KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii - The U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band released their first cover band CD this week.
“Command and Control” features a variety of songs by artists from Aerosmith to Lady Gaga, with the band putting their own fresh twist on each of the tracks. A first for the band, they’ll be giving the disc for free at upcoming performances.
“We made this because while every band makes a CD, we wanted to appeal to our Marine Corps audience in a different way,” said Staff Sgt. Oscar L. Olive, recording and sound engineer, MarForPac Band. “We’ve improved our skills on every aspect of production to make it professional.”
In addition to their regular scheduled performances, more than 25 band members lent their instruments, recording skills and vocals over the past ten months for the compilation.
The compilation was recorded at the MarForPac Band’s recording studio located on MCB Hawaii. Hundreds of hours were spent mixing the music in order to perfect their desired sound on each track. The musicians were allowed to be creative with the songs and add in their own personality to each performance.
Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and Paramore’s “That’s What You Get” reflect the diversity in the CD, but both songs are unique to the Band’s sound. Toto’s “Rosanna” sounds almost like the original, with a relaxing melody and flocculating vocals.
Sgt. Matthew R. Cole played the drums for every track and was enthusiastic about the project.
“This was my first time recording a full-length album. It was fun to do all the studio work in-house, and in all, it was a big leap for all of us,” Cole said.
After Olive finished engineering the CD, it was sent to Abbey Road Studios in England, where The Beatles and Pink Floyd recorded, to be mastered.
Currently, the disc is being considered as the official 2011 Marine Corps recruiting CD. If selected, it will be reproduced by the thousands and may be used as a recruiting tool, especially for potential future Marine musicians.
“My Marines instigated this process from the very beginning,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan P. Sherlock, officer in charge, MarForPac band. “I got to step back and let them go at this project and their work has been impressive.”
At the band’s official Facebook page, the tracks are available for listening. The Band is awaiting approval for them to be digitally downloaded from the official Marine Corps website, http://www.marines.mil, in January. The Facebook page also lists appearances.
To add to the excitement, Jennifer Nettles of the country duo Sugarland has personally requested a copy of the track “Speed of Life” to listen to, according to Olive.