Search - Scottish Traditional, Herbie / Gomm, Ian Flowers, Mike Batt :: Scottish Salute

Vintage Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

Roger Kennedy | 03/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lovers of Amazing Grace should know who the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are. These bands recorded that tune in 1972 when the Royal Scots Greys and 3rd Carabiniers combined to form the current regiment which is aprt of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps. Both regiments can trace their origins back to the 1670s. In this way they combine the old with the new in their music. After their hit making 6 million selling records of "Amazing Grace" the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards went on with the business of being military band musicans and soldiers. They continued to release a number of recordings in response to demand, demonstrating their versatitilty in combining old and new, scottish with popular. In this recording we have a fine example of that. No bands are better than the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards when it comes to that unique combination of band and pipe music. We have some fine scots medleys for combined bands, as well as some interesting arrangements of more popular pieces which show the true imagination and energy which these two bands had in their heyday. In their solo medleys the pipes and drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards amply demonstrate why they continue to be one of the best British army pipe bands out there. Sadly the regimental band is no more and only the pipe band lives on today. Therefor, the listener has a great opportunity to hear some interesting music played by two excellent bands from Scotlands only cavalry regiemt, who live on today as the elite of the Royal armoured Corps. It is the cavalry spirit which lives on in this fine regiment and its excellent bands"

Not What I Expected

Roger Kennedy | 01/02/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"A major disappointment for anyone hungering for the skirl of the pipes, as it's almost entirely either the regimental band, or the combined bands. Only a few selections by the pipes and drums alone. A good choice only if you like the regimental sound."