Unfashionable it may be, but there is nothing quite like the raw power and stirring sound of a military band playing live, unadulterated by electronics and amplification, and, while it is almost impossible to transfer this energy satisfactorily to record, to simply ignore it is to miss out on some blistering tunes and harmonies, and great music overall, and I would argue that there's a place in everybody's collection for at least one CD such as this.
Most of the famous marches from the likes of Sousa and Kenneth Alford are included, together with some pieces from 1960s/70s film and TV series; you may not recognise all the titles, but I'm sure you'll know the tunes when you hear them. Quite topically there's also a 12-minute suite of nautical themes to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. And of course it wouldn't be complete without the genre's finest (commercial) moment, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards' "Amazing Grace". (Five weeks at No 1 - those were the days.)
As you will see from the tracklisting various bands are represented and, quite apart from the obvious pipes and drums, each has quite a different sound - for example, the Band of the Royal Marines sounds quite sharp and brisk, the Central Band of the RAF is warmer in tone and slightly more stately in rhythm. Recording dates also vary, even those of the same band, and this does not exactly help to give consistency of sound level and tone. However, only the four tracks from the Band of the Scots Guards, which date from 1955, really show any age.
This collection is great as a sampler, and to dip into now and again - I appreciate that not many people will listen to all two hours ten minutes of it straight through. Just now and then, stick it on, turn the volume up, and blow a few aural cobwebs away.
