Various Artists - Hey Its Franklin (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

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Various Artists
Hey It's Franklin
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks, Children's Music

Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
1. Hey, It's Franklin - Franklin, Cockburn, Bruce
2. What I Do in the Morning - Franklin, Rodenberg, Dave
3. The Wheels on the Bus - Franklin, Traditional
4. Head and Shoulders - Franklin, Traditional
5. Hello - Franklin, Rodenberg, Dave
6. Friends - Franklin, Rodendberg, Dave
7. The Dinosaur Song - Franklin, Rodenberg, Dave
8. Georgia Camp Meeting - Franklin, Traditional
9. The Hokey Pokey - Franklin, Traditional
10. Come See the World - Franklin, Bennett, Glenn
11. I Wonder - Franklin, Parker, Ray
12. Brothers and Sisters - Franklin, Barkman, Brent
13. Wake up Spring - Franklin, Barkman, Brent
14. Wake up Spring, Pt. 2 - Franklin, Barkman, Brent
15. Rainforest Song - Franklin, Rodenberg, Dave

CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists
Title: Hey It's Franklin
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Kid Rhino
Original Release Date: 10/3/2000
Release Date: 10/3/2000
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks, Children's Music
Style: Sing-A-Longs
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 081227997427, 0812279973271

Synopsis

Amazon.com

In this, Franklin's first record, the good-natured green turtle opts for a loosey-goosey musical romp over the predicaments that tend to prey on him and his TV forest pals. Devoted Franklin followers (ages 2 to 5, mainly) will find plenty familiar here: the down-home, pluck-heavy title track opens the CD, and original tunes "What I Do In The Morning," "Hello," "Friends," "The Dinosaur Song," "Georgia Camp Meeting," and "Rainforest Song" from the "Franklin's Big Adventure" stage show make up the bulk of the remaining tracks. The CD also features "I Wonder," "Brothers and Sisters," and "Wake Up Spring" from the video Franklin and the Green Knight. Fans of the TV show who have seen neither stage nor video production are more likely to latch onto the turtle tyke's take on classics "The Wheels on the Bus," "Head and Shoulders," and "The Hokey Pokey" than to lose themselves in spirited sing-alongs of less accessible numbers such as "The Dinosaur Song," in which Franklin duets with a 100-million-year-old acquaintance he's apparently hooked up with at a museum. But that's not to say young listeners won't warm to every song eventually, as each sets forth a fun chorus and simple melody. And that warrants a warning to parents: Given successive spins, these songs may spur insistent requests among the uninitiated to see the productions from which they're taken. Factor in Franklin's good-guy, pure-as-peaches approach to life's problems, though, and that's hardly a reason to pass on this record. --Tammy La Gorce

CD Reviews

One of My Favorite CDs, Unappreciated

George Buttner | Dayton, Ohio United States | 12/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As of December 2005, "Hey, It's Franklin!" is the only soundtrack release in a series that deserves so much more.

"Hey, It's Franklin!" is a wonderful mix of songs from the stage show "Franklin's Big Adventure" and songs from the movie "Franklin and the Green Knight." These songs feature all sorts of styles and most are vocal, but there's one nice instrumental piece.

This soundtrack has plenty of excellent tunes. It begins with "Hey, It's Franklin!" the main show title theme, remixed from "Franklin's Big Adventure." If you're at all familiar with Franklin the turtle, you'll probably be familiar with this catchy theme --- "Growin' a little, every day / Here he comes with all his friends..."

There are many other great tracks, so I'll touch on my absolute favorites from "Franklin's Big Adventure," before analyzing the tracks from "Franklin and the Green Knight," which I all absolutely love.

"What I Do in the Morning" is a fun, upbeat song about, well --- the things Franklin does in the morning. Possibly the cutest line is this --- "The next thing the morning / I really love to do / Is kiss and hug my Mommy --- I think Daddy likes it too!" The cheerful, repetitive refrain of "2 4 6 8 / Sunny skies all day!" carries the song.

Then there's "Friends," a sweet duet with Franklin and Snail. "Dum-da-diddle, dum-diddle-i... Eat ice cream from the corner store / Go on back if you want some more!" A sweet theme about friendship.

"Come See the World" is the absolute standout of the "Franklin's Big Adventure" tracks. This song is #10 on the soundtrack, but I imagine probably plays at the very beginning of the stage show (which I've never had the fortune of seeing.) This is magical song that invites listeners to --- "Open your eyes and prepare to be dazzled / We'll have you asking for more! / We'll take you on the wildest adventures / Come see the world like you've never before."

Finally, of the "Franklin's Big Adventure" tunes, there's the "Rainforest Song," which is interestingly titled because the lyrics within refer to "goin' to the jungle." This is wild tune that encourages the listeners to hoot like monkeys and hiss like snakes.

Then, there's the music from "Franklin and the Green Knight." It starts out with "I Wonder." This is another Franklin and Snail song, but it's a sort-of slow, contemplative piece in which Franklin and Snail struggle with the issues they're facing now that Franklin is about to become a big brother. "Brothers and Sisters" is a much more upbeat number in which Franklin and his friends Bear, Beaver and Goose consider what it would be like for Franklin to have a little brother or sister. Beaver is rather down on the idea, but Franklin comes to the conclusion that he would love his new baby brother or sister no matter what. Finally, the two-part "Wake Up Spring" features Franklin and his friends in search of Spring, in the hope that it will bring Franklin's new sibling. These both start out as cheerful numbers with singing in chorus and even music made by tapping on Franklin's shell, but when they can't find signs of Spring, the mood turns a bit sad.

The other tunes are new takes on classic children's themes --- "The Wheels on the Bus," "Head and Shoulders" and "The Hokey Pokey." These are actually all fairly nice edits and "The Wheels on the Bus" in particular is downright fun, with some great lines from the spunky Beaver.

It's worth noting that on the "Big Adventure" tracks, some of the voices sound a lot different because they do, of course, feature the cast from the stage show rather than the television series. Most listeners should pick up fairly quickly though on whose who. This is essential listening for all "Franklin" fans and a great CD for car-trips or any other such occasion you can think of."