Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW! it will make you want to run away to join the circus!, April 26, 1999
This album is outstanding for several reasons: 1. There is a realism that is not found on some of the "slick" and over-produced albums of this type. This is NOT an orchestra simply playing circus music...it is an authentic Circus Band...with all of the wonderfully brassy and gutsy enthusiam that might be expected during a live presentation under the Big Top! This "brassiness" make for a realism that you seldom hear on other studio produced circus albums. This recording brazenly hits you with fantastic music...along with an assortment of melodic toots, plunks, squawks and squeeks. These do not distract in the least and absolutely add to the overall presentation of this fantastic music. You'll have to hear it to appreciate what I am talking about. 2. The choice of songs are not the standard High school band marches, but are mostly the "novelty" songs usually associated with parades, entrances, clowns, and assorted acts. You can almost visualize the type of performances that each song accompanies. If you CAN'T tell, then you need to get yourself to a circus as soon as possible! 3. The sound on this disk is excellent. The blare of the brass and the chest bumping "thump" of the bass drum give the listener the feeling of actually being under canvas. As one who has been a long time circus fan (and who began his love of the circus by seeing the Ringling Brothers under canvas in the mid 40's) I would heartily recommend this as the single BEST circus band album that I have EVER heard! And that includes a lot of them - good ones! But this one is the zenith! It is pure pleasure - and if you don't find yourself tapping your toes, snapping your fingers, and generally moving other assorted body parts - you just need to hurry to a circus and remember how great an experience this is!
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent recording for the money!, January 1, 2001
I agree with the previous reviewer that this recording is the real thing, as opposed to many other "circus music" compilations. As the liner notes state, "You don't have strings or saxophones in a circus band". An interesting comparison would be Circus Spectacular, by Matthew Phillips and his Circus Band, which leans very heavily toward woodwinds, especially saxophones, as opposed to brass. However, this seems to work much better for the 3/4 or so of the marches on that CD which were not written for the circus. This album, however, gives you that authentic circus feel - sawdust, clowns, high wire, etc., and every piece is something that would be very much at home in the Big Top. Some things that could have been better include more liner notes with information about circus history, the compsers and their music. One of the composers that was mentioned should have been Charlie Duble (not Dougal). Also, the composers of each included number were not mentioned. For those interested, they are: The Caravan Club, Georgia Girl, Broadway One Step, Abdullah, The Cantonians March - Karl L. King; Entry of the Gladiators - Julius Fucik; Slim Trombone - Henry Fillmore; Amparito Roca - Jaime Texidor; Trombone Blues, They're Off - Fred Jewell; Crimson Flush - Russell Alexander; Espana - Waldteufel; The Teddy Bears Picnic - John Bratton; Jungle Queen - Barnard; Bombasto - O.R. Farrar; Billboard March - John N. Klohr. All in all, though, this is a superior circus album, highly recommended for anyone who collects circus or march music, or even who doesn't , for that matter!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rough and Raw with Lots of Energy, October 14, 2006
This sounds authentic. These guys never let ragged timing or wrong notes get in the way of the excitement and energy they are trying to convey. Don't let their lack of polish or correctness deter you. This is the real circus experience.
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