Farkle and Friends

1	Animal Crackers in My Soup 3:19
2	Marsupial Sue 4:34
3	The Bandshell Right Next to the Zoo 6:05
4	I'd Rather Lead a Band 2:22
5	I Got Two Dogs 2:24
6	Carmencita 3:45
7	The Hippopotamus Song 3:18
8	The Remarkable Farkle McBride 14:48
9	The Wrong Note Rag / Bebe Neuwirth 2:36

Barnes & Noble

Actor-performer John Lithgow follows up his best-selling kids CD Singin' in the Bathtub with the over-the-top fun of Farkle & Friends. Lithgow's passion for entertaining kids shines bright on this exhilarating, fully orchestrated CD, which ranges from the big band sing style of Irving Berlin's "I'd Rather Lead a Band" to the sizzling salsa of "Carmencita." Lithgow holds the rare quality of entertaining and educating young listeners without patronizing them. For example, as he tells the tale of "The Remarkable Farkle McBride" -- a child prodigy who masters every musical instrument before discovering a passion for conducting -- he schools little listeners in the makeup of an orchestra. In addition to the disc's five Lithgow originals, he includes four of his favorite childhood songs, including the Shirley Temple classic "Animal Crackers in My Soup." The hilarious "I Got Two Dogs" extols the everyday pleasures of owning a couple of pooches -- parents and kids will giggle as John barks and howls his way through the tune. Finally, Lithgow and actor-Broadway star Bebe Neuwirth grant us a playful performance of Leonard Bernstein's "The Wrong Note Rag," which encompasses the scope of Lithgow's appeal -- parents will love this "simple little ditty" and kids will have a ball "hitting the wrong note." Once again, John Lithgow succeeds on his never-ending quest to excite a child's imagination. The lighthearted flair of Farkle & Friends is sure to inspire a new batch of pint-sized performers. Amy Barkat

All Music Guide

The musical companion to his book, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, which tells the story of a young musical genius, John Lithgow's Farkle and Friends features the vocal talents of Lithgow and Bebe Neuwirth backed by the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra. Music and animals dominate the album, whether it's on classics like "Animal Crackers in My Soup" and "I'd Rather Lead a Band" or on originals such as "The Bandshell Right Next to the Zoo" or "The Remarkable Farkle McBride." "Marsupial Sue," a character from another of Lithgow's books, shows up in a song here, and Neuwirth duets with Lithgow on a charming version of "The Wrong Note Rag." A playful album with just the right amount of silliness, Farkle and Friends will appeal not only to fans of the book and Lithgow's other work, but to anyone partial to witty children's music. Heather Phares