Customer Reviews

Tams, doing his thing! - By: A. Pilsworth, 11 Jan 2008
Before watching Sharpe I had never heard of John Tams, & quite frankly my music collection was the poorer for it! This album is a fantastic mix of score from the shows & traditional folk songs of the period performed by Tams & his mate Barry Coope with an amazing guest performance from the wonderful Kate Rusby. A must have for all fans of John Tams, Kate Rusby, Sharpe & great British folk music!

Nar x

---

Well worth listening to - By: Dodster, 16 May 2007
It's perhaps not the best album you'll ever buy,but for Sharpe fans it's a must.
The arrangements are a bit different from the TV series, but so what. John Tam's rendering of 'Over the Hills' & 'The Spanish bride' are brilliant. Equally so the tunes covered by Kate Rusby.
I personally don't think the tunes by the military band add anything, but I still love the album. You can always use the skip button on your CD player!

---

Different in a good way - By: C. G. Hartley-Woolley, 29 Apr 2007
Ok so as other people have said, it isnt necerssarily true to the TV series, over the hills & far away loses some of its charm, however I still find this an excellent album.

The CD gives a good mix of folk & marching music, with some of the arrangements being very well produced. John Tams' music is excellent, & I found the Regimental/ Military music a nice change from the usual folk CD's. Collier Recriut sounds fantastic sung by Kate Rusby, likewise it was nice to hear the full version of Johhny's Gone for a Soliderin its true form.

If your excpecting the music as it was on the TV you'll be dissapointed, however if you're willing to listen to it end to end it provides an enjoyable hour or so of easy listening & captivating music.

My one major critisism is the length of some of the songs, Gentleman Soldier to the tune of British Grenadiers would have been far better with a few instrumental versus or even the more tradition lyrics "Some talk of Alexander, & some of Hercules..." encasing it.

In short, buy it if your willing to listen to something a little different to everything elsein your CD collection & dont mind modern instruments used to enhance old music.

---

THERE SHOULD BE MORE OF IT ! - By: Philip J. Whitehouse, 11 Apr 2007
Being a confirmed "SHARPE" fan ,when Amazon offered the CD I jumped at the chance of buying it, particularly as I had not seen it offeredin Australia. I was undetered by the very adverse comments containedin some of the reviews, & generally speaking. I was glad I was.
Thee really should be more of offering embracing as it does both military & social history. Apart from "SONGS AND MUSIC OF THE REDCOATS" -which appearedin vinyl & was inspired by the seminal book of the same name -it seems a most neglected genre .
Certainly it might have been done better: omissions such as "THE OWL" & particularly, the "RIFLEMAN'S SONG" from the same era are quite surprising . On the other hand, while I notice that a reviwer complains of the brevity of 'THE ROGUES' MARCH" ,that's really all there was. The only possible second verse would be "FIFTY I GOT FOR SELLING MY COAT,FIFTY FOR SELLING MY BLANKET..." as a boast of the number of lashes received as a consequence.
Then we come to the particularly vexed question of how folk songs should be accompanied & presented. The question of whether out-of-period instruments should be used has been a contentious issue from Vaughan Williams to Steeleye Span. Personally, I have no objection providing the 'Spirit" of the song is preserved, which seems to be the case here
In the aforementioned "SONGS AND MUSIC OF THE REDCOATS" recording ,"OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY" was renderedin its original early 18th.century form:- " QUEEN ANNE COMMANDS AND WE OBEY..." with the vocalist accompanied by a pair of Recorders, yet can it be said that this was a more "authentic" rendition ?

To conclude on a sour note, there is a Horrible Howler perpetratedin the cover notes. According to this source the 95th. were the " Light Brigade"- someone should get Fifty lashes for that!

---

The Peninsular War condensed into 52 and a half minutes of musical enjoyment. - By: jetpug, 25 Feb 2007
I've been re-watching Sharpe, & having long-admired the music of the series, decided it was about time I bought the soundtrack.
I must admit that having read the mixed reviews, it was not without a sense of trepidation that I ordered the CD.
I'm happy to report that it lived up to my expectations, & more. From the opening bars of "The Overture" to the closing track, "Sharpe's Song/ Sharpe's Theme", I was captivated & transported to that time & place many of us have grown to love: Spanish mountains, French skies, loyal partisans, valiant heroes & repugnant villains, Waterloo, Wellington & of course, the Ninety-Fifth Rifles.
Let's clear a few things up.
No, not every piece of music recorded for the Sharpe series is on the CD.
Yes, there is plenty from the series, & the other songs - especially the vocal pieces - give a nice "flavour" of both the period & spirit of the Napoleonic Wars.
No, puritans who don't believe old instruments should be mixed with new will not like this.
Yes, everyone else will.