bonus if you're going to listen to "My Pet Rock" a dozen times in a row. We found the narratives rather distracting, so we didn't upload them to our iPod. The songs on this album are fabulous, and we can't wait for the next album!"
Best kids' album of 2007 (as reviewed on NPR)
Helen Annis | Seattle, WA | 01/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I heard Recess Monkey on NPR so I bought their cd through Amazon. I was not disappointed. Their music is top-notch...playful, clever and full of musical complexity. The true test? My husband and I put it on when our kids aren't around. I'm definitely going to check out their two other albums."
Rocks in all the right places
Julie A. Antos | Seattle, WA | 01/11/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When Recess Monkey was listed as the entertainment for an event we were going to, I checked them out online. I admit, I was only moderately impressed. I thought, yeah, okay, but isn't it kind of weird that what-seem-to-be-overly-enthusiastic-but-full-grown-scenesters are making kids music?
I went to the event nonetheless and was WOWed! They were super fun, putting on a fantastic show with really GOOD catchy songs that rocked both my 2 year old and his cynical-grunge-scene-queen-back-in-the-day-music-snob mama. Honestly, I didn't get it before when listening to them online, but after one show, we can't get enough and their albums are most requested in the car.
While Wonderstuff admittedly isn't my favorite of the bunch, some songs are stellar- Backpack, for example, is my daughter's favorite because of it's great upbeat tempo and I will listen to it on repeat without any complaint-it's that good. If you ask my husband, he swears it sums up every child (and husband's) burning desire for a new bag.
I have the best endorsement of all though, when I drop her off at daycare, I often forget to change to the radio and ride the rest of the way full on singing along with RM, WITHOUT my kid in the car.
So, my review is a 4 star for Wonderstuff, but for Recess Monkey in general it's 5+!"
Track Listings (39) - Disc #1