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Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (album)

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Where in the World Is
Carmen Sandiego?
Soundtrack album by
Rockapella and various artists
ReleasedNovember 10, 1992 (1992-11-10)
StudioRPM, New York, New York
Genre
Length37:31
Label
Producer
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? chronology
Where in the World Is
Carmen Sandiego?

(1992)
Carmen Sandiego: Out of This World
(1994)

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? or Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? The Album[1] is a soundtrack album to the game show of the same name that ran from 1991 to 1995. Rockapella, the house band on the show throughout its entire run, performed six of the ten songs on the album.

Background

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Rockapella had been hired as the game show's house band when the show's producer saw the group on the special Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella and felt their sound could appeal to a young audience. The group was surprised by their success, given the show's target audience of children, in contrast to their previous target market of adults in their 20s–40s.[2]

Release

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Following the premise of the game show, some of the songs in the album are related to geography, such as "Capital", which lists the state capitals of the United States (comically omitting Pierre, South Dakota). However, other songs have no geographic basis, and many include witty humor aimed to adults. While touring prior to the album's release, Rockapella member Barry Carl said of the lyrics: "We don't wish to talk down to teens – they're more sophisticated."[2]

In addition to Rockapella, the album featured several acts with appeal to adults, including The Persuasions and Tito Puente. Nevertheless, it was "positioned as a 'family' album [and stocked] in children's departments in record stores."[3]

The album features multiple genres, including ska ("Beautiful Place"), salsa ("Amazing World"), folk rock ("Feeling Fine"), and Celtic pop ("The Violin").

Track listing

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Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Capital"Sean AltmanRockapella3:30
2."Everything to Me"Rockapella3:19
3."Beautiful Place (NYC)"YazbekUrban Blight4:18
4."My Home"
  • Altman
  • Yazbek
Rockapella and The Persuasions4:50
5."Amazing World"YazbekTito Puente featuring Nestor Sanchez4:40
6."Feeling Fine"Billy Straus3 Brave Woodsmen4:20
7."Let's Get Away from It All"Rockapella2:23
8."The Violin"Yazbek (includes an interpolation of The Trip to the Cottage, a traditional Irish jig)Brian Dewan and Eileen Ivers4:00
9."Indiana"AltmanRockapella3:23
10."Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?"
  • Altman
  • Yazbek
Rockapella2:48

Interludes

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Five tracks on the album include interludes before or after the main songs:

  • Track 2 begins with a spoken interlude performed by Greg Lee as a New York City Subway announcer.
  • Track 4 concludes with a rendition of Toss the Feathers performed by Jerry O'Sullivan on uilleann pipes.
  • Track 6 begins with an interlude skit in which Pierre, South Dakota, then-mayor Gary Drewes leaves a message on Rockapella's answering machine, protesting Pierre's omission from "Capital."
  • Track 9 concludes with a spoken interlude performed by Lee and a chorus of schoolchildren introducing Rockapella.
  • Track 10 concludes with a postlude performed by Rockapella.

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.[1]

"Capital," "Everything to Me," "My Home," "Let's Get Away From It All," "Indiana," "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?":

"Capital":

"Everything to Me" and "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?":

  • David Yazbek, Sean Altman, Billy Straus – Arrangement

"Beautiful Place (NYC)":

"My Home":

  • The Persuasions – Vocals
  • Sean Altman – Arrangement

"Amazing World":

  • Tito Puente – Percussion
  • Nestor Sanchez – Vocals
  • Mary Lee Kortes, Valerie Wilson, Steve Gutman, Elliott Kerman, David Yazbek, Sean Altman – Chorus
  • Steve Gutman, David Yazbek – Arrangement

"Feeling Fine":

  • 3 Brave Woodsmen – Vocals
    • Burl Mann
    • Ian Jaeger
    • Norm Raposbec
  • Keene Carse – Drums
  • Billy Straus – Guitar, bass guitar, arrangement
  • John Shelly – Acoustic guitar
  • David Yazbek – Organ, percussion

"Let's Get Away From It All":

  • Elliott Kerman, Rockapella – Arrangement

"The Violin":

"Indiana":

  • Sean Altman, Billy Straus – Arrangement

References

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  1. ^ a b Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (Liner notes). New York, NY: BMG Kidz. November 10, 1992. pp. 10–11. 30018-2.
  2. ^ a b Boren, Karen (September 4, 1992). "'Carmen Sandiego' singers bask in unexepcted success". Deseret News. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  3. ^ Botton, Sari (April 2, 1994). "Zoom Goes Pop with Sandiego". Billboard.