[url=[officialsite]www.pbskids.org/arthur]Arthur is a Canadian animated series based on author Marc Brown's book series of the same name. Broadcasted continually since 1996, the series focuses on the titular anthropomorphic aardvark and his friends and relatives, and the various everyday problems they encounter, from school and social situations, to more serious themes such as the death of a pet, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. So far, three albums of music from, and inspired by, the show have been released on Rounder's "Kids" imprint.

The first Arthur album, released in 1998, included songs from a musical episode of the show, "Arthur's Almost Real Not Live Music Festival" (the derivation for the album's title), interspersed with song adaptations of previously aired episodes and other songs that originated with the series. Guest artists appearing on the album are Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers (whose song "Believe in Yourself" serves as Arthur's opening theme), Värttinä, and Art Garfunkel. The album is notoriously eclectic, making use of a variety of styles from reggae and doo-wop to classical music and hip hop.

The second album, Arthur's Perfect Christmas (2000), served as the soundtrack to the Christmas special of the same name, though it also featured songs dedicated to the holiday celebrations of other denominations, including Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and the fictional "Baxter Day." A majority of songs are renditions of Christmas standards recorded exclusively for the album; these cover versions often diverge vastly from the originals in terms of lyrics and instrumentation used.

The third album, Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix (2001), included only one song that appeared on the show proper, a remix of the show's opening theme used for the end credits of the show's sixth season. The album consisted chiefly of original songs, many of which were loose adaptations of Arthur episodes. Even more eclectic than the first album, it featured zydeco, country, psychedelic rock, and tango. It also included an unlikely cover of The Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket", with unedited lyrical content.

A number of Arthur cast members have worked with music outside of the context of the show. Jodie Resther (who provides the voice of Francine Frensky) has released a couple of albums of music in Québécois. Holly Gauthier (Fern Walters) is a performing cabaret singer under the pseudonym "Miss Sugarpuss", and has recorded covers of jazz and swing standards. Daniel Brochu and Melissa Altro (respectively, Buster Baxter and Muffy Crosswire) have appeared on the soundtrack for Caillou, another French-Canadian animated series. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.