Not an easy subject, but a CD that is surprisingly informative and easy to listed to. Being 747 have created a mini rock opera charting the history of the planet’s evolution. The fifty five minute, fourteen chapter CD starts off with the voiceover: -
“Imagine a year. Seems like a long time to you and I, yet compared to the life of our planet, a year in our lives is nothing more than a mere blip in time.” And takes the standpoint of explaining evolution over the span of a year, the first few months being the appearance of microscopic organisms - “Just a thimble full of material from the ocean’s floor” - and manages effortlessly to drop words like primordial into the lyrics!
The fourteen tracks (chapters) take things in chronological order, and have some great titles: - ‘The Microscopic Universe’, ‘The Land of the Amphibians’ and ‘Reigning Reptiles’, but as well as being witty and interesting, this CD is still packed with some great tunes. For example, ‘Struggle For Light’ explains how plant life developed from microscopic algae in the seas and rivers: - “Sunlight, moisture and chloroplasts, swamps, deltas and riverbanks.” This all done to an electro-pop track.
‘Shake Your Backbone’ starts off with an impressive voiceover explaining that our first discernable ancestor is such because it had a rudimentary spine and displayed bilateral symmetry, before morphing into a pure guitar pop song which has a rousing chorus of “Come on baby, shake your backbone.”
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‘Land of the Amphibians’ is a ska based track with some nifty sax work and a mid-song voiceover: - “For fifty million years, the amphibian s dominate the shores/ Undergoing a metamorphosis from tadpole to adult.” This is the perfect balance between education and entertainment.
'Reigning Reptiles’ is the chapter that I was waiting for, describing the rise of the dinosaurs, with the voiceover pitched against a frantic guitar power-pop tune and dinosaur roars that manages to engage despite some appalling rhymes – “Move on, dimetrodon!”
Overall, I found this CD extremely entertaining, and one which holds the attention. OK, it’s not the same as their live show, which has been going around secondary schools with an impressive array of props, but even without the visuals it is an easy listen, and one that should be in every household that wishes to mix learning with fun for the children. It’s already one of my boy’s favourites!
Being 747 on Myspace
More info about From Amoeba to Zebra and Being 747 shows at a school near you
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