Re-hashes

[Tad_MMA]

52 minutes ago, 2000Cadet said:

I've never seen or heard the original versions of Spartacus, but I DEFINITELY loved their 2008 version.

The 1981 & 1982 versions were entertaining and innovative in their role-playing, etc, but there was really nothing about them to propel the corps competitively. So, no state-of-the-art. OK, they were 4th in '82, but compare them to those above. They had no superlatives to outscore the top 3. In '08, they had a monster percussion section and a fantastic musical approach (performance, analysis, GE) ---just enough to overcome their ho-hum visual design/performance.

[Tad_MMA]

The Garfield Cadets' philosophy, circa 1982, was that if they ever won DCI, the next year they would change everything. Back then, ALL corps repeated at least something from the previous summer. So, 1983 was the last time they repeated a tune (Rocky Point), and they finally won. 1984 was even more amazing given the demand of the show and 13 minutes of brand new music. Ditto 1985 (most amazing was the fact that they didn't get that music until MARCH, and the time signatures for the first 7 minutes were practically abusive); new in 1986, 7, 8, 9. For whatever reason, they were going to do an entire show of Bernstein's "Mass" in 1990, but it didn't pan out. Instead, they grabbed two pieces and threw in a bunch of Bernstein (and the App Spring snippet near the end). Still, 8 of their 10 wins came with nothing rehashed-and one corps director-- and that's pretty impressive.

[2000Cadet]

36 minutes ago, Tad_MMA said:

The Garfield Cadets' philosophy, circa 1982, was that if they ever won DCI, the next year they would change everything. Back then, ALL corps repeated at least something from the previous summer. So, 1983 was the last time they repeated a tune (Rocky Point), and they finally won. 1984 was even more amazing given the demand of the show and 13 minutes of brand new music. Ditto 1985 (most amazing was the fact that they didn't get that music until MARCH, and the time signatures for the first 7 minutes were practically abusive); new in 1986, 7, 8, 9. For whatever reason, they were going to do an entire show of Bernstein's "Mass" in 1990, but it didn't pan out. Instead, they grabbed two pieces and threw in a bunch of Bernstein (and the App Spring snippet near the end). Still, 8 of their 10 wins came with nothing rehashed-and one corps director-- and that's pretty impressive.

Interesting.

Has any of this music ever been put to the field (other than the obvious)?

Edited January 27, 2017 by 2000Cadet

[HockeyDad]

9 hours ago, littlejaw said:

I wouldn't mind seeing the Cavaliers take on Gloria again.

Maybe we could see modern day BD put When a Man Loves a Woman back into a show. I know it doesn't fit their style of the last 15 years(ish), but I would like to see it.

Crossmen doing Birdland in a show, I'd pay to see that.

Santa Clara could do Phantom and I wouldn't be mad.

I was with you til you mentioned Birdland, then I threw up in my mouth a little.

But speaking of Gloria -  who doesn't love John Rutter music?  I tell you who - commies!!

[BoaDci]

14 minutes ago, HockeyDad said:

I was with you til you mentioned Birdland, then I threw up in my mouth a little.

But speaking of Gloria -  who doesn't love John Rutter music?  I tell you who - commies!!

Birdland is one of the grooviest charts a corps can play, I also would pay to see that.

[tesmusic]

1 hour ago, 2000Cadet said:

Interesting.

Has any of this music ever been put to the field (other than the obvious)?

I've seen some high schools use the Mass, and obviously what The Cadets have done.

Avon High School used it well, but I've also seen it destroyed. It would be interesting to see a corps do it again. If you study the source material, there are a number of ideas that couldn't be conveyed the way Mr. Bernstein intended before A and E rules passed.

[cowtown]

11 hours ago, DrumManTx said:

99% of the time I either hate rehashes 

I don't want to see rehashes.  I want corps to get creative and use new music.  

I don’t understand that stance as it seems philosophical, prejudicial and closed minded. It seems to go hand and hand with the ‘everything new, all change must be good’ faction. It’s a dangerous path and self-limiting.  I take re-hashes as they come so are good, others, not so good

 I preferred 2004 SCV to 2014 but it took several viewings to decide but by semi-finals 2014, I had made my mind up. 2014 had a flasher visual, it was very aggressive and initially more appealing but less satisfying due to it’s ‘in your face’ nature, the subtlety and grace of 2004 was lost but even a bigger concern was the brass book.  The pit was given too much of the melody to free up the brass for visuals, combined with 2004 drum book – I’ll listen to 2004 10 to 1 over 2014. Roll the tape and see how much we lost for dancing horn lines. Was it worth it? Not to me.

[HockeyDad]

2 hours ago, BoaDci said:

Birdland is one of the grooviest charts a corps can play, I also would pay to see that.

Okay.  You can have my seat.  After a dozen rehashes (I may be exaggerating for effect here, but it's been done many times) I don't think I could take it anymore.  

[HockeyDad]

I'm with Cowtown (as usual).  Some rehashes are better, some are not.  Because I'm old.... '76 Legend of the One Eyed Sailor was leaps and bounds better than the 75 version.  On the other hand, the later version ('78?  I'm too lazy to look it up) I thought was a disappointment.  I thought the '79 and '91 versions of Elsa's and Nessun Dorma, respectively, were far better than their rehashes in '11 and '12.  But I thought their '06 version of Scythian Suite was much better than their '84 version.  Just a few examples.

[DrumManTx]

1 hour ago, cowtown said:

I don’t understand that stance as it seems philosophical, prejudicial and closed minded. It seems to go hand and hand with the ‘everything new, all change must be good’ faction. It’s a dangerous path and self-limiting.  I take re-hashes as they come so are good, others, not so good

 

 I preferred 2004 SCV to 2014 but it took several viewings to decide but by semi-finals 2014, I had made my mind up. 2014 had a flasher visual, it was very aggressive and initially more appealing but less satisfying due to it’s ‘in your face’ nature, the subtlety and grace of 2004 was lost but even a bigger concern was the brass book.  The pit was given too much of the melody to free up the brass for visuals, combined with 2004 drum book – I’ll listen to 2004 10 to 1 over 2014. Roll the tape and see how much we lost for dancing horn lines. Was it worth it? Not to me.

 

I'm not saying don't use rehashes, but if you're using music and themes every single year that have been through the ringer many times, it gets old.  

And I'm not opposed to doing something again that hasn't been done in 30 years where it would be really different by default. 

Rereading my post I shouldn't have been so black and white with it. 

Edited January 27, 2017 by DrumManTx