Amplification isn't required now. Sometimes you will see microphones, but they're almost always just for recording the audio since a microphone won't pick up solos very well. Even if it's actually to amplify the solo, get the fuck over it, worry about something like world hunger. DCI is not dying because it's progressing
Most of the time trumpet solos aren't amplified. They mainly amplify mellophone, baritone, and (rarely) contra solos. It's not like this has become a problem.
The art of this sport may have evolved but this one thing remains. The sheer raw power those Corps brought intensified the crowds. Fans would be waiting for that moment, when the corps would begin to crescendo, teasing them, then in a powerful, unapologetic wave, they felt the ground under them shaking, their whole body vibrating as cords resolved through them, not around them. Music oscillated every cell of their being and forever changed them. They became rabid screaming applauding DCI junkies
Lots of comments here, many of them valid. I have been around corps since the beginning of time it seems - I very much enjoy the corps of today, but after watching this video again, it has been a long time since a corps has given me goose bumps like these did! I would love to see a guard with a high knee lift, rifles, flags and boots... wouldn't that be innovative! :-)
Brass amplification was legalized in 2008 (11-7 vote)and is extensively used. Last year more rules made Brass Amps more usable and used. It's kind of sad that Phantom finally wins outright in 2008. Yet, it can only be guessed how much was electronics and amps (a&E) and how much was real playing by their performers. Dozens of corps have folded recently unable to afford aE systems and rainy day back up systems which cost a minimum of $35,000. DC isn't about the level of practice but that of money.
@RockstarDaniel Have you been in coma since 2008 or just time traveled ?This is 2012 not 2004. Not only did Caylee Anthony die June 2008. But so did brass playing without amps later in the week. Although there's no proof Casey or George killed Caylee there is little doubt that George Hopkins killed real brass playing.
@RockstarDaniel Because, it's not the brass players that are creating the sounds. It's machines creating the perfect sound. It's like plagiarizing a paper. It's not you writing the paper. It's a machine doing the thinking for you.
There is far less need to practice when a sound engineer can just fix everything. DC has become the only sport that his condoning cheating. It's a terror to think of what George Hopkins will brainwash DCI to do next marching to all recorded music?
@Regiment1979 Are you retarded? The brass players are still playing and the judges are judging what they are playing. The only time a mic/aplification is used on field is when there is a feature or someone has a solo. What you hear on the DVD is not what is heard on the field and they do that for the fans not for scores of for George fucking Hopkins. I could honestly not give a single flying fuck if you march Phantom, you are scum of what DCI is now.
Back in 1979 there was a famous ad slogan stating "Is It Live or Is It Memorex?" Today one listens to DC and a good slogan would be "Is It The Brass Line Or Is It Technology?" What amp era players do doesn't really matter.It's horrible that Drum Corps has gone so far into cheating that one wonders if DC will soon perform to recorded music where the brass line can simply be recorded based on trial and error and just march. Maybe DC won't even perform live but recorded and played on big screens
Amplification creates a situation where a players talent isn't creating the better sounds you have now, it's a sound engineer. It's not a modern players final product. It's like cheating. This video also doesn't include a Ticks Matter category. For without ticks it doesn't matter what you do wrong or how poorly something is executed.Back in 1979 being out of step mattered. Now with BC 1988 Autumn Leaves at 3:14 it didn't matter that 13 rifles dropped.
the only thing you here now is the pit and the quads maybe a horn every now and then.... I say get rid of the pit .......everything is played so fast it all sounds the same
Love the old school videos but IDK man, I've come to <3 the Amps. I mean back in the day yeah there were no Marimbas and Vibes per say and everyone knows that Xylos and Bells cut though anything but, there's only so much those 2 instruments can do timbre wise. Plus I love that timp players now can really focus on the quality of sound they are getting from the drums. Correct me if I'm wrong but the majority of marching timp players were striking almost the dead center of the durms. That's a nono
In so doing, many other things were also taught. For me the heart and soul was lost. I still enjoy drum corps shows to this day. But it bears only a passing resemblance to what it was. I love many of the corps still out there, and the members do amazing things, yet something very special has also been lost. Oh... I marched tympani in the Kingsmen then and again with the Kingsmen Alumni at DCI in 2007, with my son in the tymp line right next to me. I'm done ranting now. lol
They taught patriotism and other so-called family values, it was really a youth oriented activity. That's why people aged out. In its transition to big dollar, big business, young adult college students something very special was lost. How could an organization that supported itself with bake sales and bingo games hope to compete with todays corps? Now we have auditions, back then it was "come on down! We'll teach you how to play!" (cont)
@tympanzi I think you have said it all. It was something every kid could do. There was always a corp willing to take them. Now it is way too professional.
One I think deserving of mention is how powerful and crisp Suncoast Sound was in the mid-late 80s, they were kinda rare in the transition from old school to 3 valve bugles. How those kids got that much sound from bugles is amazing. These kids today don't realize how good they have it with their fully sponsored b flat gear. Blast from the past, thanks for posting!
@2011BANDIE Yes I have, a DCA drum corps was being hosted at my school and they used G bugles and I decided to play on one. Yes It was more difficult but my tone wasn't all that bad.
@OmgMellophone lol THANK YOU. yeah dci was cool back then when g bugles caused a bunch of corps to go bankrupt AND made their hornlines sound like they we're playing through tin cans with plastic mouthpieces.
@OmgMellophone It all depends on what drum corps you were listening to back then! Considering the instruments there was quite a bit of adjusting required to achieve"beauty of tone" and "playing in tune"! A number of corps very nearly maxed out the TQ & I boxes and some actually did!! Valve-slide, valve-rotor instuments weren't exactly Rolls Royces or Bentleys in their day...
Amps were brought in to help the AUDIENCE enjoy solos and the pit when they sat OUTSIDE of the 40 yard lines OUT DOORS...DUH!!!. Even Maynard and Buddy were smart enough to use amps. I played with them both AND in corps...I guess Maynard and Buddy didn't know what they were doing either...wail fail guys...get with the 21st century!
Regardless of how anyone feels about drum corps amplification, the fact is that the activity has progressed a great deal since the time of this video. These old corps are absolutely GREAT for what they presented (the raw power alone is something to be respected). But EVERYTHING progresses unless it dies. Considering the length of time that drum corps has been around, some sort of evolution had to take place. If drum corps didn't evolve and doesn't continue to evolve it will die.
@mynamisdan Evolution for the sake of evolution is not always a good thing. And change isn't always evolution. When I first marched, there were OVER 200 active corps in DCI. If you read about the origins of drum corps, you will find that it started out as a character building activity. The early corps were almost all sponsored by boy scout troops, churches, boys' and girls' clubs, etc. (cont)
@mynamisdan I would have to agree and disagree with your comments. Obviously, progress must progress, but the issue with DCI is that it's becoming too commercial and watered down for it's own good. The lines of entertainment are being blurred at a furious rate and there is little left to define drum corps as its own unique medium. I, for one, can't stand the thought of electronics on the field, as well as the Cirque du Soleil direction that it's taking.
@mynamisdan Yes but do they have to have 20 to 25 faries dancing around in leotards. I mean where do they get them is there a sign up in San Francisco?
@mynamisdan Its not drum corps anymore.Its fucking marching band in a dome with speakers.Be honest already.When all is said and done the best years of dci will be the 70s,80s and 90s.
The artsy-fartsy crowd has once again "fixed" something that wasn't broken. I'm okay with the switch to Bb, but drum and synthesizer corps does nothing for me. DCI died around 2005; I'm sticking with DCA. If I want to hear synthesizers, I'll go to a Yanni concert.
Drum Corps' are louder now, and MORE IN TUNE. Amplification is necessary to front ensemble instruments to be heard over powerful horn lines . Sorry that innovation dose not sit well with you.
@jazzmasta92 No they're not louder. More in tune, yes, but not louder (maybe just as loud). They didn't need amps in 1979, so why do they need them now? All of that new crap they use is the reason junior drum corps is no longer affordable to most kids. All of the so-called "innovations" might be cool, but they take away from the activity itself. I'd rather see and hear a loud musical brass line, and kick-ass drumline, and and drill that is not performed at the speed of sound.
@HotWingSauce There is a big difference in a sound "carrying" and being loud. You can hear a bell set at the top of a stadium over a horn line because it carries, but the horn line is louder. (producing higher decibels)
@jazzmasta92 The G bugle is louder because it was designed that way. If you spent any significant time playing both, it would be more obvious to you. I was fortunate enough to have played everything from a 1-valve, the valve and rotor, and eventually the two-valver. Olds and Getzen were always having us try out their latest creations.
talk about hair raising , stand up screaming and goose bump kind of stuff i makes you want to be young again and get out there and do some knee kickin' marching Yahoo!!
I think amplification is a great thing added to DCI. It adds a whole new layer, and not to mention the corps' music is just as hard, if not harder. I really love the synth as well, just as long as it doesn't get overused during the show.
You have to see that right? If you went to a show now you can still see the joy on our faces when we end a song or when the last notes are played in the show...And if you take your biased away from what you think is right or wrong you can and will enjoy the shows I promise. We wouldn't do it if we didn't think it was entertaining...otherwise why would we do it?...Just my two cents from a recent age-out...
Have the people complaining about the front ensemble really taken the time to listen to them? What they play is beautiful. And the only reason you'd be able to hear the beauty and intricacy of what they do is largely in part to amplification. Everyone that says they have stopped going to shows because its different has that right...but we're still kids doing drum corps because we love it.
I have sat in front of DCI drum corps for the past 8 years and have been a member of them as well. I've sat at the top of a stadium and had the sound project so well that it was just a wall of pure horn sound and quality. I've also been witness to quiet intricate sounds of a front ensemble creating sounds that you could never hear without amplification. (for the best)
I watched this video among other "old school" ones that I know don't do them justice. I don't doubt the amount of sound that these corps produced. But when the best arguments here about amplification and G to Bb horns is sound than I just don't understand. Since when did the definition of good music come down to who is loudest?
Just remember, slooiehuh, (like none of us know what the big slooie secret was in the first place) started this arguement way below by basically indicating he was better off in the new corps than we were in the old corps. Candy ass has just manged to make a few allies.
@splooiehuh the corps today should try to sound a little like the 80's corps. The ones today march well but for the most part sound like crap. And just because one is not under 21, doesn't mean that they have no interest or should have no interest. The DCI windbag board I am sure are all over 21. They have done more to destroy drum corps than anyone.
I prefer old corps too, but what I find amazing is that those who march deride new corps. I'd imagine it was the spirit you all shared. The experiences you all witnessed. The competition you all performed. THAT'S what corps is about. Yes it's different, but the core of corps hasn't changed - the friends and life experiences shared that in ways mold the future of your lives. It's the same now as it was in '79.
@knightflyte Phantom not winning in 79 was just another fine example what DCI did to drum corps overall. Santa Clara and the Blue Devils were always the favorite children and their winning the national championship was well decided upon before anyone ever hit the field in early June. The year, 79, was more of an insult to Phantom moreso than Santa Clara beating them by 1/10 of Pt. the year before. Did you know Santa Clara had world championship shirts made up before the season ended in 78?
@TheChuck624 Oh man. That just makes me jaded. Sigh.
I thought PR's show was technically better than all the others in 79. Loved the Devils and SC. The Bridgemen had the most entertaining show, but Phantom was robbed.
05 was another plum PR should have won. IMO The Cavies and Phantom Regiment put on the most consistantly hard shows. Cavies get the nod for M&M, but I've always liked both corps for their technical attempts.
I did like Garfield's first championship win, though.
@knightflyte Garfield has been a solid old corps DCI has not managed to break down unlike the hundreds of old small corps they managed to bury similar to the ethnic cleansing campaign in eastern europe back in the 90's. The total amature feel has left D.C. and now it is a simple exhibition with targeted performing arts students and an average age of about 19. So much for the jr. high kids learing how to play and march. This is what they wanted to achieve all along and they got it.
@TheChuck624 I must be getting too old. 30 odd years ago we had at least half a dozen corps near my home town. That included 27th Lancers, Boston Crusaders, and The Northstars. There were minor corps almost everywhere where kids were still able to have fun, learn marching and playing an instrument.
I understand funding is difficult and if I were rich, I'd fund a corps if I could. I think the experence is that valuable to kids who like it, so they can have a place to get off the streets.
@knightflyte TBH, ever since PBS dropped coverage of the finals I've not paid too much attention to the competitions. I don't like ESPN's coverage (do they still do it?) I did manage to go to the 05 finals and enjoyed it a lot. I've gone to local shows, but they're becoming scarece.
If it's as you say, then kids have truly missed out on something valuable.
New drum corps sucks with their cookie cutter outfits, prancing little dance moves, all the shit piled up on the sideline and a bunch of music majors who have made it impossible for just a normal kid to march. 79 was one of the last great years for D.C. Today's stuff is nothing but manufactured overhyped shit.
@TheChuck624 i'm pretty sure it's the "music majors" who help the corps not sound like the 70's and 80's. You should stop hating, especially since 1) this is a kids activity 2) You're not in it, so it shouldn't concern you
@splooiehuh Ha, there you just said it yourself. "JUST MARCHING BAND" - So there you are, it is no longer Drum Corps it is precisely as you named it now - Marching Band. It isn't for just kids anymore, DCI has demolished the small corps to an ethnic cleansing effect and the only "kid" capable of competing are professionally trained musicians. I don't hate the sport of the young adults competing, I hate what it has become and this is NOT was drum corps was originally though up to be.
@TheChuck624 I have no sympathy for the corps that have folded. If you didn't have consistant source of funds, you had no reason to try and start a drum corps. Your next mistake was calling this activity a sport. Which definitely isn't. Also, you saying that this wasn't what drum corps was supposed to be is ridiculous as well. My age out year, Don Warren (one of the founders of DCI) told us exactly what it was they wanted this activity to be. And it bypassed all their expectations.
@that1p3rsonuknow When all is said and done the corps from the 70s,80s and 90s will be more remembered than the squatting,amped out,ego projecting corps since.
i'm not trying to bag on old drum corp styles but amplification added a new vision to drum corps, the front ensemble. The front ensemble gives the show it's story, before you just had a theme, but now there's that new dimension. The only thing drum corps amplify are the front ensemble. i promise you the horns still have the power they did back then
@TheChuck624 thank goodness i never really did any of that. Or i'd be a little worried. But hey, if prancing around like a sissy saves my chops and ears from being annihilated from this ridiculous playing, then i'd take the prancing any day :)
I personally find the shows now a days more enjoyable and entertaining than the older shows. amplification allows for new and unique ways to present a show to the audience, on top of that the visual aspect of it all has greatly increased from the "old" corps to now a days corps. As much as people say otherwise, i have yet to find a video in which the difficulty level of back then matches what is being done now, someone prove me wrong, but i think drum corp is better now then it was.
@Broshockaa It truly is a preference thing, and maybe us oldtimers are now in the minority. It would be silly to argue that the drills are comparible, they clearly aren't. I love the fast drill and I don't mind props. The late 80's and early 90's were filled with props. But back then, most top 6 shows were getting 3 or 4 standing ovations because your hair was being parted by the massive sound. It has gone from big and loud to more artsy. I prefer big and loud. BOA prefers artsy.
@ninjahow after watching more videos from the older shows i understand what your talking about now. The sound (at least what i can grasp from a video) was very massive back then and i can only imagine what it must have been like in person
To expand on sub's comment, absolutely. The kids do a great job today. They're just missing out. In my day we got the crowds up and screaming with cool drill, power chords and loudness. We listened for the pretty melodies on cd later. While they do what's asked of them, work hard, and perform well, they don't get the payoff of having crowds erupt throughout the whole show, which always hyped me up huge. Watch BD this yr, then BD in '84 and hear the crowd. Bring back G bugles, and lose the mics..
As a simple fan not affiliated with any corp, I go to a few shows every year, and unfortunately find the judging pushes corps to play bizarre, atonal, and other non-crowd-pleasing pieces that only the parents of the playing corps enjoy, and the judges rate highly to show how refined and esoteric they are (can you put your noses any higher in the air?). Result leaves most audience segments untapped. I have a Masters & used to teach that crap to win contests too, so I understand the sad game.
@schlendl Exactly I think you are getting it. But add higher also. I do not knock todays corp, but the wall of sound that hit you in the 70's and 80's was something to remember.
Easier? Absolutely. No argument there. I have nothing against the kids today, They work a lot harder than we ever did. It's just that the programs used to be a lot more about perfection and crowd pleasing. Ol skool drum corps was all about the build up and execution. More about pageantry than theater. More IN YOUR FACE rather than in the speakers. Full bore projection instead of background music. It was about Militaristic Drums and Bugles, not choreographed brass and percussion.
Easier? Absolutely. No argument there. I have nothing against the kids today, They work a lot harder than we ever did. It's just that the programs used to be a lot more about perfection and crowd pleasing. Ol skool drum corps was all about the build up and execution. More about pageantry than theater. More IN YOUR FACE rather than in the speakers. Full bore projection instead of background music. It was about Militaristic Drums and Bugles, not choreographed brass and percussion.
@TheSuitIsNOTBlack I mean, writing a pop hit is easier than writing a symphony, I guess. Yes, G-Bugles can take much more air before spreading tone. It's true. And I also admit that I'm rather new to this sport. So I cannot possibly know what it felt like to sit at the huge shows of the 80s and earlier (before it became a wealthy music major's activity). Today, what is done is much more complex. Personally, I enjoy the emphasis on complexity and pageantry that is put on the field today.
Thumbs Up HE360!!!!!! I never missed a show during the glory days; now I never go see one. This is EXACTLY when DCI was great. 70's and 80's rule! 27th doing Folk Song Suite, great stuff !
@tinknocker162 I left for the USAF in 1973 and before that while in high school I was in a corp. Then the next time I saw a corp performance was believe it or not, like 1996! I was so set back I had to run and call our old director. I asked him, "do you see all the shit they have stacked on sidelines!?"...lol Xylophones, concert bells , etc.! It was like every percussion instrument ever made...lol And we were pushing it having our bassists get down on one knee so the snars could play them!
Respond to this video... Anybody remember from the old days a judge named "Tick Tong?" lol Asian guy that was brutal on shavin them points off your score. Never came off clean, always found something.
i don't like the rhetorical title implicating amplification as if there's something wrong with it, or that somehow the talent now couldn't operate without it. amplification isn't a question of 'required' or not. it's a question of 'enhancement' now. the conflict between old school vs. contemporary is getting way too boring and irrelevant. like what you like for what it is--not for what the other isn't eh
I love this video. When I look at this video, I'm sorry to say, but I personally think drum corps back then had more excitement. I'm glad this video was posted. It shows the true essence of drum corps and what drum corps should be all about and it's the kind of video I'd like to show to people.
Amplification may not have been required, but the recording quality wasn't up to speed yet. I was there at all of those shows and I still find myself saying, "Geeze, It sounded so much better than that." What a loss...
I first saw a Drum Corps show in late '70's I guess, and I thought it was one the most amazing things I had ever seen. What I saw and heard on the field at the drum corps show made my jaw drop.
That sound! That majestic bugle sound. The drill. The show.
But to me the most amazing thing was always that bugle sound. Where else can you get that magical, powerful sound?
But now it seems like they just want to turn drum and bugle corps into another marching band.
There was no "peak" of DCI. DCI and George Hopkins were the death of drum and bugle. 5star555555555's bitch was that amps are a pain to load? My bitch is that marimbas were allowed at all! I know that it's an old argument, but, "If you can't march with it and play it, and it doesn't fit on a football field, and it's not in "G" , it's not drum and bugle.
I was born in 1993, I play the Marimba I part in my high school band's pit... and I wish amplification wasn't required, because we just got it this year and it's a pain to load onto the truck!
love it!! I was in SCV's horn line in 79. When we started the Bottle Dance, the crowd was SOO Loud I couldn't even hear the notes that were coming out of my horn. There was just a wall of sound that came from the stands. Gives me goosebumps thinking about even today.
What the heck were these people thinking? They actually carried the instruments that they played? ;-} What about the next version of DCI? Can't imagine the pianist or pipe organ player marching with their instruments, let alone the amplification engineer dragging around his equipment. How soon is it before we don't need a football field? There's no more M&M and guards should compete in dance recitals. What passes for "drum and bugle" is a farce.
Or just give up..."On the line...from Concord, California the Blue Devils Interpretive BAND! To be followed by the Phantom Regiment Band and dance team...and finishing up the show the Championship Cadets woodwind ensemble of Bergen County with their equally famous Cadets ballet troupe!" (no offense meant to BD or PR as I'm sure they would switch to DCA before that ever happened.)
Are the shows more complicated?...yep...harder?...yep...innovative...yep. Are they AS entertaining as in the past? ..NO. Singing, amplifiers, and guitars don't belong....the proposed woodwinds...are you kidding? Hey here's a novel idea....how about BUGLES? Now there's a radical change. Put Bugles back into Drum & BUGLE Corps!
Yes, I believe he wanted the changes...HE PUSHED FOR THEM!!! In the beginning he was impressive. We are Drum & BUGLE Corps fans and alumni. Most of us were also in High School and University BANDS...But there IS a difference and we loved the difference!!! And NO everything does not have to change, especially to this degree!
I'm an old schooler from the West Coast. I appreciate how drum corp has evolved, but nothing beats the sheer raw power of the old school corps when it was just pure marching, brass, & drums. I still get goosebumps
listening to the Blue Devils, Vanguards, Freelancers, & the Commodores. Yes I miss the Bridgemen as well.
the way i see it is drum corps are just evolving, lots of things are different from back then, some for the better and some not so much, theres no point in bitching and moaning about all the electronics in drum corps these days, if you dont like it, do something about it, otherwise, shut it, i personally thing that electronics are a nice effect when used tastefully, like the bluecoats 2010 show, or the cavies 2010 show
@Cmndr95 The fans of Drum and BUGLE Corps are doing something about it. Attendance to the DCI shows are going down each year. DCI is in a financial crisis, hence the formation of the "G7". An attempt at regaining the prize money that keeps most Corps going through the year. At the same time, DCA is gaining in popularity. Yes there are Corps playing Bb horns. The crowd tells you who they prefer, as it should be. I'm not bashing the choice to make the switch to Bb,
Cont... Either way, we'll just have to see what the future holds. If DCI survives and is able to grow the fan base, more power to them. But as it stands right now, they might want to consider listening to us old heads and bring back some of the traditions that made the activity appeal to the audience. The Corps I’m involved in gets overwhelming positive response when we play. We play old school, in your face, G Bugle Drum Corps music.
Respond to this video... CONT... Up close they sound just fine. The physics of how the sound is produced shows the main differences between the two different key's. In there element, both are fine at what they do. That is, Bb horns shine when played indoors, G horns shine when played, outdoors. The G horns have more internal harmonics within the sound. This allows the hound to carry better when played outside, however, the sound cane be overwhelming to the ears when played indoors.
Respond to this video... Cont... In my humble opinion, the other reason why we old heads balk at the change is because of the tradition. How can you call yourself a Drum and BUGLE Corps, when there are no BUGLES involved. As I see it, your a Drum and BRASS Corps, (or more accurately, Band). You wouldn’t call a Trumpet a Soprano, you don't call a Cornet a trumpet, and don't even think about calling a Soprano a Trumpet. You'll get stoned to death (LOL) !
1979... I was 9 years old and my dad was one of the organizers of "Invitation Quebec", the biggest DCI competition to be held outside the US. Drum Corps got so big in Quebec that DCI held the 1981 and 1982 championships at Montreal's Olympic Stadium... man, those were the days !!!!!
1979 was my first time at DCI aged 13 and my dad and i were fortunate enough to spend time touring with The Cavaliers.Having met up with them in Boston i can still remember being blown away by Santa Esmerelda Suite at a rehersal.It was't just Madison who had a wall of sound in those days.Back then you could enjoy the whole top 25 corps, Corps had real character then..stop the running around and bring back some tradition.Madison are trying it with good music and they look like the old scouts to
I like old and new DCI. They are different to be sure.I like the big fat sound of the old but lean toward the intricate drill of the new. The question I have is how can the new elite corp find that many feminine guys to run around dancing in leotards. They all can't be from California.
I aged out in 1990, and marched with Dutch Boy. If you want a taste of old DCI, go watch a DCA show. The Caballeros, Kilties, and several other old corps usually are there, and it is a nice return to the old sound.
I miss the G bugles too. The sound was much more intense, and learning to wrestle an old Getzen or Kantsul into tune actually made you a better player when you went back to band in the fall, as you learned to listen while you played. Hopkins destroyed DCI, but there is an alternative. Go watch some DCA shows. Their shows may not be as technical or polished as modern DCI, the old sound is still there.
I love these old shows. I just keep replaying the Bridgemen section over and over. That guy with the Magnum P.I. mustache beating the tar our of a tambourine is classic. It is exciting to see DCI evolve. Although I do find myself saying, after watching a current show, "in my day we would have run the electric keyboard guy out of the stadium." The corps in general put on a better show every year. Although I did hear that in 2012 they were outlawing sopranos in favor of the electric flute.
"Back in my day we walked to rehearsal up hill both ways"
It's cool to be proud of you're 8 to 5 marching and blaring brass (that sounded awesome a couple of times), but don't knock modern drum corps. The visual advancements of modern corps blows this old school stuff out of the water. It's honestly boring to watch anything pre-1985. Yes, the big fatty sound will never be around again, but you have to be a zombie to not get goosebumps when you hear/see one of the top corps today.
Okay, hold on a second... am I understanding this right? DCI allows amplification on the field now? AND synthesizers?? Seriously, I read that on a website. Is that true?? Because that is just wrong.
does anyone know the song the bridgeman were playing?
soundwave1009 3 hours ago
Amplification isn't required now. Sometimes you will see microphones, but they're almost always just for recording the audio since a microphone won't pick up solos very well. Even if it's actually to amplify the solo, get the fuck over it, worry about something like world hunger. DCI is not dying because it's progressing
Most of the time trumpet solos aren't amplified. They mainly amplify mellophone, baritone, and (rarely) contra solos. It's not like this has become a problem.
LDBellFan 3 days ago
@LDBellFan
I meant to say "since one microphone" instead of "since a microphone".
LDBellFan 3 days ago
good god. I don't know if I should be blown away in a good or bad way by the SCV clip. It would have been entertaining to watch regardless :)
Donimator002 5 days ago in playlist Harmonic Journey man im bored
Long live BTTW and RFL!!! With quality, of course!!
baridaddy 1 week ago
Simply amazing
drumcaptain52 1 month ago
The art of this sport may have evolved but this one thing remains. The sheer raw power those Corps brought intensified the crowds. Fans would be waiting for that moment, when the corps would begin to crescendo, teasing them, then in a powerful, unapologetic wave, they felt the ground under them shaking, their whole body vibrating as cords resolved through them, not around them. Music oscillated every cell of their being and forever changed them. They became rabid screaming applauding DCI junkies
DKreager1 1 month ago
Lots of comments here, many of them valid. I have been around corps since the beginning of time it seems - I very much enjoy the corps of today, but after watching this video again, it has been a long time since a corps has given me goose bumps like these did! I would love to see a guard with a high knee lift, rifles, flags and boots... wouldn't that be innovative! :-)
lithcherri 1 month ago
Brass amplification was legalized in 2008 (11-7 vote)and is extensively used. Last year more rules made Brass Amps more usable and used. It's kind of sad that Phantom finally wins outright in 2008. Yet, it can only be guessed how much was electronics and amps (a&E) and how much was real playing by their performers. Dozens of corps have folded recently unable to afford aE systems and rainy day back up systems which cost a minimum of $35,000. DC isn't about the level of practice but that of money.
1979Regiment 1 month ago
Are all of you retarded? The hornline isn't amplified in anyway. The only thing that is amplified is the pit.
RockstarDaniel 1 month ago
@RockstarDaniel Have you been in coma since 2008 or just time traveled ?This is 2012 not 2004. Not only did Caylee Anthony die June 2008. But so did brass playing without amps later in the week. Although there's no proof Casey or George killed Caylee there is little doubt that George Hopkins killed real brass playing.
1979Regiment 1 month ago
@1979Regiment In what way? Allowing mic use? Give me one reason why that is such a bad thing.
RockstarDaniel 1 month ago
@RockstarDaniel Because, it's not the brass players that are creating the sounds. It's machines creating the perfect sound. It's like plagiarizing a paper. It's not you writing the paper. It's a machine doing the thinking for you.
There is far less need to practice when a sound engineer can just fix everything. DC has become the only sport that his condoning cheating. It's a terror to think of what George Hopkins will brainwash DCI to do next marching to all recorded music?
Regiment1979 1 month ago
@Regiment1979 Are you retarded? The brass players are still playing and the judges are judging what they are playing. The only time a mic/aplification is used on field is when there is a feature or someone has a solo. What you hear on the DVD is not what is heard on the field and they do that for the fans not for scores of for George fucking Hopkins. I could honestly not give a single flying fuck if you march Phantom, you are scum of what DCI is now.
RockstarDaniel 1 month ago
@RockstarDaniel Uhh that would be falsifying the sound. Those great screamers from the 70's didn't need one.
tmtv633 1 month ago
@tmtv633 As great screamers as they may be, they didn't have a corps playing at FFF behind them.
RockstarDaniel 1 month ago
Back in 1979 there was a famous ad slogan stating "Is It Live or Is It Memorex?" Today one listens to DC and a good slogan would be "Is It The Brass Line Or Is It Technology?" What amp era players do doesn't really matter.It's horrible that Drum Corps has gone so far into cheating that one wonders if DC will soon perform to recorded music where the brass line can simply be recorded based on trial and error and just march. Maybe DC won't even perform live but recorded and played on big screens
Regiment1979 1 month ago
Amplification creates a situation where a players talent isn't creating the better sounds you have now, it's a sound engineer. It's not a modern players final product. It's like cheating. This video also doesn't include a Ticks Matter category. For without ticks it doesn't matter what you do wrong or how poorly something is executed.Back in 1979 being out of step mattered. Now with BC 1988 Autumn Leaves at 3:14 it didn't matter that 13 rifles dropped.
Amp era players don't play a machine does
Regiment1979 1 month ago
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neo802 1 month ago
WHERE ARE THE MADISON SCOUTS?
BradleyMellophone 1 month ago
0:48 Look what the Regiments playing agian!
LJLiveLV 1 month ago
What corp is the yellow at about 2 minutes
ThatTreyGuy 2 months ago
@ThatTreyGuy That'd be the Bridgemen, from Bayonne NJ.
ChrysalisChrazy 2 months ago
the only thing you here now is the pit and the quads maybe a horn every now and then.... I say get rid of the pit .......everything is played so fast it all sounds the same
tournot 2 months ago
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Love the old school videos but IDK man, I've come to <3 the Amps. I mean back in the day yeah there were no Marimbas and Vibes per say and everyone knows that Xylos and Bells cut though anything but, there's only so much those 2 instruments can do timbre wise. Plus I love that timp players now can really focus on the quality of sound they are getting from the drums. Correct me if I'm wrong but the majority of marching timp players were striking almost the dead center of the durms. That's a nono
corpslvr 2 months ago
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corpslvr 2 months ago
Man... they used to march timpanis?
Flyer7090 2 months ago
3:11 stagger breathing: noun - you know not to breath when the person next to you is doing whatever that is called
EliteLennon117 2 months ago
@mynamisdan
In so doing, many other things were also taught. For me the heart and soul was lost. I still enjoy drum corps shows to this day. But it bears only a passing resemblance to what it was. I love many of the corps still out there, and the members do amazing things, yet something very special has also been lost. Oh... I marched tympani in the Kingsmen then and again with the Kingsmen Alumni at DCI in 2007, with my son in the tymp line right next to me. I'm done ranting now. lol
tympanzi 2 months ago
@mynamisdan
They taught patriotism and other so-called family values, it was really a youth oriented activity. That's why people aged out. In its transition to big dollar, big business, young adult college students something very special was lost. How could an organization that supported itself with bake sales and bingo games hope to compete with todays corps? Now we have auditions, back then it was "come on down! We'll teach you how to play!" (cont)
tympanzi 2 months ago
@tympanzi I think you have said it all. It was something every kid could do. There was always a corp willing to take them. Now it is way too professional.
tmtv633 1 month ago
Oh wow. Do I see traditional used by tenors?.... interesting
VerySnowy 2 months ago
Epic Tambourine Guy.
mikedaguy 2 months ago
One I think deserving of mention is how powerful and crisp Suncoast Sound was in the mid-late 80s, they were kinda rare in the transition from old school to 3 valve bugles. How those kids got that much sound from bugles is amazing. These kids today don't realize how good they have it with their fully sponsored b flat gear. Blast from the past, thanks for posting!
brown55061 2 months ago
Amplification wasn't used. Neither was tone quality.
OmgMellophone 3 months ago 15
@OmgMellophone Ever played on a G Bugle? A little bit of a challenge to get a good tone
2011BANDIE 2 months ago
@2011BANDIE Yes I have, a DCA drum corps was being hosted at my school and they used G bugles and I decided to play on one. Yes It was more difficult but my tone wasn't all that bad.
OmgMellophone 2 months ago
@OmgMellophone lol THANK YOU. yeah dci was cool back then when g bugles caused a bunch of corps to go bankrupt AND made their hornlines sound like they we're playing through tin cans with plastic mouthpieces.
johnr224960 2 months ago
@OmgMellophone Or body carriage lol
KeatonIsFTW 1 month ago
@OmgMellophone It all depends on what drum corps you were listening to back then! Considering the instruments there was quite a bit of adjusting required to achieve"beauty of tone" and "playing in tune"! A number of corps very nearly maxed out the TQ & I boxes and some actually did!! Valve-slide, valve-rotor instuments weren't exactly Rolls Royces or Bentleys in their day...
baridaddy 1 week ago
@OmgMellophone yes because you can tell how good tone quality is on videos from the late 70's on youtube.
psgchisolm 5 days ago
Amps were brought in to help the AUDIENCE enjoy solos and the pit when they sat OUTSIDE of the 40 yard lines OUT DOORS...DUH!!!. Even Maynard and Buddy were smart enough to use amps. I played with them both AND in corps...I guess Maynard and Buddy didn't know what they were doing either...wail fail guys...get with the 21st century!
GaryDailey 3 months ago
Regardless of how anyone feels about drum corps amplification, the fact is that the activity has progressed a great deal since the time of this video. These old corps are absolutely GREAT for what they presented (the raw power alone is something to be respected). But EVERYTHING progresses unless it dies. Considering the length of time that drum corps has been around, some sort of evolution had to take place. If drum corps didn't evolve and doesn't continue to evolve it will die.
mynamisdan 3 months ago 9
@mynamisdan Me though? Brass + Synth = No.
mynamisdan 3 months ago
@mynamisdan
@mynamisdan Evolution for the sake of evolution is not always a good thing. And change isn't always evolution. When I first marched, there were OVER 200 active corps in DCI. If you read about the origins of drum corps, you will find that it started out as a character building activity. The early corps were almost all sponsored by boy scout troops, churches, boys' and girls' clubs, etc. (cont)
tympanzi 2 months ago
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PhantomDrums917 2 months ago
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@mynamisdan I would have to agree and disagree with your comments. Obviously, progress must progress, but the issue with DCI is that it's becoming too commercial and watered down for it's own good. The lines of entertainment are being blurred at a furious rate and there is little left to define drum corps as its own unique medium. I, for one, can't stand the thought of electronics on the field, as well as the Cirque du Soleil direction that it's taking.
PhantomDrums917 2 months ago
@mynamisdan Yes but do they have to have 20 to 25 faries dancing around in leotards. I mean where do they get them is there a sign up in San Francisco?
tmtv633 1 month ago
@mynamisdan Its not drum corps anymore.Its fucking marching band in a dome with speakers.Be honest already.When all is said and done the best years of dci will be the 70s,80s and 90s.
someperson79 1 month ago
The artsy-fartsy crowd has once again "fixed" something that wasn't broken. I'm okay with the switch to Bb, but drum and synthesizer corps does nothing for me. DCI died around 2005; I'm sticking with DCA. If I want to hear synthesizers, I'll go to a Yanni concert.
iplayfhorn 3 months ago
The activity peaked in the mid nineties.
pressclick 3 months ago
Drum Corps' are louder now, and MORE IN TUNE. Amplification is necessary to front ensemble instruments to be heard over powerful horn lines . Sorry that innovation dose not sit well with you.
jazzmasta92 3 months ago
@jazzmasta92 No they're not louder. More in tune, yes, but not louder (maybe just as loud). They didn't need amps in 1979, so why do they need them now? All of that new crap they use is the reason junior drum corps is no longer affordable to most kids. All of the so-called "innovations" might be cool, but they take away from the activity itself. I'd rather see and hear a loud musical brass line, and kick-ass drumline, and and drill that is not performed at the speed of sound.
iplayfhorn 3 months ago
@jazzmasta92 Sorry, jazz. An old G bugle carries much farther than a Bb trumpet. Just ask my neighbors.
HotWingSauce 2 months ago
@HotWingSauce There is a big difference in a sound "carrying" and being loud. You can hear a bell set at the top of a stadium over a horn line because it carries, but the horn line is louder. (producing higher decibels)
jazzmasta92 2 months ago
@jazzmasta92 The G bugle is louder because it was designed that way. If you spent any significant time playing both, it would be more obvious to you. I was fortunate enough to have played everything from a 1-valve, the valve and rotor, and eventually the two-valver. Olds and Getzen were always having us try out their latest creations.
HotWingSauce 2 months ago
2:12 Gotta love the tambourine
IowaEuph 3 months ago
talk about hair raising , stand up screaming and goose bump kind of stuff i makes you want to be young again and get out there and do some knee kickin' marching Yahoo!!
ssgtslayer1 3 months ago
If it's a wind instrument, amplification is for whimps. For anything else, it's fine.
WeavileTheWhacker 3 months ago
I think amplification is a great thing added to DCI. It adds a whole new layer, and not to mention the corps' music is just as hard, if not harder. I really love the synth as well, just as long as it doesn't get overused during the show.
ThatAwkwardMan 3 months ago 2
Or spelling...
MrDawgfan64 3 months ago
You have to see that right? If you went to a show now you can still see the joy on our faces when we end a song or when the last notes are played in the show...And if you take your biased away from what you think is right or wrong you can and will enjoy the shows I promise. We wouldn't do it if we didn't think it was entertaining...otherwise why would we do it?...Just my two cents from a recent age-out...
AFortuna129 3 months ago
Have the people complaining about the front ensemble really taken the time to listen to them? What they play is beautiful. And the only reason you'd be able to hear the beauty and intricacy of what they do is largely in part to amplification. Everyone that says they have stopped going to shows because its different has that right...but we're still kids doing drum corps because we love it.
AFortuna129 3 months ago
I have sat in front of DCI drum corps for the past 8 years and have been a member of them as well. I've sat at the top of a stadium and had the sound project so well that it was just a wall of pure horn sound and quality. I've also been witness to quiet intricate sounds of a front ensemble creating sounds that you could never hear without amplification. (for the best)
AFortuna129 3 months ago
I watched this video among other "old school" ones that I know don't do them justice. I don't doubt the amount of sound that these corps produced. But when the best arguments here about amplification and G to Bb horns is sound than I just don't understand. Since when did the definition of good music come down to who is loudest?
AFortuna129 3 months ago
Just remember, slooiehuh, (like none of us know what the big slooie secret was in the first place) started this arguement way below by basically indicating he was better off in the new corps than we were in the old corps. Candy ass has just manged to make a few allies.
TheChuck624 3 months ago
@splooiehuh the corps today should try to sound a little like the 80's corps. The ones today march well but for the most part sound like crap. And just because one is not under 21, doesn't mean that they have no interest or should have no interest. The DCI windbag board I am sure are all over 21. They have done more to destroy drum corps than anyone.
rbahner1 3 months ago
I prefer old corps too, but what I find amazing is that those who march deride new corps. I'd imagine it was the spirit you all shared. The experiences you all witnessed. The competition you all performed. THAT'S what corps is about. Yes it's different, but the core of corps hasn't changed - the friends and life experiences shared that in ways mold the future of your lives. It's the same now as it was in '79.
And Phantom shoulda' won in '79! ;o)
knightflyte 3 months ago
@knightflyte Phantom not winning in 79 was just another fine example what DCI did to drum corps overall. Santa Clara and the Blue Devils were always the favorite children and their winning the national championship was well decided upon before anyone ever hit the field in early June. The year, 79, was more of an insult to Phantom moreso than Santa Clara beating them by 1/10 of Pt. the year before. Did you know Santa Clara had world championship shirts made up before the season ended in 78?
TheChuck624 3 months ago
@TheChuck624 Oh man. That just makes me jaded. Sigh.
I thought PR's show was technically better than all the others in 79. Loved the Devils and SC. The Bridgemen had the most entertaining show, but Phantom was robbed.
05 was another plum PR should have won. IMO The Cavies and Phantom Regiment put on the most consistantly hard shows. Cavies get the nod for M&M, but I've always liked both corps for their technical attempts.
I did like Garfield's first championship win, though.
knightflyte 3 months ago
@knightflyte Garfield has been a solid old corps DCI has not managed to break down unlike the hundreds of old small corps they managed to bury similar to the ethnic cleansing campaign in eastern europe back in the 90's. The total amature feel has left D.C. and now it is a simple exhibition with targeted performing arts students and an average age of about 19. So much for the jr. high kids learing how to play and march. This is what they wanted to achieve all along and they got it.
TheChuck624 3 months ago
@TheChuck624 I must be getting too old. 30 odd years ago we had at least half a dozen corps near my home town. That included 27th Lancers, Boston Crusaders, and The Northstars. There were minor corps almost everywhere where kids were still able to have fun, learn marching and playing an instrument.
I understand funding is difficult and if I were rich, I'd fund a corps if I could. I think the experence is that valuable to kids who like it, so they can have a place to get off the streets.
knightflyte 3 months ago
@knightflyte TBH, ever since PBS dropped coverage of the finals I've not paid too much attention to the competitions. I don't like ESPN's coverage (do they still do it?) I did manage to go to the 05 finals and enjoyed it a lot. I've gone to local shows, but they're becoming scarece.
If it's as you say, then kids have truly missed out on something valuable.
knightflyte 3 months ago
@TheChuck624 I do not have a dog in the hunt, just an observer. I think you are right on the mark.
tmtv633 3 months ago
New drum corps sucks with their cookie cutter outfits, prancing little dance moves, all the shit piled up on the sideline and a bunch of music majors who have made it impossible for just a normal kid to march. 79 was one of the last great years for D.C. Today's stuff is nothing but manufactured overhyped shit.
TheChuck624 4 months ago
@TheChuck624 i'm pretty sure it's the "music majors" who help the corps not sound like the 70's and 80's. You should stop hating, especially since 1) this is a kids activity 2) You're not in it, so it shouldn't concern you
3) ITS JUST MARCHING BAND
splooiehuh 3 months ago
@splooiehuh Ha, there you just said it yourself. "JUST MARCHING BAND" - So there you are, it is no longer Drum Corps it is precisely as you named it now - Marching Band. It isn't for just kids anymore, DCI has demolished the small corps to an ethnic cleansing effect and the only "kid" capable of competing are professionally trained musicians. I don't hate the sport of the young adults competing, I hate what it has become and this is NOT was drum corps was originally though up to be.
TheChuck624 3 months ago
@TheChuck624 I have no sympathy for the corps that have folded. If you didn't have consistant source of funds, you had no reason to try and start a drum corps. Your next mistake was calling this activity a sport. Which definitely isn't. Also, you saying that this wasn't what drum corps was supposed to be is ridiculous as well. My age out year, Don Warren (one of the founders of DCI) told us exactly what it was they wanted this activity to be. And it bypassed all their expectations.
splooiehuh 3 months ago
When tuning was not required in drum corps.
TMNoob3 4 months ago
ya amp's really aren't required when you are in front of the Front hash the whole time and you park and blow.
that1p3rsonuknow 4 months ago
@that1p3rsonuknow When all is said and done the corps from the 70s,80s and 90s will be more remembered than the squatting,amped out,ego projecting corps since.
multibuddhaneo 4 months ago
Phantom still sounds that loud
EliteLennon117 4 months ago
see the amplifier here is the G bugle. ;-)
krazypyroboi05 4 months ago
i'm not trying to bag on old drum corp styles but amplification added a new vision to drum corps, the front ensemble. The front ensemble gives the show it's story, before you just had a theme, but now there's that new dimension. The only thing drum corps amplify are the front ensemble. i promise you the horns still have the power they did back then
TheBigBrown3r 4 months ago
Definitely glad i marched now and not back then. Standing still and sounding like a train wreck would drive me crazy.
splooiehuh 4 months ago
@splooiehuh Right, you like dancing around and looking like fairy as most music majors do. Glad you were born 30 after us candy ass.
TheChuck624 4 months ago
@TheChuck624 thank goodness i never really did any of that. Or i'd be a little worried. But hey, if prancing around like a sissy saves my chops and ears from being annihilated from this ridiculous playing, then i'd take the prancing any day :)
splooiehuh 4 months ago
@splooiehuh Candy Ass.
TheChuck624 4 months ago
I'm in cummerbund heaven
JonnyLikesPie 4 months ago
Look at that pit march
sGpMikeF 4 months ago
At 2:12 the guys just going hard.(x
NeonxSharpie 4 months ago
Correction : when amplification was not ALLOWED in dci. And also when they required all percussion instruments to be marched. Good times.
VerySnowy 4 months ago 17
I personally find the shows now a days more enjoyable and entertaining than the older shows. amplification allows for new and unique ways to present a show to the audience, on top of that the visual aspect of it all has greatly increased from the "old" corps to now a days corps. As much as people say otherwise, i have yet to find a video in which the difficulty level of back then matches what is being done now, someone prove me wrong, but i think drum corp is better now then it was.
Broshockaa 4 months ago
@Broshockaa It truly is a preference thing, and maybe us oldtimers are now in the minority. It would be silly to argue that the drills are comparible, they clearly aren't. I love the fast drill and I don't mind props. The late 80's and early 90's were filled with props. But back then, most top 6 shows were getting 3 or 4 standing ovations because your hair was being parted by the massive sound. It has gone from big and loud to more artsy. I prefer big and loud. BOA prefers artsy.
ninjahow 4 months ago
@ninjahow after watching more videos from the older shows i understand what your talking about now. The sound (at least what i can grasp from a video) was very massive back then and i can only imagine what it must have been like in person
Broshockaa 3 months ago
It still isn't needed in drum corps they just insist on using it
gsensel 4 months ago
2:13 Brostash FTW
EliteLennon117 4 months ago
To expand on sub's comment, absolutely. The kids do a great job today. They're just missing out. In my day we got the crowds up and screaming with cool drill, power chords and loudness. We listened for the pretty melodies on cd later. While they do what's asked of them, work hard, and perform well, they don't get the payoff of having crowds erupt throughout the whole show, which always hyped me up huge. Watch BD this yr, then BD in '84 and hear the crowd. Bring back G bugles, and lose the mics..
stareuph 4 months ago
As a simple fan not affiliated with any corp, I go to a few shows every year, and unfortunately find the judging pushes corps to play bizarre, atonal, and other non-crowd-pleasing pieces that only the parents of the playing corps enjoy, and the judges rate highly to show how refined and esoteric they are (can you put your noses any higher in the air?). Result leaves most audience segments untapped. I have a Masters & used to teach that crap to win contests too, so I understand the sad game.
saildapper2001 4 months ago
your point? Loud is better? no one's amplifying the brass lines, anyway.
schlendl 4 months ago
@schlendl Exactly I think you are getting it. But add higher also. I do not knock todays corp, but the wall of sound that hit you in the 70's and 80's was something to remember.
tmtv633 4 months ago
God I miss G bugles......sigh....
TheSuitIsNOTBlack 4 months ago
True Drum Corps' don't USE electricity, they CREATE IT!
papakevster 5 months ago
This is so much easier than what is done today...
SubKontraBass 5 months ago
@SubKontraBass
Easier? Absolutely. No argument there. I have nothing against the kids today, They work a lot harder than we ever did. It's just that the programs used to be a lot more about perfection and crowd pleasing. Ol skool drum corps was all about the build up and execution. More about pageantry than theater. More IN YOUR FACE rather than in the speakers. Full bore projection instead of background music. It was about Militaristic Drums and Bugles, not choreographed brass and percussion.
papakevster 5 months ago
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@SubKontraBass
Easier? Absolutely. No argument there. I have nothing against the kids today, They work a lot harder than we ever did. It's just that the programs used to be a lot more about perfection and crowd pleasing. Ol skool drum corps was all about the build up and execution. More about pageantry than theater. More IN YOUR FACE rather than in the speakers. Full bore projection instead of background music. It was about Militaristic Drums and Bugles, not choreographed brass and percussion.
papakevster 5 months ago
@SubKontraBass
Yet today's drum corps sucks. How is that possible?
TheSuitIsNOTBlack 4 months ago
@TheSuitIsNOTBlack I mean, writing a pop hit is easier than writing a symphony, I guess. Yes, G-Bugles can take much more air before spreading tone. It's true. And I also admit that I'm rather new to this sport. So I cannot possibly know what it felt like to sit at the huge shows of the 80s and earlier (before it became a wealthy music major's activity). Today, what is done is much more complex. Personally, I enjoy the emphasis on complexity and pageantry that is put on the field today.
SubKontraBass 4 months ago
Thumbs Up HE360!!!!!! I never missed a show during the glory days; now I never go see one. This is EXACTLY when DCI was great. 70's and 80's rule! 27th doing Folk Song Suite, great stuff !
Jointlock 5 months ago
Yes...The point of this video is to clearly implicate that there is something dearly wrong with Amplification..I hope I am making it clear enough..
tinknocker162 5 months ago 7
@tinknocker162 I left for the USAF in 1973 and before that while in high school I was in a corp. Then the next time I saw a corp performance was believe it or not, like 1996! I was so set back I had to run and call our old director. I asked him, "do you see all the shit they have stacked on sidelines!?"...lol Xylophones, concert bells , etc.! It was like every percussion instrument ever made...lol And we were pushing it having our bassists get down on one knee so the snars could play them!
hadjivids 4 months ago
Respond to this video... Anybody remember from the old days a judge named "Tick Tong?" lol Asian guy that was brutal on shavin them points off your score. Never came off clean, always found something.
hadjivids 4 months ago
@tinknocker162 - In other words, remember when DCI actually meant DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL??
shooster11 3 months ago
@tinknocker162
drum corps was not intended to use amplification, it was "Drum and Bugle Corps" not drum and bugle and amplification corps!!!!!!!!!!!!!
icedragon642 3 months ago
i don't like the rhetorical title implicating amplification as if there's something wrong with it, or that somehow the talent now couldn't operate without it. amplification isn't a question of 'required' or not. it's a question of 'enhancement' now. the conflict between old school vs. contemporary is getting way too boring and irrelevant. like what you like for what it is--not for what the other isn't eh
MrSamkays 5 months ago
I love this video. When I look at this video, I'm sorry to say, but I personally think drum corps back then had more excitement. I'm glad this video was posted. It shows the true essence of drum corps and what drum corps should be all about and it's the kind of video I'd like to show to people.
HE360 5 months ago
Amplification may not have been required, but the recording quality wasn't up to speed yet. I was there at all of those shows and I still find myself saying, "Geeze, It sounded so much better than that." What a loss...
KeithMenter 5 months ago
I first saw a Drum Corps show in late '70's I guess, and I thought it was one the most amazing things I had ever seen. What I saw and heard on the field at the drum corps show made my jaw drop.
That sound! That majestic bugle sound. The drill. The show.
But to me the most amazing thing was always that bugle sound. Where else can you get that magical, powerful sound?
But now it seems like they just want to turn drum and bugle corps into another marching band.
Joe23649 5 months ago
There was no "peak" of DCI. DCI and George Hopkins were the death of drum and bugle. 5star555555555's bitch was that amps are a pain to load? My bitch is that marimbas were allowed at all! I know that it's an old argument, but, "If you can't march with it and play it, and it doesn't fit on a football field, and it's not in "G" , it's not drum and bugle.
almailman 5 months ago
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: "Remember when Drum & Bugle Corps used to be Drum & Bugle Corps??"
shooster11 5 months ago
I have to agree, DCI started a slow decline around '79, then rapid decline mid-late 80's
ChuckaXr 5 months ago
I don't see anybody jazz running at 184 either...
SubKontraBass 6 months ago
I was born in 1993, I play the Marimba I part in my high school band's pit... and I wish amplification wasn't required, because we just got it this year and it's a pain to load onto the truck!
5star555555555 6 months ago
love it!! I was in SCV's horn line in 79. When we started the Bottle Dance, the crowd was SOO Loud I couldn't even hear the notes that were coming out of my horn. There was just a wall of sound that came from the stands. Gives me goosebumps thinking about even today.
pyrvinny 6 months ago
What the heck were these people thinking? They actually carried the instruments that they played? ;-} What about the next version of DCI? Can't imagine the pianist or pipe organ player marching with their instruments, let alone the amplification engineer dragging around his equipment. How soon is it before we don't need a football field? There's no more M&M and guards should compete in dance recitals. What passes for "drum and bugle" is a farce.
almailman 6 months ago
And the music was accessible to the audience. We could actually recognize what was being played!
MrSatch49 6 months ago
Holy shit. He's marching a timpani.
metallica2014 6 months ago
Wow...such crowds back then, too!
FinsOnHia125 6 months ago
'79 Troop would've been great.
Dinosawrroflcopter 6 months ago
carry those instruments. Kill the PIT!!
mtgjax 6 months ago
DCI needs to ban amplifiers all together. This video is what the sport is about!
momentum942 6 months ago
Or just give up..."On the line...from Concord, California the Blue Devils Interpretive BAND! To be followed by the Phantom Regiment Band and dance team...and finishing up the show the Championship Cadets woodwind ensemble of Bergen County with their equally famous Cadets ballet troupe!" (no offense meant to BD or PR as I'm sure they would switch to DCA before that ever happened.)
phantommp5 6 months ago
Are the shows more complicated?...yep...harder?...yep...innovative...yep. Are they AS entertaining as in the past? ..NO. Singing, amplifiers, and guitars don't belong....the proposed woodwinds...are you kidding? Hey here's a novel idea....how about BUGLES? Now there's a radical change. Put Bugles back into Drum & BUGLE Corps!
phantommp5 6 months ago
Yes, I believe he wanted the changes...HE PUSHED FOR THEM!!! In the beginning he was impressive. We are Drum & BUGLE Corps fans and alumni. Most of us were also in High School and University BANDS...But there IS a difference and we loved the difference!!! And NO everything does not have to change, especially to this degree!
phantommp5 6 months ago
If this is a band, WHERE ARE ALL MY WOODWINDS AT?!
BetoDiazT 6 months ago
@BetoDiazT It is Drum Corps, meaning no woodwinds.
8bitSevenfold 6 months ago
@BetoDiazT give it another 5 years. DCI is dead and it's a crying shame.
micropickletwo 6 months ago
I'm an old schooler from the West Coast. I appreciate how drum corp has evolved, but nothing beats the sheer raw power of the old school corps when it was just pure marching, brass, & drums. I still get goosebumps
listening to the Blue Devils, Vanguards, Freelancers, & the Commodores. Yes I miss the Bridgemen as well.
jtbassi 6 months ago
hey look! they aren't playing hit points every other second!
TenorMachine 6 months ago
BAHH!!! MARCHING TYMPANI!!! OW OW OW OW OW!!!! :59
TheClarkDrummer702 6 months ago
The Santa Clara bottle dance was epic!
sydmc2525 6 months ago
Louder doesn't necessarily mean better.
jdancisin 6 months ago
@jdancisin to old people it does...
LpZil91 6 months ago
@360Alexrules08 you said troopers for the 27th lancers and bluestars for spirit
moziz3 6 months ago
Gail Royer and Jim Ott, corps directors at the same time! No wonder 1979 was the peak of DCI.
micropickletwo 7 months ago
@micropickletwo ..Thank you for the kind remarks but,Jim Ott was the musical director-arranger-Instructor of Spirit not the Corps Director..
tinknocker162 7 months ago
the way i see it is drum corps are just evolving, lots of things are different from back then, some for the better and some not so much, theres no point in bitching and moaning about all the electronics in drum corps these days, if you dont like it, do something about it, otherwise, shut it, i personally thing that electronics are a nice effect when used tastefully, like the bluecoats 2010 show, or the cavies 2010 show
Cmndr95 7 months ago
@Cmndr95 The fans of Drum and BUGLE Corps are doing something about it. Attendance to the DCI shows are going down each year. DCI is in a financial crisis, hence the formation of the "G7". An attempt at regaining the prize money that keeps most Corps going through the year. At the same time, DCA is gaining in popularity. Yes there are Corps playing Bb horns. The crowd tells you who they prefer, as it should be. I'm not bashing the choice to make the switch to Bb,
Garrett901 6 months ago
Cont... Either way, we'll just have to see what the future holds. If DCI survives and is able to grow the fan base, more power to them. But as it stands right now, they might want to consider listening to us old heads and bring back some of the traditions that made the activity appeal to the audience. The Corps I’m involved in gets overwhelming positive response when we play. We play old school, in your face, G Bugle Drum Corps music.
Garrett901 6 months ago
Respond to this video... CONT... Up close they sound just fine. The physics of how the sound is produced shows the main differences between the two different key's. In there element, both are fine at what they do. That is, Bb horns shine when played indoors, G horns shine when played, outdoors. The G horns have more internal harmonics within the sound. This allows the hound to carry better when played outside, however, the sound cane be overwhelming to the ears when played indoors.
Garrett901 6 months ago
Respond to this video... Cont... In my humble opinion, the other reason why we old heads balk at the change is because of the tradition. How can you call yourself a Drum and BUGLE Corps, when there are no BUGLES involved. As I see it, your a Drum and BRASS Corps, (or more accurately, Band). You wouldn’t call a Trumpet a Soprano, you don't call a Cornet a trumpet, and don't even think about calling a Soprano a Trumpet. You'll get stoned to death (LOL) !
Garrett901 6 months ago
1979... I was 9 years old and my dad was one of the organizers of "Invitation Quebec", the biggest DCI competition to be held outside the US. Drum Corps got so big in Quebec that DCI held the 1981 and 1982 championships at Montreal's Olympic Stadium... man, those were the days !!!!!
r3dfiv3 7 months ago
thank you....i needed a shot of the good ole days !!!!! man,,,,,thats dome good shit
jessicawestin 7 months ago
@360Alexrules08 ..in order are SC Vanguard,Phantom Regiment,27th Lancers,Bayonne Bridgemen, Concord Blue Devils, Spirit of Atlanta..
tinknocker162 7 months ago
1979 was my first time at DCI aged 13 and my dad and i were fortunate enough to spend time touring with The Cavaliers.Having met up with them in Boston i can still remember being blown away by Santa Esmerelda Suite at a rehersal.It was't just Madison who had a wall of sound in those days.Back then you could enjoy the whole top 25 corps, Corps had real character then..stop the running around and bring back some tradition.Madison are trying it with good music and they look like the old scouts to
imperials82 7 months ago
I like old and new DCI. They are different to be sure.I like the big fat sound of the old but lean toward the intricate drill of the new. The question I have is how can the new elite corp find that many feminine guys to run around dancing in leotards. They all can't be from California.
tmtv633 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Dude, get real. I agree there is nostalgia, but todays corps are so much better, it's not even a question.
SDW2001
To say they are better is really immature. They both have great qualities.
tmtv633 7 months ago
Comment removed
Bog95 7 months ago
I aged out in 1990, and marched with Dutch Boy. If you want a taste of old DCI, go watch a DCA show. The Caballeros, Kilties, and several other old corps usually are there, and it is a nice return to the old sound.
TheVolunteer13 7 months ago
I miss the G bugles too. The sound was much more intense, and learning to wrestle an old Getzen or Kantsul into tune actually made you a better player when you went back to band in the fall, as you learned to listen while you played. Hopkins destroyed DCI, but there is an alternative. Go watch some DCA shows. Their shows may not be as technical or polished as modern DCI, the old sound is still there.
TheVolunteer13 7 months ago
I love these old shows. I just keep replaying the Bridgemen section over and over. That guy with the Magnum P.I. mustache beating the tar our of a tambourine is classic. It is exciting to see DCI evolve. Although I do find myself saying, after watching a current show, "in my day we would have run the electric keyboard guy out of the stadium." The corps in general put on a better show every year. Although I did hear that in 2012 they were outlawing sopranos in favor of the electric flute.
LLKoolBrad 7 months ago 8
"Back in my day we walked to rehearsal up hill both ways"
It's cool to be proud of you're 8 to 5 marching and blaring brass (that sounded awesome a couple of times), but don't knock modern drum corps. The visual advancements of modern corps blows this old school stuff out of the water. It's honestly boring to watch anything pre-1985. Yes, the big fatty sound will never be around again, but you have to be a zombie to not get goosebumps when you hear/see one of the top corps today.
Smajor22 7 months ago
@Smajor22 If you think the 79 Bridgemen show is boring, then you must be a member of Seal Team 6.
tmtv633 7 months ago
@tmtv633 That's classified information
Smajor22 7 months ago
For my money, NO ONE beats the SoA hornlines of the late '70's and early '80's. That 1980 hornline is just unreal.
zallyn1 7 months ago 2
Okay, hold on a second... am I understanding this right? DCI allows amplification on the field now? AND synthesizers?? Seriously, I read that on a website. Is that true?? Because that is just wrong.
reduff627 7 months ago