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Catch That Train Artist: Dan Zanes
In 2006, Dan Zanes released his most accomplished CD to date, Catch That Train. Highlights include the title track, Welcome Table sung with the Blind Boys of Alabama and Barbara Brousal's Mariposa Ole, a Spanish language highlight. Even Natalie Merchant stops by for some fun. Pack your bags and hop aboard for another memorable effort from Dan Zanes and Friends. Details, details - Artist: Dan Zanes - Ages: 2-4 years - Genre: Folk - Original Release Date: May 16, 2006 - Running Time: 54:39Click to listen to a free Dan Zanes PodcastTrack Listing1. Catch That Train! Listen 2. Let's Shake Listen 3. Welcome Table with the Blind Boys of Alabama4. Mariposa Ole with Barbara Brousal Listen 5. Train Station Humor6. Choo Choo Ch' Boogie with Father Goose aka Rankin' Don7. Pigogo with the Children of Agape8. Country Life with Donald Saaf9. Loch Lomond with Natalie Merchant10. While The Music Is Playing11. I Don't Want Your Millions Mister with the How Not To Get Rich Orchestra12. The Fine Friends Are Here13. Walkin' The Dog with the Rubi Theater Company14. Wander In The Summer Wind15. Grey Goose with the Kronos Quartet16. Pata Pata with Father Goose aka Rankin' Don and Wunmi17. Sweet Rosyanne with Nick Cave18. Moonlit Town with Anna and the FlutesShipping info - Free Shipping
Average Customer Rating:
out of
5
6 of 6(100%) people would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Catch That Train Artist: Dan Zanes
Catch That Train: Dan Zanes
Date - June 4, 2008
"The short review of Catch That Train!, Dan Zanes’ 2006 release and his fifth album specifically for kids and families is that it's like his previous family music album, but more so -- more musically diverse, more lyrical, more... everything.
The long review is... well... the thing is, after listening to this album so many times, I didn't want to write the short review, which might otherwise have just said, "It's like every other Dan Zanes CD -- it's great." So I went back to his first family music album, 2000's Rocket Ship Beach, to see if I could notice progression in Zanes' music that is harder to see from just looking at his last album, House Party. And a couple things struck me as I listened to his first and his latest CDs.
The first thing that struck me was how Zanes has gradually broadened his musical horizons since 2000. Six years ago, the debut's most adventurous musical step could very well have been the appearance of Father Goose (Rankin' Don) and his dancehall stylings. On Catch That Train!, Rankin' Don's appearance on "Choo-Choo-Ch-Boogie" almost feels safe compared to the rest of the album. The Blind Boys of Alabama on the gospel "Welcome Table," the Rubi Theater Company on the strutting "Walkin' the Dog," the forward-thinking Kronos Quartet on the retelling of the psycho-pet story "Grey Goose" -- they all come from diverse musical places and yet fit in perfectly on this disk. It's as if Zanes has released his very own Putumayo collection. Which is not to say that the stuff that's been around since Rocket Ship Beach -- Rankin' Don, the duet with Barbara Brousal ("Mariposa Ole," in Spanish, of course), and the duet with a female singer-songwriter (Natalie Merchant on the lovely "Loch Lomond") -- isn't there, and isn't great. Because it is.
The other thing that struck me was that the first CD seemed to me a collection of songs that Zanes really liked. The latest CD does seem to have a thematic cohesiveness to it, and it's not about trains. It's about community. "When we ride / We ride together," Zanes has written on the title track, and there is a strong sense of doing things together that runs through the album. Inclusiveness ("All God's children gonna sit together," from "Welcome Table"), neighborliness ("High and low, people that we know / They say 'Hey there,' and 'How’ve you been?'," from "Wander in the Summer Wind"), and a welcoming neighborhood ("Wherever you’re from / Know that you’re welcome / If you want to bring your family ‘round / To this moonlit town," on the album closer "Moonlit Town.")
Quite possibly my favorite song on the album is Zanes' "While the Music Is Playing," about wanting to linger in the neighborhood into the night, listening to all the different music in the air.
People gather all around the square
People laughing in the evening air
Swirls and mingles with the songs that brought us there
That brought us all there.
The long review is... well... the thing is, after listening to this album so many times, I didn't want to write the short review, which might otherwise have just said, "It's like every other Dan Zanes CD -- it's great." So I went back to his first family music album, 2000's Rocket Ship Beach, to see if I could notice progression in Zanes' music that is harder to see from just looking at his last album, House Party. And a couple things struck me as I listened to his first and his latest CDs.
The first thing that struck me was how Zanes has gradually broadened his musical horizons since 2000. Six years ago, the debut's most adventurous musical step could very well have been the appearance of Father Goose (Rankin' Don) and his dancehall stylings. On Catch That Train!, Rankin' Don's appearance on "Choo-Choo-Ch-Boogie" almost feels safe compared to the rest of the album. The Blind Boys of Alabama on the gospel "Welcome Table," the Rubi Theater Company on the strutting "Walkin' the Dog," the forward-thinking Kronos Quartet on the retelling of the psycho-pet story "Grey Goose" -- they all come from diverse musical places and yet fit in perfectly on this disk. It's as if Zanes has released his very own Putumayo collection. Which is not to say that the stuff that's been around since Rocket Ship Beach -- Rankin' Don, the duet with Barbara Brousal ("Mariposa Ole," in Spanish, of course), and the duet with a female singer-songwriter (Natalie Merchant on the lovely "Loch Lomond") -- isn't there, and isn't great. Because it is.
The other thing that struck me was that the first CD seemed to me a collection of songs that Zanes really liked. The latest CD does seem to have a thematic cohesiveness to it, and it's not about trains. It's about community. "When we ride / We ride together," Zanes has written on the title track, and there is a strong sense of doing things together that runs through the album. Inclusiveness ("All God's children gonna sit together," from "Welcome Table"), neighborliness ("High and low, people that we know / They say 'Hey there,' and 'How’ve you been?'," from "Wander in the Summer Wind"), and a welcoming neighborhood ("Wherever you’re from / Know that you’re welcome / If you want to bring your family ‘round / To this moonlit town," on the album closer "Moonlit Town.")
Quite possibly my favorite song on the album is Zanes' "While the Music Is Playing," about wanting to linger in the neighborhood into the night, listening to all the different music in the air.
People gather all around the square
People laughing in the evening air
Swirls and mingles with the songs that brought us there
That brought us all there.
If that's not Zanes' ideal world in a nutshell, I'm not sure what is. The midtempo tune mixes a wistful chorus, brass band, and a backup singer count which eventually must reach double-digits to posit a world where community is paramount. (Its placement smack-dab in the middle of the album just before the pro-working-man "I Don't Want Your Millions Mister" can't be just random.) With Zanes entering the fray over a proposed Brooklyn development, these are no longer idle concerns for him.
As with all Dan Zanes albums, Catch That Train is for people of every age. But if I had to narrow down the age range, I'd call it ages 5 through 10.
In the end, if you're at all a fan of Dan Zanes' music, you'll enjoy this album. (And if you're in the minority who don't, this album won't change your mind.) Catch That Train! is Zanes' strongest album to date, a celebration in music of the joys of family, community, and music itself. Highly recommended."
As with all Dan Zanes albums, Catch That Train is for people of every age. But if I had to narrow down the age range, I'd call it ages 5 through 10.
In the end, if you're at all a fan of Dan Zanes' music, you'll enjoy this album. (And if you're in the minority who don't, this album won't change your mind.) Catch That Train! is Zanes' strongest album to date, a celebration in music of the joys of family, community, and music itself. Highly recommended."
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Review 2 for Catch That Train Artist: Dan Zanes
Rating
out of
5
Would you recommend? Yes
Mommy2Two
Location - Valparaiso
Number of Kids - 2
Age of youngest child - 2-4
Age of oldest child - 5-7
Age - 30-39
Love it!
Date - October 20, 2009
"I love it when I can enjoy a CD as much as my kids and Dan Zanes is great. It's folksy and fun. The tunes are memorable and the whole family can sing along."
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Review 3 for Catch That Train Artist: Dan Zanes
Rating
out of
5
Would you recommend? Yes
Joanne
Location - Pennsylvania
Number of Kids - 2
Age of youngest child - 0-1
Age of oldest child - 2-4
Age - 30-39
Play the train C.D. Mom....
Date - October 14, 2008
"I hear those words all the time! My little boys just love this C.D., they sing along and learn lots of neat things. The songs are really catchy and keep my little men entertained! Even their Mom sings along with a smile!"
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Review 4 for Catch That Train Artist: Dan Zanes
Enjoyable Songs
Date - May 19, 2008
"The kids & I all enjoy many songs from this CD - espcecially Catch that Train, Loch Lomond, Let's Shake. Music appeals to kids and is much more pleasant for the grown-ups than other kids music."
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Review 5 for Catch That Train Artist: Dan Zanes
Review 6 for Catch That Train Artist: Dan Zanes
Music if you care about Music
Date - April 10, 2008
"Dan Zanes is music that adults can, and should, listen to. If you want to surround your children with real and full music that they can sing along to, connect with, and ask to listen to that is not stereotypical (and sometimes aggravating) "children's music" then this should be part of your child's music education. My four year old knows all the words and we can talk about the songs together which brings listening to music with you children to another level."
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