Animals? You say you like animals? Have we got some albums for you. Pull up your CD player and your sense of humor and settle in for some lively antics.
Part of the fun is just reading the names. From the "Barnyard Beat," for example, we have Chickenwolf doing "Born to be Wild" and the Old Geesers honking along to "Honky Tonk Women." Ewe 2 offers "Barbara Ann," and "Wild Thing" comes from the Red Hot Chili Dogs. The Hooo do "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Cuds N' Roses chip in "The Lonely Bull."The songs are all instrumentals, but credit for backup vocals goes to "bovines, canines, felines, fowl, simians, swine, assorted ruminants and marine animals." Kids and adults will both get a kick out of this zany collection.
The fun of "Classical Cats" is also in the titles. The pieces are traditional classic favorites, including such things as: "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1" by Edvard Grieg, Barcarolle from "The Tales of Hoffman" by Jacques Offenbach, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas, "Selections from Carmen," by George Bizet.
But they take on a whole new meaning when you think of them as "Stretch and Yawn: Welcome to the Day!" or "The Butterfly Who Got Away," "Stalking Grasshoppers" and "To Chase A Tail." Any cat lover will immediately get the picture.
The Fe-liner notes by Norton get a bit hokey, but other than a few meows at the beginning, the music is pretty straight-forward orchestral work.
Overall it's easy listening - and a great imagination booster for both young and old (people, that is; despite the fact that it is billed as "music for your cat," my cat was not much impressed, although she did like the packet of catnip tucked inside). And since a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Cornell Feline Health Center and to Pet Owners with HIV/AIDS Resource Services, you have a right to feel like purring for contributing to a good cause.
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.