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Which World Class Corps has the best music, past 10 years?


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Music only, Which corps does it for you. I love pretty much everyone but there is something about Bluecoats writing that makes me very happy. They just sound different than anyone else. Live, Bluecoats any of the past 6-8 years give me chills!

My favorites:

Bluecoats

Cadets-honerable mention

Crown-2nd runner up

Whats your pick?

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This should really be titled, "Your Favorite" music from a corps in the last 10 years.

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If I think about consistently enjoyable music books for the last 10 years - which of course will be my subjective opinion, here's who comes to mind:

1. Phantom Regiment - it's not even close. Even 2000-2002 were great music books despite poor visual programs (I loved everything about that 2000 book, and the 2001 book is also one of my favorites). 2003 is still one of my top 5 all time favorite music shows. 2004 is very under-rated, and the ballad & ending are stellar. 2005 was my biggest surprise from Phantom & I loved it! 2006 is as close to perfect as can be, and 2007 just might be my favorite music book of the decade. Then you have Spartacus, which was stellar. The Red Violin was a train wreck, but still enjoyable musically, and 2010 and 2011 are outstanding.

2. Carolina Crown - Starting with 2003, this corps has been on a roll musically ever since. It was 2004 that I absolutely fell in love with them - despite the singing. 2005's Angelus show was terrific, and that Angel ballad is gorgeous. 2006 to me was the signal that Crown had arrived & is one of my favorite music books of the decade. 2007 and 2008 were also outstanding, and 2009-2011 have been far superior to most other corps offerings these past 3 years (though not all).

Honorable Mentions (not in any order):

  • Boston Crusaders - not consistent every year, but I've enjoyed almost all Boston's music books the past decade - even if their brass line was sometimes not the greatest
  • Blue Knights - few will agree with me here, but I LOVED their dark books in 2006 and 2007, 2004 was very enjoyable, and 2010 and 2011 are outstanding.
  • Blue Stars - Not a huge fan of this year, though it's not bad, but I've pretty much loved all their books between 2006 and 2011.
  • Blue Devils - they would end up on both a favorites and least favorites list. LOVE 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011, hated 2010, 2001, 2002, 2005...
  • Bluecoats - Was really enjoying their 2004-2010 music books. Very disappointed with this year.

Just my humble 2 cents.

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Music only, Which corps does it for you. I love pretty much everyone but there is something about Bluecoats writing that makes me very happy. They just sound different than anyone else. Live, Bluecoats any of the past 6-8 years give me chills!

My favorites:

Bluecoats

Cadets-honerable mention

Crown-2nd runner up

Whats your pick?

I generally like the music from Phantom Regiment. Keeping it classical and powerful is just fine with me.

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My choices don't meant that I loved every year, but in general:

Regiment by a mile!

Crown

Bluecoats

Then it gets tough because there are some corps who over the past 3 years or so have been really appealing to me:

Cadets

Scouts

Crusaders

AND EVEN THE BLUE KNIGHTS! (For a long time I didn't think I would be able to say that)

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1. Phantom Regiment by a long shot, only show I didn't love musically was 09

I must be a weirdo with bizarre tastes, because I LOVED their 09 show. It was underrated in my opinion, but I think coming on the heels of 08 it would have been hard to put much of anything on the field and been successful. Having watched their 09 show probably 25 times, it's the one I go back to over and over on that DVD set (save the Cadets!)

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I must be a weirdo with bizarre tastes, because I LOVED their 09 show. It was underrated in my opinion, but I think coming on the heels of 08 it would have been hard to put much of anything on the field and been successful. Having watched their 09 show probably 25 times, it's the one I go back to over and over on that DVD set (save the Cadets!)

I think it is just the jazz movement that throws me for a loop. I like it, but just not in the context. Everything else wasn't bad at all (musically..). It's just it is the one total package I didn't LOVE.

The one show of theirs that I really really really like that not many others do is 04.... very under rated hornline.

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It is easily Regiment and Crown for me...... and I think this has almost nothing to do with their choices for repertoire..... and nearly everything to do with their arranging. J.D. Shaw and Michael Klesh (I hope I spelled those correctly) write masterful horn books year after year and the percussion writing is also top notch (especially Rennick's.... duh!). These are the two corps that I consistently hear "complete" musical phrases from... and the least "hack n' slash" arranging. I would also put Madison these last 2 years with them, but Crown and Regiment have been consistently excellent for at least the past 8-9 years in this regard.

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