The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast (Various Artists) (1975):  To his surprise, Roger Glover, the bass guitarist of the British hard rock band Deep Purple was approached about preparing a musical version of the children’s book The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast by Alan Aldridge and William Plomer.  He pulled out all the stops, and this delectable curiosity by “Roger Glover and Guests” was the result.  Glover brought on board many of his fellow musicians in the British hard rock and heavy metal scenes:  two of his bandmates in Deep Purple, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes; three of the bandmembers in the funk-rock band Fancy; vocalist Ronnie James Dio (a bandmember in Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and the band Dio); Eddie Jobson and John Gustafson of Roxy Music; soul singer Jimmy Helms; and session musicians Eddie Hardin and Tony Ashton.  The music covers a wide range of styles, and The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast is among the most engaging original children’s albums ever, all the more unexpected considering the hard rock origins of the musicians.