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I would certainly love to see their "King and I" again....

Don't know for sure, but I'm guessing that Archie's show that year very well might have been the first full-fledged "theme show" in drum corps history. :thumbs-up:

Fran

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Fran, I'm certain you are correct - first REAL Theme show...

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  • 2 months later...
Fran, I'm certain you are correct - first REAL Theme show...

Always believed that was the very first all theme show. It was played the 57, 58 years . It also may have had the first theatrical costumed DM with Vince Deegan dressed as the "King" , bald head and barefeet as well

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theme shows? yes and no... cabs spanish a theme? I think that we developed a show content that made for good continuity... you could vary the style from tune to tune and still have a pre-scripted continuity...

1. Off the line - necessarilly written and played LOUD because you started so far from the audience

2. production number - you were in the face of the audience and could try something with a little more "flavor" like a show tune

3. color pre - pick it - it was necessary and accepted... after using up all the sousa marches in the 50's corps got more creative... 1965 Cru's "Valiant Years" with "Eternal Father/Navy Hymn" conclusion including Lutkin's "Sevenfold Amen" were a huge success...

4. concert - stand still and let it all hang out... try something a little more difficult as you're not marching

5. production number #2 - again you could look for a little more variety

6. Exit - traditionally a ballad starting out in the audience's face but quickly softening and making an appropriate long period marching away from the audience - once you turned to leave, the parts generally were not screechy and were probably flat out a little easier as you were still being judged to the finish line and this was often - with your lips hanging out the bell - the spot where the ticker could get buried...

7. Final fanfare - loud Ballsondo - judges stopped ticking as soon as you crossed the finish line... couldn't go back on the field so if you wished to get them to their feet... often a recap from something in the show... loud and in your face was just plain NECESSARY...

This stock recipe for a corps show added some sense of continuity and flow - today's shows require much more work and forethought to gain the necessary flow transition and continuity to spell success...

and I will say it till I die - if you HAVE to have a script for your audience (and the judges) to understand your show - you are in big trouble from the git go....

Now don't assume that I think change is bad - right off the bat I can say that much audience enjoyment was lost on the old starting and finish lines... just too darn far away... keeping the entire show in front of the audience makes much more sense... sometimes changes develop for reasons - change is not ALL bad... then there's sometimes change for change sake and that usually stinks...

Tom,

"...pre scripted continuity." VERY well stated, and delineated!

It is difficult for us "old-timers" to read this without heaving a gentle "sigh" of familiarlity and sentimentality.

The visual aspect of this "continuity", from early days thru the '60s, was the familiar movement progression from one end zone to the other, which I always felt, from the perspective of the stands (audience) "read" like the opening and closing of a book, from opening page (Fanfare/OTL), thru the leafing of pages, and development of plot and climax, to the closing of the last page (Exit/Final Fanfare). With all the wondrous development over the Seasons, and into the 21st Century, in DCA and DCI, I still miss that format, and that continuity...

Thanks for the memories, and, talking about memories...

As to the original purpose of Nanci's thread, I LOVED all the Senior Corps Show in '64... BUCs, HURCs, SKY, Interstatesmen, Yankees, et al.

'65 was a personal fav Season for Jr. Corps, Boston, Garfield, BSGK, topped by the Royalairs' Phenom Show and performances..."Bally Hoo", "Alexander's Ragtime", etc., etc.

Theme Show, Theme Style, whatever, it can be hit and/or miss. '69 SKY Show was a blending of entirely disparate styles, from Rock to New Orleans to Classical, that somehow wove together into one of my personal fav Shows, connecting unlike tunes with a performance identity immediately recognizable, so... who coulda know'd?, eh?

(SIGH!)

Bill Moore

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  • 2 weeks later...
Tom,

"...pre scripted continuity." VERY well stated, and delineated!

It is difficult for us "old-timers" to read this without heaving a gentle "sigh" of familiarlity and sentimentality.

The visual aspect of this "continuity", from early days thru the '60s, was the familiar movement progression from one end zone to the other, which I always felt, from the perspective of the stands (audience) "read" like the opening and closing of a book, from opening page (Fanfare/OTL), thru the leafing of pages, and development of plot and climax, to the closing of the last page (Exit/Final Fanfare). With all the wondrous development over the Seasons, and into the 21st Century, in DCA and DCI, I still miss that format, and that continuity...

Thanks for the memories, and, talking about memories...

As to the original purpose of Nanci's thread, I LOVED all the Senior Corps Show in '64... BUCs, HURCs, SKY, Interstatesmen, Yankees, et al.

'65 was a personal fav Season for Jr. Corps, Boston, Garfield, BSGK, topped by the Royalairs' Phenom Show and performances..."Bally Hoo", "Alexander's Ragtime", etc., etc.

Theme Show, Theme Style, whatever, it can be hit and/or miss. '69 SKY Show was a blending of entirely disparate styles, from Rock to New Orleans to Classical, that somehow wove together into one of my personal fav Shows, connecting unlike tunes with a performance identity immediately recognizable, so... who coulda know'd?, eh?

(SIGH!)

Bill Moore

Whatever happend to the days where...

1.) Corps Showed up

2.) Corps took the field

3.) Crowd went wild

4.) Corps played loud

5.) Crowd went more wild

6.) Corps ended show

7.) Crowd went insane

8.) Corps left the field

9.) People in stands screaming to eachother because of the musical shell-shock

Now it is just so much into it...

These days stories were made of of just good old fashioned loud stomach bashing crowd entertaining show where you don't need a 90 page program to explain what's going on? No need for the flash and pazzaz of high school marching band/dance style color guard to add score. Where the music mattered and if you wanted to MARCH in the drum corps, you attached your instrument to your body somehow and marched with it? *Sigh* at least there is still the Alumni!

Edited by Skydrummer9
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Whatever happend to the days where...

1.) Corps Showed up

2.) Corps took the field

3.) Crowd went wild

4.) Corps played loud

5.) Crowd went more wild

6.) Corps ended show

7.) Crowd went insane

8.) Corps left the field

9.) People in stands screaming to eachother because of the musical shell-shock

Now it is just so much into it...

The days stories were made of of just good old fashioned loud stomach bashing crowd entertaining show where you don't need a 90 page program to explain what's going on? No need for the flash and pazzaz of high school marching band/dance style color guard to add score. Where the music mattered and if you wanted to MARCH in the drum corps, you attached your instrument to your body somehow and marched with it? *Sigh* at least there is still the Alumni!

If you really need an old tyme drum corps fix, go to the Forum on April 18 in Harrisburg Pa.. I go every year and I swear the buildings across the street are about 10 feet farther back then they were just before showtime. (I have never been disappointed with the quality of the performances) Once again Dr. Bugleboy says take one Serenade in Brass, but don't call me for several days cause I won't be able to hear you till then anyhow! :tongue:
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I'd love to but I am still stuck here on Camp Lejeune until I can get the leave days approved.... But even then, Unfortunately I won't be anywhere up there until the end of the month. Maybe a couple days after the event. I hope it's a good one.

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The musical performances that have been written / performed by Corps over the years??

Which Corps / year stands out in your mind? And what made it so great in your ears / eyes??

Great thread - I'll always vote for Empire 1993.

Forget the placement, the New Orleans Medley was a show stopper.

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Once again Dr. Bugleboy says take one Serenade in Brass, but don't call me for several days cause I won't be able to hear you till then anyhow! :tongue:

:wow:

Last month at practice, we were talking about the show and looked like this --> :devil:

Then realized we had practice the next day (and a few hours after the breakfast) and looked like --> :devil:

Can just picture it now "Am I playing the right note?" "I don't know, am I playing?"... :worthy:

Right Craig.... I mean RIGHT CRAIG!!

Edited by JimF-3rdBari
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