Showing posts with label Battle of the Bands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battle of the Bands. Show all posts

Friday, July 1, 2016

"Drop Kick Me Jesus, Through the Goalposts of Life" - BOTB

Bobby Bare had the distinction of having written and performed "the only Christian football waltz." In case you haven't heard this old ironic classic before, here's Bobby Bare's original version:


For those who might view it as irreverent, I suggested that you regard an edgy poem by John Donne: "Batter My Heart."

Anyway, for this try at Battle of the Bands, I give you a trio of performers who did covers of the original Bobby Bare song. Here's Jesse and the James Boys:



And here's George Possley doing his version:



I might mention that he described it as "the corniest country song ever written." That's his opinion.

Finally,  here's Blackwood Creek doing their thing with "Drop Kick Me, Jesus:




There you have early July's BOTB. Please give them a listen, as vote your preference among these pretenders to Bobby Bare's starry crown, with comments on the strengths and weaknesses:

Jesse and the James Boys _____
George Possley ______
Blackwood Creek ______

Do any of them approximate Bobby Bare's version?

I hope I didn't offend anyone's religious sensibiities with this one.

And please go to other BOTB sites to enjoy and participate in great competitions"





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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

"Come and Stay With Me" - BOTB Results

The June 1 Battle of the Bands has come and went; time to pick up the pieces, and ignore hanging chads. It creeps me out doing it on the shadow of a gallows, though. Just kidding.

 Anyway, the song, "Come and Stay With Me" featuring three female vocalists came up with the following results when all the ballots were counted:

 Jackie DeShannon 15 votes 
Cher 3  votes
Marianne Faithfull 1 vote

 Jackie DeShannon's rendition would have gotten my vote too. She was a prominent song writer from the 1960's, as well as having sung herself.

 Thank you all for participating in this Battle of the Bands! Now check out the others:
 ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
 ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE. 
 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
 'JANIE JUNEBUG, RIGHTING & EDITING' by clicking HERE.
 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
 'QUIET LAUGHTER' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'REINVINTAGED' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'EVIL POP TART' by clicking HERE.  

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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

"Come And Stay With Me" - BOTB

Here's an oldie: "Come And Stay With Me." The original was done by Marianne Faithful in 1965; so it's over fifty years old! It has a nice beat and lyrics, in my opinion. Marianne Faithful was asked to record "As Tears Go By,"  by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Later on, she recorded an album which made her a hitmaker in her own right. This song got a lot of radio play; reaching #4 in the U.K.


 Shortly afterwards (1968), Jackie DeShannon, the original writer of the song, did her own version. It can be found in her Laurel Canyon album.



 Jackie DeShannon wrote and performed a number of classics in her time; most notably, "What the World Needs Is Love. Born Sharon Lee Myers in Kentucky to a musical family, she was, in my opinion, the most underrated of the female song writers who also performed. Listen to her sing "The Weight."

 Finally, Cher did a version around the same time frame as Marianne Faithfull and Jackie DeShannon. She is better known as half of the Sonny and Cher duo; and later as an actress.


So, with three versions of the same song, which of the artists did the best rendition?

 Marianne Faithfull         _____
Jackie DeShannon         _____
Cher                              _____

Y'all cast your vote for your pick. (Chicago rules do not apply; only one vote per person, please.)

 And check out these other Battle of the Band sites. You are certain to be delighted with many of the musical choices offered for this round.

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Sunday, May 15, 2016

"Bob Wills Is Still the King" - BOTB

For this Battle of the Bands I'd like to use a tribute song: "Bob Wills Is Still the King." Bob Wills, active during the 1940's and 1950's, developed a music style called Western Swing, combining country with jazz renditions. He did represent a departure from the music of his time.

 Anyway, Waylon Jennings did the original version of "Bob Wills Is Still the King" back in 1975. Jennings was part of the Outlaw Country music style, along with Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Tompall Glaser, and others. Here's the Jennings rendition:



Who would dare to cover this almost legendary song? None other than those singing grandfathers, the Rolling Stones, during a musical tour that appeared in Austin:


There you have it. If you're in the mood, listen to both and vote which one better rings your chimes:

 Waylon Jennings ________

 The Rolling Stones ________

 And over the next few days, visit and vote on other BOTB participants. You will hear some great songs! You betcha!
YOUR DAILY DOSE

My apologies if I left anyone out!
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Friday, April 15, 2016

"Sweet Susannah" -- Battle of the Bands

The song today is a Cajun one metamorphized into different modalities: "Sweet Susannah." tells a tale about a woman who was not immune from the wiles of a traveling salesman. They can be persuasive, you know!

 Well, let's start off with the Clint West version (1972). You can listen to this and read the accompanied lyrics (the French refrain translated into English) that gives a sense of a typical Cajun song. [Kind of a modern version of the Jolie Blonde theme. By the way, I'm a Cajun from Louisiana.}

 Here's the Clint West version, with lyrics as well as song accessed by the link below: 

 http://www.hechicero.com/louisiana/clintwestsong.html


Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge did this song as a duet:


Lastly, the Flying Burrito Brothers tried their hand at it:


Having tried these, wholly or in part, which version did you enjoy best?

 Clint West _____

 Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge _____

 The Flying Burrito Brothers _____

 Please cast your vote and make whatever comments you might want to make. 

 And please visit other Battles of the Bands okay!
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Thursday, April 7, 2016

"Sweet Home Alabama" - BOTB Results

It's been six days since my last BOTB round; and this one looks like a blow out, for sure!

 In the competition among Laura Cox, Guns N Roses, and the Leningrad Cowboys, Laura Cox came out the winner! Here's how the voting went:

 Laura Cox: 13 votes
The Leningrad Cowboys: 2 votes
Guns N Roses: 2 votes

 As for Guns N Roses and the Leningrad Cowboys, they got very little love at all. Laura Cox, referred to as the 'French Chick' probably did it because of her guitar skills and her no frills performance.

 Anyway, I hope you all liked this round of Battle of the Bands.

 Now be an angel and visit other BOTB sites and see which band or group or singer triumphed in that BOTB round:

 Here's a hopefully complete list of sites offering Battle of the Band tests:



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Friday, April 1, 2016

Sweet Home Alabama -- BOTB

Lynyrd Skynyrd's signature song has to be "Sweet Home Alabama!" This is the standard against which other cover versions should be compared. Having visited The Flora-Bama and other coastal dives, I can attest to what high esteem Ronnie and the boys are held. I just offer their version to refer to before looking at the BOTB entrants for today.



For my offerings for this Battle of the Bands, I give you one lone guitarist/singer, a hair band, and a campy international group.

For the first one, here's Laura Cox, a French lady doing her thing. She offers a new style to "Sweet Home Alabama."

''

 This bunch of surlies is Guns N Roses doing their thing. They're more traditional:


And we go next to a Finnish group, The Leningrad Cowboys, ably assisted by the Red Army Chorus, camping it up. You have to enjoy their 'do's:



So out of these pretenders to wear the celestial crown of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who did Sweet Home Alabama best?

 _____ Laura Cox

 _____ Guns N Roses

 _____ The Leningrad Cowboys

 You might also speculate on which, if any, of those performers would be shouted a request to do Free Bird.*

 As for other Battle of the Band sites, please go to these, and cast your ballots and musical remarks for their this week's offering:


*A tradition among Southern rock fans.



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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Doo Wah Diddy Diddy Results for BOTB

As I mentioned earlier, "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" was first released by the Exciters, but Manfred Mann made it into a hit. Manfred Mann managed with other songs, like "Blinded by the Light" and "The Mighty Quinn," so this was not a fluke but having talent and riding the Zeitgeist.

 Well, my recent offering for Battle of the Bands (Groups) ended with a blowout: Manfred Mann was undoubtedly the winner. Here's the results:

 Manfred Mann: 14
"Stripes": 2
The Dolly Dots: 0

 Thanks all who participated or at least looked in. I liked this song so much! I'll try more Battle of the Band songs in the future. And in the future, look into other BOTB sites:






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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Doo Wah Diddy Diddy: Battle of the Bands

Like last time, I start out the version that became a hit. I should mention that the original was done by the Exciters. 

 This one is "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy," originally performed by Manfred Mann, named afterv the keyboardist for this five-person Brit band back in the mid-1960's:



The Dolly Dots, a Dutch girl pop group, did a cover of this same song back in 1982. They danced so well too:


And the song was featured as a marching song in the movie "Stripes," led by Bill Murray and Harold Ramis:



It would take a patient drill sergeant to put up with that!

 I haven't been able to find the Exciters' version, but these three are good versions of the same song in entirely different formats. Okay, please listen to each, and cast your vote as to which version is the best:

 1. The Manfred Mann version ______

 2. The Dolly Dots version ______

 3. The "Stripes" version ______

 Also, visit other Battle of the Band sites, enjoy the music, and cast your votes.  I can assure you that this is less painful than voting in your recent primary.


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Sunday, February 21, 2016

"Oops I Did It Again" -- BOTB Results


A few days ago, I posted four different versions of the 2000 song, "Oops, I Did It Again," performed by Britney Spears and three other performers. Twelve of you were kind enough to listen and give feedback. A special salute is given to brave souls that listened all the way through all four!

Anyway, here are the number of votes cast by artist:

Glee Cast --- 7

Britney Spears --- 3

Max Raabe --- 1

Louis Armstrong --- 1

I would have to go with the majority, and vote with the Glee Cast also, giving them 8. It's a real feat when a group doing a cover version tops the original version.

Anyway, thanks for participating; I hope you enjoyed it.













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Monday, February 15, 2016

"Oops! . . . . I Did It Again: BOTB

"Oops! . . . . I Did It Again" was Britney Spears's hit from her second album, released in 2002; It's rather glitzy; and features Britney in a cat suit. This one, just like "Baby One More Time," almost screams for a parody:


Here's Lea and the cast from Glee, doing the same song:




Having listened to both of these versions, which one do you prefer: The Spears original or the Glee cast one?

And to make things a little more interesting, here is one allegedly performed by Louis Armstrong back in 1932:



And here is a cover version done by Max Raabe as a German cabaret song:


I think these four versions give some range of possibilities for this song. So, after having heard at least snatches of each, which one do you like best:

_____ The Britney Spears version
_____ The Glee version
_____ The 'Louis Armstrong' version
_____ The Max Raabe Version.

Please vote for your preference. I will post totals ion Feb. 21.

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