Throughout the era of the long-playing (LP) record, there were several significant series of recorded band music. The commercial (Mercury) albums recorded by the Eastman Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Frederick Fennell, were unique. They brought both standard and contemporary band music to the public in an era when most other commercially-produced records were limited to familiar marches.

One of the most extensive series of private LP recordings ever produced was the monumental undertaking initiated by Robert Hoe, Jr., in 1973. The Hoe series differed from the other privately-produced records in several ways. For one thing, they were never for sale. Starting with marches, Hoe sought to document and preserve lesser-known band works and to present biographical information on composers about whom the public knew little or nothing. Significantly, Hoe’s series was international in scope.