The reason that old band recordings at the Big House are louder than recent is because of the following (in my estimation).
The field was lowered by 3.5 feet for the 1991 season. So instead of playing over the wall (the old wall was only about 3 feet high), a lot of that sound is going into the wall.
When the above architectural change was made, the old concrete+one-inch-pad Tartan Turf that you would see in a recording like the 1986 version was removed. It was replaced by grass, then subsequently by the current field turf. That old turf from the Bo Era reflected sound much more than does the current turf.
The current location of the microphone for a video recording is higher up now in the new press box than it was in the old.
I think the combination of all of these factors lead to newer recordings not sounding as loud as the old. And the first two of those would make the on-field band not sound as loud to a listener in the stadium.
All that being said, I'm not a fan of a lot of current musical arrangements -- they often don't seem to be written with a huge stadium in mind, and there are fewer in-your-face moments. Yes, I know you can't play full bore continuously, but these arrangements break into too many softer sections.
I'm so sad to hear that John passed away. He was an intergral part of the Michigan Band family, an incredibly talented composer and arranger, and a fun guy to be around. He really knew how to write powerful arrangements that fit the MMB's instrumentation to a tee -- he knew how to make a good band sound even better. And wow, could he write a show closer (Unchained Melody in the 90/91 Gator Bowl, old-timers?).
I'm glad I reached out to him four or five years ago to tell him that when I was trying to figure out how to play Auld Lang Syne on the piano on New Year's Eve, it was his band arrangement of it (from the 89/90 Rose Bowl) that I kept hearing in my head. He was tickled to hear that his arrangement was so mentally sticky, and it was fun to reconnect with him.
Besides the music, I'll remember John's sense of humor. Dude cracked me up. The Words of Stout that pop to mind are what he said to me at one point during the '91 Notre Dame game (the Grbac-to-Howard game) as I was preparing to make the stadium rounds during the 3rd quarter with the Fanfare Band: "Jeff, if you get a chance, do me a favor and punch that fucking leprechaun."
Band alum from '89-'92 here. Can't speak to how loud the band actually plays now vs then, but I'm sure they're trying. In my era, we were in a similar location, but maybe further upfield -- adjacent to the students rather than among them. But still not pointing at them.
In '95, the band was moved over to the eastern side, and it was a big improvement. The students could hear the band, and you could hear the band more on TV b/c they were facing the press box. They were also close to the opponents bench, which provided a nice disruption.
Unfortunately, they were moved back onto the western side into the student section a few years ago. It's my understanding that one of the reasons the band was moved is that spectators on the eastern side behind the band complained about their presence there, i.e. the band stood up too much, and the spectators couldn't see (BOO-FRICKING-HOO). Students stand most of the game, so they wouldn't mind the band, so the thinking went. But the result is that the band is packed in tightly, pointing away from the students. Not good.
So what's the solution? Have the band wrapped around the northeast corner of the stadium, on field bleachers rather than in the stands. In this case, the band would be spread out more, which would improve the sound dispersion -- they will sound louder if they are spread out wide. The band would be facing the students and the press box side of the field. Being adjacent to and possibly behind the visitors bench, they would be disruptive to the opposing team. And with the band aimed more towards the press box, the Victors would be heard more on TV as well. Currently, visiting bands are louder both at the stadium and on TV because they face west and are not in the stands, thus making my point for me.
BTW, this isn't a new problem. The first game I ever attended was against MSU in 1981. I was sitting in the student section (quite exciting for a 4th grader). I couldn't hear jack shit from the MMB, b/c they were sitting where they were a decade later when I was in the group -- on the western side, pointing away from the students and home sideline. The MSU band was in the SE corner, spread out, and pointing towards us; I could hear them loud and clear.
Poor band location -- a Michigan Tradition!
Wow, these bring back some horrific memories.
In addition:
Illinois 1993: A Rickey Powers fumble late as we were trying to run out the clock (a little too early, I might add) led to an Illinois victory.
Penn State 1994: We were the only team all year that had a legit chance to beat this Penn St juggernaut, and we blew our chance when Amani Toomer somehow got behind the PSU defense late in the game and just plain misjudged a deep Todd Collins pass. It landed right next to him.
Illinois 1999: Blew a 27-7 lead to lose 35-29. This is not so much a game of inches as it was a dismaying blown lead, led by conservative late-game play-calling.
Purdue 2000: We lost on a last second FG 32-31, but this was a game where we had a 28-10 halftime lead, and went into a shell offensively, like the IU game above. A late 3rd down conversion is all we needed.
Speaking of 3rd down conversions, I still can't help but think of the infamous Colorado game, which I attended. If only Che Foster hadn't fumbled when we were en route to a 33-14 lead (or at least 29-14). If only we had put more men deep. If only we knew how to defend a tip drill -- they ran the same play at the end of the 1st half, for Pete's sake. But the biggest "what if" was the false start penalty that turned a 3rd and 3 to a 3rd and 8 on UM's last possession. Biakabutuka ran for 7 yards on that play. A first down there, and Michigan takes a knee and runs out the clock.
I had bad dreams about that game for the next 7 years or so.
Recent Comments
The reason that old band recordings at the Big House are louder than recent is because of the following (in my estimation).
I think the combination of all of these factors lead to newer recordings not sounding as loud as the old. And the first two of those would make the on-field band not sound as loud to a listener in the stadium.
All that being said, I'm not a fan of a lot of current musical arrangements -- they often don't seem to be written with a huge stadium in mind, and there are fewer in-your-face moments. Yes, I know you can't play full bore continuously, but these arrangements break into too many softer sections.
My $0.02 from an old band guy (89-92 seasons).
Part of what makes it effective is the novelty. If more teams ran it, defenses would be more used to it.
It’s also really hard to recruit to that offense because of the lack of NFL applicability.
I'm so sad to hear that John passed away. He was an intergral part of the Michigan Band family, an incredibly talented composer and arranger, and a fun guy to be around. He really knew how to write powerful arrangements that fit the MMB's instrumentation to a tee -- he knew how to make a good band sound even better. And wow, could he write a show closer (Unchained Melody in the 90/91 Gator Bowl, old-timers?).
I'm glad I reached out to him four or five years ago to tell him that when I was trying to figure out how to play Auld Lang Syne on the piano on New Year's Eve, it was his band arrangement of it (from the 89/90 Rose Bowl) that I kept hearing in my head. He was tickled to hear that his arrangement was so mentally sticky, and it was fun to reconnect with him.
Besides the music, I'll remember John's sense of humor. Dude cracked me up. The Words of Stout that pop to mind are what he said to me at one point during the '91 Notre Dame game (the Grbac-to-Howard game) as I was preparing to make the stadium rounds during the 3rd quarter with the Fanfare Band: "Jeff, if you get a chance, do me a favor and punch that fucking leprechaun."
Well said, my friend. RIP and Go Blue, John.