.
Republican
Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good
Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon,
Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy,
Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic,
Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal,
You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer,
Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold
Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam
Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
.
THE
BATTLE OF THE BANDS! (‘BOTB’)
.
Shoop-Shooby
–
Shooby-duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah
–
Buh-Doo-Wah!
.
Yes,
it’s time once again for ‘Battle Of The Bands’
(‘BOTB’)
.
Alright,
let’s get on it...
.
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| EUGENE MARTONE VS. JACK BUTLER |
.
As
you'll recall, my longtime friend Arlee Bird used the great 'SEPTEMBER
SONG'
in his last 'BOTB' installment, featuring Anjelica
Huston and Lou Reed. I got to thinking: I
wonder what would happen if someone used 'SEPTEMBER
SONG'
with singers?
(Don't hate me, Lee. You know that sarcasm is like oxygen to me and
without it I would die.)
.
'SEPTEMBER
SONG'
really became something personal to me in September of 1992. I knew
that in early October I would be moving out of state, and that would
end the five-year relationship I'd had with an old flame. At that
time I owned an album that included 'September Song' and I listened
to it often in that last month, experiencing the deep melancholy of
those lines:
.
...the
days grow short
When
you reach September
When
the Autumn weather
Turns
leaves to flame …
Oh,
the days dwindle down
To
a precious few …
And
these few precious days
I'll
spend with you
.
Just
reading and hearing those lyrics makes me sad all over again.
.
So,
I give you 'SEPTEMBER
SONG',
first with Sarah Vaughan. She was an American jazz singer, described
by music critic Scott Yanow as having "one
of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."
.
Sarah
Vaughan, nicknamed 'Sassy' and 'The Divine One', worked with some of
the most renowned musicians from the classic Jazz era and her name is
frequently mentioned in the same breath with Billie Holiday, Ella
Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington (which is a pretty healthy breath,
but I've tested it and it can be done).
.
According to
Wackypedia:
.
Fellow
jazz singer Mel Tormé said that Vaughan had "...the single best
vocal instrument of any singer working in the popular field."
Her ability was envied by Frank Sinatra who said that "Sassy is
so good now that when I listen to her I want to cut my wrists with a
dull razor." The New York Times critic John S. Wilson said in
1957 that Vaughan possessed "what may well be the finest voice
ever applied to jazz."
.
“Her voice had wings: luscious
and tensile, disciplined and nuanced, it was as thick as cognac, yet
soared off the beaten path like an instrumental solo... her voice was
a four-octave muscle of infinite flexibility...”
~
Gary Giddins
.
Vaughan recorded 'September
Song'
more than a couple times during her career, but here is my favorite
of them:
.
SARAH
VAUGHAN – 'SEPTEMBER SONG'
.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJBlG3V2B_w
.
.jpeg) |
| GODZILLA VS. KING KONG |
.
In
1976, Country “outlaw” Willie Nelson, in conjunction with Waylon
Jennings, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser, released the collection
'Wanted!
The Outlaws'.
It became Country music's first certified platinum album.
.
So
when you've got a really good thing going you play it safe and stick
with it, right? Not if you're a “Country Outlaw” and not if
you're also Willie Nelson!
.
A
year later, Willie had made up his mind to record a collection of
American pop standards. Here's what Wackypedia sez about
'Stardust'
(1978):
.
Willie Nelson
asked his neighbor Booker T. Jones
[of the great R&B/Soul group 'Booker T. & The MGs'] to
arrange "Moonlight In Vermont". Pleased by the results,
Nelson later asked Jones to produce an entire standards album for
him. Nelson selected his ten favorite pop songs from his childhood. [He] also picked for the album "Georgia On My Mind", "Blue
Skies", "All Of Me", "Unchained Melody",
"September Song", "On The Sunny Side Of The Street",
"Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Someone To Watch
Over Me". The executives of Columbia Records were not convinced
that the album would sell well, because the project was a radical
departure from his earlier success in the outlaw movement.”
.
It
was recorded in just nine days. ... Nelson won a Grammy Award for
"Georgia on My Mind". 'Stardust' was on the Billboard's
Country Album charts for ten years - from its release until 1988. The
album also reached number one in New Zealand and number five in
Australia in 1980. In 2003, the album was ranked number 257 on
Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
It was originally certified platinum by the Recording Industry
Association of America in December 1978. In 1984, when it was
certified triple platinum, Nelson was the highest-grossing concert
act in the United States. In 2002, the album was certified quintuple
platinum.
.
Not
too shabby for an album that some "observers
predicted ... would ruin his career",
eh?
.
'Orange
Coast' praised Nelson's performance of the standards: "Willie
Nelson is perhaps the finest male singer in Country music [...] his
phrasing and sense of understated drama have caused him to be
compared with the best jazz singers. [...] 'Stardust' [is] a
pleasurable showcase of his considerable artistry as a vocalist.
.
Nelson
uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of
country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His
"unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat
singing style and gut-string guitar", and his "nasal voice
and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his
wide appeal.
.
You
know this concept of contemporary music stars like Linda Ronstadt
and Rod Stewart putting their stamp on Pop Standards? Well, this is
where that idea got its start. Take it away,
Wee Wrinkled Willie:
.
WILLIE
NELSON – 'SEPTEMBER SONG'
.
.
.
.jpg) |
| RIDDLER VS. BATMAN |
.
Alright
now, “you know the gig”... I welcome EVERYONE
to vote for their favorite of these songs in the comment section
below. And feel free to tell us WHY
you chose one song over the other. (NOTE:
Comment
Moderation is activated.
All submitted comments that do not transgress "Ye Olde Comment
Policy" will be posted as soon as possible. Thanks for taking
the time to comment.)
.
After
voting here, I
suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other
'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have
chosen and vote there also.
(If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two
shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice
– and then return to their blogsto vice
your voice
...vote
your vice
...voice your vote.)
.
Voice
Your Vote
@ ‘FAR
AWAY
SERIES’
by clicking HERE.
@
‘TOSSING
IT
OUT’
by clicking HERE.
@
‘YOUR
DAILY
DOSE’
by clicking HERE.
@
‘DISCCONNECTED’
by clicking HERE.
@
'A
WRITER'S
LIFE
IN
PROGRESS'
by clicking HERE.
@
‘CREATIVE
OUTLET
OF
STRATPLAYER’
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.
@ 'ALEX J. CAVANAUGH' by clicking HERE.
.
As
I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog
bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and
announce the winners in the comment sections.
.
~
Stephen T. McCarthy
.
YE
OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However,
ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated
(read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com,
so
I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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