I love old school band and choir records, especially if the selections performed are unusual choices for the kids in question. I also love hearing kids who sound like they're just barely starting to pick up their instruments. I have many many of these records collected over the years, and have many favorites. Usually these kind of records only have one to a handful of redeeming tracks, so for you fans of incorrect and outsider music, Otis and I have put together a compilation of a few recent thrift store favorites (!) found both in Utah and Vermont (where I'm currently attending school. Hopefully this will also get you pumped for the upcoming school year!
- Contributed by: B.C. Sterrett (The Lost Media Archive)
MP3:
1985 Lebenon Junior High - Band Chorus Chorale Encores (New Hampshire)
01. Chorale - Theme From Cheers (2:07)
02. Chorus - You Are (3:51)
03. Chorus - At The Hop (1:36)
Triton Regional School Music Department Spring 1984 (Massachusetts)
4. Junior High Band - Beat It (2:48)
Winthrop Elementary School - Spring Concert 1982 (Massachusetts)
05. One Tin Soldier (Theme From Billy Jack) (2:54)
Springville Middle School 1978-1979 - 7th Grade (Utah)
06. General Chorus - A Word from our sponsor (2:42)
07. Swing Choir - Commercials (2:11)
08. Swing Choir - What Do I See? (2:09)
Valley Junior High School - Good Vibrations, 1979-1980 (California)
09. Intermediate Choir - Be Kind To Your Parents (2:25)
10. Viking Band - The Sloop John B (3:10)
11. Viking Band - The Muppet Show Theme (1:43)
John C. Fremont Elementary School - 1971 (California)
12. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (1:50)
I was in Harrisburg Pennsylvania for a political protest and there was a high school band there that played "Roundabout. " I think they also played "Call me." Their outfits had little spikes on top of their hats like the German Army under the kaiser, only sparkly. All of this complemented the architechture of Harrisburg's official buildings which look like they were designed by Mussolini. Harrisburg has bad Chinese food - so be warned.
Posted by: bartelby | August 28, 2007 at 09:27 AM
The best I've heard is the Marche Slav done by a high school band that Ken used to play as a bed, which I can't find on the playlist search. (What's the name of the band?) Just off-key enough, just the right tempo, truly moving.
Cheers,
Lipwak
Posted by: John L | August 28, 2007 at 11:12 AM
Love the version of "Beat it"--there's a moment in the first verse where they really find it for a few seconds and you can just hear the confidence level rise.
Posted by: Joe | August 28, 2007 at 11:47 AM
wow, i love the message from the sponser,,,, but where's the ?? high school cafeteria band?!,, still THE premier school band i reckon,,
Posted by: bunning | August 28, 2007 at 01:34 PM
When I was tootling my french horn in the high school band we always got on our instructors' case to let us play some hip new music (how many years can you play "Dream"?). He blew part of his budget on the sheet music for the "Bob Newhart Show" theme:
http://www.timvp.com/bobnewhartshow.mp3
We butchered it and he never indulged us with modern music again.
Posted by: Dale Hazelton | August 29, 2007 at 11:43 AM
Dude, if there's one thing to be learned from the seventies, it's that if you make fun of the kids from the Winthrop Free School and they start singing the theme from Billy Jack, then some half breed indian guy is gonna kick yer asses and then be made to feel bad about it later by this chick with ironed blond hair who looks a hella lot like Buffy Saint Marie but somehow isn't...
Posted by: K | August 29, 2007 at 12:51 PM