Thank You 2009 SCV

[Jeff Ream]

The good news is... this is classic drum corps. The bad news is... this is classic drum corps.

having seen the Cadets already...i can tell you if you throw enough of the old in, and make the new good, it all balances out.

if you dont believe me look at Phantom last year

[brassmeaway]

Aside from whether or not they can pull it off, I am BEYOND pleased with SCV doing Ballet for Martha so straightforward.

This show makes it very easy to appreciate drum corps for what it is. Don't get me wrong, I like a good "thinking" show every once in a while, but there's usually not much of a spectrum (don't over-analyze that word, I know each show is different).

To me, how they treat the music, their nuance and the specific touches they added make it stand out on its own accord; regardless of how similar the arrangement is to '87 Garfield. The show is the same, but the show is different. Not many of the shows this early let me grab onto and enjoy completely, but this show does.

We usually get so tired of remakes and songs that are commonly done, except when they're done well. This is one of those rare times.

I think I've gone on enough about this. I only just watched it on Fan Network and I simply felt different about how I was enjoying a show I thought was going to be mundane or too different.

Kudos to the entire SCV team, members especially.

[Lance]

Kieren, I don't think you're starting a flame war, and really, this is all about taste. I'm not talking in any way about how much or how little of the original piece each corps plays, I'm talking about faithfulness of what they play to the original.

I love that Cadets show. It doesn't sound much like the original to me, mostly because the arrangement doesn't reflect the original orchestration, though it works really well for the field. The whole intro to the Cadets show isn't even part of the original. It's a nice take on its themes, though. The Cadets version does a lot of jumping around with octaves in the middle of phrases in the melodic line that SCV avoids (I'm really thankful for that). It's nice to hear several minutes where the melodic lines that bounce between string choir voices in the original are reflected in the way the brass choir voices bounce it off each other in this SCV arrangement. The Cadets added a lot of frills and corny stuff that worked for the show, but had nothing to do with the original.

Interestingly, I find a lot of the same to be true of The Cadets' older version of Short Ride in a Fast Machine and SCV's newer version. I'm not saying one is better than the other on the field, I'm just saying I can listen to both versions and hear a clear difference in which one actually sounds like the original.

[NakedEye]

I've been seeing this argument a lot lately (that SCV did AP before Cadets), and while that is fact...what is the first corps that comes to mind when you say:

Malaguena?

Was it Scouts? And yet, according to corpsreps, the Cambridge Caballeros were the first to do it.

New World Symphony?

Most people would say Phantom, but a whole lot of corps did it before Phantom.

SCV may have done Appalachian Spring, but Cadets OWNED that piece (and i mean that in the current version of the word, not in the "No one else should ever do it" version).

What I don't get is how 87 Cadets "barely even sounded like App Spring." I have a recording of the original...and it sounds pretty darned faithful to me. Maybe I'm not listening in the right places.

Yeah, I don't quite get this argument either. Didn't SCV just play sections of AS in conjunction with other pieces in those prior years? They never did a complete show based on it, like '87 Cadets. So, unquestionably they used it before Cadets, but that '87 show was something incredibly special. Aside from a few drum corps power moments they threw in, it really was all about subtlety and the continuous flow of that amazing drill, right down to the soft exit at the end. It is not so much about who did what when, but who maximized it to the point that is remembered as a signature show.

That performance introduced me to AS, which, when I heard the original, instantly became my favorite piece of music of all time - an attachment that has never wavered all these years later. It is my "special" music that I pull out when I need a boost or inspiration. When I heard SCV was doing it my first reaction was "YAY...ohhhhhh." Happy about it, but...it just has so many memories attached to it. Watching the clips, I couldn't not see the Zingali drill all over it instead of what they were doing, so it is hard to get an unbiased read on it. However, their approach seems to be lovely.

I'm hopeful that it will introduce many of a younger generation to the original piece in same manner that Garfield did for me. Nothing but good can come of that.

Now, about the '87 version not even sounding like AS? Huh? I remember there was a special feature in that broadcast where Charles Webb (?) the music dean from IU spoke directly about how Cadets had stayed so true to the original piece, and as an example they overlaid an original recording on top of the drill and then faded the Cadets version back in to show how close it was. I think they did mix some elements of the complete ballet with the "suite" version that more people are familiar with and punched a few chords, but given the limitations of 2-valve bugles and less sophisticated pit percussion, I thought it was awfully close. If they didn't get it note for note, more importantly, they expertly captured the essence and feel of the piece, with the rising and falling tension and climaxes. Perhaps more than anything else, it is what makes the piece so unique, and I'm really glad to see that SCV has realized and keyed in on that as well. There is so much that can be done with those moments.

[NR_Ohiobando]

This show grows on me more and more every time I watch it.

The first viewing I couldn't stop thinking Garfield 87.

After a few more I thought the music was the best thing I've heard in years, but the drill needed to be more exciting.

Now I'm convinced this is the absolute best show I've seen out of the past 5-6 years I've been following drum corps and I wouldn't change a thing (not even the drill).

The best part is that the show will actually end up changing and getting BETTER for the end of the season!

[jwscv87]

I've been seeing this argument a lot lately (that SCV did AP before Cadets), and while that is fact...what is the first corps that comes to mind when you say:

Malaguena?

Was it Scouts? And yet, according to corpsreps, the Cambridge Caballeros were the first to do it.

Malaguena? I think of Muchachos!

This whole idea that the Cadets "owned" Appalachain Spring and therefore folks just can't possibly see the SCV show as a great show in its own right is just balogna. It shows a complete lack of imagination. The Cadets were great in 1987 and that show is widely held as one of the best, but the idea that people can't enjoy another corps playing the same material is ludicrous. The idea that SCV played the music before is entirely legitimate. That piece held a special place in the heart of nearly every SCV alum. Whether an entire show or simply a closer was based upon it is irreleveant. The corps played it and they played it beautifully with a high level of competitive success.

When I marched we would occassionally sing Simple Gifts on our way into the stadium from warmups. Regardless of who played it before or after it is special to SCV. People need to get over this idea that any single corps owns any music - figuratively or literally (unless it is original).

[SCV84]

Malaguena? I think of Muchachos!

This whole idea that the Cadets "owned" Appalachain Spring and therefore folks just can't possibly see the SCV show as a great show in its own right is just balogna. It shows a complete lack of imagination. The Cadets were great in 1987 and that show is widely held as one of the best, but the idea that people can't enjoy another corps playing the same material is ludicrous. The idea that SCV played the music before is entirely legitimate. That piece held a special place in the heart of nearly every SCV alum. Whether an entire show or simply a closer was based upon it is irreleveant. The corps played it and they played it beautifully with a high level of competitive success.

When I marched we would occassionally sing Simple Gifts on our way into the stadium from warmups. Regardless of who played it before or after it is special to SCV. People need to get over this idea that any single corps owns any music - figuratively or literally (unless it is original).

Thank you.

Who you associate with that music is probably entirely based on your age and experience. When I watched it at finals in '87 I remember thinking how could Garfield have the audacity to play a piece made so famous by SCV? And then my older corps friends all told me to chill and realize that everyone plays everyone's music. I should probably go back and watch '87 Cadets though, as I have no memory of the show and there seems to be a lot of praise for it. All I remember is being astounded that it beat SCV that year...

[Bob J]

I haven't seen the show yet, and althought the past few years SCVs drill has wowed me I ask this: Was anyone "wowed" by Phantom Regiment's drill last year? Or was it just the perfect drill for that show?

Could Vanguard have come up with this years "Sparticus" by taking music drum corps fans love, a fitting drill that can be cleaned, and a show design that can be dressed up as the season goes on and be unmistakably Vanguard?

Just reading about peoples reactions is giving me goosebumps! To think that a week ago people were talking about some phone video that appeared on the web and how bad they sounded and writing this corps off...

[Tom Brace]

when did this writer write the drill?

1985

[audiodb]

I'm replying to my own post very quickly here. I just watched the show again on fan network and I found myself saying, "heck yeah, they can!" This may not be the most physically demanding visual show, but THIS show is BEAUTIFUL!

Thank you SCV for giving me the tingles! I love you more today than I did before.

You are not going to like it for long.

SCV is using the synthesizer as a surrogate bass voice throughout the show, an octave below the tuba range. Judging from your comments on Spirit, I suspect you'll find this equally disappointing.

You would not have noticed this on the Fan Network video because the video mics up at the top of the bleachers didn't really capture that sound. The APDs, however, were recorded with separate field audio mics, and will give a much better perspective on those sounds when they become available tomorrow.