Sound Beat

Photo Credit: Arthur Rackham [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m69aPAo1rXE    

Bob Dylan's own lyrics gave him pause on the evening of November 23, 1963.

A trip through the history of recorded sound

Even before Gollum, Shelob, and the Nazgul, JRR Tolkien had monsters on the brain.

Jeannette McDonald and Nelson Eddy with their signature tune.

Patrick Doyle's childhood home was filled with singing, and the effects would be long lasting. Here the composer reflects on the words of one of his father's favorites, Robert Burns.

He’s written scores for some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, but Patrick Doyle initially struggled with calling himself a “composer”.

Famed film composer Patrick Doyle’s musical talent wasn’t always appreciated by those around him.

From a very young age, composer Patrick Doyle loved to make music…and, apparently, instrument modifications.

Film composer Patrick Doyle's earliest childhood memories sound, well, like something out of a movie.

You’re listening to the Columbia Military Band with “Fight On”, recorded in 1939. Since that time “The Spirit of Troy” handles fighting duties. The University of Southern California’s Marching band is one of the oldest and most accomplished in, well, marching band history. Christened “The Spirit of Troy” in reference to their Trojan mascot, they refer to themselves as “The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe” (EVER). Hard to argue, though. They’re the only collegiate band to have two platinum records… They’ve also played the Academy Awards 3 times, most recently in 2009. That year they backed Hugh Jackman and Beyonce at the Oscars, as well as Radiohead at the Grammys. They even cheered on Forrest Gump in the film, posing as Alabama’s marching band. Learn more about college football fight songs on our blog!

We’re going back to the Grateful Roots: songs that influenced the Grateful Dead.

The original Tweeters.

The title “Aggie War Hymn” may sound a bit dramatic for a fight song. But it’s understandable when you consider the song was written on the banks of the Rhine after World War I by soldier and former student J.V. Wilson. Texas A&M was previously a military institution; indeed by 1918, 49% of graduates served in the military, more than any other school in the states. Accordingly, A&M doesn’t have an official fight song…they have a war hymn. The song…er, hymn, makes much of the rivalry with the University of Texas Longhorns, buuuut, as the NCAA landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years, the Aggies find themselves in the SEC, leaving the Longhorns and the Big 12 behind. The move angered many, ending a rivalry begun in 1894, and renewed yearly since 1915.  Aggies in the stands seem to get just as much of a workout as those on the field.

Fans of opera, horse racing and wordplay unite!

Well, after this weekend, we’ll know which four teams are Atlanta Bound.

Every year the town of Chittenango NY turns into a veritable Land of Oz, during Oz-Stravaganza.

Man, remember this scene in the movie? No. You don’t.

When MGM executives looked to shorten The Wizard of Oz, they nearly cut this song from the film.