Band Record 1976

The Band, under the leadership of Director of Music, Lieutenant Peter Erwin produced an excellent vinyl recording. Key personnel included:
Recording Engineer - Major RE Mugford CD
Sound Engineer - John Renforth
Executive Producer - 2nd Lieutenant CI Young
Photography - Captain GL Croucher CD
(conversion to mp3 format - ​Captain Conway Hui, CD)

Side One of this record opens with our National Anthem, “O Canada” which is followed by “The Royal Artillery Slow March” over which our Commanding Officer, LCol William T Wickett, CD introduces the first part of the record. His words of command follow as The Regiment turns and marches past to “The British Grenadiers.” if you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of the marching feet between the introductory drum rolls. Immediately, the music changes to the trot-past, “Keel Row” which is reminiscent of the Band's performance last year in Kelowna with a mounted troop from The Lord Strathcona Horse from Calgary, Alberta. After the slow march drum roll off, during which you can hear the horses retiring, the Band plays “The Screw Guns” from Kipling's poem of the same name, adapted to the music of the Eton Boating Song. Through this, listen for the motors of the Gun Tractors as The Artillery Colors (The Guns) roll past. Next is a 21 Gun Salute fired on the occasion of The Queen's Birthday from Stanley Park, in Vancouver. Note, while the first round is being fired, the shell casings ejected and the resulting echo pops across the clouds that, in the background the air horn on top of the B.C. Hydro Building in Vancouver blows out the first four notes of O Canada as it does here each day at noon. The music for this occasion is “The Royal Birthday March” and “God Save the Queen.” This first portion ends with “The Maple Leaf Forever” and the jet flypast at the end of it brings home the extensiveness of our Band's activities. This year we performed for an air show at CFB Comox at which, we are told, 10,000 people attended. “Strange Harvest” completes Side One and the preamble is read by LCol John Avison pays tribute to the author's fine text. The background music was arranged and taped over a year before for the purpose of its initial live recording reading and includes “The Last Post,” “The Reveille,” “Rule Britannia,” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “The Maple Leaf Forever,” “The Marseillaise,” “The Rouse,” “The Sunset Hymn,” “The Grenadiers,” “The Bugle Call – CHARGE,” “O Canada,” and trumpeting of “The Retreat” with “The Sunset Hymn” behind it at the end of the poem (and to end Side One of this record) the Band plays “God Save the Queen.” The trumpet soloist throughout is WO Richard Van Slyke.
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Side Two opens with “Great Themes From Great Italian Movies” as arranged by John Cacavis featuring “More” (theme from Mondo Cane) and including “Funny World” (Malamando), “Theme from 8 ½,” “La Donna Nel Mondo” (Woman of The World) and “I'll Set My Love To Music” from Mondo Pazzo (Mondo Cane No. 2). Next is what has become a classic Trumpet Trio by Harold Wallers entitled “Trumpets Wild” featuring the trumpets of WO Richard Van Slyke, Sgt. Bill Rushworth, Bdr. Boris Dziubenko and Gnr. Bernie Newmann. The third selection is Claire Johnson's arrangement of “Themes From Offenbach” which opens with “La Vie Parissienne” and weaves in melodies from “La Belle Helene” and “La Perichole” ending with a finale from “Orpheus in Hades” (Can Can). The final arrangement is by the Band's Director of Music who scored it as CWO Peter Erwin and entitled it “The Legion Song Book” dedicated to the Golden Anniversary of The Royal Canadian Legion. it is a medley of songs to sing including “There'll Always Be An England,” “Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye,” “Bless ‘Em All,” “Marching To Pretoria,” “Pack Up Your Troubles,” “The Quartermaster’s Stores,” “North Atlantic Squadron,” “I've Got Sixpence,” “The Whippenpoof Song” and the arrangement (and this record) ends with “We’ll Meet Again” (Don't know where, don't know when).

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