tommytimp Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Didn't a bunch of corps do theme type shows in the early 70s? Garfield did No More War, Cavaliers did the circus show, Madison did Alice in Wonderland... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Garfield in 1971 did a Revolutionary War-themed show. Their "No More War" show was 1972, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 First one off the top of my head: 1981 Phantom Regiment - "Spartacus" Themed shows didn't really become the trend until the mid-late 1980s, so if that wasn't the first it's at least early in the trend. There were a fair number of theme shows quite a few years before Spartacus, or at least shows that flirted with the theme/story-telling concept. Madison's Alice in Wonderland, Blessed Sacrament's "King and I", Des Plaines Vanguard and St. Rita's Brassmen "West Side Story" and Garfield's "No More War" show, all from the early 70's, come to mind. I'd be willing to bet that folks whose experience goes back before mine could probably even cite examples going back to the late 50's/early 60's. By the early 80's music and visual design had evolved to the point where Phantom could field a more ambitiously thematic, "narrative" program, so to speak. But there were lots of earlier attempts, many of them stretching the stylistic conventions of their respective eras. Peace, Fred O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldskl3rings Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) There were a fair number of theme shows quite a few years before Spartacus, or at least shows that flirted with the theme/story-telling concept. Madison's Alice in Wonderland, Blessed Sacrament's "King and I", Des Plaines Vanguard and St. Rita's Brassmen "West Side Story" and Garfield's "No More War" show, all from the early 70's, come to mind. I'd be willing to bet that folks whose experience goes back before mine could probably even cite examples going back to the late 50's/early 60's. By the early 80's music and visual design had evolved to the point where Phantom could field a more ambitiously thematic, "narrative" program, so to speak. But there were lots of earlier attempts, many of them stretching the stylistic conventions of their respective eras. Peace, Fred O. I believe the title of the Scouts show was, Scouts in Fantasyland. OTL was March of the Toys and the closer was Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, with Alice in-between. It was truly a concept show and was way ahead of its time. If you are a friend of the Scouts on FB they just posted a video of the show a couple of days ago. Edited February 11, 2011 by oldskl3rings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecoats88 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 WDCHOF INDUCTED 1981 JACK BULLOCK Jack Bullock is known for his innovations in bugle instruction and arranging, mainly with the Geneva Appleknockers in upstate New York. In the 1950s, he was one of the first to create jazz-styled horn arrangements. He also made performing a year-round activity, scheduling sit-down stage concerts during the winter months. For many winters, the Appleknockers attracted more members for the winter schedule of performances than for summer parades and field shows. He was instrumental in working with Whaley Royce and Co. manufacturers of Toronto, Canada in introducing the first contra-bass bugle, almost 10 years before the over-the-shoulder model became common. The Whaley Royce design produced the proper sound, but the horn was the conventional bugle shape. The weight of the instrument made it too heavy and cumbersome to manage while marching, and it was used only briefly by the Appleknockers. He had joined the Geneva Appleknockers senior drum and bugle corps as a bugler in the spring of 1948. In 1951, he was drafted into the United States Army, serving for two years. He rejoined the Appleknockers, serving as a bugler, arranger and instructor intermittently through the 1960s. When the Appleknockers ceased operations, he became arranger and instructor for a number of corps in western New York, including Geneva Junior Appleknockers, Auburn Purple Lancers and Rochester Crusaders. He was a well-known arranger and instrumental clinician with Warner Bros. Music, in Miami, FL for many years following his drum corps career. Thanks for the info, so they were the first before the shoulder version, but I think VK was the first with the shoulder version. I know I had heard that somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 69 St. Lucy's played turn around look at me. don't know if the is a rock song but was a top 40 of the day. If not how about the Beatles Eleanor Rigby Blessed Sac plus a number of corps in 1970. Don't forget St. Lucy's covering the one-hit-wonder Lemon Pipers' "Green Tambourine" - 1969, I think. Fred O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 "Firsts" First corps "OTL" at 1972 DCI Prelims was the Hawthorne Muchachos. First "Marching Tymps": 1967, Boston Crusaders. They were actually bass drums cobbled together and carried/played by Tony Smith. Another "Shellmer" inovation. Elphaba WWW Innovative, absolutely. But they weren't timpani, just horizontally mounted single-headed bass drums. Anyone know who was first to put actual kettledrums on the field? By 1971 or so they were becoming relatively commonplace. Gotta be a few years before that, no? Fred O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornsUp Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Anyone know who was first to put actual kettledrums on the field? The Ludwig fiberglass machine marching tymps first appeared in the summer of '68. In the Midwest, DP Vanguard brought out a set and RAs and the Kilties followed suit. Out East, Boston led the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay B Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 The Chicago Royal-Airs played the Paul Anka hit song "Diana" for a number of years in the very early 1960's. Although in 1965 we were the first and only drum corps to ever win the Triple crown of the drum corps nationals (CYO, VFW & American Legion) in the same year we didn't have a Contra Bass to march with until 1966. In 1967 we marched with 59 players in the horn line. We were the first corps to start using various multi-pitched base drums in 1966 and we marched with tympani's in 1968. I think you are right about RA introducing multi-pitched bass drums, but wasn't it 65? I know that the Cavies used them in 66. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BariBrian Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Didn't the Argone Rebels play a series of songs from Jesus Christ Superstar in 71? That would be considered a theme as well, yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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