Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks

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The beauty of Schoolhouse Rock in its original Saturday morning run (1973-85) was that kids watching couldn't tell whether the catchy three-minute cartoon jingles were meant to be commercials, shows, or something else entirely. That enabled overexposed TV youth to learn without realizing it between episodes of Scooby Doo and Fat Albert. Then the Brady Bunch generation became the alternative nation, and the innocence with which they took in these grammar, history, and math lessons was lost. Now comes the obligatory tribute album, Schoolhouse Rock Rocks--pleasant enough, but full of postmodern yuks and missed-the-point nostalgia that aim to celebrate but instead drain the joy from childhood memories.

Though it's somewhat interesting to hear Pavement turn "Mo More Kings" into lo-fi krautrock or Moby make "Verb: That's What's Happening" into industrial techno-pop, the performers who most successfully preserve Schoolhouse Rock's edutainment viability are those who are most cartoonish to begin with: Ween ("The Shot Heard 'round the World"), Biz Markie ("The Energy Blues"), and Daniel Johnston ("Unpack Your Adjectives"). The problem remains, nonetheless: Any revamping of these songs implies Schoolhouse Rock somehow needed to be made hipper. That none of these songs is better than its original proves how very unhip '70s kids have grown up to be. --Roni Sarig

Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks,Various Artists,Atlantic / Wea,90's,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Alternative Pop/Rock,American Trad Rock,Indie Rock,Lo-Fi,Novelty,Pop,Pop-Rap,Rock,Rock/Pop Collections,Singer/Songwriter,V/a Compilations

Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks

Average customer rating:

childhood flashbacks
Your Mind Grows Flowered
Gen X reminiscence [3.5 stars]
Don't mess with an original
A "Not Necessary" remake - the Originals are better

Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Best of Schoolhouse Rock
Schoolhouse Rock! (Special 30th Anniversary Edition)
Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits
Schoolhouse Rock! - Grammar Rock
Mary Had a Little Amp

ASIN: B000005J80
Release Date: 1996-04-09

Tracks:

Schoolhouse Rocky (Original Theme Music) - Bob Dorough And Friends
I'm Just A Bill - Deluxx Folk Implosion
Three Is A Magic Number - Blind Melon
Conjunction Junction - Better Than Ezra
Electricity, Electricity - Goodness
No More Kings - Pavement
The Shot Heard Round The World - Ween
My Hero, Zero - Lemonheads
The Energy Blues - Biz Markie
Little Twelvetones - Chavez
Verb: That's Whats Happening - Moby
Interplanet Janet - Man Or Astro-Man
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here - Buffalo Tom
Unpack Your Adjectives - Daniel Johnston
The Tale Of Mr. Morton - Skee-Lo

Amazon.com

The beauty of Schoolhouse Rock in its original Saturday morning run (1973-85) was that kids watching couldn't tell whether the catchy three-minute cartoon jingles were meant to be commercials, shows, or something else entirely. That enabled overexposed TV youth to learn without realizing it between episodes of Scooby Doo and Fat Albert. Then the Brady Bunch generation became the alternative nation, and the innocence with which they took in these grammar, history, and math lessons was lost. Now comes the obligatory tribute album, Schoolhouse Rock Rocks--pleasant enough, but full of postmodern yuks and missed-the-point nostalgia that aim to celebrate but instead drain the joy from childhood memories.

Though it's somewhat interesting to hear Pavement turn "Mo More Kings" into lo-fi krautrock or Moby make "Verb: That's What's Happening" into industrial techno-pop, the performers who most successfully preserve Schoolhouse Rock's edutainment viability are those who are most cartoonish to begin with: Ween ("The Shot Heard 'round the World"), Biz Markie ("The Energy Blues"), and Daniel Johnston ("Unpack Your Adjectives"). The problem remains, nonetheless: Any revamping of these songs implies Schoolhouse Rock somehow needed to be made hipper. That none of these songs is better than its original proves how very unhip '70s kids have grown up to be. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

childhood flashbacks.......2007-07-21

great covers of the unforgettable and educational songs from the 70's cartoons by rockin bands.

Your Mind Grows Flowered.......2007-05-25

This is a very nifty CD that puts a more modern-day twist on the old "Schoolhouse Rock" songs that we all know and love. I bought this "on spec" with the idea that it was quirky and different enough to possibly have some gems - and indeed it does.

I'm not much of a hip-hop fan, but the real standout was "The Tale Of Mr. Morton" by Skee-Lo - worth the price alone.

Gen X reminiscence [3.5 stars].......2007-03-30

Us 30-somethings grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons on ABC. In the late 70's and early 80's, in between feature cartoons and commercials, ABC ran the "School House Rock" animated shorts, videos really. They were educational, catchy and fun. Those songs are part of the quilt that is the pop culture of us Gen X'ers.

In the waning days of the "grunge" and (so-called) "alternative" music movements, some of the notable artists in those styles assembled to pay tribute to School House Rocks. The result was this CD, featuring Moby, Ween, Pavement, Blind Melon, the Lemonheads, Man or Astro-Man, Biz Markie and others, covering songs like "Three is the Magic Number," "No More Kings," "I'm Just a Bill," "Inter-Planet Janet" and about a dozen others. Some covers are truer to the originals than others. Most are at least interesting. A few are disappointing. But all of them bring back nice childhood memories (if you're the sentimental sort.)

Though the songs look back to the 70's and 80's, the covers are bathed in the 90's. The sound on this album says more about the time it was recorded than when the songs were written. Had this album been made 2 or 3 years later than it was, it would have had a decidedly bland pop/hip-hop sound and probably would've featured Britney, Backstreet Boys, N' Sync, 98 Degrees, et al. Instead, it has a bit of an edge, a little bite to it.

School House Rock Rocks! is not unlike Saturday Morning, the 1995 album of covers of TV cartoon theme songs (like Matthew Sweet doing "Scooby-Do Where Are You?" and Ramones on "Spider-Man".) In fact, Saturday Morning preceded this collection. Both are very similar in that they cover TV tunes from the 70's (and a few from the 60's.) If you like School House Rock Rocks, check out Saturday Morning, too.

Don't mess with an original.......2006-12-31

I also thought this would be remakes of the originals but instead it's "rocked" up versions of the originals which I think lack the simplicity and snappiness that made them memorable to me as a child. It's better than nothing, but not by much.

A "Not Necessary" remake - the Originals are better.......2006-11-11

Sorry, I thought this would be a great updated version of the classic SHR music - and I was really disappointed. I don't really understand the point of this album - why "remake" music that was timeless and pretty much perfect in the first place?
I can't imagine my own kids actually learning anything from these remakes (and bottom line, wasn't that the point?)... and listening to "No More Kings" was downright depressing - when SHR has always had the exact-opposite effect!

Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote!: A Benefit for Rock the Vote

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SCHOOLHOUSE ROCKS THE VOTE
There's gonna be fireworks on the Fourth of July

Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote!: A Benefit for Rock the Vote
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Kid Rhino
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks
Best of Schoolhouse Rock
Schoolhouse Rock! (Special 30th Anniversary Edition)
Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits
Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000009NKF
Release Date: 1998-08-18

Tracks:

Rock The Vote - The Virtuals
I'm Just A Bill - Joan Osborne
Sufferin' Till Suffrage - Etta James
The Campaign Trail - Bob Dorough
The Preamble - John Popper
Do You Wanna Party? - Essra Mohawk & The Killer Groove Band
Fireworks - The Sugarhill Gang
Three- Ring Government - The Roots
Get To Know Your Electoral College - Shihan
Messin' With My Bill Of Rights! - Grady Tate

Customer Reviews:

SCHOOLHOUSE ROCKS THE VOTE.......2005-09-05

This product is exactly what I was looking for to use as a training aid for a group of retirees.

There's gonna be fireworks on the Fourth of July.......2004-07-05

This CD sponsored by Schoolhouse Rock is a benefit album for Rock The Vote. It features rockers doing cover versions of old "America Rock" Schoolhouse Rock songs, plus some new songs. I liked the remakes a lot, the new songs I didn't like as much. But that may be due to the fact that I have no nostalgia for the new songs. "Rock the Vote" by the Virtuals is an okay song urging people to get out and vote. "I'm Just a Bill" is a great remake of a classic, featuring Issac Hayes as the Bill and Joan Osborne as the Boy. "Sufferin' Till Suffrage" is a fine remake by blues legend Etta James. "The Campaign Trail" is a fun song by original Schoolhouse rocker Bob Dorough. John Popper does a good job with his cover of "The Preamble". Essra Mohawk contributes the new song "Do You Wanna Party?", about the two party system. "Fireworks" is redone in a rap version by old school rappers the Sugarhill Gang. "Three-Ring Government" is a really good remake by the Roots with Jazzyfatnastees. "Get to Know Your Electoral College" by Spicy T & Shihan attempts to explain a concept that a lot of people don't understand. "Messin' With My Bill of Rights!" is a new song by original Schoolhouse rocker Grady Tate. This is an enjoyable album that benefits a worthy cause. Vote Kerry!