Reviews (6)

Must Have for Every Patriotic American
This CD is a great collection of classic American tunes. Listening to it really makes you proud to be an American and it puts you in a patriotic mood.

I strongly disagree with some of the other reviews here and I found the quality to be great, along with the selection of songs. BUY THIS CD. YOU WON'T BE SORRY!!

Marching music to yawn by?
I completely agree with the two pans by the reviewers above -- the arrangements are completely inappropriate for the music. These pieces should be sprightly and upbeat -- instead they are schmaltzy and lethargic.

Don't Buy this Album!!!
What could have been a great album of patriotic
songs is completely ruined because of brutal
editing and may I even say deception. I almost
never return a CD, but I returned this one. And
sadly because I found the sound quality very good.
Both on the outside track listings and on the inside
pullout, there is no mention that the tracks are
excerpts. Most leave out entire strains or repeats.
But the worst offense has to be the "1812 Overture".
I was excited to be purchasing an album with this
on it. But what I got was not even excerpts from
this piece. "excerpts from" usually implies that
a specific movement is presented. But this piece
is totally mutilated. Three measures are played,
five measures are omitted, two more measures are
played, etc. If Tchaikovsky were around he'd have
good cause for a lawsuit. Pleeeaasse, don't support
a product that does injustice to the composers and
does not truthfully describe the product's contents!!!

Wake me up when it's over... (YAAWWWNNNNN)
Though the first thing that I noticed while listening to this CD was the poor tonal quality of the recording, what I was most disappointed with was the overall lack of tempo in nearly every piece. To quote my husband, "It's supposed to be a marching band, not a strolling band!" Also a few of the pieces are really excerpts and not the entire piece, not good excerpts at that.

I'm Pleased
I wanted a CD with patriotic songs I had heard growing up. And that is what I got. Not Orchestral arrangements or medley's. And this is what I got. Familier tunes played just the way I remember them. I'm glad I ordered this CD. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Great Value!!
Here is a collection of mostly German march music that is well worth the price! The performances are crisp and clean. One selection I was very surprised to find in this collection is the "Nibelungen Marsch" by Gottfried Sonntag. As the title implies,this march is based on Wagnerian themes. While this march was written decades before Hitler came to power in 1933, it became closely associated with the Nazi Party and it was always played in the Kongresshalle during the massing of the banners at the Nuremburg Rallies. As a result, the "Nibelungen Marsch" was banned from any sort of live or recorded performance after 1945 by the Allies. It must be remembered that this is NOT a Nazi march. It was, like many other marches, adapted by the Nazis for their own purposes. I'm glad to see that it is played here as the fine piece of classical music that it is. Again, this collection of marches is among the best and shouldn't be passed by!

A Unique Concept
Rather than an album of marches by a band or orchestra, this is a compilation, recorded between the late '60's and early '80's, of popular marches by the wind players of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and classical marches by the full orchestra, brilliantly performed under the baton of maestro Herbert von Karajan (two numbers conducted by Hans Priem-Bergrath).
A comparison may be made with another album, "Prussia's Glory", by two British military bands, since the two have about a half dozen marches in common. The playing on this CD seems to me to be a bit lighter and more melodic, in other words, a little less "military", which makes sense, given the nature of the two groups. Which is "better", on the other hand, depends on the listener (I slightly prefer this group). And this disc wins on sheer quantity, being two CD's for the price of one, and does have more variety - classical pieces and a few non-German marches, but the other has much more complete liner notes, with information on each composer and selection. Of course, if you really like one, perhaps you would also want the other.
It would have been helpful if English translations were provided for each piece - most are in German, with the last several in French, to understand the meaning of each title, such as "Old Comrades" in addition to "Alte Kameraden", or "The Glory of Prussia" added to "Preussens Gloria".
A highly recommended collection of German and Eastern European marches, masterfully performed.

Examination by a German enthusiast
This is purely the best March tape I have ever bought. Not only does it offer 38 songs which is at least 18 more than most good CDs, it has extremely high quality sound recording and listing of the songs. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who likes Marches and more so to any fellow German! ... Read more

Album Description

John Philip Sousa, known affectionately as "The March King", personified turn-of-the-century America, the comparative innocence and brash energy of a still new nation. His ever-touring band represented America across the globe and brought music to hundreds of American towns. This Naxos series of recordings aims to record Sousa’s complete works for wind band, including the 136 marches and numerous other scores. Featured on this fifth disc in the series are The Atlantic City Pageant, named after the famous beauty pageant, Cubaland, a colorful suite whose three movements reflect the changing government of the Caribbean country, and The Diplomat, one of Sousa’s personal favorites. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

us navy seal
This is a great cd to help keep your pace. It keeps a 4 beat pace,which you need to keep a nice stride going. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

You get what you pay for.
You get what you pay for. The singers put their own spin on the singing of each song. If you didn't hear the words you would not recognize some of them. Even some of the music sounds like a bad recording of music played on a turntable. Definitely not worth the price.

Now I know why there were no song samples to listen to ...
I wish this review had been here when I was thinking of purchasing it. I guess you get what you pay for. If you are thinking of buying this, you are better off recording your own CDs (or at least buying one that you can listen to a sampling of the songs). This album includes songs that were mere recordings of the songs playing on an old record player. It's almost so unbelievable that it is funny. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

MIXIN IT UP WITH JAZZ FUN
Jazz the way it should be sweet and subtle. If you like the sound of good music played by a professional group like no other on the planet you'll like this album alot. I know me and mine certainly have enjoyed it. ... Read more

Album Description

Together on the same CD!The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) Pipes & Drums and The Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band of The United States Marine Corps. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Canadian Bagpipes American Brass
I recently ordered and have just received the above mentioned album.
THANK YOU........
I ordered it just to have a copy of "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes, but after listening to the album, I am completely blown away. It is perhaps the greatest piece of music I now own. Depending on the song, I can get lifted up, mellowed out, or layed back, again THANK YOU, for having this album. I'm a very satisfied customer.

Not a Great CD
This CD was originally longer with more titles. It seems the Altissimo! people after they acquired it from the Canadian Scottish cut out several titles and reduced the overall quality of the CD. Because of this and various other technical factors I would not recommend this CD at this inflated price. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Save your money
I was severely disappointed in this recording. I love military music of all kinds, but the unnamed group or groups on this recording failed to present this music adequately. On most tracks, the percussion was so loud that it was hard to hear the brass and winds, which was probably a good thing in a way in that both sections displayed serious problems with intonation and rhythmic integrity. From now on, I think I'll stick with recordings by groups which aren't unwilling to put their names on them.

Defective recording--BEWARE!
What would have been an otherwise exciting and stirring recording recalling all the pomp and circumstance of the French Military is completely ruined by loud crackling and popping in some of the tracks. In fact, the first time I listened to this CD (full of excited anticipation), I was in my car travelling down the interstate behind a truck which I thought was throwing gravel up on my windshield. It wasn't--it was the CD. I firmly believe that Amazon.com should contact the producer of this recording and demand that it be done over properly.

Quality vs Recording
While the music was indeed stirring, suitably imperious, and full of French martial pride, the recording was of a rather poor quality. The brass instruments sounded off key and very "tin" like. In the background I could hear what sounded like a static which reminded me of a record player. It was as if the CD had just been a direct copy from an old slightly worn out vinyl record. The poor recording quality makes listening enjoyment difficult. The music is great but the recording quality will most likely grate upon the ears. Timeless, good, stirring music loses its effect when accompanied by "fft..skip...ffft..skip...fft."

A disappointing recording played by an unknown ensemble
Legacy International's recording of French Military Marches is a disappointment. Neither does the manufacturer of the CD tell you the name of the band that played the marches, nor does it provide information about the history of each march. Furthermore, each march is listed incorrectly. Marche Consulaire should be on track #4, not #5. Sambre et Meuse should be on track 7, not 8. Chant de Depart should be on track 8. In addition, the names of each march is listed only in French, not English. Although the playing of the music isn't bad, it is very rough and ungraceful.

Music for the great soul
This is stunningly beautiful. This CD contains the essence of French military music. The remarkable orchestration serves very well one's imagination, the music is so lively that one's wandering spirit is absorbed in the contemplation of those powerful and moving hymns to the great Republique. I am a French citizen living in a foreign country, I am also a lover of military music. Far away from my native ground I oftenly found warmth and consolation in the most difficult time by listening this work of art. Defenitely a must have for every grounded soul! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Motivation!
I listen to these CDs every morning when doing my aerobic exercises. Nothing more motivating than running to the US Marines calling cadence! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

United We Stand
I think it is a great cd but i wish that i could listen to the whole cd before i buy it. ... Read more

Album Description

Take a look at the 1963 'Billboard' album charts, and right there alongside the hit releases by Andy Williams, Peter, Paul & Mary and Allan Sherman are not one, not two, but 'three' charting albums from U.S. military bands, all of which peaked during the month of June! Can you imagine the same thing happening today? Not even in our most patriotic moments would a military band crack the charts these days! But with this release, we harken back to a time when the strains and swells of our boys set chests-a-puffing and hearts-a-pumping, as we present three albums and 33 tracks of America's finest and their marching bands. Originally presented by the National Cultural Center (now the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), this one ranks as perhaps our proudest 'Collectors' Choice Music' exclusive! ... Read more