One of my earliest musical memories is listening to songs by the Beatles, even though they had broken up by the time I turned two.
I remember crooning to my pet guppy the following bastardization of “Yesterday,” (with apologies to the Beatles): “Guppy day… all your problems will float away.”
I recalled that memory when I heard about an intriguing project: A Children’s album and book intended to introduce the Beatles to today’s children.
Through email I interviewed Kevin Salem, the producer of All Together Now.
Scott Butki: What did you intend to accomplish with this project? Did you feel you succeeded?
KS: We wanted to introduce children to classic music of obvious quality. The Beatles, of course, personified that, not only in their songwriting, but in their vision of music. For this reason, I didn’t stray far from the original arrangements and intention of the records. Of course, we could just play Beatles records for our kids, and I would be proud if this served as a gateway to that.
But I think that rock & roll, like folk music, is marked by generational influence and interpretation. The singers on All Together Now, both the grownups and the kids, have unique and modern voices in their own rite which deserve attention. And, obviously, we wanted to make music that would not drive parents into the next room. We will leave that to teenagers, who should play music that alienates their parents. The poems give parents a way to interact with their kids while listening, and the Beatles facts are just interesting bits of history. The drawings were made by local school children here in Woodstock.
As far as success... in general, I think the project is a success. It is positive, organic, modern-sounding. But as a producer, a musician, a writer... there are always a thousand things I think I could have done to make it better, so I am probably not the best judge of that. When you make music for kids, I think you are making future consumers and future musicians, so the bar is pretty high.
How did you choose which Beatles songs to cover and include on the album?
There are so many great songs to choose from. It is so easy to find a dozen great songs in the Beatles catalog that it feels more like cheating than work to do so. Most choices, like “Birthday,” and “Yellow Submarine,” were obvious kid songs, probably even for the Beatles. Others were chosen to fill specific purposes. “And Your Bird Can Sing” exposes children to instrumental harmony and lead guitar. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” is a song that takes on a different meaning when kids and adults sing together and when it is made for families to listen to. Some songs just didn’t work for my gang... like, “Lucy In the Sky.” It was really no different than any other record. If the singers felt great in the song, it was a good choice.
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