SOUNDS
INSTRUMENT OF WAR
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1:
A Great and Secret Power
Chapter 2:
Music, Race, Empire
Chapter 3:
Music and Guns Go Hand in Hand
Chapter 4:
The Best-Entertained Soldier in the World
- Spotify Playlist
- Audio Documentary of V-Dosc
- Youtube V-Disc Recordings
Chapter 5:
The Powers of Song
Chapter 6:
Demythologizing the Rock-and-Roll War
Chapter 7:
Shoot to Thrill
Coda
Seven Elegies
INSTRUMENT OF WAR
Chapter 4: The Best Entertained Soldier in the World
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
This playlist includes Sentimental Journey: The 746th Far East Air Force Band, a collection of wire recordings made in Philippines in 1945, which was subsequently transferred to 78 rpm discs and eventually digitized. It consists of numerous Big Band hits of the day, supplemented by an oral history with one of the band members.
AUDIO DOCUMENTARY ON V-DISC PROGRAM
In World War II, a sound engineer in the U.S. army named Bob Vincent established a program to produce records specifically for soldiers. As discussed in the book, many of these featured performances by A-list talent of the era, from Tommy Dorsey to the Andrews Sisters.
SOME V-DISC RECORDINGS FROM YOUTUBE
YouTube has scores of V-Disc recordings. In some cases, the labels of the records indicate they were “Army Hit Kit Tunes,” meaning the songs’ lyrics were included in a monthly circular of song lyrics the U.S. military sent to soldiers called the “Army Hit Kit.”
This V-Disc features an introduction by Brigadier General Joseph W. Byron, director of the Special Services Division, at 5:27:
ARMED FORCES RADIO
This YouTube clips features a wartime newsreel about the Armed Forces Radio Service, highlighting the actress Carole Landis sighing on the all-request program Command Performance:
