longfade

Wow! thanks for that link - just kickin'! I have always loved that opener and it's a real treat to hear a different performance than the DCI recordings, which I've listened to a million times! It makes me so wistful, seeing this old stuff. It's been a while since I've dragged out my legacy DVDs....

This is something that I've been meaning to ask ever since I got my 1980 Legacy DVD. Has anyone ever noticed that appreciable difference in the audience volume-level during Phantom's performance? It's like the entire vibe is different from the other shows, and it sounds like a mic placement thing. I love Phantom's show that year and it's certainly an electrifying performance, but I can't help thinking that the audience volume in this case is at least partly due to something technical. Or maybe the audience was just freaking out over Phantom that year....? I actually love it and wish the whole DVD had that kind of presence, and I've always wondered about it.

Dizzy Gillespie had a pretty cool big band. And definately have to add Ellington to the list....and Don Ellis! That cut you were mentioning sounds awesome...I'm gonna look for it right now!

Yes! Perfect..someone finally articulated what the real difference between Corps and MB is. It's not about semantics or what you *call* it, but what it IS. The essence of Corps has changed quite literally to the point of being unrecognizable. That is a fact. I'm sure it's still a very worthwhile activity for those in it; you know, those priveleged few that actually get in. But it does nothing for me but fill me with a unique combination of disgust, sorrow, disdain, and confusion. Mostly though, just abject disdain. Man, I just wanted to thank Tansea for a great post and I can't even do that w/o ranting.

Definately, the '90s was when corps became unwatchable for me. Kevlar heads alone are literally something I cannot frigging stand. In fact, if, as a concession to adding all the ridiculous woodwinds and vocals and all that nonsense, they would quit using kev and go back to mylar powerstrokes, I'd maybe consider tuning back in. Actually, no I wouldn't. Not until those atrocious uniforms go out of favor. Hideous. Really pathetic.

Yes on Tenderland! Especially with that gorgeous "Grover's Corners" intro they did in '85. I'd like to hear someone do the Blackwatch arrangement of "Inner Crisis". Man that was roaring. Was that '76? Skyryders "Home On the Range" would certainly make me smile!

Gellio, I like your style.

Yeah...just reading your account of that makes me mad. "ooohh...look how INTO it we are!" blechh.

Too cool. How late in the (84) season was it added? People must have flipped when you first brought in out that year!

Hey, surely I am not the only one that has these once in a while. Mine is sort of the standard-issue anxiety dream, where I either don't know the drill or the book. Or I know both but my chops are like rubber and I can't play. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone has these same dreams.

HA! Oh man, I remember hearing that original ending at our first show on tour and going ".....what?...okay. Hmm". I have a bunch of tapes because back then nobody cared if you walked in with a huge boom box and a microphone. I recorded all kinds of stuff, but I never caught the NYF tag unfortunately. I have always wondered, when you did the NYF tag on that tour, since you only did it a couple of times, how did you rehearse it? I always thought it was really hip the way the Devils would do stuff like that. Anyway, was it a big deal, or did the staff just say "we're doing this tonight?" Or did the corps ask for it? Just something I've always wondered.

I don't know, but I would certainly love it if someone started using mylar heads again. You know, actually, if a corps today did a show in the *style* of an early 80s/late 70s corps, it would probably be sensational. Kind of a retro thing. It would have to be updated a bit in the drill dept. for sure, and executed really well, but if I were an artistic director that's what I would be doing. Look at Phantom's 96 show. Totally old-school. Another example is 86 devils, bringing back the North toms. Imagine having a corps do a segment of their show on PnR horns. That would bring me back to DCI. You could also ask the question: "How would one of today's corps fare back then?" Probably worse. Much worse.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday.

Haha! I love it..great type-drumming. Yeah, that tag is just perfect. What does it have, elements of NYF, One more time, La Suerte (that's my favorite part, I think - esp. 82 and 84 when you can hear the mello's nice and clear) and Legend, right? There's probably more happening too. Anyway, I know for sure that they played it a couple times on 85 tour. My memory is super-hazy but it seems like maybe at the US open? Another was, I think, Grand Junction. There were these two geeks - like myself - right in front of me, really into the Devils show. You could tell they were really excited to hear them and had probably been anticipating it for months. When, at the end of First Circle they went into the build into the tag we all freaked out but these two guys just literally flew out of their seats and gave each other a high-five. It was great, really, really cool. During finals I was hoping, hoping that they'd do it but they didn't. They referred to it, but no dice. Bummer.

Has BD done the New York Fantasy tag (ala 82-84) at finals since 84?

Credentials, credentials, credentials. What does that have to do with anything? Grow up.

I always really liked the 1st half of Garfield's show that year. Dark and very dramatic. And I remember how knocked out I was the first time I heard those huge dissonant chords at the end of the "Harlem" portion of Madison's show. Definately one of my next Legacy purchases.

What is this "Early Years" thing? Definately something I want to check out...

Here’s my 2-cents’ worth, which will probably count for very little. I fully agree with Skywalker. I am so very tired of reading posts from (mostly) LancerLady stating “We got robbed, we should’ve won in 1980, we should’ve beat so-and-so in 84-85-86, etc.” Oh, I know I am on dangerous ground here, but surely I am not the only one thinking this. What’s even more galling is that when Apoch ventures to question the 83 judging he is VILIFIED. I was shaking my head thinking, “Okay, then why doesn’t that standard apply to other people who regularly question placements, scores, etc? Why so much venom leveled against this guy, when I’m reading daily posts about how 27 got ‘robbed’ (I hate that word) a quarter of a century ago?” This whole thing about going with the changes, well, guess what? It could just as easily be construed as progress as conformity. 27, and many other corps, just weren’t doing anything new. I feel that Skywalker is justified in asking for specifics. How was this suggestion presented to you? Was it a comment made on a tape, a constructive criticism, or was it a really an ultimatum? The mid-80’s, as we all know, was a time of incredible change and evolution. It became obvious fast who was able to adapt and who wasn’t. That’s not politics. What else did you do besides a Sondheim book to update your presentation? I saw your show that year and I liked it fine, I liked VK’s show okay too. But I am not a judge and far be if for me to get into it with someone over a few 10ths of a point. And finally, please no more nonsense about how hard everyone worked. It belittles everyone who marched that year or any other when you suggest that somehow your work was more valuable than anyone else’s. I marched in a non-top 12 corps and I can tell you that we worked hard too. That’s a given, and it does not ensure anything. As for disappointment, well, there’s a 13th-place corps every single year. Ask them how they feel about it. And really, how different would your life be right now if you HAD made finals? I’ve been reading this DCP forum for months and it’s great. I LOVE reading all of people’s memories and experiences, just a little tired of the 27 thing.

I really loved the whole evening, and kept saying to myself, "I'm sitting in a big movie theatre watching DRUM CORPS!" Our crowd (seattle) was sufficiently into it to make it loose and fun. I haven't been following DCI much since the mid-80s and mistakenly thought DCI had degenerated into self-aggrandizing Broadway cheese. I am delighted to eat my words on that, and was so excited to see what corps are doing nowadays. The big moment for me -- really big -- was the Phantom show. Whoa, that was heavy!! I have never followed Phantom or been a fan. I remember on tour in 85 we shared a rehearsal facility w/Phantom and I didn't even really care, whereas when we shared spaces w/Suncoast and Garfield I was over there every second recording the rehearsals (still have the tapes, too). So imagine my surprise last night when Phantom's show had me gasping for air and choking back tears. I just wish I could go back and see it for the first time again. Austere, dark, intense, totally serious drum corps. And that kick halt at the end...yes!! I loved being able to finally see the 70's stuff after listening to tapes for so long. Scouts just rocked the house! I've seen the 89 SCV show enough times and never cared for it particularly. I don't like Webber, even though SCV really brought a lot of class and drama to what I consider to be incredibly lame source material. Still a wonderful show because their performance was stellar and very honest. I'll probably be vilified for this, but Star's Resphigi show is one that I've always strongly disliked. Which is a shame because I have always wanted to hear a corps play Roman Festivals and Fountains of Rome (loved 82-83 cavies Pines). That stuff seems made for corps and Star's brass book just sucks all the life out of the stuff. It is totally unbalanced and mid-heavy, and all the potential impact is watered down by incessant middle-horn runs. Not to mention sloppy M&M execution. Maybe in person it was more impressive? The Cadets and Cavs were real eye-openers for me. That's 20 years' worth of evolution happening there, and it's just unbelievable. I love the old stuff, of course, but I feel that the activity is stronger than ever in many ways after seeing this stuff. Just, please, someone, keep the #$%^@@# microphones away from the singers! That's just horrifying. It's so exciting that this even happened. It sounds like a lot of theatres had sound issues. That's a real bummer. Our sound was fine, so we were loving it. Thanks for all the great votes and to DCI for doing it.

Hutchinson Kansas! lol Actually, the one town that really sticks in my memory is Easton, PA. It felt like stepping right into the '20s.

Cool...thanks for the background! I ordered the 82 prelims recording of the Dev's show, and, what do you know, it sounded a lot like the '81 finals recordings. Now it makes sense! I just think -- personally -- that the 82-on recordings are really nice and lush sounding relative to the '81 recordings. Although I certainly love the brassy and huge sound of the 70's recordings. Anyway, thanks for the info!

One thing I'll never forget was when I was with the Argonauts in '85. We used to rope our quads in the racks in the trailer with rope. One day at a rehearsal we opened up the trailer and my drums had fallen out of its rack and the rope, tied to one of the lugs on the shell, had torn a pretty good-sized hole in my number 4 tenor. My drums were pretty banged up as well because the 4-runner was bouncing up against them the whole time! Anyway, Chuck King, our tenor instructor, made me run 8 laps for that. Naturally I thought it was totally absurd. Still do, actually.

I was in the Argonauts in 85 too! Very cool. It's funny the rush of memories I got just seeing that name in print. I played tenors in the drumline.