The Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Bagpipe Marches Of Scotland

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo first started in 1947 with some spirited displays of army piping and dancing. Since that time the show has grown to become a world class act, unfortunately losing some of its traditional elements along the way. The word “Tattoo” is a corruption of the Dutch “Doe den Taptoe” which literary means “turn off the taps”, a reference to when a lone drummer would play a “tattoo” or drum roll to signal the inkeeprs to stop serving beer and to summon the troops back to barracks. This ceremony was performed by the British while they were in the low countries during the early 18th century, but it is a custom common to many armies of that time, in particular the various German princeapalities of the day. Over time the Tattoo evolved into a more elaborate affair as more bands and musicians were drawn into its fare. What we have here is the modern development of the form started in previous centuries. The Edinburgh Tattoo is justly famed for its display of massed pipes and bands, and while the recording quality here is not the best, the listener can still get a good idea of the spectacle produced. The original recording of this 1972 show was recorded by EMI, but this version is a knock-off cut that was done by a small American record firm, and which since has been sold about in various forms as a popular item. It is unfortunate that we don’t have a better version of the show for listeners than this. The Tattoo produces a recording every year, as well as a video which can be obtained by contacting the Edinburgh Military Tattoo via their website which can be found using any search engine. The good thing about this recording is that it does provide a glimpse of the show in its heyday, where modern fluff and show biz influences had not crept in as much as they have today. For this reason this CD is worth having, and serves as an introduction to this great pageant of the Scottish regiments and the British army. Even though the show is watered down today with pop elements, the grandeur is still there when the massed pipes and drums march out onto the castle esplanade playing the grand old tunes. Even the politically correct producers can’t ruin this grand sight, and its hoped they never will!