ROCKET SHIP BEACH

Dan Zanes, lead singer of the 1980s roots-rock band the Del Fuegos, didn't need to enlist the high-profile help of pals Sheryl Crow and Suzanne Vega to produce a crowd-pleasing kids' record, but he got it anyway. On Rocket Ship Beach, where traditional tunes such as Polly Wolly Doodle (with Crow) and Erie Canal (with Vega) mingle in loosey-goosey, just-for-the-fun-of-it fashion with originals such as the plucky All My Friends Live in the Woods (written by Bad Company buddy Simon Kirke), Zanes exhibits the same plugged-in exuberance that gave his former band its unpredictable zing. Besides the no-amateurs instrumentation, which includes Zanes on guitar, lap steel, banjo-mandolin, and studiophone, and G.E. Smith on banjo-mandolin and guitar as part of a kickin' string band that performs the classic King Kong Kitchie, plus a cluster of others, what stands out most about this 17-track funfest is its draw-you-in friendliness. Pitching in with the pros (who also include dancehall rapper Rankin' Don--he delivers the gruff stuff on Father Goose and Sunny Side of the Street) are family friends such as the gang of West Indian babysitters turned vocal group the Sandy Girls, who give it up to impressive, get-you-boogying effect on Emmanuel Road, and a kindergarten class that contributes, adorably, to Sidewalks of New York. All told, this is way hipper than most kids' records.??Tracks? 1. Polly Wolly Doodle - Featuring Sheryl Crow 2:16 ? 2. King Kong Kitchie - Featuring The Wonderland String Band 3:18 ? 3. Bushel And A Peck - Featuring Donald Saaf and The Rocket Ship Singers 2:49 ? 4. Go Down Emmanuel Road - Featuring The Sandy Girls 1:47 ? 5. Goodbye Old Paint - 2:11 ? 6. Father Goose - Featuring Rankin' Don And The Rocket Ship Singers 4:33 ? 7. Keep On The Sunnyside - Featuring The Wonderland String Band 2:24 ? 8. Erie Canal - Featuring Suzanne Vega 2:40 ? 9. Buckeye Jim - 1:51 ? 10. Brown Girl In The Ring - Feauring The Wonderland String Band Ft. G.E. Smith 2:20 ? 11. Hello - Featuring Barbara Brousal 3:06 ? 12. All My Friends Live In The Woods - Featuring Simon Kirke 2:34 ? 13. Weather Report - Featuring Bophie and Emme 0:36 ? 14. Mole In The Ground - 1:57 ? 15. On The Sunnyside Of The Street - Featuring Rankin' Don and Donald Saaf 2:59 ? 16. Sidewalks Of New York - Featuring A Cast Of Thousands!! 3:27 ? 17. Over The Rainbow - Featuring Donald Saaf 2:34