It’s a Magic Carpet Ride
In the Dana Heritage Project’s Catalog of Significant Objects, the Sesame Street Book and Record is a cherished item. I cannot remember a time in my life before I heard this recording, so I must have had it since I was very, very young.
Actually, I never really possessed this record until I was much older. It was always at my grandparents’ house, where I could listen to it on visits. And since I visited so often, and since I loved Sesame Street so much, I have heard this album more times than I could ever count. Of course, I got older, and though I never forgot that this record existed, I only thought of it occasionally. Then, a couple years ago, my grandmother gave it to me as a Christmas present.
As you can see from the cover, the Sesame Street Book and Record “contains [a] 24 page illustrated book”, and a “full color poster [is] included”. Most of that stuff is long gone from my copy. I have three or four pages from the book inside the gatefold jacket, and the vinyl album itself isn’t even in a sleeve. Naturally, the disc is in fairly bad shape, with plenty of pops, and a couple skips on side two.
But, aside from the magical nostalgic quality, what I can appreciate about this record even as an adult are the songs. They’re clever, sweet, and performed in a surprisingly unadorned style when compared to what is popular today. The little kids sound like little kids, and not children mimicking Aretha Franklin. Susan’s a little bit soulful on “I’ve Got Two” and “Nearly Missed”, and the backing band gets pretty funky in “Up and Down”, but you never forget that it’s a record for children. “What Are Kids Called”, “Somebody Come and Play”, and “J-Jump” are especially sweet. “Number 5″, “I Love Trash”, and “Rubber Duckie” are lots of fun, and “Green” is a quality song. I seem to recall “People in Your Neighborhood” being a favorite.
I don’t know if I would have admitted it at the time, but the Sesame Street Book and Record was my favorite album until I was a teenager.
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Filed under: Dana Heritage Project, Nostalgia, Popular Music on October 19th, 2009
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