Inevitably, the first thing that strikes you about this benefit album for pediatric AIDS is the lineup: It contains selections by Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and Barbra Streisand, among other top stars. When you realize that 17 of the 20 tracks were newly recorded, For Our Children quickly becomes a must-have for fans of a wide variety of artists. Beyond those immediate virtues, however, the album is a diverse, if inconsistent, collection of music, some of it definable as children's music in the sense that it is likely to appeal to children, some songs about children from the perspective of parents. The sequencing of the album moves from upbeat material to quieter efforts; this is the kind of album you want to put on in the last hour of a child's day, as he or she makes the sometimes abrupt transition from energetic activity to sleep. Early on, the standouts are Little Richard's rock & roll and rap version of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and Bruce Springsteen's hilarious "Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips." After the halfway point in the album, Elton John's slight instrumental "The Pacifier" (not everybody made that much of an effort), the songs turn calmer, led by James Taylor's characteristically friendly reading of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Getting to Know You." Actress Meryl Streep turns out to have creditable pipes on "Gartan Mother's Lullaby," and Jackson Browne and Jennifer Warnes give a folk-rock reading to "Golden Slumbers." By the time of Barbra Streisand's austere "A Child Is Born" (from her 1975 album Lazy Afternoon), your young one should be asleep already. For Our Children is never less than pleasant, but, as with any random group of grownups, some of its participants have more affinity for children than others. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
For Our Children
01/01/1991
All Music Guide Review
For Our Children Track Listing
Credits of For Our Children
- Stan Lynch
- Drums
- Deborah Lyons
- Vocals
- Ziggy Marley
- Vocals, Performer
- Linda McCartney
- Synthesizer, Vocals
- David McMurray
- Saxophone, Producer
- Mike McNaught
- Arranger
- Jamie Muhoberac
- Keyboards, Producer
- Nate Thelen
- Rap
- Mark O'Connor
- Violin
- Michael Omartian
- Arranger, Producer, Multi Instruments
- Anna Peekstok
- Hurdygurdy, Irish Drum, Tin Whistle
- John Peekstok
- Mandolin, Celtic Harp
- Hense Powell
- Keyboards
- Jack Joseph Puig
- Engineer, Mixing
- Danny Quatrochi
- Producer, Engineer
- Dave Reitzas
- Engineer
- Tom Roady
- Percussion
- Alejandro Rodriguez
- Engineer
- Martin Schmelze
- Assistant Engineer
- Toby Scott
- Engineer, Mixing
- Ed Seay
- Engineer
- Denny Seiwell
- Drums, Drums (Snare)
- Ira Siegel
- Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
- Lucy Simon
- Vocals (Background), Producer
- Jeremy Smith
- Mixing
- Steve Smith
- Producer, Mixing
- David Spinozza
- Guitar
- Gary Stern
- Engineer, Mixing
- Shepard Stern
- Producer, Executive Producer, Music Production Supervisor
- Meryl Streep
- Vocals, Performer
- Carlos Uega
- Drums
- Bruce Wall
- Guitar
- Don Was
- Percussion, Drum Programming, Programming, Producer
- Ann Wilson
- Vocals, Performer, Producer
- Arnold McCuller
- Vocals (Background)
- Mac Rebennack
- Piano
- Timothy Holleran
- Drums (Snare)
- Randy Jacobs
- Guitar, Producer
- Dan Rothchild
- Assistant
- Rob Jaczko
- Engineer, Mixing
- Eugene E. Landy
- Producer
- Kevin S. Leslie
- Production Assistant
- Nancy Wilson
- Guitar (Acoustic), Performer, Producer, Bass, Vocals, Guitar
- Mick Higgins
- Technical Assistance
- Janet Hinde
- Production Coordination
- Jonathan Haft
- Associate Project Coordinator
- Jai Winding
- Synthesizer
- Sony Felho
- Assistant Engineer
- Claudia Mielnik
- Art Direction
- Ed Wong
- Engineer
- Tony Price
- Tuba
- Ariel Glaser
- Cover Art
- Tony Martin
- Producer, Engineer
- Casanova
- Rap
- Evan G. Landy
- Assistant Producer
- Tony Martin
- Producer, Engineer
- David Foster
- Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Producer
- Rupert Holmes
- Arranger, Conductor, Producer
- Denny Laine
- Guitar
- Bruce Roberts
- Arranger, Vocals (Background)
- Wendy Waldman
- Vocals (Background), ?
- Sweet Pea Atkinson
- Vocals (Background)
- Melody Makers
- Vocals
- Allen Abrahamson
- Engineer, Mixing
- Wolfgang Aichholz
- Mixing
- Daniel Alexander
- Keyboards
- Eddy Baer
- Percussion
- Michael Bernard
- Keyboards, Programming
- Dan Bosworth
- Assistant Engineer
- Bruce Botnick
- Mastering
- Sir Harry Bowens
- Vocals (Background), ?
- Paul Buckmaster
- Arranger, String Arrangements
- Phil Castellano
- Engineer, Mixing
- Lenny Castro
- Percussion
- Connie Celutska
- Dulcimer
- Ed Cherney
- Mixing
- Terry Christian
- Engineer, Mixing
- Paulinho Da Costa
- Percussion
- Frank Cox
- Vocals
- Jim Cummings
- Sound Effects
- Steve Deutsch
- Engineer
- Paul Dieter
- Engineer, Mixing
- Kenny Edwards
- Bass
- Brett Eliason
- Engineer, Mixing
- James Farber
- Engineer
- Humberto Gatica
- Engineer, Mixing
- Claude Gaudette
- Arranger, Keyboards
- Neil Giraldo
- Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Arranger
- Mark Goldenberg
- Guitar (Electric)
- Rudy Guess
- Producer
- Ted Hall
- Mastering
- Timothy "Ace" Holleran
- Drums
- Craig Hull
- Guitar
- Paul Jackson, Jr.
- Guitar
- John Jarvis
- Keyboards
- Esther Little Dove John
- Flute
- Zev Katz
- Bass
- Harold J. Kleiner
- Executive Producer
- Abraham Laboriel
- Bass
- Dennis Lambert
- Producer
- Jeffrey Lesser
- Producer, Mixing, Engineer
- David Levine
- Producer
- Frank Linx
- Engineer
- Jeff Lord-Alge
- Mixing
- Bette Midler
- Vocals, Performer
- Barbra Streisand
- Vocals, Performer
- Nancy Wilson
- Performer
- Paula Abdul
- Vocals, Performer
- Pat Benatar
- Arranger, Vocals, Performer
- Stephen Bishop
- Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals, Performer, Arranger
- Jackson Browne
- Piano, Vocals, Producer, Performer
- Dr. John
- Piano
- Bob Dylan
- Vocals, Performer
- Debbie Gibson
- Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Performer
- Elton John
- Piano (Electric)
- Carole King
- Piano, Vocals, Performer, Producer, Keyboards
- David Lindley
- Guitar, Zither, Harpolek
- Little Richard
- Piano, Vocals, Performer, Arranger
- Paul McCartney
- Bass, Piano, Vocals, Performer, Producer
- Harry Nilsson
- Vocals, Performer, Producer
- Bruce Springsteen
- Vocals, Performer
- Sting
- Multi Instruments, Performer, ?, Producer
- James Taylor
- Vocals, Performer
- Jennifer Warnes
- Vocals, Performer
- Brian Wilson
- Piano, Vocals (Background), Producer, Performer, Vocals
- Don Grolnick
- Producer
- Rob Wasserman
- Bass (Electric)
- Jerry Douglas
- Dobro













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