Raffi Children’s Classic Baby Beluga Gains Eco-Friendly LP Pressing

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Craft Recordings is thrilled to announce a 45th anniversary reissue of Baby Beluga from the award-winning singer, songwriter and ecology advocate Raffi. Originally released 45 years ago today, the Platinum-selling album is a jewel in the world-renowned children’s entertainer’s prolific catalog, having brought joy to multiple generations, thanks to such enduring songs as “All I Really Need,” “Thanks a Lot” and the beloved title track, “Baby Beluga.” This special reissue also marks Raffi’s first release on LP in over 30 years. A devoted environmentalist who has long opted for more sustainable ways to distribute his music, Raffi chose to partner with Good Neighbor, an eco-friendly record manufacturer that uses a non-toxic alternative to vinyl that’s 100% recyclable, produced and made without PVC. This blue pressing of Baby Beluga arrives October 3 and is available for pre-order today.

For nearly 50 years, Raffi has delighted successive generations of kids—and their parents—with his playful, exuberant personality and irresistible songs. 1980’s Baby Beluga marked the singer-songwriter’s fourth children’s album, and, thanks to its delightfully infectious title track, it became one of his most iconic releases. “Baby Beluga” was inspired by a 1979 visit to the Vancouver Aquarium. “I fell in love with this gorgeous creature,” he told Canada’s CBC in a 2020 interview. Opening with charming beluga whale vocalizations, the song tells the story of a happy young whale swimming free. With its joyful melody and memorable chorus, “Baby Beluga” not only became a favorite for millions of children around the world but also helped foster a respect for nature. It was a turning point for Raffi, whose ecological activism would play a greater role in his work over the years.

While its title track remains Baby Beluga’s most enduring hit (and, perhaps, Raffi’s most famous song), the album also offers up a variety of other classics, including originals like “Thanks a Lot,” “All I Really Need” and “Biscuits In The Oven,” plus traditional folk songs, such as “Day O,” “Kumbaya,” “Oats and Beans and Barley” and “This Old Man.” Additionally, the album features contributions from a talented line-up of artists, including multi-instrumentalist Ken Whiteley, guitarist Bruce Cockburn and GRAMMY®-winning producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Neil Young, Brian Eno), who served as engineer.

45 years later, Baby Beluga continues to be one of Raffi’s most popular albums with over two million copies sold worldwide and a Platinum certification in the US. “Baby Beluga,” meanwhile, remains one of Raffi’s biggest hits, with over 95 million streams on Spotify alone. As a testament to the song’s popularity, folks who grew up with Raffi’s music (from Gen-Xers to Gen Alphas) now lovingly refer to themselves as “Beluga Grads.”

Raffi says:

“From a singable song about a baby whale in 1980 to millions of Beluga Grads around the world today, it’s been an amazing journey!  I’m always delighted when concert audiences of all ages sing this song with me. Today we announce a new adventure for Baby Beluga: an eco-friendly long-playing record, made with a new manufacturing process that uses 90% less energy, and no PVC vinyl.  All materials, from the blue disc to the chlorine-free album jacket are 100% recyclable. This eco-friendly LP echoes and amplifies the enduring message of love and respect for nature that Baby Beluga has symbolised for 45 years"

With almost 20 million albums sold and streams totaling close to one billion, Raffi has long been considered the world’s best-selling and most influential children’s entertainer. To date, he has released nearly 30 albums and has published more than a dozen books. Over the years, the artist has also emerged as a respected advocate on behalf of children and the Earth, lending his voice, insight and experience to a number of crucial issues through the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring. Raffi has been recognized for his musical achievements as well as for his tireless advocacy work through a myriad of awards, including the prestigious Order of Canada, multiple Parents’ Choice Awards and GRAMMY® nominations, the Fred Rogers Integrity Award and Juno Awards for Best Children’s Album for Bananaphone (1994) and Penny Penguin (2024). Raffi also holds five honorary degrees.

Click here to pre-order Baby Beluga on Eco-Friendly Blue LP

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Baby Beluga
2. Biscuits In The Oven
3. Oats And Beans And Barley
4. Day O
5. Thanks A Lot
6. To Everyone In All The World
7. All I Really Need

Side B
1. Over In The Meadow
2. This Old Man
3. Water Dance
4. Kumbaya
5. Joshua Giraffe
6. Morningtown Ride

About Raffi:

Considered the most influential and successful children’s entertainer of the last 50 years, Raffi has delighted successive generations of kids (and their parents) with his playful, exuberant personality and his irresistibly infectious songs. The Canadian artist has released albums including such beloved titles as Singable Songs for the Very Young (1976), Baby Beluga (1980), Bananaphone (1994), and, most recently, Penny Penguin (2024). Altogether, he has sold almost 20 million albums, while his music has seen nearly one billion streams across all platforms.

Beyond the studio, Raffi is an award-winning author, who has written more than a dozen books for children and adults. He has also emerged as a respected advocate on behalf of children, lending his voice, insight, and experience to a number of systemic issues through the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring—a unifying vision with the child at its heart by which societies can re-order their priorities to build community and restore our planet.

Praised by the Washington Post as “the most popular children’s singer in the English-speaking world,” Raffi is a recipient of the Order of Canada—the country’s highest civilian honor. A multiple GRAMMY nominee and Juno winner, Raffi has also been recognized with a United Nations Environmental Achievement Award and the Fred Rogers Integrity Award, among countless honors over the decades. 

About Craft Recordings:

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Celia Cruz, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Isaac Hayes, John Coltrane, John Lee Hooker, Joan Baez, Joan Sebastian, Little Richard, Miles Davis, R.E.M., and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Alison Krauss, Daddy Yankee, Evanescence, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday, and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, HITCO, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation— ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness, and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.

Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.