Pipes and Drums from the 1967 Edinburgh Tattoo (stripped out)

Usually when a favorite vocal artist uploads something I would often upload something in return to "cash back", as it were, their fandom. In this case, one of my favorite singers Christine Elise from Boston, just uploaded a super amazing live cover of one of her songs! Because I'm running out of cool shtuff to upload, it might be a better idea to just wait for any of my favorite artists, from Christine Elise to Madilyn Bailey to Lauren Alvarez to Sneha, to upload something which would be the cue for me to upload another cool recording. While I discovered this recording on August 13, 2024, I never thought to upload it yet because there hasn't been as many "standout" uploads by any of my favorite singers. But now, thanks to Christine, the time has come.
I got this from Archive.orG, on a 33-1/3 RPM vinyl record. Being a tattoo, however, it sadly contained more than just pipe band music, which is what I originally thought a tattoo was (just a festival of massed pipes and drums). But apparently I was wrong the whole time, and I probably wouldn't ever want to attend one because of all the off-key military brass bands fighting the bagpipes! YEESH! And ugly old sopranos with slow wobbly vibratos? NO, THANK, YOU!!!!!!!!!
I don't know who the announcer is, but it's the same voice as used in the far more famous 1972 Edinburgh Military Tattoo recording. Except instead of being on an amplified microphone, it sounds more like a cheap megaphone which makes his words almost impossible to understand. I'll try transcribing them here.
As the applause fades in (I did that on purpose after a marching band track): "The Pipes and Drums!" We hear horses clopping away as the pipe bands march in, which apparently include the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the Scots Guards, and some Irish regiment - probably the one of which Joe Adler was Pipe Major! Captain John Archibald MacLellan (1921 - 1991) is the acting Pipe Major, and their Drum Major is Commander Howell. The first tune they play is "King George V's Army", composed by George Stuart McLennan (1883 - 1929), a 2/4 march.
The next tune they play is "The Battle of Killiekrankie", by itself.
Third, is a set of dance reels preceded by the following announcement on the megaphone: "Now this year, is the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Women's Services. And tonight," (believe it's this) "To dance the dances from the Scots Guards, and the Royal Highland Fusiliers, are members of the Women's Royal Naval Service, the Women's Royal Army Corps, and the Women's Royal Air Force. The dancers will dance a Highland Reel, and Eightsome Reel!" The tunes alternate back and forth between "Mrs. MacLeod of Rassay", and the Reel at the church of Tulloch. They march out playing the "Barrren Rocks of Aden" composed by Jean Mauchline and Alexander MacKellar.
On the other side of this record are more piping tracks.
"The Massed Pipes and Drums will enter the arena playing, When the Battle's O'er." This is a very popular 3/4 retreat march.
"The Scots Guards will march in front of the parade, and the Massed Pipes and Drums will play Heiland Laddie!" Pretty self-explanatory.
Then a moment of quiet as they do some sort of presentation ceremony, with distant yelled commands. Then of course they break into "Scotland the Brave", which almost everyone knows. It starts out with just the pipes and drums, then later the marching bands join in - including the Bersagliera brass band from Italy!
To give an idea of the reference pitch, we hear the marching bands play "Auld Lang Syne" in the key of F. Notice how they're at concert pitch compared to the flatter pipes.
Finally, the pipes and drums finish with "The Black Bear", which gets the entire crowd ROARING LIKE CRAZY!!! In addition to that, the drummers shout at the end of the second measure in the first part of the tune, if not the rest of the musicians who aren't playing at the moment. And then of course this record fades out.
#bagpipes #Highland #Scottish #33rpm #record #vinyl #1967 #Fusiliers #ScotsGuards #Edinburgh #Military #Tattoo #PipeMajor #DrumMajor