Fran Haring Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) Steel City Ambassadors, Bushwackers, Sunrisers Ect. brought new dimensions to DCA in the mid 80s they all upped the level of difficulty and excellence. In that regard, I'd extend the Bucs'and Sunrisers' influence back to the late 1960s, through the 70s and into the 80s. Just a few examples, Sun's "Procession of the Nobles" and "An American in Paris".....Bucs' "Oracle Speaks" and "Requiem" by Verdi..... both corps were playing some wicked stuff back in the day, and at times paying the price on the scoresheets as a result. Fran Edited May 27, 2009 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsksun4 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Les Diplomates. They did a rotating box drill move in the 60's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 and that was the first rotating box in drum corps - jr or sr we all wanted to run down on the field and ask "how did you teach that" now - it's a basic maneuver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereese Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Les Diplomates. They did a rotating box drill move in the 60's. with a headchopper OTL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Jeff's comment about these corps not always winning is most appropriate... often someone thinking outside the box made it difficult to win because the traditional judging techniques may not have caught up with the innovation... Brigadiers became known in the fifties as "always the bridesmaid - never the bride" - they rarely won a show but came in second more than any other corps... the reason? The judges did not know how to read the drills under the tick system and they were effectively penalized for being innovative. And back then, the sheets were 90/10 sheets... 10% effect which Brigs usually dominated... and 90% execution under the tick system where judges had no idea how to read such things as expanding curvilinear intervals and such... In almost anything in life - being out front as the innovative trendsetter - was not always the most lucrative place to be... you lost while the rest of the world caught up with you! So, Brigs are my corps of the fifties with honorable mention to Skokie Indians... I'm not ignoring Cabs or saying they didn't deserve to win - just staying on topic. My 60's corps - I have to go close to home... 1965 Grey Knight Post Crusaders - showed drum corps that bigger could be better and even overpowering... We were a dominant corps - kind of like the General Patton of drum corps... nothing subtle - aways in your face... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 exactly Tom. sometimes something so out of the ordinary comes out...and people dont know how to judge it. at times fans dont even know what to think of it but the impact is felt in time, and wow. i will say that for a few years, DCA was kind of stagnant, and the Evil team, came in, blew the house down....and since then, in general DCA finals has become more entertaining top to bottom, even with the diverse offerings we the fans get. but it wasnt just the volume......it was where they came from. yes we had Heatwave and CV travelling before Lee and crew invaded.....but look at the DCA growth around the country since the Renegades came in. if a Cali team could do it, a team from anywhere could do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 exactly Tom. sometimes something so out of the ordinary comes out...and people dont know how to judge it. at times fans dont even know what to think of itbut the impact is felt in time, and wow. i will say that for a few years, DCA was kind of stagnant, and the Evil team, came in, blew the house down....and since then, in general DCA finals has become more entertaining top to bottom, even with the diverse offerings we the fans get. but it wasnt just the volume......it was where they came from. yes we had Heatwave and CV travelling before Lee and crew invaded.....but look at the DCA growth around the country since the Renegades came in. if a Cali team could do it, a team from anywhere could do it. ... and who could forget the white pigeons on the field! That's innovation. I'm sorry, one of the most entertaining moments I ever had watching drum corps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 changed the tide for the popularity of drum corps?I guess this could be a few corps. I would guess that Hawthorne would have to be up there, but what corps really made drum corps popular? Maybe Tom Peashey or some of the "more mature" drum corps guys or girls could give us a handle on this. Not that drum corps has ever been all that popular beyond our little world, but I think the senior corps that did more than any other would be the Cabs. In fact, when I was in HS from 68-71 they were the ONLY corps my non-corps friends knew about, thanks to the many NFL 1/2-times they performed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelsop Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Les Diplomates. They did a rotating box drill move in the 60's. i was with the Pittsburgh Rockets in Hershey in 63 and will never forget that revolving triangle by the Dips. i was amazed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelsop Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 50's Brigadiers - the music of the Gabriel brothers and Brad Longdo combined with Bobby Thompson's percussion dominance and the innovative mind of Vinnie Ratford on drill... changed drum corps forever... creativity wise...imagine - these were the first drills to break squads and deal with curves - even circles... not just company fronts and waterfalls and squads of three rotating... Vinnie Ratford was our drill arranger(Pittsburgh Rockets) in 60, 61. we started out the season with half of the corps in white blouses and halfof the corps in red blouses. the guard had blue blouses so we could make up an american flag during the color presentation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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