90s DCI Brass Power - Edition 1
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- Just some short clips from drum corps in the 1990s that gave ground pounding brass performances from the G-Bugles. I added some shows that don't always get the attention but deserved some air time on YT.
#dci
#brassflex
#drumcorps
0:00 - Blue Devils 1990
1:40 - Freelancer 1991
2:28 - Santa Clara Vanguard 1992
4:35 - Madison Scouts 1993
5:33 - Bluecoats 1991
6:18 - Magic of Orlando 1994
8:27 - Crossmen 1998
10:03 - Phantom Regiment 1993
12:44 - Madison Scouts 1995
15:58 - Blue Devils 1999
17:39 - Santa Clara Vanguard 1998
19:19 - Madison Scouts 1998 - Jak na to + styl
People who never heard the G bugles will never understand how different the sound quality was. This was a sound that created a different sense of space. It has never been equalled.
Amen! For me it was the baritones and euphonium sound. They were harder to play but even the soprano screams had a whole different full tone.
@@trulinegraphics I wasn't a soloist in drum corps. Did not have that high range. Since I did play the soprano G bugle, I loved the power. I think a little harder to control than my trumpet. I never rode a horse, but I guess the bugle was a wilder to tame. But once tamed those soloists wowed the crowd. Madison Scouts seemed to always have great soloists.
Much better projection, especially from low voices. It takes almost 20 tubas to put out the same sound as 10 contras.
I often felt, having played the G-bugle, that when drum corps switched to the B-flat and F horns, the sound warmed up. But horn lines lost their energy and sparkle, and by extension, their identity. The G-bugle made drum corps what it was.
@kt6550 this exactly. The sound lost it's "sizzle"
Playing a G bugle in tune and very loud was true musicianship.
Few groups did it successfully
@@rifle2563 Which few?
@@demzerocool7475 really just sprinkling of 80s and moreso 90s corps, some writing didn't really lend itself to strong intonation like Crown. It really seemed just inconsistent at the top end, let alone bottom of top 12 back then. Not saying they were bad musicians but some of writing and definitely the instruments didn't lend itself to perfect blend and balance. Strong constenders all around the top 6 but 80s cadets and late 80s to 90s star seemed pretty damn consistent. Some vanguard years as well, 97-99 come to mind as strong.
@@demzerocool7475 Blue Devils, Star of Indiana, SCV, PR and Madison Scouts.
Several men of culture in the comments section, I see. This is clearly a safe space for us old heads. You mention G Bugles on other drum corps videos and you get shamed for living in the past. These were the good ole days.
I miss that massive wall of G Bugle sound!
Warm brass love
Always nice to turn the clock back to raw power. Miss those days....😎
Too true!
I was the timp player in the 91 Freelancers. Oh man that hornline had a massive sound! Got to hear it every day ❤️🖤❤️🖤
G-Bugles were the best. Recordings just can't capture the power of these lines. You not only heard it, you felt it when they torched off those power cords. Thanks for showing the love towards to Golden age of G horn lines.
These kids will never know. Even a 12th place finals corps would belt your ears. These B-flat horns are a piercing blaring sound. The melos and baris just don't have that rich butter sound like Gs did.
I remember seeing Pioneer in '05 and they were still on G bugles. They blew away corps that that were twice their size and it was awesome.
@@zachbrown8297 I marched Troopers in '98 and we didn't field a whole corps, yet we had judges that said we sounded like one, more than once.
Yep. G Bugles... Power! I marched in 1975 and 76 with Guardsmen from Illinois. Flugle Bugle in 75 and soprano Bugle in 76. I played trumpet in high school, but loved playing that soprano Bugle in drum corps. Thanks for this post, and all my best to all past and present drum corps performers!😊🎉❤
It’s 2024, and 1979 Guardsmen remains one of my favorite shows of all time !
@@EveryDayaCleanSlateyep! Great Guardsmen show. I did not march with them that year. (My family moved to Tucson, Arizona) I have this in my VHS tape collection. Don't laugh, it was all we could get in the early 1980's. I miss Guardsmen. Love that colorguard. Thanks for liking Guardsmen! 🎉😊❤❤
'92 Vanguard here. Super thanks for putting it in. Fun year. Low marks, retro-show, but fun year.
I love the screams SCV had in the subtle parts of the show in 92-94. My first show I saw was 94 and SCV was my favorite. The level of class was noted even from me as a 14 yr old.
Madison 91-96 here. Forget about the 9 guys and listen to the 40,000 who bought tickets, you were great!!! I loved that show, we all did!
@@kentshook3840 2 decades of catharsis in that reply ... thank you.
1992 vanguard is one of the most underrated shows ever. One of my faves.
Good all including 1991 Bluecoats in there. That line was wicked good.
The tonality and 'openness' of the horns was really something to behold. Intonation was a challenge, yes, but when it was on it was just astoundingly powerful, ie 90 and 92 Star of Indiana. The King 2V horns had something to fo with that. Those horns were an absolute set of deadly weapons in the right hands
We still had Real Drum and bugle Corps at that time. Today we have marching bands
When I was in drum corps mid 1970's, the marching bands were moving to drum corps style. Later when the tick system of strict judging of corps went away, the two activities started looking more alike. I like Phantom Regiment who still did some straight up drum corps moves. Drum corps is still a hard activity, so I root for all eras to do a great show.
This was 3 valves, Real Drum and Bugle Corps is p/r, this cannot be disputed
@@rifle2563 yep two valves. After I left corps in 1976, the transition to two valves happened. It was a valve played with your right thumb and a rotor (like a regular french horn) played with your left index finger. Due to costs, it was phased in to two valves starting with the sopranos, then to the other instruments.
@@waynestephens6505 piston rotor is the best!
Unfortunately we have drum corps that dance and twerk now?WTH has the world of drum corps come to? Drum corps shows remind me of music with ballet. I think it’s terrible. The 90’s were the best for drum corps
Scouts 95 was just awesome
Thank you! It was an awful lot of fun to march, with a lot of emotion exchanged between the crowd and the corps.
I loved playing them, especially with Madison in 74-76
I marched 1975 and 76 with Guardsmen. We did not make finals in 75, so saw your fantastic finals show in the stands! Many fine Midwest corps then. Too many (like my Guardsmen) are gone now. I'm glad Scouts, Phantom, and Cavaliers still around.
I really miss drum corps
I appreciate what DCI has done to stay relevant and engaging for the youth - unfortunately “we” (old guys) haven’t been the target market for a long time. Despite the demise of some big corps, it’s amazing that the show is still going on. All that said, this shit rocks. Let’s get LOUD
80's brass power!
no mics, no trombones, no synths, no ballet...oh, and the also march and play at the same time!
G what a sound. If you never experienced G in person you don’t understand. When they say the POWER of the hornline they weren’t joking.
Fortunate enough to see 95 scouts in person, they were electric!
If I could go back in time and see only one show live, it would be 95 scouts. I never saw them that year.
The G bugle in the outdoor venue only made sense. All these clips are recorded from the big NFL or D1 college stadiums, but whenever this sound was unleashed on a high school field it was absolutely overwhelming.
Two words: THANK YOU!!!💗🎺🎵🎶
As mentioned below if you never heard the "G" era, it's tough to explain. I marched back in 1970 and 71, what convinced me to start was the absolute power of the horn line. The first rehearsal I attended, just to observe, the first full horn line chord they played damn near brought me to tears. There was no way I wasn't going to be a part of this. I played soprano, a nickle plated Olds Untratone, one piston, one rotor. I still have one (picked it up on Ebay really cheap a number of years ago) one of the differences between the Olds and any of my other Bb trumpets is the shape of the bell profile. It's bigger with a taper that starts further back and gets larger faster. We were taught to play to the top row, project, project, project! We did breathing exercises every rehearsal and at home before practice. Basically inflate a large bag as fast as you could with as few breaths. MAn could you put a lot of air through the old Ultratones. It's been a while since I've been to a DCI show, I loved it the last time I went but felt it was missing something. Makes sense now. (That and the "pit", not a big fan of that either.)
Another of people seem to go back to how powerful the sopranos were which i cant argue against. as a modern contra player I have to say that we probably have it better now. The Bb contras have a lot more focused and rounded sound. The old g contras weighed a ton or so I've been told but those sopranos are something else
*a lot
The pit adds so much depth that classic marimba sound on slow pieces is what always got me it's so incredible.
G Bugle for 5 seasons in the eighties. Trumpets never came close.
Never will, completely different tone. The trumpets are more shrill, less rich.
The US Marine D&B Corps just purchased new 3 Valve Bugles in February 2022 (switching from 2 valve), but staying with G Bugles !
1990 Star? The definition of power...
I don't think I have good HD quality version of that one.
G-Bugle Contrabass here....76-84. Those days will never be matched. Look at the number of Bb marching tubas they use today. What we could do in my days and days of old with 6 or 8 contrabasses in G....
Madison ‘In your face at 100mph ‘Scouts for the whole of the 90’s
For me a "Welcome to the Summer" was the first time you played a show that Madison was there. They probably weren't going to win but that wall of sound that could be heard for miles during warm ups was something to behold.
DCI needs to go back to tradition
In 21 when they had the non-competitive year many had throw back style shows and I loved it. Was hoping that would stick but it's gone even farther the other way. Oh well, we have memories.
The G bugle sound was amazing. But after standing in front of 2013 Crown brass live I don’t think G bugles would’ve made them sound any better. That was the loudest, best brass line I’ve ever heard, and I marched DCI in the 80s and 90s and personally witnessed all the great Cadets, Star, BD, PR, and Suncoast brass lines. A great horn line is a great horn line whether on G or B-flat instruments.
Think about the overall activity and the inability of ALL the corps competing on the same level. That's the difference. I marched in those early 90s and the difference is the size of the hornlines and what they put out. It is NOT the same.
Drum corps jumped the shark and died with a spandex wink into the camera. Now all we have left is WGI w/Brass.
The golden era
The last best decade of DCI. After that synthesizers and the downfall of drum corps. Haven't watched it since
Amen
The better days!!!
The US Marine D&B Corps just purchased new 3 Valve Bugles in February 2022 (switching from 2 valve), but staying with G Bugles
1st and foremost to the person or group of people who comprised this THANK YOU so much. Thank you.. I marched for 18 years with that passion in Jr & Sr corps that it means a lot to me and the fans, you restored that feeling
Great show selections!!! I was fortunate to play on both. G bugles the partials seemed closer together so it was easier to crack notes and they were harder to play in tune at higher volumes. But they had a big sound and rich in the upper register. The Bb were just better all around, but traded a little character for intonation. The early years of Bb was a little weaker (my last years), but I think breathing gym, perfect tuning, and amazing brass arrangements make modern Bb just as powerful and loud as old G bugles (Crown ‘13). …but just not the same.
Seems to be the general consensus among people who actually marched with both. Both can be weapons of destruction in the right hands.
Whoa. The last segment with Madison Scouts. Full power drum corps horns at their best! Great color guard and drill too! I was in the stands at 1975 dci finals when they won in Philly that year. Since I marched corps too, I know the hard work and effort it takes. Style and rules change, but the effort remains the same in all eras!😊❤🎉
SCV was by far the loudest thing on the field in 92. The last few notes were louder than the bottle dance itself.
Wonderfull.
As a modern marching member who, on the whole, much prefers the modern approach, these are some really great clips that show a very particular kind of sound that’s rare even in championship winning shows from any era, you need a less controlled, more wild kind of fire to make that happen.
What you call “less controlled” and “wild”, we call “powerful” and “exciting”!
@@johns3106 That was meant as a compliment
9:20 takes me away.
I get why g bugles were phased out. But I would give almost anything to hear BD, SCV, Atlanta, Phantom etc play again! I wish my 5 sons could have heard it. I wish my students could stand in front of those bugles!
Saw ‘93 Phantom in Nashville at Vanderbilt Stadium for the Preview of Champions or DCI South. Can’t remember which it was. I was sitting on the 50 for prelims. Good times….
91’ was a fantastic year for hornlines in general in the activity. The G bugle has a distinct sound for sure. Today, Crown and Bluecoats consistently emulate a clear, powerful sound
hope this sound comes back
What's so amazing is can hear 5 to 8 counts of all these shows I can sing a long or tap but shows like re metamorphosis or exogenesis I can't remember a 60 second piece
Metamorphosis is in the top 5 ever.
Exogenesis was lackluster at best.
Hmmmm
@ 1248 the Madison scouts someone please tell me that THAT is a sped up video, there is no way those boys are moving that fast
Sorely missed from this list is the opening statement of Star of Indiana's 1990 show. Good god, the volume they produced during that opening statement of their show.......
This list needed the opening of Star Of Indiana 1990 and the opening of blue Devils, 1996
I found BD really quiet compared to phantom that year, who were like thunder ⚡😅
Wow!
It’s actually physics as much as musicianship
Todays Bb brass are mostly cylindrical bore and small
Vs
G bugles conical bore and larger
More air…more of those blessed OVERTONES!!!!
my first Bugle Corps sound I have heard was BD and Spirit of Atlanta late 70s and early 80s. I recall George Hopkins of Cadets and others like him were the big push for DCI to use more HS band instruments college instruments, look what happened to him and Cadets and YEA company went bankrupt this year I heard.
And not a microphone to be found!
Sorry drums and pit. I typed too fast. You were fantastic too.
4:17. 😆. Screen flashes “Madison Scouts” just as Santa Clara forms a giant SCV.
I thought this was about great hornlines. Can't ever go wrong with Wayne, Larry, and all hose other Bad SOMB's.... Really though, SCV played on our Best rejects. So did everyone else in 1992.
You should of kept the whole 1995 Madison show honestly
Yeah it's literally my favorite show ever. Truly was a drum corps fans dream
@@trulinegraphics honestly
B flat and you will not be heard....There is Nothing like a G hornline!
Kanstul bugles were in California…
Can someone explain, on a technical level, why G bugles sound(ed) so much better than B flat?
It’s because G bugle loud and sexy 😀
Not sure why, but longer brass instruments have that power. You see the same thing with high Eb vs C vs Bb trumpets (there's a reason all the high screaming commercial and film guys in LA are using the lowest key of modern trumpet!) and also with piccolo vs natural/baroque horns (Check out Julian Zimmerman's rendition of the Ablassen fanfare vs Wynton Marsalis' rendition on pic. Marsalis is clean, but the valveless horn is special). In some ways the g bugles (and specifically the G/D one valvers) were the last hurrah of the old school of trumpet design dating back hundreds of years. Listen to Zimmerman honking on a low C or D trumpet almost as long as a trombone, for example. It's a very different sound, but you can extrapolate.
Also the horns had huge bell tapers, heavy construction so the sound didn't break up, and the hardness of nickel plate can add brightness and strength.
I could have some things wrong here, I never played in DCI, and have never seen or heard these in person.
Nothin but a G thang Bb
What's the official reason why DCI moved away from the traditional G bugles?
2 most likely reasons, the ease of bringing kids into the sport that had only used B-flat horns in HS and college/orchestra. But the companies making the G-bugles were almost exclusively making them for DCI groups and I'm sure they wanted to sell millions of horns versus the 1000 they'd sell to corps.
let's say the quiet part out loud -
the reason DCI switched away from obscure "bugles" to standard Bb brass instruments was to help the sponsors sell more brass instruments, front line equipment and amplification equipment.
Increase the size of the pit so the HS marching band market spends much much more money on front line mallet instruments.
With the increased pit, they can also amplify the pit and since the pit is so extremely loud the soloists need to be miked too, right?
Riddle me this Batman -
Are hornlines any better today than they were back then? Yes - they play more musically and they play more difficult parts.
Does the audience enjoy the product on the field as much today as they did back then? Yes.
Extra credit questions who might have marched A-60 -
Is the audience larger today than it was back then?
Are there more students marching drum corps today than back then?
Full transparency, the purpose of the video was not to say one is better than the other. But I will always maintain the sopranos and baris sounded WAY better on the G bugles. My complaint is how expensive tickets have become. How is a school supposed to send 100+ kids to a show when nose bleed seats are over $35 at many events? I'd rather take them to an open practice or the lot. Money is ruining everything, even drum corps. Major Div1 groups have had to leave the tour. Sad state of events. Inflation sucks!
Playoffs!?! Who's talking about Playoffs!!!???
good points @@trulinegraphics but how about just normal kids affording to march? what was once a youth activity for middle class and lower middle class kids is now limited to the elite. The Bluecoats and Blue Stars were once organizations that just wanted to get local juvenile delinquents off the streets - I wonder if there is a single kid from the town of Canton OH or La Crosse WI in their membership for the upcoming 8 week season?.
I agree - Lots are the best way to experience the activity now - at least you get to see and appreciate the musicianship fairly up close.
Mmmmmmm
Needs a smidgen more Madison IMO.
I know right!? I didn't want to seem biased lol but the 90s scouts is the sole reason I got into drum corps.
DCI sucks now
This was way better.
That's not very fair, I would never say modern DCI sucks. I'll defend the 90s era as my favorite but the musicianship today is much more advanced. Horns are easier to play but kids also practice harder and are pushed to new levels.
Why does everyone have to hate on modern DCI?
terrible list