walder Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) I just watched Cavies '92. Can someone explain the 8 bass drums? I can guess why they have them but I want to hear from an expert, or rather, someone who was there and can tell me why. two reasons. the battery splits into sub-tonal characters, with basses supporting both snares and tenors and elements in the front (also strategically placed for antiphonal effect.) the idea of the drum solo is about an historical battle, notice the dissonence and random clamour. there are also snares on the xtra basses for a true field drum effect coming from the distance. Also the basses reprive their role as Bodrahn drummers (a bodrahn is a hand held drum that looks like a large tambourine, obvioulsy without jingles or cymbals and is typcially played held in one hand and with a small curvy wooden stick in the other hand, flipping it back and forth to get a beat) the triplet feel underneath the front ensemble + mellaphones best exemplifies this. as the dissonence continues it grows to an explosion in battery + impact (bombast) drums in the front with unison impact...from there there are trade off's between tenors-tenor basses and snares-snare basses...eventually coming together for a resolution with brass re-entrance. then almost as it started it begins to pick up pulse, and suddenly fade away with a battery motif that eventually fades to a single snare drum in the front, that eventually fades to "black"...while glissandos and other metallic effects are providing a sweeping haze over the field. Although other corps have produced similar interpretations of battles (bridgemen 84, spirit 90, scv 91 to name a few) the cavies portrayed one of the most musical and audio visual interpretations ever put on a football field- just listening to it, one can visualize a glorious gung-ho intro, a fierce violent battle and the aftermath of destruction...very effective! Jim Campbell and Bret Kuhn should be commended. Edited July 7, 2006 by walder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasPRfan Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 When I think of great drum corps years, for me, that criteria includes solid, high quality, entertaining shows throughout the top 12. There are some years, like 1993 and 2000 where the shows at the top were awesome, but those underneath were not. Here are the years that stand out most to me: 1995 - Hard pressed to think of a dud in this whole line-up. Scouts delivered the all time most crowd-frenzied show I've ever witnessed, Cadets had a goose-bump inducing patriotic extravaganza (far superior to the 2002 re-do), BD was dark & flawless, Cavies won with a brilliant Planets show, Phantom went dark with a passionate Rachmaninoff show, SCV was bizzare yet still entrancing, Bluecoats delivered a fantastic patriotic show (still my all time fav from them), Glassmen brought a huge brass-sound to their gospel-tinged show, Colts produced their best designed show ever with Sunday in the Park, Crossmen took a chance and had some hits and misses with a classical show, Crown burst onto the scene with a fresh & exciting stormworks show & Magic produced a solid start to the Finals evening. Just a great year. 1992 - Again, top to bottom excellence and crowd appeal. Cavies won for the first time with an exciting show - and their first to produce real musical depth to go with their visual fireworks. Cadets "Tame the Perilous Skies" show is a classic for the ages. Star's patriotic show was technically dazzling. Who can forget BD's "When a Man Loves a Woman?" Scouts pulled off an even better City of Angels with fantastic rifle line impacts throughout. Crossmen burst into top 6 with their best show ever. SCV delivered tradition an passion with their Fidler anniversary celebration. PR delivered a powerhouse 8th place with resplendant 1812 glory. Blue Knights gave us a western-themed copland show with amazing drill. VK brought the house down with the most hilarious production I've ever seen on the field & ignited the crowd. And Bluecoats and Freelancers got the show off to a solid start with shows that weren't quite up to the level of the 10 in front of them. 1999 - Another signature year. BD's Rythmic show was fabulous with a guard I've never forgotten & their last year on G Bugles was a wall of sound. SCV's co-championship show was perhaps the best exhibit ever of the class and intensity that corps can bring to the field. Cavaliers were fresh & exciting and brought new signature drill moves. Cadets had a great NYC show with some beautiful moments. Glassmen were not everyone's cup of tea, but produced a truly amazing show that grew over time. BlueKnights delivered probably their best show ever. Scouts tore the house down with a classic JCS show. Phantom was not up to their usual execution or design standards, but still delivered some classic Regiment moments with their Tchaikovsky show. Crossmen were fun. Crown had a fantastic, if not clean, Jekyl & Hyde show. Colts delivered a dark, powerful & exhilirating show in what is probably my all-time favorite show from them. And who can forget Boston Crusaders bursting onto the scene for the first time? 1991, 1990, 1989, 2002 and 2003 were all pretty solid years too, but not quite as consistent from top to bottom as these 3, I believe. So I agree with ya, Nikk! It's hard to top 1992. I can only think of 2 that are on the same level. Harvey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Yep, the flags are from countries that have experienced REVOLUTIONS. Get it?? Hah - now I do, 14 years too late! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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