It occurred to me that I the kids on this CD are more or less contemporaries of mine. Now, in 1976-1977 I was in 4th/5th Grade, and I can’t recall singing Bowie at school, but still…

For the uninitiated, this CD is a compilation of recordings made at a Canadian school. It was recorded in a gynasium with an interesting mix of instruments. It is school kids singing popular songs from the 60s and 70s. The songs are an eclectic mix. There is a vaguely Phil Spector sound and the eerieness of kids singing slightly off key. One review I read said that it was a curiousity, but I think it is more than that.

Interestingly, I’ve recently listened to the originals of many of these songs. The versions on this record are incredible. And yeah, it’s a fun CD, too. Novelty? Maybe, but it seems like at least to one who grew up in the era of these recordings to have an ability to transcend time, and to take me back to another time. Innocense and Dispair. Childhood can be either one or the other, but is far more often a mixture of the two.