FHBob

That is a Bobby Hoffman drill, by the way. I am particularly pleased with the marching and visual aspect of the show. We worked very hard on that all year. Blue Meanies was intended as a "drum solo with backfield horn accompaniment". By the second tour the horn part had been dropped and it became a stand-alone drum solo which, as you say, fell flat. Our show underwent many changes that year. We were desperately trying to get our scores up with a somewhat stale show, management problems, and HUGE shoes to fill from 1972. Yes, the guard was amazing, as always. I was so thrilled to see this color video - hell, to see any video, from 1973!

As did I Jeff - shoulda joined Kingsmen one year sooner. However it looks like you made up for missing that first year!

Wow, a lot has been said in this thread about the Blue Devils. I saw their show twice, in June. It was clever, highly original, very complex, totally unique, precisely executed...and BORING. No emotion or beauty or mystery or excitement. None of the things that made me fall in love with this corps many years ago. They don't even try to blow you out of your seat with horns - a long time BD trademark. This is not a comment on the outstanding young people who are the corps members (whoops...students). But the fact that this show is winning so consistently is surely a comment on where the activity is at right now. I am disappointed that the DCI judges would so lavishly reward a presentation (it's not a "show" in my opinion) that so obviously makes no effort to reward the paying audience.

VERY well said. I agree with you completely.

I had many of the same feelings, Guy. Watching those videos was like watching a dream. The part that really hit me was the snare "turnarounds" during the quiet part of the color pre. Very dignified and classy. I started to tear up at that point.

Yes, it is wonderful footage, and it was a total surprise to me - I had no idea that DCI would include that in the program. We have the whole 1972 Kingsmen finals show on DVD, along with 27th at '72 finals. The very beginning of 27th's show is missing, however. Video is about what you saw in the theater, but the audio is quite good, and sounds like it might have been recorded with different mics than they used on the record. The ensemble sound when the corps is close to the sideline is better on the video.

The corps from Spokane that I remember was the Percussion-naut Patriots. Is that the one?

Just for everyone's information, Mr. Oliverio is not involved with the Kingsmen Alumni Corps.

Ditto - Bonnie Ott it is - you just have to trust us.

DCI seems to prefer to leave Saturday night exclusively for the top 12 Division I corps, and I can understand that. The conditional offer that the Kingsmen Alumni Corps has received from DCI is for Friday night in 2007. But it is a shame that anyone should miss Madison in 2006!

There have obviously been many instances of a corps "doing a dance" - including a dance routine or a dance segment into their show. The Americanos and SCV were mentioned among others. Heck, the Kingsmen guard did the Highland Fling during Folk Song Suite for three years. I think the original question at the top of the thread was asking when guards abandoned a military or semi-military style in favor of a complete show made up of dancing, emoting, and jazz running. A better question might be "when did guards stop marching" which is I believe another thread on another forum.

These are all good ideas - especially '84 Blue s. However, what you WILL see at DCI 2007 is the return of the Anaheim Kingsmen (Alumni Corps) going on last at semi-finals, honoring the 35th anniversary of their winning the first DCI Championship.

YES - it would be great - and a well-deserved tribute. What do you think Stanley would have liked to hear?

Thanks, Paul - and thanks for being a good sport along the way. We know that you support our efforts, and it is appreciated. It will be a memorable performance.

And the town just LOVED the corps! Churches, schools even the neighbors would be out cheering the corps at rehearsals and providing"Home Cooked" meals-something that was REALLY special to the corps members in the days when corps didn't have food trucks etc............fast food was the steady diet on tour!(or for us real dinosaurs, we went and hunted our own! :P ) In the late 60's and early 70's The U.S. Open was "THE" show, at least in the Midwest. Yeah, some of my fondest memories of youth involve Marion OH. and the U.S. Open.(but that's another story!) The people in Marion were awesome. They actually gave our tour convoy a police escort from just outside city limits all the way to the high school. They treated us like celebrities (which we were, in a way). I remember the helatious thunderstorm and rains - I also remember catching fireflies out on the lawn of the school one night. I had never seen fireflies before. Our show at prelims was probably the best horn show we did all season. It was early in the morning and I guess we just relaxed and let it fly.

Russ - I assume that you are an Elgar fan??

THAT is an outstanding idea. Somebody could ROCK "Brand New Cadillac", among others.

USO for me - the only National that we won in '73. :(

I have seen MANY beautiful flags in the last 34 years! I would just like to see more of them! I find the clashing uniforms (no matter what the style of uniform is) to be distracting more often than not. Old-school guards that marched around with flags at Right Shoulder Arms were actually quite boring. Highly intricate, precise, snappy flag work - and lots of it - is what I personally like. I'm glad that we agree about the need to integrate the flags with the horns and drums to a higher degree. I have seen recent shows that just marginalize the flags so much out of the picture that it's borderline disrespectful to the guard members. As far as the need to utilize a different guard uniform to reflect what the show is all about....that may in fact be the case since most corps today feel the need to produce a "themed" or "concept" show. That type of show frequently needs some kind of explanation or interpretation or you run the risk of the audience not "getting it". I would only state that for decades prior to today, concept shows were the exception, not the rule. What attracted me to drum corps way back when was the precision, the volume of sound, and the excitement that was generated on the field. That sound hit me in the chest and came out of the top of my head - and combined with the M&M was absolutely stunning, highly entertaining, and needed no interpretation whatsoever. None of my comments have any negative reflection on the AMAZING young people who march in corps today. My disappointment is with the current school of thought in most show design, which produces an on-the-field product that is becoming, in my opinion....boring.

THAT sums it up very neatly! And it's the exact same with horns and drums - isolated impact points. Scurry from set to set - stop and play real loud, repeat ad nauseam, etc. to the point where SO many drills look the same and SO many drum solos sound the same. Why not bring it on full volume while MOVING? That's so exciting and really turns on the crowd. At the very least, the guard/auxiliary/dance group needs to wear uniforms that at least match IN COLOR, if not in style, the corps colors. And why do they spend so much time around the perimeter or off to one side of where the horns and drums are? Incorporate them into the drill, make 'em part of the whole again rather than a separate whole. I have yet to see hand-held props that can compare, consistently and for the entire show, with flags and rifles. Not that other props cannot be good (1989 SCV) - there is some beautiful and effective modern-day stuff out there. But flags - tall ones preferably - give off a look and spirit of pageantry that nothing else can.

Pretty darned unlikely that it is a coincidence, IMHO.

The acoustics did seem - or else the corps just had post-DCI fatigue. plus the stands are a long ways from the field, and the angle of the seats is very low. It's a soup bowl not a cereal bowl. However - a horn line of 100+ "G" bugles will be heard very well, thank you!

Also performed by the '69 and '70 Anaheim Kingsmen in varying arrangements. Full number was dropped by tour time, they just played the last 20 or so bars (I'm not sure of the time signature). Did the whole thing at a spring standstill in 1969. Yes, '79 Guardsmen version is really excellent.

Troopers and Anaheim Kingsmen for sure. Skirts and boots......yesss!

MIKE! What's up? Great to hear from you - this has made my day - forget that, it's made my week! I am really enjoying playing your arrangements again - I always loved that French horn part during the quiet part in Folk Song Suite - I played it loud just to get on the recording! You're a legend, man. Brother George says hello - still in S.F. Looking forward to working with you once again - it will be fun and a major honor. Bye for now - gotta go practice!