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48 of 53 found the following review helpful:
 Played By a Mystery Band Jan 07, 2002
By Roger Kennedy
There are a lot of march CDs like this out there. Random collections of music put together on one record or CD. Sousa in particular has inspired lots of these potporri collections. All the standards are here, the top 10 Sousa greats that we hear over and over again. Sousa wrote close to 140 marches, but from collections like this you would not think he composed more than 10 or 15! Also, as a serious military band listener I like to know who is performing the music. This band is unkown, like so many produced in this fashion. The recording quality is also not that great. Buy this CD if you want the top 10 hits of Sousa along with a few other standards, and if you are not too particular about who plays the music and you don't mind a lack of linear notes. Otherwise there are other much better Sousa and patriotic collections out there. Try seaching for the US Army Band or US Marine band, Air Force, Navy bands, etc. These are real ensembles who will provide great versions of this music.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
The BEST Military March CD There Is! Sep 01, 2001
By Gabriel Tuba
I purchased this recording in LP format back in the early 1980's as it was the only record I could find with these titles. It turned out to be the BEST Military March recording I could have hoped for. All I had left of that recording was a tape I had made for the car. The tape is 20 years old now and sports a very noticable hiss and you can hear the old record snap crackle and pop in the background even though the record was new at the time. I was extremely delighted to find it here all these years later as I never hoped it was still available today much less in CD format. It is the benchnmark to which all other military march CDs are compared. The energy, tempo and attention to detail stir the patriot in us all. I feel very forunate to be able to, once again, own this recording in CD format. THANK YOU MR. FELIX SLATKIN for this work of great patriotism!
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
What an introduction to military marches! Nov 10, 2001
By P. Smith
"NH2112"
I purchased this CD after watching "Star and Stripes Forever" on AMC one weekend and becoming interested in learning about Sousa, and marches in general. It is IMPOSSIBLE to not find yourself in a good mood, with toes tapping, when listening to this music. Picking "favorites" from the tunes on this CD is very difficult since they're all so good, but I'd have to choose "The U.S. Field Artillery March" (I'm a former field artilleryman, so I kinda had to pick that one!), "Stars and Stripes Forever", "National Emblem", "Under the Double Eagle", and "American Patrol." In no way does that mean the rest of the marches aren't superlative! I'm very much looking forward to learning more about this fascinating musical genre.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
WOW!!! Oct 07, 2000
This CD contains the essence of military band music. Sousa is not called the "March King" for nothing! The best of Sousa is included here. Also I love the way all the music of the armed forces is connected by the percussion-there is no silence between these stirring melodies. Two other greats are here too-"National Emblem" and "Under the Double Eagle". What a great addition to any music collection.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Performance of military marches as good as it gets Nov 18, 2004
By Jerry H. Tempelman
"j48t@yahoo.com"
This is a terrific CD. I had hoped to find one with marches by the U.S. Marine Corps Band ("The President's Own"), but for some reason they appear to have exclusively recorded Sousa marches, and I wanted some non-Sousa ones (e.g. National Emblem) as well. So I took a chance on this one, in part based on the other reviews here.
Everything about this CD turned out great: the selection of the repertoire, the quality of play, the balance of the instruments, and even the bright and clear sound, in spite of having been recorded almost half a century ago. Although the ensemble was a studio band gathered for the occasion rather than one of the military forces bands, the result sounds entirely authentic, including on such well-worn but important pieces as Stars and Stripes Forever and The Star Spangled Banner.
If there is one shortcoming, it is the 38 minute elpee-format length, which is short by CD standards. I read somewhere that Felix Slatkin recorded two of these elpees. If so, it's too bad they didn't stick both on this CD. But this is really a minor point, especially when you consider the $11 price, which is also low by first-rate CD standards.
Highly recommended!
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