Thoughts and Questions on 1976

[GrewvyG2]

Thanks Boo for saving me the trouble of looking at fromthepressbox again. I've posted these scores a few times through the years showing how drastically scores could change from day to day in the old "tick" days.

For example: Cedar Rapids,Iowa 5 Jun 1976>Cedar Falls,Iowa 6 Jun 1976

Phantom Regiment 62.35>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Phantom Regiment 69.40

Emerald Knights 54.15>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Emerald Knights 53.50

Americanos 41.85>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Americanos 51.45

Colts 41.25>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Colts 39.45

Royal Chevaliers 40.20>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Royal Chevaliers 36.70

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Fox Valley Raiders 49.20

[Rocketman]

For example: Cedar Rapids,Iowa 5 Jun 1976>Cedar Falls,Iowa 6 Jun 1976

Phantom Regiment 62.35>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Phantom Regiment 69.40

Emerald Knights 54.15>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Emerald Knights 53.50

Americanos 41.85>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Americanos 51.45

Colts 41.25>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Colts 39.45

Royal Chevaliers 40.20>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Royal Chevaliers 36.70

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Fox Valley Raiders 49.20

DANG! Royal Chevaliers got a 40.20?

[GGarrett]

...and now you can see why when I say I've had problems with drum corps judging for a looooooong time now, I'm not exaggerating.

[homebilly]

Just finished the top 6 (the rest I'll watch tomorrow).

Blue Devils were smoking! Who was the french horn soloist with Bonnie?

i believe that it was Scott Turret (sp) [sounds like turray]

[CM76]

Thanks Boo for saving me the trouble of looking at fromthepressbox again. I've posted these scores a few times through the years showing how drastically scores could change from day to day in the old "tick" days. It was interesting that some judges found certain ticks all season long that other judges didn't.

Hey dc oldtimer, I guess I never realized how volatile scores were back then. That's probably the reason for the current setup of qrtrs, semis, and finals.

I do know that I always loved Firebird Suite - especially gorgeous how it resonated in the Pontiac Silverdome.

Hey Homebilly - gotta say hey to any of the old Bay Area crowd...

[KeithHall]

Do you think that drum corps in 1976 made a lasting impact on the activity? With Bridgemen changing (somewhat) the playing field. Blue Devils show, IMO really changed how drum corps was presented. Look at present day corps that were at the lower end of their classes...Colts (Colt .45), Blue Knights, Blue Coats, Glassmen.

[tommytimp]

Do you think that drum corps in 1976 made a lasting impact on the activity? With Bridgemen changing (somewhat) the playing field. Blue Devils show, IMO really changed how drum corps was presented. Look at present day corps that were at the lower end of their classes...Colts (Colt .45), Blue Knights, Blue Coats, Glassmen.

I don't see anything particularly innovative in BD's show. Awesome yes, state-of-the-art, absolutely, but there's no game-changing there. There is a "statement game," if you will, to be all college sports about it.

[GGarrett]

I'll only disagree with you a little, Tommy, in that for the time (1976) Blue Devils show did indeed change the drum corps world, and it was amazingly innovative. The changes in and of themselves by todays standards were pretty small ones, but in the way drum corps shows were done back then the delivery was completely different than what had ever been done.

A super controlled show, and the use of "Channel One Suite" all the way through until "Legend of a (the) One Eye'd Sailor" was very innovative. Listen to the Buddy Rich version of Channel One, and then to BD's... even the riffs in the drum solo match up almost exactly. Gone was the straight rudimental-style drum solo: a few ratamaque's followed by some 6 strokes into a few single stroke 16th note triplets and flammed paradiddles, with tenor drummers "answering back" with complimentary rudimental "calls" and bass drum blasts. It was all a smooth roll out of impressive unique playing and focused on sound as well as technical difficulty, with the whole drumline becoming one instrument (so to speak.)

Oh sure, "West Side Story" had been done, and a few other shows with the very beginnings of what are now the normal "theme shows" were here and there. But Blue Devils came out with a new look, a new sound, new drums (North tenors) and a flashy new appeal to drum corps that had never been done. Everyone new for sure we had seen the "turning of the corner" in drum corps after 1976, and the game had indeed changed. In the next three short years - 77, 78 & 79 - drum corps shows would change immensely, and that change was brought about by the Blue Devils innovative 1976 show.

[stoods59]

Geno, how can you mention '76 Blue Devils and have no reference to Bonnie Ott?

[tommytimp]

I'll only disagree with you a little, Tommy, in that for the time (1976) Blue Devils show did indeed change the drum corps world, and it was amazingly innovative. The changes in and of themselves by todays standards were pretty small ones, but in the way drum corps shows were done back then the delivery was completely different than what had ever been done.

A super controlled show, and the use of "Channel One Suite" all the way through until "Legend of a (the) One Eye'd Sailor" was very innovative. Listen to the Buddy Rich version of Channel One, and then to BD's... even the riffs in the drum solo match up almost exactly. Gone was the straight rudimental-style drum solo: a few ratamaque's followed by some 6 strokes into a few single stroke 16th note triplets and flammed paradiddles, with tenor drummers "answering back" with complimentary rudimental "calls" and bass drum blasts. It was all a smooth roll out of impressive unique playing and focused on sound as well as technical difficulty, with the whole drumline becoming one instrument (so to speak.)

Oh sure, "West Side Story" had been done, and a few other shows with the very beginnings of what are now the normal "theme shows" were here and there. But Blue Devils came out with a new look, a new sound, new drums (North tenors) and a flashy new appeal to drum corps that had never been done. Everyone new for sure we had seen the "turning of the corner" in drum corps after 1976, and the game had indeed changed. In the next three short years - 77, 78 & 79 - drum corps shows would change immensely, and that change was brought about by the Blue Devils innovative 1976 show.

Thanks for your analysis, but I don't really see (or hear) it myself. Channel One is awesome, but not, as some suggest, one continuous number that "flows." (I'll just say it's two numbers.). The nuts and bolts of the drum book aside, it sounds like you're saying they were breaking new ground because they played jazz that way. Which, maybe, but they weren't the first jazz corps, and they weren't the first drumline innovators (I'll go SCV and Troopers, and Kilties and Sac even earlier). The "appeal" you refer to is subjective; if you don't like them, it's not there, and therefore there's nothing innovative about it. Again, I say that show doesn't break ground as far as the show on paper, but it does speak to the perception of the 70s corps as a kind of juggernaut, much in the way the 85 Chicago Bears were perceived as a football team-not the best of all time, perhaps, but demolishing opponents in a way that made them look as if they'd been doing it that way, and better than anyone else, for a long time. This, I think, is what Don Angelica meant when he often referred to BD as doing it "better than anyone else." It's just not ground-breaking to me.