Melodies & Memories with Chris from The Brothers Trimm

Chris Familton is the resident music guru at hip boys only blog The Brothers Trimm. He is also a freelance music writer (www.doubtfulsounds.wordpress.com) and a musician (wow!), and I'm telling you, I like the cut of his jib!! I asked Chris to contribute to Kids Music Month by telling me what his top 10 kids songs are and why he finds them so memorable. The list that Chris sent back not only includes some of my personal favourite from my own childhood but also introduced me to a few new finds.

I love them all, let me know what you think. Oh and don't forget to check out The Brothers Trimm. It's one of my favourite new blogs to follow.... even though I don't have boys!
Peter & The Wolf - composed by Sergei Prokofiev
Not strictly a song, this was a mesmerising collection of music with animal parts played by orchestral instruments. The cat was a clarinet, the wolf was represented by french horns and the bird was a flute. It encourages imagination in the listener and is a magical entrance into the world of classical music for inquisitive kids.



Spike Milligan - Ning Nang Nong
From the Bad Jelly the Witch album comes this brilliant nonsense song with its clever rhyming and crazy voices. It was a mix of The Goons eccentric humour and the psychedelic music of the time. Of course to a child it was just a catchy and funny song and one that I loved to sing along to.



Meet The Flinstones Theme
Of the TV shows that I worshipped as a child this was probably the one I heard the most often and never tired of singing along to. It was catchy, fast and had Fred’s infamous Wilma! yell at the end.



Rubber Duckie - Ernie (Sesame Street)
A classic jazz based song by one of Sesame Street’s most beloved characters. I remember and love this because of the swing to the song. It has that melodic nursery rhyme feel to it.



The Ramones - Spiderman (available on - Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits)
This is a fantastic version of the classic cartoon theme in the only way that The Ramones know how. Relentless drumming, surf guitars and Joey Ramone’s 60’s tinged vocals. A band that all kids should get hooked to.



Danger Mouse theme - composed by Mike Harding
DM was the cartoon hero of the 80s generation. It stood out because it was a British production and the opening scene with DM and his assistant Penfold was set to an over the top Bond-like spy soundtrack. This reminds me so much of after school in front of the TV with biscuits and a glass of milk.



Chromeo - Nice N Clean (Yo Gabba Gabba)
Chromeo’s funk is perfect for kids as it has just the right balance of energy and melody. Here they preach the virtues of washing ones hands on Yo Gabba Gabba, pretty much the best show currently combining contemporary music and kids TV.



Mark Kozelek - Bedtime Lullaby (Available on - The Finally LP)
A gorgeous paean to sleep that works both as a beautiful song and a useful tool to send the kids off to dreamland.




Fat Freddy’s Drop - The Nod (available on - Dr Boondigga & The Big BW)
Reggae and funk music seems to really click with kids with its strong rhythms and swing. Put this song on and not only will they be dancing in no time, they’ll be singing along to the lyrics about cooking in the kitchen - with smiles on their faces.



Ron Grainer & Delia Derbyshire - Dr Who Theme
One of the scariest and most intriguing themes ever and was a lot more terrifying than the show itself. As a child this had me glued to the screen and transported to another planet. Taken as a standalone piece of music it was revolutionary at the time for its electronic composition and now sounds both hypnotically ominous and beautiful.