This is the stuff that made me fall in love with drum corps. Nowadays, I wouldn’t go to a show even if the tickets were free. I don’t blame the kids. I blame DCI.
I would just like to say that's my Dad playing the Drums on that first song, Ralph Razze, the Original Steve Spiegel recording. He's really getting a kick out of hearing the Devils version of it.
I remember back in these days we would go to a show. Even without looking or knowing we would hear a corps practicing and we would no instantly it was BD. We would follow that sound and it was them. Nobody had that sound only they did.
I think the 1984 'BD finals night' performance was just as good if not better than '82 and '86. The difference in my opinion was that BD put any chances, for any corps, away, in '82 and '86 before even going to finals.
Karn evil! ! My hs instructor was in 83 & 84 & brought us both Paradox & Karn Evil as our percussion solos. And course we totally used the ending as a tag on whatever our closer was be it 'Surrise Lady' or 'One more Night...'Forever grateful. Grew our hs line from 15-30 & created a 20yr dynasty!🙏
By FAR one of the finest musical performances by any drum corps, ever. This is the big, glossy, sparkly, swinging ‘80s Blue Devils, at the very peak of their mountain. I remember when the LP vinyl recording of the ‘84 Championships came out, and being absolutely FLOORED by the sound of this show. Every department of the ensemble and arranging team had achieved something that had finally transcended any connection to “marching” music, and was now flying freely on its own out there - a true, 100+ member modern-Jazz big band, swinging and thrilling just like a Buddy Rich concert. Unbelievable. All without any intrusive and unnecessary electronics - just the particular glory of pure acoustic sound. And what a relief to hear not only the richness and horsepower of the G bugles again, but also the full-spectrum, colorful variety of sideline percussion that was once unleashed, but for some sad reason now seems locked in an unimaginative drone of mid-frequency massed marimbas. (And how about a bonafide 10-player snare line? Yeah baby!!! THAT IS DRUM CORPS.) Too bad the atrocious video direction rarely lets us see it, even during the powerhouse drum feature. 🙄🤬 I wish today’s DCI big-thinkers and show planners could take more of a cue from the great stuff of these earlier years, and realize they’ve lost stuff that didn’t need or want to be lost, on the way to their other perfectly cool innovations.
1984 Blue Devils - best show (and performance) ever not to win DCI. Man they were on fire that night! Garfield was not to be denied, and I agree with the outcome, but BD... whoo!
@@samsignorelli dude...you didn't "try"... you almost set the field on fire... but just as BD reset the paradigm for DCI in 76, Garfield recalibrated it again in 83/84... actually moreso in 84, with visual coordination never seen before. But just for hot writing and playing? BD was still King (as witnessed by your 100 or so Jim Ott awards... won without amplified front sideline covering bass and providing additional presence, while masking flaws). My wife, who was not a drum corps chick, but had earned an MMus in Composition, used to break my balls about drum corps being perpetually out of tune until I brought her to DCI East and to a BD rehearsal when my son was playing trumpet. She listened for a while and then said "Okay... THAT'S in tune! Why doesn't everyone play like that...?" Nobody ever played better (especially in the Downey decades... just my opinion).
@@bradberry1083 Haven't seen Schimmel since that night. Duane had the ultimate BD soloist drill...after stepping out of the line during Karn Evil 9, he only marched 16 counts for the rest of the show....back for 8 and forward for 8 in the duet in the closer! We'd work on closer drill at Mars and Duane and Gino would head up to the GE box! He also had a solo or feature of some sort in all four brass charts...scream at the end of the opener, solo in Latin Implosion (which was a duet until after DAtR, hence Tim Morning standing back to back with him), opening trio in La Fiesta, duet in Like a Lover.
It’s hard to imagine the reaction back then compared to now. They are clearly fantastic technically these days but in my last few visits to Indy, they just leave you….in your seat. Every corps in 2022 got a standing ovation apart from BD. I’d love to go back and have some of this…..it’s just brilliant!
I marched 84 Bridgemen and got spoiled seeing Garfield so frequently. Only once or twice came across BD and remember thinking, ok, we’ll that’s a whole other level.
IMO, the real difference (much of the music back then was pretty technical too) was that the charts were more fully developed, fleshed out, where the current day charts (again in my opinion) are snippets built around impact points, interspersed with long transitions of synth and pit music (with or without narration). For me it's not the technical part, or the "crap".
...if only the rest of the hornline was as good....the hornline as an ensemble was incredible. And the power of that line. They had a powerful punch - especially the one special moment in Latin Implosion designed to break speakers..
@@rdlcbrown ???? I thought the rest of our line was great! After all it was you flugels who took the feature in La Fiesta when us sops could't pull it off.
@@samsignorelli Awesome! I know the feeling - I was in Bayonne's drumline in '82, the house came down when we did New York, New York, and then fainted after the last note, LOL! I had to pick up my head just so I could see the crowd! I Saw you guys at the Clifton, NJ show that year, '84. Made a tape with a stereo dual mike on my little Sony recorder. Still have the tape! I marched with the Bushwackers that year, and we followed you in exhibition at the West Chester PA. show. You finished with Santos by Louis Bellson, and that was our opener, LOL! Then in '85you closed with Pat Metheny's First Circle, and again, our opener was... First Circle. We played a whole Pat Metheny show that year.
@@slotcargene1 You need to digitize and upload that tape! There are very few recordings of our show other than prelims and finals. Would love to hear it.
Sorry to tell you, but there was no Andy in our contra line in 84. Additionally, only 2 members from that year have passed, euph Dalyn Barner and contra Gary Brattin. The only Andys in the corps were fellow sop Andy Johnson and tenor Andy Heidin.
The "New York Fantasy" tag ending was a thing from 80-84, although part of the battery book made it into a couple of later shows. There were elements of La Suerte, New York Fantasy, Legend of a One-Eyed Sailor, and a smattering of other past charts in there...the TUG (Thumbs up Guy) pose at the end also came from earlier years. The original ending on first tour was just a reprise of the end of the opener. It wasn't until 2nd tour that we put the classic tag ending in.
Okay, another comment: I've always thought that solo at 5:20 just defines screaming. I heard it the first time in Ogden echoed back off the mountains. Just great.
And it wasn't something Wayne wrote. We were in the practice arc -- probably around April or May, and Stymie did it as a joke on one runthru. Wayne cocked his head, thought about it, and said "Y'know what? Let's keep that." Also, RIP, Daylen Barner -- the euph on screen at that time stamp.
@@samsignorelli Pits only overbalance a hornline when they're poorly miked. Nowadays every damn hand drum has to be miked, and that's only because Yamaha is trying to sell more sound systems to band programs. It's all a stupid arms race.
Modern drill wouldn't allow for marching Frenchies...far too easy to miss the partials. Hell, they were fading in favor of mellos onlh a few years later.
I marched French Horn in Madison in the 70s. These were the long flat ones, rotor/piston versions. They were fun to play and free blowing but man, they were a frack machine when in motion. My age out year was ‘78 and was the first year we used mellos. We only bought 4 used ones because we weren’t sure we wanted to commit to them yet, AND the next year was the conversion to two-piston alto voice instruments. Mellos definitely gave an enhanced sound element and were easier to maneuver around the quick passages.
And a lot better than some who have won, that’s for sure. This was just greatness. The difference in them and Cadets, who were also nothing short of greatness, largely personal preference and nothing objective as far as I am concerned.
We beat Garfield at the last regular season show...we only lost THIS run by 1/10th...Garfield members THEMSELVES thought they'd lost -- that semis was their golden show. Hardly a long shot....care to try again?
I was there that weekend. Garfield won prelims. Did not win Finals. IMO. Ask anyone from the Cadets that was waiting in the tunnel at the end of the BD show. West Side Story was great.
Matched with a drum corps back than in 1984 I'm so happy to be alive today is my birthday I was born 1963 oct color guard flags is what I did god u all
