Tad_MMA

Bernstein Estategate irritates me. I abso-####-lutely guarantee that tens of thousands of people have been educated through drum corps by exposure to music out of their spheres. When else would we have heard of "Jeremiah?" Orchestras rarely perform it, because the first and third movements inch along at a snail's pace. How about the Mass? Before Garfield '83, who knew it? Medea's Dance of Vengeance? Philip Glass's The Canyon? Unchained Melody? (Ok, no. But I'm still obsessed w/ The Academy.) Is it that arrangers chop music to fit needs? Snark/ How awfully choppy was 1984 Garfield's WSS? The horrors! They played SIX songs in 13 minutes---an average of 2:10 each. Chop, chop, chop. Nobody liked it; it set no standards; Bernstein himself had to be embarrassed. /Snark I wish the Cadets could go back to their 1980s roots with 11½ minutes of "On the Waterfront." I'm usually not pro-rehash, but it's so identifiable to them, and a clean run would be a blast. Gee, it might possibly lead people to watch the 1954 film masterpiece like it did me. If it's not the best non-John Williams film score out there, it's close. How horrible for the Bernsteins.

From a reliable source (and it was basically an aside), Cadets are rumored to be looking at Bernstein's Mass. How retro. If there's anything to it, the chorale stuff makes sense.

The I&E story is interesting. The 1984 corps was wrapping up after a performance, and the I&Es were happening across the parking lot. The percussion ensemble begged Hopkins to let them walk across and perform (I think it was "Candide," which would certainly come into play for 1985). Really, they begged. "It's right there." So, he shrugged his shoulders and said go ahead. He didn't even go with them. They walked in, performed and won. That was the only time he let anyone do I&E.

Which corps produce and sell them other than the Cadets? I'd buy 'Coats' and Academy's today if they offered them.

From the moment they started 1995 (sop solo), the crowd was SCREAMING all the way through it. 1988's opener was TERRIBLE in Finals...splatting notes, ensemble issues, a loss of communication in spots. In comparison to '95, hardly compelling. "Malaguena" pulled everybody back in (including the 6 judges). I'll say it until I die: they won because 2, 3 & 4 (all within 1 full point) had just enough deficiencies for the Scouts to escape: SCV couldn't blow a single note in tune; BD was nothing but a hot brass line; Garfield co-won the Performance captions but lagged in GE. Now.. Semifinals? Madison was BALLS. Nobody came close!

How can Madison 1995 be underrated? How?? They received---BY FAR---the most applause. Standing ovations throughout. Heck, even Colin Quarterback would have stood! They just couldn't compete with the top 3 visually and in drums (won high brass and SHOULD have won GE Music over the most overrated Cavaliers show ever done). Phantom 1987? HUGE crowd favorite. Less than a point under the (formerly) undefeated SCV in semifinals... they fell apart in Finals and deserved 5th place. Phantom 1993? Crowd favorite. Won GE Visual and feet. More applause for "...Eternal Glory" than Star and Cadets got all night. Both of these Phantom shows were "back-from-the-dead" editions. Certainly not underrated.

1974 (9th), 1975 (3rd). Last month marked their first time in 2nd with no trophies.

I pick BD to go undefeated. It's just part of the flow. Now... here's a poser: since making Finals, when was the last time BD DID NOT WIN a single caption two years in a row?

Looking at the final recap from 1980, SCV's top scores were in Visual Analysis and GE Visual. Their brass and percussion put them squarely in 7th place. Had staging anything to do with it, they cut their own throats.

And in 1990, B. Crocker did say, "In 5th place, we have a tie..."

That terrible announcer (1986-1987) announced the 1987 Star/VK 7th place tie as "a tie for 6th and 7th." He then (correctly) announced Madison in 6th. Ha.

Oh, thanks for the responses, everyone.

1991's show really grew on me. Yes, it's easier to like given the stellar brass. No, "average" is not a correct term here. Look at the recap. They lost POINTS because of percussion.

During BD's 7-year "dry period" of no championships (1987-1993), they went through some really low drum scores, especially 1991-1993. In fact, they finished 9th in drums in 1991 (they placed 5th). Looking at the recap (there were 3 unaveraged drum numbers then), had their drums been at all competitive, they could have won---certainly top 3. That was the second time a VERY low drum score cost them points/placements. In 1981, they finished 2nd by 0.3 but were behind SCV 1.6 in drums. Yipes! The question: who was teaching drums in 1991, and why were drums so bad?

Garfield placed TENTH in the 1972 Prelims. Unfortunately for them, they were given a 1.8 penalty for God knows what. That dropped them to 13th. Youch. They should have worn black then, as they were Friday the 13th. ::bows::

Two of my all-time favorite DCI shows: 1985 (Immanuel and Bells. Wow!) And 1989. Wonderful effect!

The man is a prolific composer. I've never understood why the corps doesn't take full advantage of that and have him write a completely original show. I'm tired of listening to other corps' leavings. The Cadets used to be better than that. JB wrote 2 pieces for 2005 after all... Of course, there's no one to write drum parts. Or drill. Or teach drums. Or brass.

They did average QF and SF scores in 1990 and 1991 to arrive at the Saturday night seeding. (Turns out it was really pointless.) If Finals scores were averaged in like captions, Star won 1993; BD won 2008.

The last three times they lost, BD followed up with undefeated seasons. When Phantom snuck up on them, they followed that up with TWO undefeated seasons. Thanks, Bloo. Your fault. <wink>

Oh, and btw, weren't both drum judges from 2008 Finals Phantom vets? That turned out fairly well for Sparty.

As in Jay Kennedy who used to write for Boston? I know of one WGI judge who teaches non-music at a CA HS. He never judges that HS. Heck, DCI's Artistic Director (an unpaid position) designs uniforms for half the field. And what is CV?

Last night's finale has been muted. No sound. Something about a copyright. What the hell, DCI?!? It's YOUR channel! Anybody have an answer?

Cadets need an overhaul. If I were an alum who regularly threw $ at them, I'd absolutely DEMAND that they restore the Tradition that kept this corps alive for over 80 years. When I realized that last night's score was the lowest since 19-friggin'-82, I thought, Wow. That organization needs a snow globe-like shakeup.

In the past, there were more numbers per caption. In the later "tick" years, build-up analysis was part of the drum/brass scores. Once DCI scrapped the tick system, there were 3 GE numbers and two numbers in Vis/Brass/Perc (Field & Ensemble). In 1988/89, there were three GE numbers and three Performance numbers (V/B/P)---instead of averaging the performance numbers (there was a GE trophy), they added IN GE (not a good way to do it. e.g., SCV won the GE award in 1988. Despite Garfield having CLEARLY the best drumline (both nights), the GE number (already part of a trophy) was added in, thus giving Drums to SCV. (In 1985, BD won drums under a different system...add in GE and Garfield wins it. See? Inconsistent through the years.) Frankly, the John Brazale Visual Award should be the average of Vis Proficiency AND Analysis, like in the old days of Field + Ensemble = Trophy. Now, the Music Analysis Award can't really go with just brass or percussion, as it encompasses both. Maybe a separate award there? "bad judges?" Come on. They have FAR more training than anyone reading this board. Do you honestly think that (I'm picking the biggest variant of the week here) W. Chumley awoke Saturday thinking, "How can I give Guard to BD?" Really? Is Bret Mascaro a "bad judge" for ranking Bloo FIRST in Visual Proficiency? After all, they didn't get that Thur or Fri---and the experts of DCP (in the LOS stands or watching from home) were crabbing about Bloo not being clean. Mascaro has been on the field for over 20 years. The guy knows his stuff. "blatant judge biases?" By whom? I'm sure there are biases in terms of taste and how it relates to the sheets. After Crown smoked BD in Guard Thursday (0.3 is smoking BD this decade), I had two VERY knowledgeable Guard people tell me BD was better (they weren't watching on a computer screen, either). This is why there isn't an 11-person panel solely for Championship week. We are LUCKY to get 33 different opinions in Indy. The bottom line: it's SUBJECTIVE, and we accept that. We have to. What's the alternative? The more negative tick system where each mistake drops a tenth of point? Even during the TICK years, one judge might see a borderline mistake and let it go; the next knocks off that tenth. Ask 1978 Phantom Regiment how THAT worked out for them.