tommytimp

You're full of it, daddio. Jehoshophat Q. Wallingford's bugle section was brilliantly musical, and pair them with the fantastic rudimentary book of Bildad T. "Thwack-Thwackety" Borkovetz's drummer boys and the graceful holding-of-flags that the flag-holders did to the repertoire of "March of the Weevils," "I Will Kiss You 'Neath the Moonlight, Prettybelle," "Christmastide in Old Berdu," and a fantastic closer of "Salome's Dance of Incontinence" from "Ice Castles," and you have a show for the ages. My point? DON'T DIS THE ENN-AITCH 3.

Timing is everything...

Mon-tee Python's a-Flyinnnnnng Cirrr-cusfssfssfsss!

I think we actually did get "The Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad City Knights!" When it was just "The Knights" it was fairly short and punchy. But hearing him ask me to take the corps off in retreat was awesome. "Ready when you are, Mr. Shea..."

That's just insane. To think that Musser actually made that rig. He looks like an Apollo astronaut. ETA: Now that I look at it, Musser prolly didn't make the rig, just the chimes. But I still think the rig is insane. JUST GROUND THEM ALREADY.

Sorry I spelled your name wrong...

Getting to hear him SAY MY FRIGGING NAME ON THE FIELD at KC in 1988 may be the greatest individual thrill of my career. Joe Bruno doing it was also a thrill. Would have been nice to make the night show at DeKalb, but my parents getting to hear it at the Cavies' show was pretty OK too.

His shoes are so heavy he can't lift his leg to mark time!

Been said before many times, but I don't get all that tired talking about excellence. I've posited that discussions such as these, like discussions about the best ballplayer or heavyweight champeen, should pertain to their era. Noonan, Larry Dalstrup, and Jim Brady excelled in the late 70s and eraly 80s when it was two valve all the way. Guys like Jeff Kievit, Richie Price and Chris Metzger ruled in the 60s and early 70s, which was valve/rotor bugles made out of false teeth and old Sports Illustrated issues. Players like Dan Moore, Tim Hansen, Chris Eble and Ira Aaronson excelled even later in the 80s, when horn plating got more sophisticated. Then the three-valves took over.

What is DCT?

Truly depressing. I, like many, looked forward to reading the Trivial Column every issue of DCW. RIP.

Dutch Boy was originally named after the grocery store chain, which is why their logo was an apple for a long time. Phantom Regiment is based on a (I think) Kipling poem called "The Lost Legion." Blue Devils exist in the shadow of Mount Diablo.

Winning, y'all.

Why, pray tell? No offense, but 82 seems to me to be the least memorable year, perhaps in their entire existence, from an outside perspective anyway. They weren't terrible, just not a particularly memorable show. Topic? Suncoast 85, the whole show really, but "The Lick" in particular. Phantom 96 "Jingle Bells" is pretty great. But I like the tension break in the opener better, at abot 2:20, when they break into major for the first time. Incredible. Madison 75: Slaughter. The first hit. Marrone. BD 1988. The sop lick in "That Old Black Magic." Showoffs. My fave show ever, Phantom 78, with the best opener ever, the Stravinsky medley. Had classical music ever been played that well up to that point in drum corps history?

Seconded. Thirded. Fourthed even. Maybe the best battery ever. Talk about the good cheese.

Star in 1993 and BK in 85 did something similar-BK used graduated duo-tenors for the opener, and Star switched around a lot.

The "Snow White In Outer Space" guard uniforms, mainly. The show itself wasn't weird. The drill was Zingali-experimental, so it was a little weird, but mainly the guard uniforms and the huge buildup to the less-than-phenomenal trampoline stuff at the end. That was a great show that afternoon, though. And one of my fave things from that very long, very hot day was Zingali screaming like a maniac for you guys.

The closest thing I can think of is the "Dutch Boy clicks with TV and Flicks" show in 1986.

Geneseo Knights.

I agree, and it's interesting to note that BAC, who were walking wounded for three years, were the survivors. And it still took them a decade to get to Finals.

The template was the same from 78 to 81, yes? Then came the slight change in 82, the shako in 83 (capped off by leaving the capes on the bus at Miami-brilliant), then everything went crackers.

1986, y'all! Shots taken by my girlfriend at Springfield, MO. Scanned, as always, by Malibu. Valley Fever. A shame to see them so small. Also a shame that those beautiful timps went unplayed for part of the show. Sky Ryders. Still one of the best GE shows of all time.

Madison 74 is the most screamer-riffic show in DCI history. I'd imagine some of those Hurcs and Matadors shows form the 70s and 80s throw down too, but I don't really know from DCA.

Everybody shut up.

The most seismic changes I can think of have to be the Banana/"Apollo" look in 76 and the beach look VK threw down in 1982. Interesting that those are the two looks we associate with the "clown prince" corps. Changes in latitude, changes in attitude.