1991 Blue Devils Quarter Final Dallas Texas

The good old days of "gun slinging" brass line !
I was fortunate enough to be part of the group.

[@jonathanwillis1143]

Absolutely cutting edge at the time (as with Star of Indiana as well). The brass line was just off the charts. The arrangements were Wayne Downey at his best. Masterful! Mayne not their best percussion but I love the percussion writing and think the players did an amazing job. Loved the pit. It was a super strong year with Star, Cavaliers, and Phantom also being so good and clean, but short of Star there were no other corps that could have performed this music book. Of course Star had a different style and even with them I am not sure they would have had the soloists to handle what BD did. I so badly would love to hear a music book like this again. The activity has changed and not all for the bad. There are many things I enjoy, but we don't often hear a book like this.

[@JeffMenendezRealtor]

One of the best horns books of all time! Kudos to the percussion program, down year. But those members went through a lot with the whole Float issue to start the January camps, to the core of 1990 vets walking out, merry go around of staff changes, new members, new drum books every 2 weeks during pre season and the season itself. Yet they endured. Good for them.

[@ImVee10]

Jeff Menendez I’d LOVE to know the Float story.

[@yomama3775]

@@ImVee10 Me too please.

[@ImVee10]

@@StephenKershaw1 That’s it? 🥱😴

[@bryancook3233]

The DL quit first day of practice... Took awhile to sort that mess out. Also the Mehan incident.

[@citizengar]

What a great show. I've always thought this was underappreciated.

[@ronmcbride2100]

This was not a bad show. The problem is it had to compete with the Mid-West (Star, Cavies, & PR) that took 1st, 2nd, & 3rd places. And then on top of that SCV had an absolutely incredible show. Star was just unbeatable that year & always entertained the crowd. But, I have say that my favorite shows in 91 HAD to be Phantom Regiment & Santa Clara Vanguard.

[@jared0111]

one of my favorite musical programs of all time. insane hornbook, some of the jazziest jazz the football field has ever seen. thanks so much for posting, i'd never heard anything other than finals, and i've listened to that one with great appreciation for a good many years.

[@BrianHaag]

Agreed. I think this is most "real" jazz production DCI has ever seen. What I wouldn't give for this to be the current direction.

[@kmeddow2002]

Brian Haag I agree

[@MS-df2fk]

I'd put this second behind 94 in my favorite BD shows. And look at that guard! Marching and spinning at the same time! Crazy

[@LeopoldMidas]

Needs more pre-recorded music and vocals! Said no one ever.

[@sw5824]

Whew!

[@rifle2563]

Ironically it's the 80s 90s generation that designed this current situation

[@neilpalmer5577]

At the time I couldnt listen to this show, I was only a young lad and it was to complicated for my little head. Now love it!

[@wolfepow27]

Definitely without a shadow of doubt, one of the greatest DCI shows to be put on a field. I saw the standstill in a parking lot, can't remember where but it was killer, and as a 91 Cadet we had mad props for the devils that year!

[@xxxyorks]

That was better than the finals show

[@Mark-sj3xb]

Drum line had an awful night at finals. This was much better I agree.

[@jared0111]

was 5:19 not a huge tear?

[@neilpalmer5577]

Way better than finals! Always felt alot of corps that year needed a couple of more week they always felt unfinished. Probably just me.

[@bfremming]

Thank you Vance.

[@americanspirit8932]

I just would like to announce, the use of five bass drums was the idea of John Sasso, in the Long Island sunrises in 1968 and they were played in a horizontal position. May you rest in peace

[@rifle2563]

Odd factoid on this video

[@digitalayon]

I like it....it just hit a year where more popular shows went down from other corps.

[@andyking3610]

My favorite part is at 10:32 when the judge is trying to escape the swirling vortex. "oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit"

[@jeffe_77]

8:16 that timpani roll changed to an eight note solo build up at Finals, by the way, that Timpanist is an underrated part of the show!

[@sw5824]

That OTL is ultimate chaos in motion

[@phillipwright3679]

sophisticated bd....always!

[@jamesmccaughey5604]

Easily one of DCI's best horn books. 😎

[@floatdude]

All the Remo Falam heads on the snare drum were given to BD from the Velvet Knights, the snare heads they used all failed badly. VK staff gave me a hard time about it when I did it, but once I talked to them, hey were 14th and their are like 4th place, so help them out. So Cal corps helping Northern Cal Corps. Plus we had ex VK members in BD and Paul Rennick asked nicely, they look like they need the help.

[@cicook7]

That ending was tough that night, it looked like work!

[@ryantea44]

A tough first year for director Dave Gibbs, but we sounded really good. Even better than Star... says everyone who watched us live this year.

[@BrianHaag]

this hornline was criminally underrated then and now... only 93 is better

[@warrenmoore4743]

I hate to admit it because i think you guys have won too many championships.....but you guys were WAY underscored this year. Both you and the Cadets were far more advanced than higher scored corps. Oh, and by the way....did "Star"'s guard use ANY auxilary equipment. I don't think Star ever twirled a rifle.

[@dankelly1426]

Most guards are doing more dancing/theatre moves than equip these days. Probably started later in the 90's.

[@warrenmoore4743]

It started with Star of Indiana.

[@brianjungen4059]

Warren Moore way underscored? Umm...no. Listen to the drum line and look at their score and that’s all you need to know.

[@zachm9454]

Do you happen to have the Star of Indiana quarter final recording? If they recorded the last 30 seconds of that show in full high cam, that would be an amazing contribution to the drum corps community to have it released.

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

Sorry, I don't. I do have Phantom Regiment semi but I need to find it.

[@BrianHaag]

DUDE please put it up. There's no '91 Nessun Dorma anywhere afaik.

[@agogobell28]

I have the Star finals high cam.

[@KBisDOC]

Think I have the top 12 finals on VHS still

[@kmeddow2002]

I wonder why they took out that massive crescendo at 10:57 for semis and finals? It sounded good.

[@stanleydogood8874]

sounds unnatural there. . . to me. . . it's of course subjective

[@bringndaruckus6956]

Opening with 1976 Capital Freelancers. and 1981 Garfield Cadets.

[@BlueEuph]

I like how they display all the flags of where the members are originally from. America, Canada, Japan, I can't make out the middle one? Anybody?

[@massimochiacchia3261]

The Netherlands.

[@MatenesisVlogs]

Is it just me or did the blue coats play the same song that was in the closer?

[@MS-df2fk]

They did. Bird and Bela in B Flat. This arrangement is way better

[@luvspaiste]

What happened with the drumline that year?

[@MichaelMartinez11]

Jimmy Ye - 1st Base - Tom Float lines rule back in the day.

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

Actually it was a Paul Rennick line. Float was gone after the prior season and went to VK.

[@MichaelMartinez11]

thanks for the heads up. Hard to keep track. California Corps were playing musical chairs with their drum caption head instructors back in those days.

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

Open the door for Paul Rennick, and now he is kicking ass with SCV.

[@BrianHaag]

So wild, because he was doing anything but, then. '91 to '93 devs batteries were their downfall.

[@MichaelMartinez11]

keep in mind the last 4 minutes of that show might be the hardest composition ever attempted in DCI. Playing in 7/16 and 9/16 time registrars you can hear slight phasing - the drum judge puts the blame on the drum score as a consequence. You could have just as easily as gave the corp credit for the improvement made from quarter finals to finals, it's apple's and oranges at the top. I think the 91' devs show is mis-understood in a lot of ways and way ahead of it's time.

[@supersop]

10:50 to the end was slightly different finals night. I like this better. The pro recording of this show is a treasure (audio only) there's way more to this book that you can't hear on pbs recordings. Same said for almost every show prior to 1996. I'm a huge fan of this show. I think the percussion maybe had a better night on finals. Some extreme subtleties in that book. You really have to see and hear it too get it all and even then.... you might have missed it. Same said for brass. I now can hear the difference adding the 3rd valve had. A little less power than 2 valve. Better intonation overall. But what a great show. This is Golden Era Drum Corps. In my opinion, this took the rules as far as they needed to go. Feels like the sweet spot.

[@supersop]

Micah Lall-Trail the is also a difference in the plating alloys used. This makes a HUGE difference in power output. I'm almost positive that the old 2 valve bugles used denser metals and alloys.

[@supersop]

Micah Lall-Trail LMAO ....OH?

[@supersop]

Micah Lall-Trail glad I could help

[@markschomaker3053]

Almost positive? Like, Im "ALMOST POSITIVE" I Pulled the pin on that Grenade before it threw it.... Which 2 valve bugles are you talking about? The 3 valve King vs the 2 valve King? Thats what BD used. They Did at one point use the Olds Ultratone IIs, which were chrome plate, until the Kings became available in the 1982 - 83 timeframe. The Kings are made from Brass and covered in silverplate. 2 and 3 valve instruments are made from the same alloys. You would be hard pressed to find a discernable difference in the sounds of the 2 vs 3 valve King Powerbore bugles. And you certainly aint telling the difference on the field, in wildly variable weather circumstances, with players at various skill levels. And what the hell are you talking about on "Power Output"? Is that a measurable parameter as far as Bugles go? Im sure if that were at all measurable, it would be down to the person playing the bugle, and his skill level and breathing technique....

[@supersop]

@@markschomaker3053 Sorry I didn't see this until now Mark. I'm comparing what I've used over the years. I had a 2 valve DEG for my entire JR CORPS marching career (my personal horn that I bought). I've used 3 valve Kanstuls and 3 valve Kings. No way I could put as much air through those 3 valve horns. Air = Power. The bell shape was different on the 3 valve DEGS and I believed that's what BD was using at the time (1991).

[@BlueEuph]

Do they still do that?

[@rifle2563]

Vance what brand horns you guys playing on that year?

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

It was mixed. 22 - Kanstul prototype 3 Valve Soprano 8 - Kanstul 3 valve baritone 8 - Kanstul 3 valve euphonium 10 - Kanstul 2 Valve Meehaphone (Alto) 4 - Deg 2 Valve Mellophone 10 - King K90 two valve contrabass. To the best of my memory.

[@agogobell28]

There were only 16 baris total? That’s a pretty small line.

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

64 brass was standard for most corps. Today is around 86-90 plus electronics. The Bb horns can't compete.

[@jared0111]

@@MusicAnimeNSX think those meehaphones ever pop up for sale?

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

jared b not I’m Aware of. I was able to find the bell mandrel and produced a prototype 3 valves version in F.

[@wm8673]

The BLUECOATS 2018 LIFTED THIS.. OH WOW, BUT DCI DOES THIS ALL THE TIME

[@gak27scv]

Yup. The opener in this show was played by Suncoast Sound several years prior...

[@neilpalmer5577]

@@gak27scv and Suncoasts version was loud and raw.

[@supersop]

Suncoast 1986 ..... 5th place finals night. Great brass ... fantastic bass drum line.

[@davidfisher5599]

The Devils at their finest.

[@ultradmann2367]

What's the name of the actual show?

[@MusicAnimeNSX]

ultradmann conversation in jazz

[@burdrchitect1680]

When shows had no theme.. and just played straight music...

[@ThaSound]

WWWWwwwwwoooooowwwww!!!!

[@thereefaholic]

Back in the days before corps started dragging all that shit out on the field and the out of place amplification and pitchbending. No monologuing . No singing. Just drum corp.

[@thereefaholic]

And people did not like it back then. In fact if I recall the vocalizations got you a “tick” (penalty for the those not in the know). The pitch ending done by spirit was not done electronically so I will adjust my critique of today’s drum corps by saying “electronic pitch bending. The over the top props that only of the corps of those days were odd too but the guard carried them out in most cases and were not stages, trampolines. Stripper poles, or port-o-potties you see today. Well except 86 bridge men with the giant present (Ooosss). I will say the corps of today have way more difficult marching and have a much higher level of precision than back in those days. The music is arguably more complex today as well. Well done there.

[@KBisDOC]

Didn't most of the singing start with the Scouts doing Strawberry Soup in 93?

[@agogobell28]

Singing - unamplified, of course - was allowed as early as 1984. There’s a section of the Garfield Cadets show (West Side Story) that year that features the hornline and guard singing. Perhaps it was allowed even earlier, I’m not entirely sure.

[@thereefaholic]

Once the rules changed to allow vocalizations, it would pop up in drips and drabs. At most it was a harmonic enhancement . Some group singing as well. Bridgemen even did a rap in their Christmas in July show. When they started combining it with amplification is really when it “jumped the shark” as they say. Through incrementalism we now have extra tractor trailers for the core to carry massive amounts of junk. While there is a higher level of marching skill these days (IMO) the shows have lost something in an effort to fill the time with more and more stuff.

[@fancykat9940]

3:20 They trapped the judge in

[@ondrauscissell6952]

Drum Corps is so much better without electronics and amplification !!!!!!

[@KlldbyCuriosity]

Look at that beautiful bent leg

[@neilpalmer5577]

I know, just like half the corps today.

[@adad02]

bluecoats 2k18

[@everythingturns]

and the arrangement of this show is so much more engaging than what the Coats are offering up. not to mention it is not drowned in synth bass.

[@steviem8466]

Crap. Drum Corps just got lost up its own arse!

[@carterschuld7605]

Back in the days when you MOVED as well as PLAYED music.