Donald Trump Vs. the Mainstream Media & the Clinton Campaign & the Republican Establishment, 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...
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'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB')
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Shoop-Shooby -
Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah -
Buh-Doo-Wah!
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Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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This is my 83rd 'Battle Of The Bands' installment. This is also the most difficult time I've ever had in trying to put together a BOTB contest. I'll spare you the details but tell you this:
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I really wanted to use THIS particular song for THIS particular BOTB installment. But just when I thought I had the whole thing set up, I discovered that one of the videos I'd selected would not play in Canada. So, that's how "Plan A" died.
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No real big deal, right? Just move on to "Plan B" (a different version of the song). Well, "Plan B" wouldn't play in Canada either. Nor would "Plan C", and "Plan D".
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As all you BOTBers know, there are only just so many covers of a song you can use in attempting to construct a competitive Battle. You eventually come to a point where you realize that, using a lesser cover, you're setting yourself up for a blowout if not a dreaded shutout.
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That's the point I had reached. I came to the conclusion that I would need to use a different song for this Battle. And I even picked out the substitute song I was going to use.
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But then I thought I'd take just one more last look at YouTube and... EUREKA! I found it! In my case, "Plan E" was the charm.
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And now, not only do I really like this match-up, but I can't even guess who is going to win. I think it could go either way. So, let's let the New & Improved Magic 8-Ball (now with electrolytes!) take a shot at it:
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Question: Who will win this Battle?
Magic 8-Ball sez: "You may rely on it"
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Back in his Gospel music phase, Bob Dylan's shows would open with Regina McCrary and the rest of his background singers. They would come on stage first, sans Dylan and the band, and Regina would tell the audience a story about an old lady wanting to ride a train to see her dying son. Then they would all sing the Gospel standard 'If I Got My Ticket'. After that, Dylan and his band would join them and play the rest of the concert.
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So, here's the opening of a 1980 Bob Dylan concert in Toronto, Canada.
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IF I GOT MY TICKET -- Regina McCrary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEJDoUfJYZM
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The next competitor is William Dobbs. And honestly, I don't know anything about him other than the fact that I contacted him via YouTube and he seemed like a really super-nice guy. I told him 2 months ago that I was going to use his cover in this BOTB installment and he said: "It is considerate of you to want to use my recording in your contest. I'm so nervous." God bless him!!
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IF I GOT MY TICKET -- William Dobbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSfhjXi1dOg
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whoever you are) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
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 blogs to
Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘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.
@ '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.
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.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
ReplyDeleteI'd like you all to be aware that I have just started a new blog and I invite you to visit it, 'Follow' it, comment on it. (Just don't pee on it, please.)
This blog is where I will be reviewing all sorts of things -- everything from "Avocados" to "Zevon, Warren".
You likely don't know this, but in 2008 I was very nearly a Top 1000 reviewer at Amazon.com (like #1120 or so). More than a few readers left comments saying that they just happened to come across one of my reviews and found it so entertaining and informative that they wound up spending 2 to 4 hours reading ALL of my reviews, even for products they had zero intention of buying!
I tell you this not to boast but to hopefully interest you in checking out my new blog. All 199 of my old Amazon.com reviews were recently deleted from their site at the prompting of a political adversary. So, I will be re-posting them on my new blog, and once I've got them all publicly available again, I will begin occasionally writing brand new reviews for my blog.
If this "advertisement" has piqued your curiosity, then I hope to find you at (Link:] STEPHEN T. McCARTHY REVIEWS... Just think of the fun comment section discussions you and I can have. (But remember, no peeing on anything, OK? :o)
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
I like how we're both using train songs for this round of Battle.
ReplyDeleteHave to say right off that Regina and her girls is just not my cup o' noodle soup. I guess I'm more in a mood for oyster stew or clam chowder. Too much wailing in that version.
But that William Dobbs version is so smooth and righteous and easy on the ears and mind. I do like that sound. Gotta vote for Dobbs.
Hope everyone is ready to hop on board the train come Friday!
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
This is a Choo-Choo BOTB round.
DeleteI knew for sure you would be a vote for Mr. Dobbs. Your lack of love for the Southern Gospel sound has been duly noted over time. No big deal -- to each their own.
I was on the Train from the moment he told Vicente Fox that the wall had just gotten 10 feet taller. Ha!-Ha! My kind of "No-Crap-Taking" president.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
And telling the CNN reporter that they were "fake news" has to be one of the funniest moments in television history.
DeleteAlso, let me make a correction about the "Southern Gospel". I love Southern Gospel in the style of early Oak Ridge Boys, the Speers, Blackwood Brothers, the McKameys and so on. While I don't hate it, and there is some that I like a lot, I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of Black Gospel music which often incorporates the "screaming" vocal acrobatic singing. I'm a fan of artists of the Black Gospel genre like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Soul Stirrers, etc as well as the more modern artists like the Winans, Andre Crouch, Kirk Franklin, and others. I have CD's and cassettes by all of these mentioned groups.
DeleteI wouldn't say I had any lack of love for Regina, but just a preference for that smoother more organized sound that Dobbs offered. In the right mood though I can enjoy just about anything.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
The "FAKE NEWS" moment was indeed a classic. This guy hasn't even become the president yet and he's doing all kinds of stuffs. This is gonna be a lotta fun... until they JFK him. (Watch for the sudden heart attack or plane crash.)
DeleteI don't think we have the same definition of Southern Gospel. I'm not familiar with everyone you mentioned but, although I too like them, I don't consider the Oak Ridge Boys or Sister Rosetta Tharpe genuine, authentic Southern Gospel. I believe that's more of a kind of bastardization or hybrid.
Pure, unadulterated Southern Gospel is like Mahalia Jackson and the Abyssinian Baptist Choir, etc. That very sort of emotional exhorting style that you never seem to vote for in BOTB.
I dig pretty much all forms of Gospel (including Gospel Rock), but not too much the Pop style such as Amy Grant and the like. However, my favorite is indeed that "Queen Of Gospel" type.
~ D-FensDogG
You sure had to work hard for this one, Stephen! Glad it paid off, in the end. (I couldn't find a video at all for one of my contenders and ended up buying the mp3. Good thing it was cheap!) Regina has some killer pipes and this sounds likes authentic southern gospel music of old. She definitely gets my vote! I'm not a fan of choirs, so the second one didn't really do it for me. Sorry, William!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Love the new blog!
DEBBIE ~
DeleteI did indeed have to do mental flips trying to construct this Battle but it was worth it. Already it's a tight race and I really dig BOTH versions of the song. So, what's not to hoot about?
That was a sign of some serious devotion to BOTB, purchasing an mp3 just so you could use the song in a Battle. Clearly you had your heart set on this one.
That's funny that you're not a fan of choirs while Lee is not a fan of Southern Gospel. You two had your votes inked in in advance merely by the musical styles I selected for this Battle.
I sent you an Email containing my vote for your own Battle, as the comment section would have nuttin' to do with me. (Kind of like a lotta people I know.) Please let me know if you don't receive the E and I'll post my vote for YOUR Battle here in THIS comment section.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
You knew in advance which ones we would vote for? Spooky! ☺ BTW, Your comment posted just fine. Not sure what the issue was, there. Sorry you had trouble. I didn't mind buying that music file. I like the song anyway and it was only 89 cents.
DeleteInteresting, DEBBIE, because I attempted to submit my original vote twice. The first time, nuttin' happened at all. I was totally ignored, like kitchen help in the Bush household.
DeleteThe second time I got a message: "Error".
But in both cases, no comment from me was visible on your site when I hung my head and crawled away dejected with no self-confidence nor sense of self-worth.
:o)
But it looks like we're all good now.
~ D-FensDogG
BossDawgG~
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you used a song that I am not familiar with. I found Regina's story to be quite captivating and it went straight to my soul. William and his choir also did a stand up job, but if I am being truly honest, Regina stole the show for me. My vote goes to Regina.
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Mary, Mary, Quite Extraordinary ~
DeleteNo need to reply anytime soon (or at any time, really) as I know how busy you are, but I also sent an Email to you a few days ago. Please just let me know if it didn't go through and I'll resend it.
I'm pleased that you liked this Battle so well and that you felt the Regina and The Girls version in such a positive way. That's GREAT! Gospel isn't just "listenin' music", it's really "touch you Spiritually music".
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
WooWOOOOOO. Chugga Chugga Chugga Chugga. Everyone jump on the train.
ReplyDeleteYou really surprised me with this one! I was CERTAIN this was going to be a Jubilant Sykes number, vs. someone destined to lose. Wrong-o, Bar-Rag-Breath!
I'm going to vote for Dobbs in the battle. He has a great voice that wins me over.
Hello. This is William. I saw your comment on my recording and wanted to thank you for liking it. That is nice of you to say that I have a nice voice. That means a lot. God bless you greatly and I hope you get the chance to check out the rest of my recordings on my channel and let me know what you think.
DeleteAs is common with me, I had a longer comment written and foolishly composed it HERE rather than in Word or Text, and it was gobbled up by Blogger.com
ReplyDeleteUhp! I'm an idiot.
The revised short version is: Mr. Dobbs smooth and (to my ears) plaintive voice wins me over, and he earns my vote.
SBB-6 ~
DeleteSorry you're having so much trouble with Blogger and your comments. Later (probably tomorrow from work) I'll E a suggestion to you.
But thanks for putting in all the effort to get your vote recorded. And also thanks again for your help in checking those videos for me.
My original idea was indeed to use the Jubilant Sykes version. And the only other one I could find that I thought had a chance of taking away some votes from Jubilant was Mr. Dobbs' beautifully harmonious recording.
And I agree that anyone would be "destined to lose" against Jubilant on this song.
That was Plan A, which went up on smoke when I found the Jubilant video would not play in Canada.
So then it became a question of finding a competitor who might offer Mr. Dobbs some resistance.
This Battle looked like an impossibility when none of those other videos would play in Canada. But in the end, it was a blessing, because I think Dobbs would have trounced all three of them.
But I'd overlooked the Regina McCrary version because her name wasn't in the video's title. When I went back just one last time before giving up on using this song in a BOTB installment, I just happened to notice her name in the "small print". Knowing who she was, I thought: Whoa! Hold your horses! I think you might have something here.
And, boy, did I EVER!
This has everything I like in a BOTB contest: Two excellent versions, two different styles, two different genders. I KNEW this would be an A-List Battle. And at this moment, with 6 votes in, it's 3 to 3. I'm lovin' it!
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Both of these are really good. Regina has some pipes. Ole Bob Dylan surely had some talent singing back up. I should 'nuff liked the story. In fact, there was nuttin' wrong with it. BUT, I preferred the harmonies in Dobbs version. So he gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteGIRL WONDER ~
DeleteYour vote was a bit hard to predict. I knew you'd dig Regina's voice and the control she has over it. But I also know you're big on choir music and group harmonizing.
Glad you liked them both. I do too! This should be another neck-and-neck race to the finish line.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Thank you, Robin for your vote and for liking my rendition. God bless!
DeleteAnd Stephen,
ReplyDeleteGood battle once again. Hard choice, I liked the harmonies on the Williams Dobbs version but just felt the Regina McCary version more. Loved the set-up and story before too. Just a bit more energy was coming off Regina's.
JW,
Poooh
...AND POOH,
Deletelook at you,
all front and center on the very first day of voting!! Good job, my man, good job.
Thanks, glad you liked the choices. Like I said, I had a helluva time putting this one together but I feel the final result makes for a first-rate (meaning "close") contest.
Got you down as an energetic vote for Regina. (Zimmy will be happy.)
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I'm going with William Dobbs as well. I got tired of waiting for Regina McCrary to start singing.
ReplyDeleteJOHN ~
DeleteIf my old friend Pooh is an "Energetic Vote" for Regina, then you're an "Impatient Vote" for William.
Originally, I had a note in the text just before Regina's video which said that anyone who wanted to skip the introductory story and go straight to the song could fast-forward to the 3:30 mark. (Although, to be honest, I thought: But what's 3.5 minutes? Especially considering she also sings a few lines in the introduction?)
Anyway, when the blog bit posted, lo and behold, there was NO WAY to fast-forward. Neither video shows the total time or gives the viewer the ability to fast-forward or even pause the video! WTH?! Once you start it, there's nuttin' you can do to stop it except click off the page. Why? Because this is Blogspot, that's why!
When I saw the weird way the videos posted here, I went back and deleted the note about fast-forwarding to 3:30. (Once the ride starts, there's no standing and no stopping. Please keep your hands and arms inside the car at all times!)
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
No way to fast forward, no way to adjust the volume (clicking on the speaker just mutes the video)... I notice it happens a lot on Blogger blogs, although I'm not having any trouble on my FM side (the Blogger simulcast); videos there show up as they do on my Wordpress blog. Don't know what to tell you, other than it feeds into my antipathy for Blogger and for Google in general.
DeleteI don't recall this happening before on my blog. I didn't do anything different, and I see that the other Blogspot BOTBers are not encountering the same phenomenon.
DeleteI guess it was just my turn.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Thank you, Mr. John Holton for liking my recording and rendition of this song. Thank you for your vote as well. I hope you will check out the rest of my recordings on my channel and let me know what you think of them. God bless you sir.
DeleteStephen, I enjoyed the story Regina shares. While you can't fast-forward on your embedded vid you can click on the YouTube logo which takes you to their site and from there you can fast-forward. I like Regina's version but honestly I think I prefer William Dobbs better. Generally I like male vocals over females because they tend to be a bit too screechy. Please give my vote to William Dobbs, which I also liked because it reminded me of spiritual choir. There's one thing for certain, when you get down on your knee before the Lord then you can expect great things to happen even the unexpected. Great battle and reminder of whose in charge of all things!
ReplyDeleteCATHY ~
DeleteI'm pleased you enjoyed both recordings. And like you, I too generally prefer male vocalists, although there are some exceptions. (Karen Carpenter, Mahalia Jackson, Brenda Lee... those ladies are tough to top!)
I'm good friends with Jesus and The Father. It's hard to get the skeptics to understand that if you actually give Them a chance, They really will speak to you and take care of you.
Well, like that best-selling Book says: He stands at the door and knocks. All we gotta do is open it a little bit and see what happens.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Thank you so much, Cathy Kennedy for your vote and for liking my recording. I hope you get a chance to check out the rest of my channel and let me know what you think. God bless you so much.
DeleteThat new magic 8-ball sounds like it could have a future in politics. Electrolytes, too? I put some of those electrolytes on my Christmas tree last year. Man, those things are bright.
ReplyDeleteNext time I have to hail a cab, I’ll let Regina do it for me. I tried my best to ignore the beginning of that video, so I could make a fair comparison.
Dobbs’ version sounded way over-produced although the voice was easy to listen to by itself.
Regina gets my vote. She remembered the words and everything.
SigToo
SigToo ~
DeleteYeah, as long as he doesn't commit too strenuously to anything in particular, there's a place in D.C. for the Magic 8-Ball. Answers like "Hope", "Change", "Yes, we can" and "Cannot predict now" should take him a long, long way in politics.
Hmmm... Regina can definitely get you a train. Not sure how good she is with a cab.
In truth, although these versions have different lyrics interspersed between the chorus, the words I'm most familiar with are those in the Dobbs recording.
But either way, Jesus has got a ticket for ya, so you can ride up to Heaven in the mornin'. (See ya there! I'll be the guy with the cheese and avocado omelet and sipping on a Bloody Mary. ...Or whatever they call that drink in Heaven.)
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
For the finer delineations of the 50 shades of Gospel music check out the Wiki entry at GGospel Music as well as the more specific entries on "Gospel" and "Southern Gospel". I think they cover the topic and the differences very well in their various articles.
ReplyDeleteHaving been raised from high school years in the South (East Tennessee) where Southern Gospel was king of the spiritual genres of music, I know from experience what most people consider to be Southern Gospel. I used to watch the Southern Gospel programs on TV, listen to it on the radio, and my family even worked with some of these groups on shows. It's a distinctive sound more rooted in country and bluegrass than soul, jazz, or blues as Black Gospel is.
In the days before they went mainstream country, the Oak Ridge Quartet (later changed to "Boys") was pure authentic Southern Gospel having started back in the forties. They were still very much gospel when I started following their music in about 1969 and I still own some of those albums. Indeed they were in a transition stage that eventually led to their incarnation and a country pop group which is when they lost my interest in them.
I'd disagree that Sister Tharpe was not genuine, but merely a stylistically different branch of Black Gospel music with roots in blues. I'd say she's about as authentic as could be for her era.
As we see now, Gospel or Christian music ranges to all sorts of influences and styles of music where maybe hybrid can serve as an appropriate term. Some of the Black music reaches back to the Negro Spiritual which some aligns itself more with blues, jazz, or country styles.
But my main point is that if you say "Southern Gospel" you are referring to a genre where the artists are primarily white and with a greater appeal to country/bluegrass fans. But you can look it up for yourself if you still disagree.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Thanks, Lee, I'll take a look. But honestly, some of what you're saying does not jibe with material I've read in books and articles over the years. But most importantly, I came to the conclusion years ago that "Wackypedia" is really good for only two things: ascertaining correct dates and the correct spelling of names. Beyond that, I dismiss the vast majority of stuffs I find at Wacky.
DeleteBut I'll take a look at it when I can. Thanks.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I offered the Wiki reference as an easily accessible reference that accurately fits my understanding of the religious music genres. However I base most of what I say on my own listening and music buying experiences over the years. "Southern Gospel" in every source where I've looked (including the bins at the music stores) is as I've described previously.
DeleteHere's another good definition from AllMusic: Southern Gospel is a country music gospel art form with emphasis on steel and rhythm guitars as its foundation. It draws on bluegrass, blues, and hillbilly elements. Southern gospel groups tend to use four-part harmony with a high tenor and baritone. The Happy Goodmans, the Speers, and Gold City are examples.
Southern Gospel.
AllMusic further describes the following:
Traditional Gospel is gospel music that is essentially Southern in origin and performed by large, soulful choirs, which in themselves are natural extensions of the rehearsed and arranged community choirs of the southern churches, both black and white. The term is also applied to the material done by smaller gospel vocal quartets who share the same church roots, or lead voice singers like Mahalia Jackson, all of whom draw from the same well. The uniting theme is that the material performed is straight out of the churches with little deliberate pop sheen, and could have come easily from any Sunday morning service in the past century.
This site breaks the Traditional Gospel Music down as:
Black Gospel
Gospel
Gospel Choir
Hymns
Instrumental Gospel
Sacred Traditions
Scriptures
Southern Gospel
Spirituals
Traditional Gospel
The site goes deeper into Black Gospel with a good explanation at:
Black Gospel.
All of this fits within the parameters of what I have always understood about religious music.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
OK, so then if I understand all this correctly, a lot of it is really a mish-mash and good luck trying to very accurately define most of it. Furthermore, Lee is a sexist, racist, homophobe who hates Muslims and Mahalia Jacksons.
DeleteHmmm... Something doesn't seem quite right there but I'll listen to some Southern Baptist Gospel Choirs and see if it doesn't become more clear.
~ D-FensDogG
Hey Stephen,
ReplyDeleteWowsa you sure had a time with your videos! I guess I did too but didn't know it until Debbie let me know that BOTH videos I posted were excluded from Canada so she very generously found alternatives and I added them to the post. So irritating that certain videos can't be seen in some countries. Why I ask?? I'm sure it has to do with licensing but it's just crazy, if you ask me.
I really like this battle! What a great song. I loved Regina McCrary! Loved her story at the beginning and her vocals are incredible. I also like William Dobbs version but just not as much as Regina's, therefore she's getting my vote on this one.
I needed some good Gospel music today. Thanks!
Hope you're having a good week.
Michele at Angels Bark
MICHELE ~
DeleteGlad I could provide you with a dose of Gospel when you needed it.
Yes, I saw how Debbie said your videos wouldn't play in Canada and she provided you with a site where you can check the videos in advance of posting for playability in Canada.
But be aware that the site is not totally reliable. If you check a video URL and it comes back as "UNRESTRICTED" (i.e., it plays anywhere in the world) then it should be good for BOTB use.
I have not yet come across an "UNRESTRICTED" video that didn't play in Canada.
However, if that site tells you that the video is restricted in some countries, but Canada is not one of them (i.e., it plays in Canada), there's a good chance that's wrong.
I've found that maybe 60% of the time when that site tells me a video won't play in some countries but WILL PLAY in Canada, it actually WON'T play in Canada, either.
So I always try to find, when possible, videos where that site says they play EVERYWHERE. Because they really do (even in Canada) as far as my experience goes.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I really enjoyed William Dobbs version more. It felt like singing more and calming yet, humbling if that makes sense. His voice was soothing and made me get involved with the song. Regina McCrary was just a bit too much for me...a bit over the top so William gets my vote
ReplyDeleteThanks for your vote, BIRGIT.
DeleteThis Battle is great! It's like two boxers trading punches, one for one, one for one.
I just hope this thing doesn't come down to a draw with ME having to cast the deciding vote. Normally, that's my favorite kind of BOTB installment, but I don't desire that this time because I like both renditions too much.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Hello, stranger!
ReplyDeleteRegina McCrary all the way for me :)
Say, I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and I hope to join you and your band of merry cohorts again soon!
Well, look what the cat dragged in!!
Delete:o) HiHelloHowdy, KIM! Welcome back to Crazytown. Happy to see ya, and thanks so much for the vote!
This Battle has been sumpin' else so far. At 6 votes, it was tied 3-3; at 12 votes it was tied 6-6. I think this brings us to 14 votes and, yep, 7-7.
Sheesh! The thought of another tie does not thrill me though.
That would be GREAT to have you back in BOTB again!! Let me know when you want me to put your name back on the list.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Will do! And wow, what a tight race!
DeleteKim (The ReInVintaged Life)
Haven't heard this kind of music since I was very, very young. So mournful, yet with enough soul to glean a little hope. I grew impatient waiting for Regina to finish the story, but she really belted once she got to singing. However, the William Dobbs version held such wonderful memories of singing along with a spry old gardener named Willy that it cinched my vote!
ReplyDeleteHey, dIEDRE, thanks for stopping by with a vote for Willy-- er... I mean, WILLIAM. Looks like old memories of spry old Willy helped young William score another vote.
DeleteThis obviously means that the next vote that comes in will be for Regina. (Yup, I'm noticing a pattern here.)
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Well, all body parts have reached a consensus, and my ears, my brain, my heart, and my nether regions all point straight to Regina McCrary. Alright, bad jokes aside, I was captivated by her story, and even more so by her song. I'm glad you included a version that had the story. With that said, I probably would have voted for her even without the story.
ReplyDeleteMy cohort, meanwhile, would not go so far as to say any of those things. While he did enjoy her version, his choice is based solely around the fact that he's not big on choral singing. And to be honest, I'm not either.
So while the Magic 8 Ball may be rather noncommittal, we both have no problem proclaiming our votes for Regina McCrary.
~6B
QUESTION: WILL PEGGY McMILLAN FORGIVE BRYAN FOR HIS UNFAITHFULNESS?
DeleteTHE MAGIC 8-BALL SEZ: "MOST LIKELY"
Whew! That was a close one, 6-B. You were flirting with disaster there... as well as with Regina McCrary.
Please tell Other B I said thanks for the vote, even though both of you be "choralphobes", like that Donald Hitler.
Now go wash your mind out with Lifebuoy and recite 10 Hail Marys... and pray for a miraculous catch in the End Zone.
~ D-FensDogG
Al Bondigas here. Well, you went and did it this time Stephen, didn't ya? Both versions were so great and soulful, that I feel bad that someone's gonna take second. I know, I know, there is no crying in baseball and no ties in Battle of the Bands. Hmmmm. I slightly rule fer William Dobbs and his choir. Both versions were great, but the whole choir arrangement really moved me. Anyway, rulin fer Dobbs and background. That's it. That's my rulin'!!!
ReplyDeleteAL BONDIGAS ~
DeleteThanks fer yer rulin', Judge! You be right about both Baseball AND BOTB.
Right after I posted this particular Battle, I axed the Magic 8-Ball...
"Who will Judge Al "Nappy" Bondigas vote for, Regina or William?"
And the Magic 8-Ball answered:
"He will dig BOTH versions immensely. But ultimately he will side with William Dobbs. Stephen, it's a Beach Boys thang. You wouldn't un'erstan'."
That's the kind of precision one gets in prognostications from an 8-Ball with electrolytes -- which plants crave!
Here's how I think it went down...
You listened to Regina first and thought: "Well, OBVIOUSLY, that's who I am voting for. But I'll listen to the second version, just because that's what I'm supposed to do."
And less than a minute into the William Dobbs version you were thinking: "What do I do?! What do I do?!"
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
That's zackly how it went down. And The Beach Boys reference was spot on. Love harmonizing baby!!!
DeleteRight, right.
Delete~ D-FensDogG
I enjoyed both versions, Regina McCrary with the story intro had more feeling to it for me and earned my vote!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked both versions, MIKE, and thanks for your vote, buddy!
Delete~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Well, I was off to a good start when I posted my schtuffff on the 15th and then i got crushed by work, lol.
ReplyDeleteCan I just say DOBBS?
Yours truly,
The Puriful One
>>... Can I just say DOBBS?
DeleteQUESTION: CAN CHERDO JUST SAY "DOBBS"?
MAGIC 8-BALL: "WITHOUT A DOUBT".
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
That ball makes a lot of sense...
DeleteJust trying to slip in under the wire here. Sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great BATTLE both contenders are excellent. Wish I could vote for both. I think it's really sweet that William Dobson has been coming by and thanking everyone for their votes. Almost wants to make me give him mine.
While the Dobbs version was excellent and i do like it, that down home wailin' gospel of Regina's gets my vote.
FAE ~
DeleteYup, just under the wire. Thanks for your vote at the 11 3/4 hour.
And thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you liked this Battle. I liked it too -- way more than I thought I would.
~ D-FensDogG
Check out my new blog @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
ATTENTION PEOPLES!
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in seeing the final vote tally for this 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' installment and my closing thoughts on it, please click (Link:] HERE
Or you can put the following URL into your browser:
http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2017/01/results-battle-of-bands-2017-jan-15-or.html
~ D-FensDogG
My new blog is @
(Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Hello. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who voted for me and got a chance to listen to my rendition. I enjoyed being a part of it and may God bless you all.
ReplyDeleteWILLIAM ~
DeleteIt was an excellent Battle and a real treat to have your recording be a part of it. Thank you!
Best Wishes and God's Blessings to you, also.
~ D-FensDogG