coloradocorp

what years did you march with Miami Vanguard - was it when Filkins was there ?

I have it on a Stet Richmond tape. Not sure if it was generally available on Fleetwood label or whatever.

Les Dips were always a crowd favorite. My frame of reference goes further back to the 60's. If you have a chance to hear a recording of their 63 show at the Preview of Champions in Jersey City - take the time. Execution was far from perfect, but the music book was phenomenal and oh those chords. Their opening Fanfare just moved the stadium back a few feet and the ending fanfare of Firebird - well - it sent chills down your spine it was so good. Color Pre of an original work called Dips Flags was done very well. Add a drill filled with head chop moves, jumps, merry go rounds etc. - it was the total enjoyment package for the fans. The unique bold, colorful unis just put the frosting on top.

Interesting views started off by an erudite editorial. I believe it was mostly on point - not everything - but in general. The activity has always been about the kids, entertaining the fans in the stands who fork over the $$$ and garnering tbe best possible position and point score. Its a different economic reality for today's corps versus that of 20-40 years ago. It is indeed about getting an 'education' for most though I wonder about the grueling road trips and the endless practices. I can only relate to my days in the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School back in 68 and I thought that was tough. Seriously - I can only imagine what it is like on the tour. I remember feeling wigged out back when I competed in the 60's and had to make two 6-8 bus rides to contests over two weekends. Seems to be a growing clamor to return to more entertaining shows though that is hard to define since we all have our preferences. Those of us from the earlier years of corps 50s thru 70s had the pleasure of seeing/presenting some phenomenal shows which got the stands rocking. You don't have to play the top songs from that era - just play the great stuff of today, but in any event stuff that 'rocks'. I saw the thread which caused heat to flow re: the Caballeros Alumni in exh. at Semis. Obviously some don't like Latin rhythms or the 'in your face' blasts of the old brass instruments. Their preference. Interesting to read the reviews of Finals by a few. It would seem that with all the talent on the field and the endless practices, that the performances on the field would be smoother/cleaner and get better reactions from the fans. I saw comments like - sloppy guard, lots on intonation problems, etc. etc. Reviews of corps from years ago - generally speaking - at the top shows - all the corps were entertaining and executed well while the crowds went crazy over most performances. Some of the 'newer' drum corps fans are way too hard on their reviews and the competitors. IMHO - the corps of then had their style and the corps of today have their own. My preference is the sock it to you style of the 60s-70s. I agree with the Poster above that many of the corps 'sound alike' with a few nuances to offset themselves. Years ago - you could always distinguish most corp sounds from another, today so much of the sounds run together. The percussion lines of that era were phenomenal though the books they played then were rudimental versus musical as compared to today's books. The GREAT ONES like Sanford, Thompson, Flowers, Parks, McCormick etc. etc. - oh the books they could create. Hopefully the activity in all its forms - DCA/DCI etc. - finds the middle ground of entertainment and musical perfection that will attract more new members and a much larger audience overall.

TenorTim obviously is a lost soul - sad, but true. What's not to like about one of the all time great corps. He does not have a clue about what entertains. One only needs to listen to the crowd response to know the pulsating, classic style from the golden age of drum corps truly entertains perhaps more than the current mode. It is a matter of preference, but personally I'd rather see the Cabs Almumi than any other corp today. To me its about entertaining music that makes you tap your foot and whistle while driving to work the next day. The talent in corps today at all levels of drum corps is incredible. What a shame it is not being utilized to the best extent possible. The number of corps continues to dwindle and I think at some point, it will swing back once the shows move to a more entertaining style. You don't have to go back just to the 60's style either. The incredible Blue Devil Jazz shows, the rich symphonies of Phantom and SVC and the incredible latin sounds of the Caballeros will entertain very nicely. To TenorTim - God Bless you - you need special attention !

As an alumni of the Golden Age of Drum Corps back in the 60's - I can certainly attest that blaming the judges is a traditional pastime. Drum corp competitions are no different from any other activity involving judges. We see it at every level of competition right up to the world championship levels. Are there judges who perhaps can't separate their preference for particular styles - absolutely. Are their judges who perhaps have something personal against certain corp management or instructors - perhaps - but I think those are in the very small miniority - if indeed any are in today's activity. To the distraught Dad - you've seen the string here strongly advising that its all about the fun and learning experience with the competition results being the add-on. Unfortunately, the scores are visible, acknowldeged ratings of how good you and your corp performed. It is natural for all of us to want to win or get a score we feel we deserve. It does not always work out. As a DC Dad, the best thing you can do is always focus on the positives with your child. Don't dwell on the negatives such as results. That's what my parents did when I was competing. There were lots of shows where I thought we 'were screwed'. Reality was that the other corps performed better - period. I was with a NJ corp which was always right behind BS, Garfield and St Lucy's. I recall one Legion State Championship at Wildwood where we managed somehow to take/tie for top scores in percussion/brass and 2 out of 3 GE categories - yet still finished 4th. Our achilles heal - one M&M judge who pounded us with a 4 point differential from the other judge. It happenned, but you know what - we always had FUN at Wildwood and that's what I still remember and cherish. The experience is what it is all about and it was and still is phenomenal !

Correct on that point. The post show parade was one of the few parades I really enjoyed marching in - especially when passing by those Irish pubs.

Indeed Jersey City's Roosevelt Stadium always seemed to be old and decrepit, but it was one of the bastions of great DC shows. The acoustics were perfect. The Dream was a highlight of every season. But don't forget the Preview of Champions held in May of each year by St Pat's. True it was early season and the corps were still just getting it all together at that point in the season, but they always brought in talent few other shows gathered on the field ( senior/corp combo ) excepting the Dream and the AM Legion. Corps like Les Dips, Cavaliers, Jolly Jesters, Syracuse Brigs, Toronto Optimists usually made their only NY/NJ appearances of the year in the early 60's- late 50's. For those who marched in Jersey in those years, another great venue for shows was the other Roosevelt Stadium in Union City. Small (6-8k) , but the stands were close to the field. Some great shows were held there with the annual July 4th celebration being a highlight of every competition year for the likes of BS, Garfield, St Lucy's St Pat's, SKEK, Woodsiders, Muchachos etc. The show was free admission so they always packed the stands. This site also had one of the closing shows of each year in Sept - the PBA. This one holds a great memory for me as in 64 - we beat BS and Garfield for our only win over those corps - ever. Worst Jersey venue from a marching perspective - Wildwood Field and the NJ AM Legion and VFW shows - it was a test marching on a field which was a mixture of short tough grass and sand - like marching on a beach in spots. Outside of NJ - I concur with one of the posters above re: CNE in Toronto - always a big, appreciative crowd and great acoustics.

Thank you for the feedback. Appreciated. I marched in the 60's and honestly never heard the name of Shranker as a drum judge and we had the pleasure of being judged by just about everyone who was anyone during those years. An 80 tick differential is unbelievable - no wonder the uproar. I don't think any corp on the field that night had 80 percussion errors alone. Certainly this guy must have been a real kook. I recently got the Fleetwood recording from the show and have listened a number of times. Recordings don't tell the whole story, but from my ear - Cabs were hot that night on the brass side, but percussion was easily 4th best - being generous as they were really sloppy on attacks and releases. Soloists were unreal. Sky had some isues as well on percusssion, but certainly not that bad. Hurks were nice and clean. As for the Crusaders - they were sizzling in their percussion set. Snare execution was phenomenal. I recall the late Bobby Thompson telling us at our St pat's drum practice a few days later that he thought the Crusaders line was 'flawless' that night. Obviously Sky got their revenge at DCA. Sorry you guys had to go through that down experience.

The ancient ones are fading away, but by chance is there anyone out there who can answer a few questions about the Rochester Crusaders in 65/66. My best memory of them was their 65 Dream performance in the midst of a wicked lightning storm - they hit their classic finale of Tonight as the lightning flashed all over and the crowd went wild. Their drumline in 65-67 was superb - esp their snare line. Who was the instructor during those years ? When they edged Cabs at 65 Legion and Sky at the 66 Legion - I assume they did that with a nice cushion in drumming at boths shows. If not - what captions put them over these corps at those shows ? I've searched online for recap sheets - but alas no luck. Bill Reid St Pat's Cadets 62-66

Indeed the 60's and early 70s had some great performances which made their way onto Ray Samora's Fleetwood Label. It was Fleetwood and Stet Richmond who were responsible for preserving so many great performances of the past. The 60's were phenomenal for the Seniors. Besides the staples of the Hurks, Sky and Cabs - be sure to give a listen to Reading in 63 and their great rendition of Ballet in Brass. Also give a shot at Les Diplomats of Quebec City which had a powerhouse show in 63 - not all that clean - but boy they could bring the house down in terms of volume and crowd reaction. Of all my old recordings - some 327 performances covering 55-75 - one of my true favorites is a '59 Archie performance at Hershey, Pa captured by Stet Richmond on r-t-r tape. It captures all of the power, superb crowd pleasing repertoires and over the charts crowd reaction. Great example of the 58-65 genre of corps. A benchmark.