Album

For both listening and educational purposes, Hail to the Chief is an excellent collection as it focuses intelligently on the relationship between the United States Marine Band and the presidency. The variety of pieces on this program relate historically to American presidents ranging from George Washington to Ronald Reagan, and by way of illustration brief excerpts from actual Inauguration Addresses of three presidents are included. There is one extraordinary new addition to the recorded repertoire, John Philip Sousa's President Garfield's Inaugural March, a mini-masterpiece running twice the length of the average Sousa march. Likewise included is a recording of Maple Leaf Rag made in 1906, and while we can assume it is by the United States Marine Band, neither this nor any of the leaders used on these recordings are specifically identified.

Hail to the Chief, the official march of the President of the United States, is usually rather difficult to find on a recording. A warning inside this disc goes to some extent to explain why. It reads "'Hail to the Chief' should only be played when welcoming the President of the United States. It is NOT appropriate to play this recording in tribute to another individual." Indeed, it does not advise us what to do about all the stage plays, school pageants, and corporate office parties that might call for the song to be played, but this warning must be taken as official.

The weakest performances here are of the waltzes, revealing strained-sounding passages in the high winds and tending to stammer, rather than whirl. On the upside, one will not find a better recording of Philip Phile's The President's March. Pieces such as Thomas Jefferson March, Listen to the Mockingbird, and The Pride of the Wolverines are played outstandingly well here. Every school library in America should have a copy of this, and others who simply enjoy patriotic American music will find themselves quite satisfied with Hail to the Chief. Just do not use it for the wrong purpose!

© Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

CD 1
John Philip Sousa Composer President Garfield's Inauguration March Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
1	President Garfield's Inauguration March	6:15			$0.99
John Stafford Smith Composer The Star-Spangled Banner (National Anthem, USA) Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
2	The Star-Spangled Banner (National Anthem, USA)	1:44			$0.99
Spoken Word (No Composer) Composer Franklin Roosevelt Inaugural Address, 1933 Work Franklin Delano Roosevelt Spoken Word
3	Excerpt	0:22			$0.99
William H. Woodin Composer Franklin Delano Roosevelt March Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
4	Franklin Delano Roosevelt March	2:21			$0.99
Scottish Traditional Composer Auld Lang Syne Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
5	Auld Lang Syne (arr. wind ensemble)	1:08			$0.99
Williams H. Santelmann Composer Thomas Jefferson March Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
6	Thomas Jefferson March	2:28			$0.99
Johann Strauss II Composer An der schönen, blauen Donau (Blue Danube Waltz), Op.314 Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
7	An der schönen, blauen Donau (Blue Danube Waltz), Op.314	9:08			$0.99
Philip Phile Composer The President's March ("Hail, Columbia") Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
8	The President's March ("Hail, Columbia")	1:39			$0.99
Spoken Word (No Composer) Composer Harry Truman Inaugual Address, 1949 Work Harry S. Truman Spoken Word
9	Excerpt	0:26			$0.99
Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky Composer The Sleeping Beauty (ballet), Op.66...Sleeping Beauty (ballet), Op.66 (arr. band) Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
10	Act 1: 7.Valse	3:40			$0.99
John Philip Sousa Composer Tales of a Traveler, suite for band Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
11	Easter Monday on the White House Lawn	2:25			$0.99
Johannes Brahms Composer 21 Hungarian Dances, WoO1 (orch. by Brahms, Dvorak, etc) Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
12	3.Allegretto in F (orch. Brahms)	2:26			$0.99
John Philip Sousa Composer The Pride of the Wolverines Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
13	The Pride of the Wolverines	3:37			$0.99
Scott Joplin Composer Maple Leaf Rag Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
14	Maple Leaf Rag (arr. band)	2:33			$0.99
Spoken Word (No Composer) Composer Dwight Eisenhower Inaugural Address, 1957 Work Dwight David Eisenhower Spoken Word
15	Excerpt	0:22			$0.99
Alice (AKA Septimus Winner) Hawthorne Composer Listen to the Mocking Bird for voice & piano Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
16	Listen to the Mocking Bird for voice & piano	1:55			$0.99
Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle Composer La Marseillaise (National Anthem, France) Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
17	La Marseillaise (National Anthem, France)	1:35			$0.99
John Knowles Paine Composer Funeral March for President Lincoln, for piano, Op.9 Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
18	Funeral March for President Lincoln, for piano, Op.9	5:39			$0.99
John Philip Sousa Composer The Presidential Polonaise, polonaise for band Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
19	The Presidential Polonaise, polonaise for band	4:20			$0.99
Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky Composer Nutcracker (suite from the ballet), Op.71a...2.Danses caractéristiques Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
20	1.Marche	2:33			$0.99
Spoken Word (No Composer) Composer John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address, 1961 Work John F. Kennedy Spoken Word
21	Excerpt	0:15			$0.99
Richard Rodgers Composer Victory at Sea, suite from the television documentary, scored by R.R. Bennett Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
22	1.Guadalcanal March	2:44			$0.99
John Philip Sousa Composer Hail To the Spirit of Liberty Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
23	Hail To the Spirit of Liberty	3:18			$0.99
John Bacchus Dykes Composer Eternal Father, strong to save (Navy Hymn or Melita) Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
24	Eternal Father, strong to save (Navy Hymn or Melita)	2:23			$0.99
Spoken Word (No Composer) Composer A Message from President Ronald Reagan Work Ronald Reagan Spoken Word
25	A Message from President Ronald Reagan	1:56			$0.99
James Sanderson Composer Hail To the Chief Work United States Marine Band Ensemble
26	Hail To the Chief	0:38			$0.99