Customer Reviews

Sousa Marches

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have become quite the Sousa fan in the past year. While my ear for classical music is that of a casual fanboy and not a seasoned classical music critic, I have become particular in my Sousa preferences, and this particular release left me cold. The pace of the marches on this CD are sluggish, and sounds tinny even to a listener with a tin ear.

John Philip Sousa marches are just too good and lively to settle for a budget release like this. A good release like those by "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band series is a better place to start your Sousa collection!

This is the best album of marches I've heard. I agree with the reviewer who said they like these versions better. The orchestral versions are good, but I used to play in the band in high school (no, I don't have any "this one time, at band camp..." stories), so I like this type better.

The product description does not tell you this, but this is a CD-remake of a 1960's LP. Side "A" (tracks 1-12) are Sousa marches, well played and enjoyable. I give this half of the album 5 stars. However, Side "B" (tracks 13-23) are among the sappiest, most uninspired, heavily 1950's influenced renderings of the US service marches I have ever heard. The arranger couldn't think of anything more imaginative than minor-third shifts and throwing in random bugle calls (not even from the same branch of service!) for transitions. Every time track 12 is done playing, I have to run to the CD player and turn it off, the second half is so annoying. And extra points off for the very lame liner notes...at a minimum they could have reproduced the notes from the original album, but they did not even do that much. So if you want to hear some good Sousa marches, go ahead and get this album, but be aware you are getting only half an album that is worth listening to.

I like this CD better than any of the others I previewed, and when it came I wasn't disappointed. I purchased the CD to use with my dog, Nina. She loves it and it has helped her relax and gait more smoothly in preparation for exhibiting in dog shows. This CD was the only one that wasn't performed by a string orchestra. It's more like you would actually hear a marching band at a half-time football game.

There are two different sections in this CD. Section 1 includes marches 1 to 12 and it is not the best recording that I have ever hear for Sousa Marches. However, Section 2 includes marches 13 to 23 and I consider that this is one of the best recording I have ever heard for the marches of the USA Services. So, even if the two sections are very different, you may buy this CD if you have never listened the Sousa marches; it will give you the opportunity to hear them. After that, if you wish to buy a high quality CD of Sousa Marches, continue to shop on Amazon.

As others here have said, this CD is definitely "mixed." The Sousa marches are great. LOUD and played by a band---as they should be. The adaptation of the Military Academy marches is downright---well---Painful. Mixing these Military Academy marches with the Worst of 1950/60s schaltz(sp)is too much. So why 5 stars? The Sousa marches! Tulsa Joe

In spite of the mixed reviews below, after listening to the samples, I had to send for this CD. I am so glad I did - this is the best collection of marches I have ever owned. It's worth noting that the Band of the Grenadier Guards is a British military band whose history goes back 300 years!

This CD is an old release from 1996 of an even older album from the late 1960's. The CD is seperated into two distinct sections with tracks 1-12 being Sousa Marches and tracks 13-23 being U.S. Military type medleys.

For me, I enjoy this collection because it has a marching band type of sound. Sometimes I hear these collections from an orchestra and it might be technically sound, but the orchestra version doesn't give me the same patriotic and independant feeling as listening to a good marching band sound.

I used to play the trumpet in a marching band in Junior High so I guess I am partial to the sound. For this collection, my favorites include 'The Stars and Stripes Forever', 'The Thunderer', and 'The Caissons Go Rolling Along'.

Anyone who listens to, and appreciates marches has to have a military frame of mind. I was in a military marching band in high school and spent nine years in the USN. I am proud of the time I spent serving my country. When I listen to the first half of the CD, I am reminded that I have played most of these selections. When I listened to "Anchors Aweigh" my hairs stood on end. The U.S. Army Band has an excellent CD out with great tracks, mostly marches. This CD pays tribute to an American composer and the American military services by an English band and is quite stirring. If you are proud to have served in the United States military services, you will find something here that stirs your blood. If you are not, you might think of shopping somewhere else.