Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Conductor: Brian Grant
Doyen Recordings: CD271
Total Playing Time: 71.03

This is what it is: Australian Tour musical memorabilia.

The 15th anniversary of ‘Brassed Off’ may cause some people to wince at the memory of Pete Postlethwaite cycling to band rehearsal in full stage uniform, but despite the lazy stereotyping, Mark Herman’s film still retains its ‘feel good’ factor, even though the reality of the 1984 Miner’s Strike certainly had no happy ending for the communities such as Grimethorpe itself.

Deep seam

Its remarkable success has enabled the band to continue to mine a deep seam of warm hearted nostalgia – thanks in part to the clever selection of music that provided the film’s original soundtrack and a few well chosen additions that wouldn’t be out of place if it was re-released in a ‘Director’s Cut’ box set.

It’s unashamedly populist (they have been the hottest ticket in town on tour) providing easy listening excellence for an Australian audience that still retains an affectionate attachment to the old country – even if the 21st century reality is as far removed from the original ‘Brassed Off’ inspiration as the concert halls of Perth are from Sydney.

Credit

To their credit Grimethorpe has not taken the lazy option by churning out a bit of old soft-boiled pap either.

Some of the music may be yellowing around the edges like the fingers of a 60 a day chain-smoking collier, but the band has taken the time and effort to produce a fresh sounding recording that showcases their current qualities to the full.  

Nostalgia sells of course, especially down under – but even hard nosed Aussies are as tight arsed as Shane Warne’s facelift when it comes to parting with their dollars.

They will pay for excellence and quality - not old dewey eyed tripe.   

Classy form

The band is therefore on classy form, with Andy Holmes, Michael Dodd, Kevin Crockford and Scot Bennett delivering a quartet of highly polished solo performances.

Meanwhile, Brian Grant keeps a tight lid on the robust dynamic excesses that will have enabled Grimey to lift the roof off Sydney Opera House, but which can sound inappropriate in the front room of a tin roofed semi in Brisbane.

Film references

The 16 tracks contain plenty of references to the original film – from the march ‘Death or Glory’ right through to ‘William Tell’, but some of the more toe curling inserts such as the ‘Floral Dance’ and ‘Clog Dance’ have thankfully been jettisoned – from the recording at least.

Instead we get to hear plenty of quality ensemble work on some concert favourites – from ’MacArthur Park’ and ‘Pines of Rome’ to ‘Perpetuum Mobile’, and ‘Nimrod’, as well as some newer material from recent Brass in Concert appearances.

Quality

The playing throughout has a stamp of quality – helped by Richard Scott’s excellent recording work and the straightforward sleeves notes by Nigel Dixon.

There is nothing new, or particularly innovative about this release, but by polishing up unashamedly nostalgic material as brightly as those presentation miner’s lamps so beloved of ex-pats all around the world, Grimethorpe has continued to keep the memory of ‘Brassed Off’ alive and even, relevant.

Iwan Fox

Contents

1. Death or Glory, R B Hall, 3.27
2. Concerto de Aranjuez (Adagio), Joaquin Rodrigo, arr. Kevin Bolton, Andrew Holmes (Flugel Horn), 4.39
3. Ol' Man River, Jerome Kern, arr. Mark Freeh, 4.50
4. A Fistful of Dollars, Ennio Morricone, arr. Robin Dewhurst, 3.41
5. Bravura, Peter Graham, Michael Dodd (Euphonium), 4.40
6. MacArthur Park, Jimmy Webb, arr. Alan Catherall, 7.17
7. Irish Tune from County Derry, Percy Grainger, arr. Wright, 2.53
8. Russlan and Ludmilla, Mikhail Glinka, arr. Walter Hargreaves, 5.14
9. Vilja, Franz Lehar, arr. Andi Cook, Kevin Crockford (Soprano Cornet), 5.00
10. Finale from William Tell, Gioacchino Rossini, arr. Grant, 3.10
11. The Appian Way from The Pines of Rome, Ottorino Respighi, arr. Howard Snell, 5.02
12. Nimrod, Edward Elgar, arr. Denis Wright, 3.34
13. Florentiner March, Julius Fucik, arr. Barsotti, 4.19
14. Misty, Erroll Garner, arr. Derek Broadbent, Scott Bennett (Tenor Horn), 3.24
15. Perpetuum Mobile, Johann Strauss II, arr. Howard Snell, 3.15
16. Procession to the Minster, Richard Wagner, arr. Howard Snell, 6.30