BayonneBum

Sorry, not as pretty as the Soprano duet. LOL I guess it's a matter of personal taste.

Yes. The 1980 BD Dindi duet is one of the prettiest things I've ever heard in Drum Corp.

Sorry to get off topic here. Hello Mr. Fallon. You can't remember me, but you were the horn instructor for the Bridgemen in the winter of 1978 (for the start of the 1979 season). I was a 15 yr old sop player from the Kidets feeder corp, trying to catch on with the big boys that year, and we all had to play for you. Needless to say, I was more nervous than a hooker in church. I made it, and marched the 1979-1981 seasons. But you were a kindly, cool dude that had us relax. I'll never forget you for that, and hope that I can touch someone the way you touched me. Hopefully I did already. Time is getting short as we get older. LOL By the way, anything that came out of Jim Brady's horn has to be on most top 5 list. Only 2 years in DCI finals (for the most part) and had such an tremendous impact. I loved Jerry Noonan too. Those Ole' solos took a real pair of onions.

Actually, I don't listen much to Pop radio. I usually listen to urban morning radio, and the attendant fluff that is today's R&B. I do subscribe to "Napster to Go" (which I rarely listen to - what a waste of $15 per month). Do you have any suggestions for me? Thanks Jayzer.

Thanks for the encouragement, Brasso. I'm sure that I will reconnect at some point. The activity is too good to ignore, especially if you've been involved at any point in life. And I really do need to expand my horizons. LOL

I do understand. Folks like what they like. However, back in those days, the Bridgemen were the only ones that were doing their "schtick". So other factors had to have been the main reasons they stopped following DC entirely. Plus, they are definitely on the wrong side of history. And though they may not have liked what they saw, they couldn't complaint about the recordings. For me, my complaint is with 80-90% of the performances. And I'm not saying that I refuse to attend shows, or anything like that. I'm not protesting. I would love to, but something else is always competing for my free time. And with even small shows being over 3 hrs. long..... you get the point.

Thanks Mike D. I appreciate reading everything you and all the posters have to say. It really keeps me informed about the activity that has meant so much to me and to all of us. I hope you see that I, and folks that feel as I do (if there are any), are torn. With all the entertainment options available to us today (not to mention the ridiculous work schedules that some of us have to endure), I feel bad that I don't support the activity that I've come to love. But there are only so many hours in a day, and days in a life. Maybe I'll have time in the future to be a more active fan (with all the job loss going on these days, there may be plenty of time to educate myself enough to enjoy this wonderful activity). LOL

Thanks for the reply. I was afraid I didn't make a valid point, even though this is the effect modern DC had on my participation as a fan. But please understand, I'm not against the visuals or the rapid movement. I'm a big 27th Lancer fan, and they were pretty much State of the Art in the early 80's (along with the usual suspects - BD, Santa Clara, Phantom, etc... who all could really march a challenging drill for that era). But I also came away huming English Folk Suite (I think that's the name of their opener in 1980), and Open Wide, etc. Get my drift. Actually, I'm greatly impressed by the ability of the modern performers, both musically and athletically. What is a bit of a turn-off (strong word, but I can't think of an alternative right now) is the lack of identifiable and accessible musical pieces, and the ballet like guard work with all the emoting. Granted, I'm a city kid that's rough around the edges. And in the interest of full disclosure, I see almost no modern shows except the very few times I catch finals on TV. But I can get my family and friends that are not familiar with DC in the least to take a listen to the recordings of the past, and the watch the Legacy DVDs. A few years ago (I think it was DCI's 1st year on ESPN2) I told a few of my co-workers to check out finals. The next day at work, I was almost embarrased. (Harsh, I know. But true). I thought my male co-workers saw me in a different light. LOL But there was little I could take away from the experience, much less so for my co-workers. Someone on this thread lamented the fact that show programs used to detail facts about the modern corps and shows, and things to look for in the shows; a mini education to prepare. My experience is that it's completely necessary. It wasn't always that way. I'm from Bayonne, and the Bridgemen's Tounament of Stars show usually kicked off the DC season for many of the local top corps. I'm sure, but not positive, that quite a few folks that were not DC fans (no friends or family involved in DC) would attend the show and enjoy themselves. I did, before I marched the Bridgemen's feeder corp (the Kidets) and Bridgemen. I snuck in to see the unveiling of the new uniforms in 1976 (like I said, I was a 12 yr old city kid then. My 1st DC show), and really enjoyed all the shows. And it was a big deal for all of Bayonne as far as I could tell (police escort and everything). Point being, I can't imagine 12 yr olds (or most folks that are not "fans") sneaking in to see a Junior DC show now. And if they did, would they attempt to sneak in the next year. LOL Hope I didn't offend, but I'm sure I did. Just trying to be honest.

Please take my opinions with a huge grain of salt. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about the activity as the folk on these forums. In fact, all that I know about modern DC is from this site. All I can relay is my personal relationship with the activity, which started in 1978 and pretty much ended by 1985. Just from a popularity standpoint (I don't know how much can be attributed to DCI), but I think there should be more focus on the music. And more accessible music. The focus now seems to be on the visual, and the music is an afterthought, there only to drive the visual. Which I think is a turn-off for the masses. Drum Corp started to resemble the ballet. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not as popular as other forms of musical entertainment. I regret to say that Drum Corp lost me over the decades, or I was just not able to keep up. I know DCA is an alternative, and plan to become a more involved spectator as my work schedule decreases. I marched in the late 70's and early 80's, and almost every corps played almost complete, identifiable songs (for the most part - if the song was unfamiliar, there was incentive to get a studio recording). Just a few corps, some of them previous champions and some strong contenders, started with the themes rather than the actual (although punctuated) songs. I don't know when this started to change (my guess is around late 80's), but I just couldn't help that my attention turned to other forms of entertainment. Just my opinion.

North Star may have been the 1st competitive corp I've seen. But I'm not sure. So many star corps were there, as usual. It was the 1978 Bayonne Tournament of Stars show, and I was in the feeder corp to the Bridgemen, the Kidets. It was my 1st show seeing and marching (exhibition). I suspect it happened that way for many of us in those days. But 27, North Star, Garfield Cadets, Crossmen, LI Kingsmen were all probably there, as well as others. Being my 1st show, and not really familiar with what other corps were doing (not to mention I was like 13-14 yrs old at the time), I don't remember exactly what I was witness to. But it all sounded so good. Then the Bridgemen introduced their 1978 show. Been brain damaged since. Love that style of DC, from that era. I'm humming or whistling songs from those days up to this day.

You can say that again. Just loved 1978. I just rediscovered "This Masquarade," and it was great. Popular music, songs heard on the radio, done well. Loved North Star.

1978 Bridgemen - Ritual Fire Dance and Sabre Dance. Double WOW!!!!!

I hear ya, Dennis. It probably does require a certain personal quality (fearlessness; arrogance, maybe - like a great ball player??) to be a really good soloist. I don't know, just guessing. But to be center stage at DCI/DCA finals is more than my heart could take, I do know that. I've been away from the activity for too long. I have to get a recording of Jerome's solo work with Bush. I also have to get recordings of your solo work there (I hear you wrote their horn book this year - you are the man). I'll see if I can get both recordings from Artie. See you soon at your place (is it the Art Factory??) I know it's across from the YMCA on Ave. E, so I know where to go. Good luck with all your endeavors. But you really don't need luck. You ozooze success. Peace Man.

What a staff. There is a long history of success with those guys. Congratulations to George and all concerned. Best of luck.

I must add Dennis Argul. You are one of my heros. You were always one of the best horn players that I've ever been around. An absolute beast. The 1980 Bridgemen Bari line was phenomenal. No Bari solos in that show, but you guys were the best section of that horn line, in my opinion. Thunder & Blazes, Big Noise, In the Stone. Nothing was watered down for that bari line, and you were the line sergent, if I remember correctly. Wow. You, Brian Law, and others were the real deal. Just think if Sully (David Sullivan, Bari soloist from the 1978 North Star) played in that bari line instead of the flugel line with the likes of me (because he was late coming on board for the season). Also, imagine if Jerome came up that year (he was new to DC and only played for like 1.5 or 2 years at that point - but he was a real animal also - amazing). Wow, what a horn section. You guys were beast. C Clay