woensdag 24 januari 2018

Colonel Bogey March (1914) / Hitler Has Only Got One Ball (1939) / Charel ! (1955) / March From The River Kwai (1957) / Hello, Le Soleil Brille (1958)


Composed in 1914 by Kenneth J. Alford (alias for Frederick Joseph Ricketts)
published by Hawkes & Son, London

Lieutenant Frederick Ricketts was bandmaster for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and it is said he composed "Colonel Bogey" after playing golf with the colonel of his regiment at Fort St George in Scotland, where the regiment was based. Instead of shouting "Fore!", his commanding officer would loudly whistle two notes to those playing ahead. Ricketts added further notes and the tune was composed.
Since at that time service personnel were not encouraged to have professional lives outside the armed forces, Ricketts published "Colonel Bogey" and his other compositions under the pseudonym Kenneth Alford.

In fact there was no "real" Colonel Bogey. It was apparently the nick-name of the colonel with whom Lt. Ricketts played golf.
The name "Colonel Bogey" began in the later 19th century as the imaginary "standard opponent" of the Colonel Bogey scoring system, and by Edwardian times the Colonel had been adopted by the golfing world as the presiding spirit of the course.
Edwardian golfers on both sides of the Atlantic often played matches against "Colonel Bogey". Bogey is now a golfing term meaning "one over par".





Probably first recorded by the Band of H.M. Coldstream Guards.
Conducted by Lt.-Col. MacKenzie-Rogan.
Recorded March 10, 1914 in London
Matrix ak 17596 e  (3-195)
Released on His Master's Voice B 255
 



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(c) Band of the 23rd County of London Regiment (1916)
Conducted by J.A. Potts
Recorded January 12, 1916
Matrix HO 2341 ab



(c) Band of H.M. Irish Guards (1916)
Released June 1916 on Winner 2979





(c) The Silver Stars Band (1916)
Conducted by Albert W. Ketelbey
Released in September 1916 on Regal 7257

 


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(c) Black Diamonds Band (1917)
Recorded November 1916
Matrix HO 3280 ae (Cat # X-2-40261)
Released March 1917 on Zonophone 1743
 



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(c) Columbia Band (1919)
Recorded December 9, 1919 in New York
Released on Columbia A 2903








(c) H.M. Grenadier Guards (1929)
Conducted by Capt. George Miller
Recorded April 1929
Released on Columbia 5474
 



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(c) The Band Of H.M. Royal Marines, Plymouth Division (1939)
Conducted by the Composer - Major F. J. Ricketts. ('Kenneth Alford' was Ricketts' pseudonym).
 


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At the start of World War II, "Colonel Bogey" became part of the British way of life when the tune was set to a popular song: "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball". Originally: "Göring Has Only Got One Ball" after the Luftwaffe leader suffered a grievous groin injury, but later reworded to suit the popular taste, with the tune becoming an unofficial national anthem to rudeness.


Bette Midler sang the song in the 1980 filmed version of her show, Divine Madness.




(c) Tony Bell (1955)  (as "Charel !")  
Nr. 1 hit in Belgium
Dutch lyrics H. De Lange and Robert Adler.


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"Colonel Bogey" was used to great effect in the movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai"

The Colonel Bogey strain was accompanied by a counter-melody using the same chord progressions, then continued with film composer Malcolm Arnold's own composition, "The River Kwai March", played by the off-screen orchestra taking over from the whistlers, though Arnold's march was not heard in completion on the soundtrack.

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On the soundtrack of the movie, Mitch Miller's hit-version (Top 20 USA) was included


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