Black Dyke Band

Essential Dyke Volume VI
Conductor: Dr. Nicholas Childs, Peter Parkes, Roy Newsome, Geoffrey Whitham
Soloists: Peter Roberts, Richard Marshall
Doyen Recordings: CD208
Total Playing Time: 64.43

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First impressions can be somewhat misleading at times. Picking up this CD you could have been forgiven to thinking that Essential Dyke Volume VI was rather like finding that the SAS essential guide to survival in the Amazonian rain forest contained a chapter on how to make yourself a tree house Jacuzzi and nine hole golf course. Desirable, yes, essential to survival, though?  That's another matter.

To be fair, this sixth outing for Black Dyke is really an enjoyable delve into their impressive concert repertoire. It offers nothing that is absolutely essential to you the listener, or from the band itself, but it is a reminder that an on form Black Dyke are a very slick and professional concert outfit. It is a very desirable mix once more, but essential it certainly is not.

The release is subtitled ‘Deep Harmony', a rather neat reference to the current happy and contented atmosphere that is to be found in the Queensbury bandroom (some periods over the years could have been more accurately described as ‘Deep Disharmony') as well as the famous old tune that in many ways is the unofficial Black Dyke signature tune.

The 15 tracks on offer are a mixture of the tried and tested as well as excerpts from the 150th Anniversary Concert that took place at Huddersfield Town Hall in December 2005, when a whole host of ex players joined the current band for a night of unashamed musical nostalgia. The line up of players is the stuff of a Pondashers dream and the fine centre picture from the night gives you the chance to play a musical version of spot the star. Time may have wearied them, but old players don't die, they just play with an ever longer diminuendo it seems.  

The 2005/6 Dyke is on pretty good form, with Richard Marshall (who wasn't part of the concert) and Peter Roberts the two featured soloists. Both are as bright as the buttons on their famous black, red and gold uniforms form too, with Richard producing a corker on ‘Charivari' and Peter providing a subtle and beautifully controlled ‘Lord's Prayer'.

Meanwhile the opening march, ‘Viva Birkinshaw' is bright and neat whilst the two movements from ‘Peer Gynt' are delivered with aplomb and Nordic sense of dark mischief. The other pieces are delivered with a sheen of clarity and sense of purpose although Kevin Ackford's ‘Sounds of Brass' seems to be out of place and of little musical merit. Even though it is a catchy theme tune to the popular radio programme of the same name presented by Philip Hunt, it is still rather like the London Symphony Orchestra playing the 30 second introduction to ‘Sports Report' with James Alexander Gordon reading the football results on Radio 5 on a Saturday night.  

The remaining tracks come from that celebration evening and featured the massed band under the direction of Roy Newsome, Peter Parkes and Geoffrey Whitham. As a musical reminder of the evening it is fine, but you do have to query whether or not it is good enough playing for such a release. Only the most dyed in the wool fans will really want to listen to these items more than once, even if it is perhaps the last chance to hear some great players giving their all. Nostalgia ain't what it used to be, especially when recorded for posterity.

All in all, you do wonder whether this particular branding outlet for Black Dyke has run its course. A Volume VII would in anyone's book be stretching things. It has though been a very fine series, all enhanced by quality playing and, once more, by some super sleeve notes by Roy Newsome and quality production values from the Doyen team.
 
Perhaps the time has come to leave the essentials and concentrate on the desirables. Not even the SAS could get away with building an indoor swimming pool and snooker room.

Iwan Fox 

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