supersop

WOW... I was only off by 31 years. Must have been a drum corps urban legend I've believed all these years.....

To me .. that falls under the props comment in my post. 1st year after velcro was invented .. and yes it was an awesome effect.

So much to say about 86 ... but I think I'll try a different angle. Since the massive shift in design demand caused by Garfield from 82-85 .... Other corps were playing catch up visually .. but were also innovating in other areas that most don't give them credit for. If they weren't innovating they were just #### good in specific areas of the corps, but maybe not "overall". VK battery was playing some tasty notes. Probably the most interesting book on the field that year.... FIGHT ME! PR was still doing 1981 drill, but actually had a couple of blind backward marching moves. The all french horn mid-voice was SPECTACULAR! Sky Ryders taught us all how to tell a story .... and still keep it drum corps. Very innovative. Spirit's color guard was a good 5 years ahead of the rest of the world. They were incredible!!!! The 86 book reminds me a lot of 94 Cadets ... go figure. Suncoast had an incredible brass and bass section. They marched pretty darn good too. Battery book in the drum solo was very unique (they definitely had their own sound). Cavies visual program ... Brubaker was answering Zingali. His own way. This was the only corps keeping some kind of pace with Garfield visually. Battery tuning was gorgeous (I MISS THIS SOUND) SCV was pushing boundaries with the props/magic tricks. Great in every segment of the corps... and was my personal favorite for at least 10 years after the fact. BD - I hated ... until I grew up and started to understand JAZZ. So clean. So Powerful. An exquisite execution of a superb vehicle. Troopers made me very nostalgic. HOW? I was only 15. But they made me proud of the activity and my country. But their poor horns were beat to hell from smashing on the belt buckles going to parade rest. Loud and intimidating .. but I cried for those bugles. Garfield .. 13 guard - 84 horns ... limit 128 members. Yeah, Innovative. The first 2/3 of that show was championship worthy. My personal favorite 8 minutes of drum corps that summer. Star = Jim Prime brass book (OMGAHHHH) + Guard wigs and black lipstick + the first 16 contra feature EVER. Brass was flexing. The rest needed help. Madison had a pretty cool show. Opening move - Highest soloist notes to date - Starlight Express - Harlem Suite was a stone cold killer. If I tried to stay any more positive than that ... I might implode. I spent most of the summer touring with Troopers, Star, Madison, Cavies, Marion Cadets, Coachmen, Bandettes, PR, Bluecoats, Glassmen, Dutch Boy, Geneseo Knights, Railmen and the rest of the Midwest Gang. Other corps that impressed me specifically ... Loved Dutch Boy's show (it was just fun as hell), Les Eclipses were so French Canadian and slick I swore they were smoking on the field... GREAT CORPS!,

I think it went something like ...... If you're flying around back there and no judges are around, what are you going to write? ANYTHING I WANT!!!!!!!

I think when people complain about Bb/F horns sound compared to G bugles ...... and then the current generation gets offended and says "intonation, tone quality, etc etc" ..... I look to this 8th place corps barely breaking 90 pts ... and they prove my case for Bugles. Yes, they have a balance issue. That low brass is crazy powerful. But crisp, clear, in tune, ballsy, dark when needed and project for days. I believe that's 66 or 67 brass. Who cares what's better?!? They're both great. I think it comes down to the activities identity being lost more than anything. (for old timers) I hope some day everyone can stop getting offended and just appreciate what we had .. and what we have. After this pandemic is over with .... I just hope we have SOMETHING to still appreciate.

Veggie Oil and sugar. And Nicotine.

i've finally decided to use this thread ... as it was intended. I need encouragement. 13 days ago ... I quit smoking. First I started using a patch and vaping to get by. Now I'm just vaping. I want to wind down to where I'm not putting Nicotine in my body at all. I Lost my challenge twice so far. I bought a pack on day 3. Smoked them all in 24 hours. I bought another pack on day 8 ... took me 3 days to get rid of them. I'm craving the real thing really bad ............................................................ Need some encouragement!

Speaking of BD's horn line in 88 .... that's one of the quietest POWERFUL lines ever. They were super in tune. I never heard them play FFF all summer. But they were louder than most lines out there because of the intonation and overtones. 87 by comparison .. those dudes and dudettes were loud AF ... constantly on the edge of being out of control ... but exciting. 88 is just ...... #### good. Still a top 10 all time horn line.

PR dropped 2 spots in the first 30 seconds of the show. That double tonguing passage hadn't been dirty all year. 1 week prior, it was so clean that it sounded like a jackhammer. Once that first passage imploded ... it was all over with. A great corps that had a tremendous winter .. moved up from 10th in 1986 to 5th and what could have been one of the most improved placements in DCI history had they finished in 3rd. Madison was Madison. This was still a variety format. Programming didn't become a great strength for this corps until around 91-92. Star made me scratch my head ... a TON. But that horn line and Jimmer's arrangements ... it was undeniable the direction that portion of the program was headed. VK's magical mystery tour was a design triumph for the corps. It was campy and hilarious without being cheesy nor forced. Flat out Entertaining! The Southern corps took a big step backward this year. Still very enjoyable and entertaining. Spirit felt young and not as tight as I was used to. SCS felt kind of dry. Bluecoats took a firm step into the top 12. They were just trying to be themselves and not pushing for something they weren't yet capable of. I appreciate that. They had good soloists .. a solid drum line ... and better marching that people gave them credit for. Sky Ryders I absolutely loved this show. They were the original storytellers of DCI. They did it with a style and grace that didn't require anything more than the rules required at that time. The PUSH on their knees .. the Angel Wing silks ... the multi colored corps uniforms... unique shako ... and that closer ... WOW!! I miss this corps.

I often tell myself that 88 was my favorite year in DCI, with the most solid top 12 I've ever seen. BUT .... 87's top 3 always tugs at my heart strings. Garfield's show was so special. The coordination from top to bottom is masterful. This show had zero musical breaks, a visual package that couldn't be touched (and only 2 block forms in the entire show) and packed full of total GE. Brass could have been better. Guard book could have been better. Percussion (obviously) top notch and Visual was from another planet (I miss your genius George Z.). SCV's placement broke my heart, AGAIN. They exuded such class. It was more of an old school show. VERY powerful. CLEAN ... great brass ... stellar drum line. Very good guard. I love the music selections. I loved their marching technique and the overall look of the corps that year is how I wish SCV would always look. Either corps winning .. I would have been happy. Seeing either corps not win was just painful.... but especially so for SCV. Cavies moved up to where they should have been based on their start to the season. An extremely tough brass book. Loved the tuning in that drum line. Strong guard and Stellar visual package (TY and we miss you Steve Brubaker). This show felt a touch more aggressive than what Cavies had shown since way before my time ... and this type of aggression wouldn't come out again until 1992. I loved that aspect of the corps. BD was pretty loose this year. The execution levels were down a notch .. but the writing was there. Exciting show ..... and a horn line that walked the razors edge of controlled chaos. This corps really had a lot of swagger and they weren't afraid to show it.

I guess I'm not allowed to do a full post on this thread. ERROR 500 internal server issues

Most corps have 4 or 5 marimba players. Parts are often split like a 1st, 2nd and 3rd trumpet part. They also use different hardness of mallets in different ranges to get a richer sound. Each player having their own responsibilities. Also it's drum corps. We don't have 3 trumpets, 2 mellos, 2 baris, 1 euph and 1 tuba on the field. Do we? More players with identical technique and musicality shows skill ... and creates a more impressive sound.

The solution is actually MATH. All corps use a laptop on the field now anyway. Preprogram the show tempos, hire a mathematician to write an algorithm for proper time delay to the ear pieces based on the pulse focal point ..... done. Keep the speakers on the 35's back sideline and you're covered. This could be extended to every member having an earpiece with the tempo delay based on ping delay. Yes it sounds complicated .. but people who do this for a living would find it extremely simple.

It's ok Kevin. I was just being schmartz....

Honestly, I'm shocked this hasn't happened yet. YES, you want them up front for the visual aspect of their playing. BUT, from an ensemble standpoint ... and balancing the amps ... put them in the back. It would eliminate timing issues as well. Put a met in the pits ear (preprogrammed) and let 'em rip. AND!!! No more generator noise!!!!!!