bighud1 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Hey guys, Scott Johnson does not write the drum book, that would be Dave Glyde. Also don't quote me on this but I don't believe that Wayne writes most of the horn book anymore, that would also be Dave Glyde. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I call it as i see it. BD's music last year was excellently performed crap, and most fans agreed. If I had not been around corps for 40 years and a band director for 30+, I might agree with you and "most fans". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Downey: "Too much melody? Isnt' that what Dan was #####ing about? Big long music moments, complete phrases? I mean the whining was deafening. I guess the veritable Ott avalanche we've had here is not enough, huh?" What is a "big long moment"? Actually, your oxymoron is symptomatic of an issue some people may still have. BD's book still devotes a lot of time to breaking music into 10-second segments, and reassembling them in a different order. It's not as pervasive as last year, though, so that is appreciated. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) The OP topic is confusing to me. Elevator music is a way of arranging songs to make them bland. You can't say that Bacharach is elevator music, although it certainly can be arranged and performed as such, as could the music Crown, Crossmen, Cavies, Boston, Madison, Bluecoats, and Phantom are playing this year among others. I think Bacharach is an inspired choice for BD. After being bored by BD 2009 and very unhappy with (the second half of) BD 2010, I was really excited about this show and the musical lineup. Having seen it at the theater and on Fan Network, I like the show a lot, but I'm a little let down on the details. Visually, the cubes are great, but the rest of the props until the very last set just feel like a distraction to me. As for the arrangements, obviously from a textural point of view they are just luscious and BD plays the hell out of it. But I don't really understand why they are chopped up in the way they are. The major musical quality that pop music like Bacharach has over most forms of music is the ability to develop from an intro to a killer chorus in just a minute or two. Perfect for drum corps! Just look at Bluecoats' opener. But for example, you take a well known song with a really well composed opening-verse to chorus sequence like Say a Little Prayer and then you play a couple of variations on the chorus, then throw to a solo for half a verse, then back to the chorus in half time. What? In the same amount of time you could have done the same variations in a way that was truer to the original song and in my opinion more effective musically. I'm sure it's totally intentional and I'm sure there are great artistic reasons for how it's cut and pasted that someone can opine on. I'm sure challenging the audiences expectations about the well-known material is part of the purpose. But in some ways it feels like an attempt to get some hits in from well-known material without having to spend the time to develop it correctly. Chorus! Chorus-variation! Okay, throw in that verse of development just so we can get it over with. Wait, that's boring, don't finish it out--one more chorus variation! So is it cheap or is it so artistic I'm just too dumb to appreciate it? Well, either way, I don't like the show as much as I hoped I would, but I still like it, and I can't wait to see it live next weekend. Edit: now that I typed this up I see audiodb made my point more generally and concisely: BD's book still devotes a lot of time to breaking music into 10-second segments, and reassembling them in a different order. It's not as pervasive as last year, though, so that is appreciated. Pretty much. Though last year they did have a relatively extended segment of "Laura" that I just adore, that developed the song pretty faithfully, and then right when it was hitting its climax, things started going downhill. Edited July 11, 2011 by skywhopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxingfred Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 How dare you insult my music like that! -Annunzio Paolo Mantovani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Tanji Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) Just for reference, here is the original Summer of '77. Edited July 11, 2011 by BDUFLS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman1084 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I have "strongly disliked" (prefer to not use the word hate) the Blue Devils' shows for a very long time now. I can't stop listening to/watching this show. The last third or so isn't really connecting with me right now, but this show, at least to me, is like watching a masterpiece compared to the past few years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan9 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 What is a "big long moment"? Actually, your oxymoron is symptomatic of an issue some people may still have. BD's book still devotes a lot of time to breaking music into 10-second segments, and reassembling them in a different order. It's not as pervasive as last year, though, so that is appreciated. At the risk of being serious (as opposed to my clearly tongue in cheek original post), your observations of "BD's book" belies the intent of the designers (IMO). BD is the definition of holistic design. Every part of the fabric visually and muscially is tied together like a soundtrack to a movie. Imagine certain emotional moments in the great movies (Dr Zhivago, Star Wars, Bridge over the river Kwai, even Jaws) without the musical renderings that framed the scenes.....just not complete. So when these longtime friends and collaborators at BD begin to put a design on the field, my guess is that they often finish each other's sentences. From this environment comes a musical and visual story. Not everyone sees it, but the story is there. It doesn't need explanation, you either get it or you don't. As I have said previously, if you went to see Count Basie and John Coltrane was also playing with his group, some would be put off by what they heard.....some would think Basie was too pop (a term not used then) and others would think Coltrane was the musical satan incarnate. When in reality, it's just different tastes. 10 second segments is your's and others description, valid to you but not the way many others see it. BD's 2010 show (and some of 2009) was designed to be an emotional rollercoaster, setting you up for the expected....and then dropping away or going in another direction. The visuals on the field were doing the same thing, reflections of BD past pulled through a worm hole. This year's book is just what you hear (and see).....no one is going to pull the football away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Tanji Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Some musical genres lend themselves better to drum corps than others. Popular music tends to be highly repetitive, which does not work well for drum corps shows. So in my mind it is a greater challenge to adapt popular music to drum corps than more composed music such as classical or big band jazz pieces. Unless you put a lot of creative effort into it, a pop show is going to sound very bland. And if everyone just sticks to what is easy to produce, shows will become very homogeneous from corps to corps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajwdad Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) I call it as i see it. BD's music last year was excellently performed crap, and most fans agreed. Alex, You presume a lot when speaking for most fans. I disagree with you entirely. But more importantly, your argument is petulant. Recognizing whining is very easy, but still the whining gets annoying. But, you remind me of a politician that does not have an answer, so refers abstractly to "most" people or most of my constituents. Take it up a level... Edited July 11, 2011 by ajwdad 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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