Vanguard in the 80's

[supersop]

It wouldn't be out of the question to think that bari player shot up 6-10" over the summer. I did that in 86 and had basically the same problem with my pant legs. Unfortunately, we didn't have anyone on 2nd tour that could fix my pants, so I was stuck in the flood. In the case of SCV, it doesn't really bother me because they are white pants ... and it shows off the foot technique even better. This person wasn't the only one in the hornline wearing floods. Regardless, my all time favorite show, some of the most aggressive marching I've ever seen ........ straight up kick ### drum corps!!!

[madalumni]

Hey Dan - You mentioned earlier that SCV added the pants in the tunnel thing in 86.

Didn't they also do that move in 85? Or are you suggesting that to get better GE they added

it BACK into the show in 86?

[84BDsop]

Hey Dan - You mentioned earlier that SCV added the pants in the tunnel thing in 86.

Didn't they also do that move in 85? Or are you suggesting that to get better GE they added

it BACK into the show in 86?

The "Tunnel O' Doom"and the pants change was first done in 85 -- a number of corps had color changes that year...SCV, Freelancers, and Avante Garde among them.

[SBrancheau]

All the stuff you didn't like DID fit the theme, however, which is what they were going for...it's the OVERALL package that makes the show, not just the visual element by itself.

Sam, I didn't say anything about not fitting the theme. I'm saying all that stuff was not NEEDED. Unnecessary. Cluttered the show. Distracted me. Who knows, if I weren't so obsessed with the STUFF, I might notice how great the rest of it was!

Cadets could have trotted out a whole bunch of props, visuals, etc. Yet, they let the drill and the equipment book provide the picture and color it.

As I said, I'm one in about 10 million who did not like SCV's show. I'm okay with that.

[supersop]

Hey Dan - You mentioned earlier that SCV added the pants in the tunnel thing in 86.

Didn't they also do that move in 85? Or are you suggesting that to get better GE they added

it BACK into the show in 86?

I think it was better done in 86. The speed up section was done more effectively and I think the staging was better. The interlude in 85 was cool with the sops coming out of the tunnel together but I prefer the 86 version better myself.

[Guardguy89]

Sam, I didn't say anything about not fitting the theme. I'm saying all that stuff was not NEEDED. Unnecessary. Cluttered the show. Distracted me. Who knows, if I weren't so obsessed with the STUFF, I might notice how great the rest of it was!

Cadets could have trotted out a whole bunch of props, visuals, etc. Yet, they let the drill and the equipment book provide the picture and color it.

As I said, I'm one in about 10 million who did not like SCV's show. I'm okay with that.

I agree - I liked the show but thought the props and costumes looked kinda cheap. '87 could have stood on it's own - it was so majestic and elegant. I also preferred their '85 show (which had alot less "stuff") than the '86 show. I just thought they went waaaaayyyy overboard with stuff in '86 and it just wasn't needed - except for the tunnel - that was waaayy cool.

later,

Mike

[jbl]

They didn't play Clowns that retreat from what I recall. Whatever it was, it had a sop trio.

You're right we usually didn't play Clowns at retreat, unless we had won the show. If I recall we played the opener usually at retreat that year.

[supersop]

I agree - I liked the show but thought the props and costumes looked kinda cheap. '87 could have stood on it's own - it was so majestic and elegant. I also preferred their '85 show (which had alot less "stuff") than the '86 show. I just thought they went waaaaayyyy overboard with stuff in '86 and it just wasn't needed - except for the tunnel - that was waaayy cool.

later,

Mike

Other than the 4 panel backdrop everything else on the field was the same. They did take it to another level by having the different sections of the hornline wearing different costumes in the first half of the opener ... there was the broom stick magic trick and the addition of the Snow Czar ....... is that all the other stuff you're talking about? Granted, it was a bit more theatrical in certain spots, but I would hardly call it over the top.

[jwscv87]

I agree - I liked the show but thought the props and costumes looked kinda cheap. '87 could have stood on it's own - it was so majestic and elegant. I also preferred their '85 show (which had alot less "stuff") than the '86 show. I just thought they went waaaaayyyy overboard with stuff in '86 and it just wasn't needed - except for the tunnel - that was waaayy cool.

later,

Mike

The spectacle of "stuff" is what those shows were all about in 85-87. The corps was trying something new in terms of creating a visual and musical spectacle and really telling a story. It was clearly going to be divisive, some would love, some would hate, and others would ignore the spectacle and enjoy the underlying drum corps. I loved, absolutely loved, our shows musically but could take or leave some of the visual content. However, I tend to think of 85-87 as the sandbox that laid the foundation for some really outstanding designs that followed over the next four years (Phantom, Carmen, Miss Saigon).

[jwscv87]

Where's the phasing? I'm currently cranking this one in my car and haven't heard it...unless you're referring to a bad contra attack about 2/3 through.

Now the feet....during the ballad there was that one section from the backfield camera that was just God Awful....MASSIVE feet phasing, and something that could easily be seen from the GE box....I've always felt that was a factor (that and the HORRIDLY out of tune sop or mello at the very end...VERY flat on the audio)

Yep - there was no significant phasing in the opener, it was rock solid. However, that phasing in Lullaby was more than just feet. It was horrible out on the field; much, much worse than what you can actually hear on the recordings. We had not experienced anything like that all year.