DrinkinOuttaCups Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Today's uniforms don't even compare to these monstrosities: 1988-89 Spirit of Atlanta 1985 Argonauts Any others? '93 Glassmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertBAC Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 1996 Magic of Orlando? When did they have the big furry purple unis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralTsoChicken Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Anyone remember all the crap Phantom Regiment got in '03 for all that body movement? Less than a decade later and we see way more than that in almost every show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navillus WP Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Okay, here's my reaction. I'm an old fart - I marched in the 70's. I play baritone an alumni corps. We performed the opening exhibition at the East Coast Classic tonight in Lawrence. This allowed us to stay for the show for free. I watched Santa Clara. Hmmm. I watched The Cadets Of Allentown ... About halfway thru their spectacle, I left the stadium and drove home. To me, it is no longer anything I consider to be Drum Corps. I know that I'll be labeled an uninlightened, misguided senior citizen. Some will probably feel that I have some sort of obligation to the younger generation to try to appreciate what DCI-style shows have 'evolved" into. Sorry,but no. No more DCI for me. I'm not buying it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrinkinOuttaCups Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Okay, here's my reaction. I'm an old fart - I marched in the 70's. I play baritone an alumni corps. We performed the opening exhibition at the East Coast Classic tonight in Lawrence. This allowed us to stay for the show for free. I watched Santa Clara. Hmmm. I watched The Cadets Of Allentown ... About halfway thru their spectacle, I left the stadium and drove home. To me, it is no longer anything I consider to be Drum Corps. I know that I'll be labeled an uninlightened, misguided senior citizen. Some will probably feel that I have some sort of obligation to the younger generation to try to appreciate what DCI-style shows have 'evolved" into. Sorry,but no. No more DCI for me. I'm not buying it. You already made a post almost exactly like this in another thread. Stop announcing that you're leaving and just LEAVE already. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navillus WP Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 You already made a post almost exactly like this in another thread. Stop announcing that you're leaving and just LEAVE already. Never announced I'm "leaving" drum corps - I'm done with DCI-style drum corps extravaganzas. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadMadMan Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 (edited) My huge change was absolutely '93-'94. MAJOR SHIFT in show design. Then it got BAD for about 5 years. I'm not sure where a shift happened in the 2000s yet. The amps were minor but the SYNTHS seem to be changing the sound even more. I know, right?! I'm glad I'm not the only person who can point to that. Just ao happened to coincide with my years marching, but I still noticed it nonetheless. I know people always say that we consider our own marching days to be be the "good old days", but I honestly believe that there was a time in that window of about '93-'98 (give or take) when drum corps had the best of all elements...progressive drill, hummable, infectious music, and pageantry in the thematic show design (guard integration, body movement, Development of a theme, etc). It's hard to believe you can listen to how melodic, powerful and enjoyable '93 BD was (one of my absolute favorite shows) and at the same time realize that just 3 YEARS LATER they were fully into their mindless horn stab/power chord mode. That's tough to reconcile for me. It was a dramatic shift. Dramatic. Edited August 5, 2011 by BigBadMadMan 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I know, right?! I'm glad I'm not the only person who can point to that. Just ao happened to coincide with my years marching, but I still noticed it nonetheless. I know people always say that we consider our own marching days to be be the "good old days", but I honestly believe that there was a time in that window of about '93-'98 (give or take) when drum corps had the best of all elements...progressive drill, hummable, infectious music, and pageantry in the thematic show design (guard integration, body movement, Development of a theme, etc). It's hard to believe you can listen to how melodic, powerful and enjoyable '93 BD was (one of my absolute favorite shows) and at the same time realize that just 3 YEARS LATER they were fully into their mindless horn stab/power chord mode. That's tough to reconcile for me. It was a dramatic shift. Dramatic. I think you're completely right. As I type this, I have a playlist of DCI FInals 1992 going, (thanks Fan Network for the new audio player!), and listening to these shows, then looking at '98, or '99, it's crazy how much of a difference there is. I think the peak year would be either 1995 or 1996, then the changes really took hold. But we saw it start to swing back. DCI is a big pendulum, we're just on the more artistic kick now, but it's starting to swing back to the entertainment side. I mean, we see it almost every decade. There's a shift in shows back and forth over the decades of DCI, and I think it will continue for as long as DCI is around. I'd like to look back on my time in DCI as "a great time", but still understand that the best could very well still be to come, DCI is always exciting that way. You never know what's coming around the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadMadMan Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 (edited) I think you're completely right. As I type this, I have a playlist of DCI FInals 1992 going, (thanks Fan Network for the new audio player!), and listening to these shows, then looking at '98, or '99, it's crazy how much of a difference there is. I think the peak year would be either 1995 or 1996, then the changes really took hold. But we saw it start to swing back. DCI is a big pendulum, we're just on the more artistic kick now, but it's starting to swing back to the entertainment side. I mean, we see it almost every decade. There's a shift in shows back and forth over the decades of DCI, and I think it will continue for as long as DCI is around. I'd like to look back on my time in DCI as "a great time", but still understand that the best could very well still be to come, DCI is always exciting that way. You never know what's coming around the corner. I would only take issue with one point and that is with regard to the "pendulum" comment. Why? Because the tick system didn't reward creativity or artistic design. It was much more execution over demand. When the judging system changed to the build-up system, we saw an inverse of that. So this "artistic era" is truly the first of it's kind. Sure there was anchoring of the pit, asymmetrical drill, and all that stuff...but those things didn't fundamentally transform drum corps the way the effect and visual captions have. For me, the stark difference that's most noticeable in that time frame I mentioned previously is the arranging. That's the most glaring shift. Well, most glaring immediate shift, at least. There are two very different Blue Devils corps, for instance. There's the PRE-'94 BD and the POST-'94 BD. they are two radically different beasts. Watch '93 and '95 back to back and tell me that's the same corps. The arranging is radically different between the two in just 2 YEARS. They went that direction and everyone else (for the most part) followed in their foot steps. Wayne Downey and the BD arrangers single-handedly changed drum corps. My thoughts are getting a bit scattered on this right now, but (to me, at least) it's very difficult to consider drum corps before "94 and after '94 to be the same animal. It changed probably more radically than at any other juncture, even though it wasn't immediately noticeable. Edited August 5, 2011 by BigBadMadMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyWonder1911 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I don't have any problem with amps (unless too loud), or synthesizers. I do have an issue with recorded music that could otherwise be played by a soloist if possible. I also do like concrete themes in a show. Music for the sake of music is nice, as in Crossmen's show this year, it's a traditional show, but to me, they don't even compete with Spirit's show. I think this show is brilliant - unique - don't think I've ever heard of a drum corps doing a Film Noir show, I'd say this is probably the best job of any music arrangers of any drum corps this year. It was almost like I was watching an actual Film Noir. This is the kind of show I like - it keeps me in suspense and NOT bored. There are some shows this year that are nice and all, but I end up losing focus out of boredom and the music goes in one ear and out the other. And then there are some shows that just have SO much going on on the field, that it's impossible to take it all in. The brass might be making a cool visual over here, and there is a tuba feature at the same time, while the guard is doing flips over on the other side of the field. How do you take it all in? If you can't keep the focus on the entire show at once, then that is a design flaw. Too many times have I found myself watching a show and then some of the crowd around me starts clapping, and I find myself wondering why, because I didn't see anything happen. I was probably not looking at that particular part of the field, I was watching something else that caught my interest. I know staff feels pressure to design an entertaining, GE packed show - but that doesn't mean you have to have 100 different things going on at the same time. I think the corps guilty of that this season are Crown, BAC, Blue Devils, and especially Blue Stars. Anyways, back to the main point, if drum corps is changing to be more entertaining, then I'm all for it. Crossmen are good, and so are Scouts, and both are 2 of my top 6 fav shows this year, but if every corps were doing shows like that, I'd get bored out of my mind. It's a very good thing to have a variety of different types of shows on the field. This is making the activity special. However, if they start putting woodwinds on the field, I'm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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