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Vintage Black Watch

Roger Kennedy | 03/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a compendium of recordings by the pipes and drums of the 1st battalion, the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) during the 1969-72 period. The Black Watch first toured the United States in 1958 with their regimental band. The bands were a big hit, and when they toured a second time in 1963, the Black Watch was summoned back to play at JFKs funeral. Ever since then the Watch has been perenial favorites in the United States. At the time these recordings were made on the Columbia label the pipes and drums had just concluded their third US tour with the regimental band of the Coldstream Guards in 1971. The sound quality is pretty good for this period, and it appears that no sound enhancement has taken place with the re-issue onto CD format. Pipe Major Anderson was in charge of the band during these years and he has arranged a number of good tunes comprising regimental and popular selections. Of particular interest is the Crimean Long Reviellie which is an arrnagment of tunes used by the Black Watch and the Highland Brigade during the Crimean War of 1854-56. This war marked an important time for regimental piping as it was during this time that a pipe major and six pipers were officially sanctioned for each Scottish regiment. The Crimean medley was developed during this time, and normally includes an introductory bugle call as well, which is not performed here. Listeners will note that the tune "Sae What Ye Will Yet" is the Scots version of the well know "Wearing of the Green" which is so often heard on Saint Patrick's day by ameteur civilian pipe bands all over the USA. Here one gets to listen to the tune in its proper context as only a fine regimental pipe band can do. The drums on this CD are not the jazzy sounding Primier kind that are so popular today, but the older metal ones which produced a more martial quality to their beatings. The listener should find this CD an interesting comparison to the way the Black Watch sounds today. Certainly recent tours by the Black Watch should ensure the popularity of this CD which provides a fine portrait of how the band sounded 30 years ago. The style of playing was more martial and less influenced by the civilian competitional methods employed today. Purists like myself prefer the older martial sound over the showy techniques of piping today. This CD is highly recommemded for all Black Watch fans today, but it is urged that other fine Scottish regimental pipe bands should be checked out as well. The Gallant Forty-Twa are grand, but so are the other fine Highland and Lowland regimental pipe bands out there."

Scottish pipes and drums of the black watch

Mary E. Putnam | usa | 07/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Awesome pipe band we saw there preformance at Wright stae University. I love the way they do amazing grace and 79th farwell to gibartair. if you don't have Majestic scotland video or album please get it!!. see eputnam@main-net.com thanks for rockiing the university down. Mary"