ZenJones Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 ...still interesting, hopefully? How would a top 3 corps from 1980, 81, 82 or 83 stack up in the Top 12 of say... the last 4 seasons?? Please be detailed in your answers. I'm very curious to get some opinions because I'd like to better understand how todays best corps are judged in comparison/contrast to the top corps of the early 1980's when the Tic System was used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longfade Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 I don't know, but I would certainly love it if someone started using mylar heads again. You know, actually, if a corps today did a show in the *style* of an early 80s/late 70s corps, it would probably be sensational. Kind of a retro thing. It would have to be updated a bit in the drill dept. for sure, and executed really well, but if I were an artistic director that's what I would be doing. Look at Phantom's 96 show. Totally old-school. Another example is 86 devils, bringing back the North toms. Imagine having a corps do a segment of their show on PnR horns. That would bring me back to DCI. You could also ask the question: "How would one of today's corps fare back then?" Probably worse. Much worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torn8o Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 ...still interesting, hopefully?How would a top 3 corps from 1980, 81, 82 or 83 stack up in the Top 12 of say... the last 4 seasons?? Please be detailed in your answers. I'm very curious to get some opinions because I'd like to better understand how todays best corps are judged in comparison/contrast to the top corps of the early 1980's when the Tic System was used. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That's just it, you can't compare unless you favor one judging system over the other. If you put an early 80s top 5 corps up against one of today's bottom 6 shows and probably a few out that are out of finals the early 80s corps would get mutilated because the G.E. sheet would eat them alive for "drill demand" and "show concept". But if you go vice versa and use the tick system where you had to be squeeky clean the modern corps would get killed in the exact opposite extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancerLegend Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 (edited) Wow. I think the great corps of any era would sound great musically in any era - it's when you throw the visual elements in that separates the decades. You can go no further perhaps and compare the Blue Devils to themselves. Take their 80 and 82 championship years, versus 99 and 03. One constant that they have is music - aka brass. Wayne has kept that sound distinctive. Percussion - BD's have had several writers to give them a varied mix. Plus - the quality of the instrumentation will have a profound effect - G bugles vs B flat, mylar heads vs kevlar, tri toms versus quads (with two bongos) marching "pits" versus stationary, full fledged orchestra pits. But if music could be a wash - it is the visual elements that make the new era come out on top. Take guards of the early 80's - most were full fledged uniforms - not the danskin type full stretch garments of today. Take the velocity with which the players are moving - and the amount of field they cover - there is no comparison. One thing that cannot be discounted is that the staffs themselves have pushed the envelop to new things. I'll go out on a limb and suggest that BD's have the most intact staff since 1980 - and that is why I use them in my example. Do I think the corps of the early 80's could perform the shows of today - probably yes - do I think the corps of today could perform the "old" shows - POSITIVELY yes. Your thoughts? Edited June 7, 2005 by LancerLegend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apoch003 Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 (edited) Meh... It depends on training. Sure everyone ends up out of breath at the end of a show.... But todays corps could do high marc time, a 15 minute show, etc... with enough time to train them how. EDIT: I will add this... it's much more difficult to high marc time and play a horn than it is to low marc. Especially if you hit a pot hole! And the old corps brats could do the new stuff as well, albiet, it'd probably feel like cheating on the marching, no high marc time, and an 11 minute show. Yet the visuals are much more intense. It's six of one, half a dozen of the other. A better question would be about the horn lines and VOLUME... if the hornlines of today had the bugles of yesteryear etc. Edited June 7, 2005 by apoch003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Clark Posted June 7, 2005 Share Posted June 7, 2005 (edited) You're wanting to have those shows performed and judged under modern-day rules and standards? It would be a bloodbath. Now if you brought those groups (and staffs) to the current day in your time machine, I think they'd field a very competitive show once they understood what was winning these days. I think if you sent modern Corps back in the Wayback Machine, you'd see the same thing. Edited June 7, 2005 by Jim Clark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted June 8, 2005 Share Posted June 8, 2005 Apples and Oranges sounds about right to me. But the difference is the scoring system not the corps of today and earlier. In the 70s corps worked on cleaning up tics to improve scores. Today corps do.... ahh.. errr... "something" to improve their scores (I don't quite get todays system ). IOW, the work is done on what ever improves the score so the methods of instructiong is different and what goes on the field is somewhat different. So the corps being judged under the different system would get clobbered in the score. Just sit back and enjoy either one (but I do like this thread).... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenJones Posted June 8, 2005 Author Share Posted June 8, 2005 Thanks for the responses so far... I'm just curious because some old drum corps friends and I have "what-if'd" the idea of a corps that would tour currently with the mindset and approach of an early 80's corps... that being-execution, execution, execution. Basically a Jr. corps that would be old school in everything... from approach to scoring/judging, to horns and drums setup... musical book choices/arrangement to uni's. Mind you, not some "greatest hits" package or revival... but coming out of the gate, making a bid for glory but doing it in a way that hasn't been seen in a long while. Yeah, yeah... probably too many PBR's but it's still a very fun idea. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Brady Posted June 8, 2005 Share Posted June 8, 2005 Thanks for the responses so far... I'm just curious because some old drum corps friends and I have "what-if'd" the idea of a corps that would tour currently with the mindset and approach of an early 80's corps... that being-execution, execution, execution.Basically a Jr. corps that would be old school in everything... from approach to scoring/judging, to horns and drums setup... musical book choices/arrangement to uni's. Mind you, not some "greatest hits" package or revival... but coming out of the gate, making a bid for glory but doing it in a way that hasn't been seen in a long while. Yeah, yeah... probably too many PBR's but it's still a very fun idea. B) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah- That's something alot of us "Old Schoolers" fantisize about, but I have to agree that you can't compare because of the difference in judging systems. Most of the current corps would get butchered in execution under the old system while the old corps would get clobbered in the design areas today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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