40 Greatest College Football [Compilation]

These tracks were recorded in the early 1960's by the University of Michigan Symphony Band, under the direction of the legendary William D. Revelli. My understanding is that they were recorded in Carnegie Hall, during one of the band's national tours. (With the exception of "The Victors", none are live recordings in front of an audience.) Revelli strove for a very balanced and musical sound -- qualities clearly on display in these recordongs. He gives the woodwinds a chance to shine, and the brass are clean, accurate, and always in control. Revelli was a giant of twentieth century wind band music in America, and he got the most out of the outstanding musicians playing on these recordings.

The arrangements are by Michigan alum and reknowned wind band composer Jerry Bilik. (Bilik also composed "M Fanfare", which the Michigan Marching Band plays upon entering the stadium. His arrangements of "Temptation" and "Hawaiian War Chant" are still staples of the MMB's post-game show -- "you can't have one without the other!") These are outstanding *concert* arrangements of the fight songs, and are very imaginative. They are, for the most part, not "field arrangements", and the current MMB uses either different versions of them, or only plays parts of them. Bear in mind that when one band plays another's fight song, they are always playing their own arrangement -- original versions are only played by the school that owns them.

Some reviews have complained about the lack of SEC and southern representation on the disc. This is understandable when considered in the context of when the recordings were actually made. 40 years ago, the SEC was not nearly so prominent, and the Florida schools were not the powerhouses they are today. (But they did all lose their bowl games last year, so there's hope for the rest of us!)

As an MMB alum who has played "The Victors" thousands of times and has heard many recordings of it, I can honestly say that the recording here is what I consider to be the definitive one. It is almost identical to the current arrangement played by the MMB. Sure, it's not as massive as when played by the Marching Band, but it's played extremely tight, with a lot of energy, and at a great tempo (around 180 beats per minute).

I give this disc 4-stars. It's 5-star playing, but with a caveat emptor -- if you're expecting to hear the marching band, that's not what you're getting.
Incidentally, if you are interested in recordings by the Michigan Marching Band, they sell several CDs ranging from the mid 1980's up to last year. Their website is mmb.music.umich.edu