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...
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'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB')
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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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| EUGENE MARTONE VS. JACK BUTLER |
May 1st is called May Day, and some o' y'all may not be aware that for quite some time it has been a tradition for Communists to celebrate on this date. They call it International Workers' Day -- you know that whole workers = proletariat bit, right? (Whenever you find the words "workers" or "The People's" in a title, look deeper.) The following notes come from Wackypedia:
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International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement, socialists, communists or anarchists and occurs every year on May Day (1 May), an ancient European spring festival. The date was chosen for International Workers' Day by the Second International, a pan-national organization of socialist and communist political parties...
In fact, while you're reading this, in Nashville, Tennessee (among other places), communists are publicly protesting. Known for their recent rioting and acts of personal violence against innocent people, the "Antifa" Communists (short for "Anti-Fascists") in Nashville are being met by a counter group of American Patriots. The street fighting may have already begun:
[link:) Nashville Patriots Announce Counter Protest In Response To Communist Antifa May Day Rally.
.International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement, socialists, communists or anarchists and occurs every year on May Day (1 May), an ancient European spring festival. The date was chosen for International Workers' Day by the Second International, a pan-national organization of socialist and communist political parties...
In fact, while you're reading this, in Nashville, Tennessee (among other places), communists are publicly protesting. Known for their recent rioting and acts of personal violence against innocent people, the "Antifa" Communists (short for "Anti-Fascists") in Nashville are being met by a counter group of American Patriots. The street fighting may have already begun:
[link:) Nashville Patriots Announce Counter Protest In Response To Communist Antifa May Day Rally.
(Go, American Patriots! Kick a Commie for your mommy!!)
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I figured this would be an ideal day to use 'THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER' in BOTB.
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Our first contestant is Whitney Houston whose recording of our National Anthem is almost certainly the most famous. Here's more from Wackypedia...
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On January 27, 1991 -- 10 days into the Persian Gulf War -- Whitney Houston took the field at Tampa Stadium and performed "The Star Spangled Banner" ... The patriotic feeling of Houston's stirring cover resonated strongly with the public. ... According to Clive Davis, Arista Records' decision to release the record came after three days of being flooded with phone calls from all over the country from people asking to buy copies of the single. Hundreds of radio stations around the country aired the song from tapes they had recorded from the TV broadcast.
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Take it away, Whitney!
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THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER -- Whitney Houston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lCmBvYMRs
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A less well-known but intensely stirring instrumental rendition of the National Anthem was played by trumpeter Jesse McGuire just before the start of the final game of the 2001 World Series.
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Baseball fans will remember that due to the postponement of Major League Baseball games as a result of the September 11th World Trade Center attacks, the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks did not begin until October 27th. When Jesse McGuire took the field to play the National Anthem, the recent terrorist attacks were on everyone's mind and a sense of American patriotism was cranked "up to eleven".
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THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER -- Jesse McGuire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hHisW49nJE&t=66s
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Question: Will Whitney Houston win this Battle?
Magic 8-Ball sez: "It Is Certain"
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) 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
@ '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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I looked at the 8-Ball prediction after I'd made up my mind, but I think the Ball has got it right this time.
ReplyDeleteThe trumpet version is good, but I prefer my anthem with lyrics sung. My vote goes to Whitney.
However listening to the trumpeter reminds me of a recent conversation I had. Our worship band at church has a guy about my age playing flute and he is quite good at it. A few Sundays ago I was asking who had influenced his flute playing the most. He said his playing was actually influenced by his playing the trumpet back in the seventies when he played with various bands of a number of well-known Latin jazz musicians (I knew most of the names though now I forget all but Mongo Santamaria). Dennis said his flute playing was influenced by the style he used when he played trumpet, but now he was no longer able to play the brass instrument. He's a darn good flute player though and really adds an interesting dimension to the Sunday morning music. He's in pretty bad health, but hopefully he'll hold up for a while because I do enjoy his playing.
Anyway, did I mention that I'm voting for Whitney Houston?
Good rousing Battle for the start of the week.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Thanks, LEE. Interesting comment about the flute-playing former trumpeter. And, yep, he must be good if he was playing with Mongo Santamaria.
DeleteGlancing at the comments so far, with 4 votes in, the Magic 8-Ball is off to another... dismal prediction.
Of course, I'm quite certain that yours is not the last vote Whitney will get, though. This might actually be closer than one might think based solely on the household-name vs. unknown match-up.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I actually don't need lyrics to be content. And I don't like Whitney Houston. Neither of us do. Yes, she could sing. Yes, she had a killer voice. But that over the top embellishing has just never been anything we liked from ANY singer.
ReplyDeleteWe both vote for Jesse McGuire, who played so damn hard he spent most of that performance looking like this. And that has to count for something.
~6B
6-B ~
DeleteYes, sir, Jesse was doin' 100-MPH on his way to [Link:) Gillespieville. That otter count for a li'l sumpin'.
I thank you and Other B for the votes.
Senator Joe McCarthy making an appearance in BOTB -- who-da thunk it possible?
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Stephen darlin'
ReplyDeleteI would never have guessed May Day was related to communism. I never did get to dance around the May Pole or celebrate spring. In Idaho, where I grew up, Spring usually only occurs once a month. Last year, it was on a Tuesday. I was just thinking about this the other day about why we don't celebrate May Day any more. I couldn't come up with a reason. So perhaps the collision of May Day and International Worker's Day is the reason we no longer celebrate.
While I do enjoy the Star Spangled Banner with lyrics, and I do think that Whitney does a very good rendition, I also believe that emotion can be conveyed effectively with instruments only (Hendrix did an excellent job of demonstrating that!)
I tried to listen (not watch) so that I could cast my vote in the right direction. I'm going to probably be the only one, but will cast my vote for Jesse McGuire. Listening to him forced me to think of the lyrics in my mind and in doing so, it made me think of the meaning behind the words, thus giving it a more emotional effect.
So, to recap: voting for Jesse
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
MMQE ~
DeleteActually, with 4 votes in, Jesse is sitting on a surprising 3-1 lead. (The Magic 8-Ball may need to be downgraded to a 4.)
Anything you wanna know about Communism, I'm the guy to ask. Not because I'm a communist, but because I hate it so. My hatred of that great evil led me to doing much research on it. (More on that coming soon at Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends... since I can no longer afford my trips to the bar 'n' grill.)
Thanks for your vote. This one could be interesting.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I'll vote for the trumpet version. Reminds me a little more of "Taps." These days the mournful sound of taps is more appropriate for America than the Star Spangled Banner.
ReplyDeleteWhitney Houston's version is beautiful and rousing. Maybe 9 days out of 10 I would vote for it, but I'm not gonna do it today.
McITCHYFINGER ~
DeleteThanks for your vote and your unique interpretation, Brother!
At this point, I'm not sure if the Magic 8-Ball is REALLY THIS bad at predicting the BOTB outcomes, or if y'all have a secret pact to gang up on the 8-Ball and make it look stooopid. Ha!
But either way, things ain't good in Magic Billiardballburg.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Both of them are great -- I mean, how do you not love the National Anthem? -- but I preferred the solo trumpet performance by Jesse McGuire. With Whitney, I got the sense that it was too much of a performance. And Jesse was getting up into Bill Chase/Maynard Ferguson/Doc Severinsen territory by the end; I could tell he was really getting into it, and the crowd just kept pushing him. Great stuff...
ReplyDeleteThanks, JOHN! I'm pleased that you liked the Battle. And I agree that Jesse was inspired and really soaring like an eagle toward the end.
DeleteI guess I'm about as surprised by the voting as the Magic 8-Ball is! I could imagine this Battle being close, and I could imagine a Whitney Houston blowout. But what I COULD NOT imagine was a Jesse McGuire blowout, which this is, so far.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
It is a shame that such a beautiful, talented woman felt she had no options but to remain with a devil-man. Whitney could have been so much more without that added stress. Of course, some people just feel they need/deserve the drama.
ReplyDeleteDespite everything, I still think Whitney was one of the world's most beautiful women, and possibly had the most stunning voice. Moving on . .
Not exactly fair to pit a musical instrument against a singer. Both have their strong points. But for me, I just love listening to the words when they are sung well.
Jesse's version was awesome, and had he been up against another musical instrument I would have likely voted for him. (Well, Hendrix has a guitar version that rivals Jesse) But as I said, I like hearing the words, and I adore Whitney - in her younger years.
So Whitney gets my vote.
WILD THING! ~
DeleteThank you for stopping by and leaving a vote. And I'm glad you voted for Whitney because that poor gal is gettin' blown out by Jesse! I did NOT see this coming. (The predictable BOTB unpredictability.)
I don't really know anything about Whitney's personal life other than she was married to some rapper or something who, I guess, was high a lot and beat her. I don't even know his name. I just don't follow "Entertainment" news.
I momentarily thought about using the Hendrix 'Woodstock' version but dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it occurred to me. I think Jesse would have trounced Jimi, because a lot of people view that distorted Hendrix version as disrespectful.
Plus, I kind of like the vocal versus instrumental contest. (It's also male vs. female.) Sometimes the more differences one tosses into a BOTB match-up the more interesting it gets.
Thanks again for supporting BOTB, Donna!
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteInteresting factoid about May Day. I had no clue it was related to communism. I loved your slogan, "Kick a comie for your mommy!" That put a big grin on my face.
Whitney Houston has a strong, fantastic voice. She's less over-the-top singing this song in 1991 than she was in recent years but still it's meant to be a performance not something from the heart. Jesse McGuire powerful, rendition of our National Anthem sends the goosies up my spine filling my being with pride and stealing my vote for Jesse McGuire! Thanks for stopping in to vote in my 3 Way "Take It Easy" #BoTB showdown, my friend. Have a good day!
HiYa, CATHY! Ha! I'm glad you liked the slogan. The "real" slogan -- which is old and of unknown origin -- is "Kill A Commie For Your Mommy", but I toned it down to a PG rating for BOTB. :^)
DeleteI remember seeing Whitney's original performance at the start of that Super Bowl, and like most of the country, I too was knocked out. But I agree with you that many of her later recordings were just so over-the-top with vocal acrobatics that they really turned me off.
Pleased to hear that Jesse fired up your patriotic fervor, my friend.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
This is a tough one. I don’t remember either one. Back in 1991, 10 days into the war, I had orders to go to that god-forsaken, heathen ridden, land of the unwashed masses. That’s right, Philadelphia. Thank the Lord that the war didn’t go into extra innings. And right after 9-11, I guess my eyes were stinging from all that smog from the smoking gun or guns. Just pick one.
ReplyDeleteJesse McGuire has a huge advantage since he’s associated with a Yankee loss in addition to a masterful performance. Even so, I have to give my vote to…
to…
WWhhi…
Wait…
My vote goes to wWhtttn…
I knew this was going to be difficult.
My vote goes to Whitttttttttttmaan Hhh…
Sorry. Just dropped my wallet.
Forget it. You’ll have to help me with this one.
My vote goes to…
the last name of the man who invented the cotton gin plus the city that astronauts call when they have a problem. (More than one way to skin a flute.)
She held it together for that performance. Credit where credit is due.
Stormin’ SIGnorman II
Stormin’ SIGnorman II ~
DeleteJust when I've completely given up, thinking I'll never hear from you again and ...*WHOOMP! THERE HE IS!*... It's like a miraculous resurrection from the dead. (Who rolled away the stone for you? What happened to the Roman guards I left here?)
Yankee-hatin' Smokin' guns, Wars with extra innings, and Philadelphiakistan -- it's almost like you never left at all.
>.... Sorry. Just dropped my wallet.
Hey, man, that's MY job!
>>... the last name of the man who invented the cotton gin
I didn't even know there was such a thing as cotton gin. I've had cotton mouth from drinking gin, but never had cotton gin. I don't always drink gin -- but when I do, I drink Bombay. (And then I drop my wallet.)
>>... plus the city that astronauts call when they have a problem.
[Link:) Hollywood?
[Link:) Las Vegas?
Hey, great to hear from you again. Don't be a stranger. (Don't be a commie, either.)
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
No goose stepping on your parade with tanks eh?😁 I am not a Whitney fan at all and felt that she often screeched out the lyrics. This was a bit better controlled but I give it all to Jesse McGuire who truly played from the heart. He made that trumpet sing and played without any extra notes thrown in which is how it should be done. He gets my vote especially when he hit tha high note
ReplyDeleteHa! HiYa, BIRGIT ~
DeleteYep, you guessed it -- No Goose-Stepping allowed. My association with the National SOCIALIST German Workers' Party (aka Nazi) has been greatly exaggerated. :^)
Thanks for your Jesse McGuire vote. He most definitely had a way of imbuing his version with emotion that inspired pride in the listener. There are a couple places where he adds a little flourish, or takes a slightly different approach from the standard melody that really makes the heart leap. And you can easily tell when that happens because the entire stadium INSTANTLY responds with cheering. It's pretty amazing, really.
Thanks so much for your continued support of my BOTB match-ups.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I flipped a coin and Whitney won. Both versions were well done and pleasant to listen one. But Whitney gets the edge.
ReplyDeleteSo close that it took the flip of a coin, eh, MIKE? That's pretty cool. Thanks for the vote, Brother!
Delete~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
And Stephen,
ReplyDeleteWhy ya gotta go and make the National Anthem so political? Tough battle once again! Both inspirational versions. Whitney was great but my vote goes to Jesse McGuire. I remember that series well, believe it or not, I was rooting for the Yankees due to 9/11. A bit more connected to that era than the war.
Be well,
Admiral J. T. Poohregard
YANKEE, GO HOME!!
DeleteLet's see here... missed Gibson's home run because of a... girl. And rooted for the Yankees instead of the underdogs... because the Yankees didn't quite have enough world championships yet.
Well, Poohregard, we're now waiting for that other sho-- er... I mean, third strike to drop. (You know what to do when the third strike gets dropped, right? Run for first base while praying for a miracle (aka a lousy throw from the catcher to the first baseman).
Kiddin', kiddin'!
Thanks again, Pooh, fer yer vote. It's always appreciated.
Now keep yer eye on the ball, swing as hard as you can but don't fall down. ;^)}
~ Mr. Stephen
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
POSTSCRIPT:
Delete...And Pooh, that's not all...
I may have inserted some politics into the National Anthem where none was before. But at least I didn't make it racist. I used two Black artists. Didn't include no Honkies, no Messicans, no Injuns, no Yaller Folks. So, ain't nobody can call me a racis'.
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal Americaned Underground'
And Stephen...you may have missed the irony...How can the National Anthem not be political? Re: the Yankees, I guess I'm a sucker (and patriot) rooting for a city that had nearly 3,000 people killed in a terrorist act 2 months earlier. Nonetheless, it was good baseball and the first series played in November. It may have also been skewed by my recent visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in April. Which is well done by the way. I recommend you spend the extra $20 bucks for the guided tour, but allow another 2 hours or so to go through the other artifacts and the timeline exhibits.
DeleteI did go to the Yankee museum at the stadium where the have memorabilia from all their championships. I did work up a good amount of dislike for them seeing the trophies from when they beat the Dodgers. I still hate those Yankees especially Mr. October and his wayward hip.
JW nonetheless,
Pooh
Oh, trust me, GENERAL, I sure did get the joke about the National Anthem. I laughed at it. And I was alluding to it when I wrote:
Delete"I may have inserted some politics into the National Anthem where none was before."
Yep. Saying there isn't a political aspect to the National Anthem is like saying there isn't a sexual theme to a Miley Cyrus concert.
BTW, I'm curious... at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, is there a special room containing the evidence that 9/11 was an Inside Job? Like, do they have the original copy of 'THE PET GOAT' which "W" couldn't tear himself away from after the first plane crashed into the first Tower? (I wonder if "W" was able to comprehend what he was reading. Pretty complex story for a president with the brain of a Scarecrow. :^)
JW!-JW!
~ D-FensDogG
Al Bondigas here. I usually prefer lyrics with my music, but this is a little different here. I have an emotional attachment to Jessie McGuire's version. Obviously, the D backs winning the World Series and the fact that mom gave me a cd of some of Jessie's performances as a Christmas gift. But, even without the emotional attachment, I still would have ruled fer Jessie McGuire. Rulin' fer McGuire. That's it!! That's my rulin'.
ReplyDeleteLes Nesman here, back on the air with the news and the hog reports!
DeleteHow do you like my new monitor?
JUDGE AL BONDIGAS, I got one of those Jesse McGuire compact discs from Ma, too. And guess what! My CD is bigger'n yours. (Ha!;^)
Thanks fer yer rulin', Judge. One o' these days President Trump is gonna have you on the Supreme Court.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
STMcC’s Vote On '2017, May 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (Or, 'Whitney Houston Versus Jesse McGuire') And The Final Tally:
ReplyDeleteWell, another 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' contest is in the books... and so is another abysmal prediction from the not-so-Magic 8-Ball (now very low on the electrolytes that Magic 8-Balls crave).
I has a plan though! I'm going to try something new with my May 15th BOTB match-up. Instead of asking the 8-Ball the question in the way I have been doing it, I'm going to reverse it and see if that gets us more accurate results. Maybe I've been going about this thing 180-degrees opposite from how I should have been. Kinda like my life in general.
The voting outcome was surprising to me, to say the least. As I said in one comment, I felt this could be a close contest OR a Whitney Houston blowout. The ONLY OUTCOME that I could NOT imagine was the exact outcome we got. (Me 'n' the Magic 8-Ball, we stink!)
Like the majority of voters here, I too voted for Jesse McGuire for the reason I previously stated in my comment to Birgit:
"He most definitely had a way of imbuing his version with emotion that inspired pride in the listener. There are a couple places where he adds a little flourish, or takes a slightly different approach from the standard melody that really makes the heart leap. And you can easily tell when that happens because the entire stadium INSTANTLY responds with cheering. It's pretty amazing, really."
Whitney Houston = 4 votes
Jesse McGuire = 10 votes
A 6-vote margin of victory constitutes a blowout in my book. I sure didn't see this coming, because I (wrongly) guessed that a lot of voters would feel strongly that they prefer the National Anthem performed with the lyrics. WRONG!
This was the second time I used Whitney Houston in a BOTB contest and the second time she got clobbered. Thou shalt not see Whitney here again!
This was the lowest voter turnout I've had in quite awhile. To quote the POTUS: "Sad."
However, I do very, Very, VERY sincerely thank each and every one of you who DID take the time to visit, listen, and vote. You are appreciated! And it was nice that a couple voters who aren't exactly "regulars" checked in this time to improve the vote total. It would have been especially deplorable if they hadn't and I wound up with a total dangerously close to a single digit.
Well, please return here again for my May 15th Battle. I have a slightly "Twisted BOTB" installment in mind which I think is going to pretty fun for all. See ya then, eh?
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
>>This was the lowest voter turnout I've had in quite awhile. To quote the POTUS: "Sad."
DeleteYeah, Stinko de Mayo.
~SigNorman StillStormin' II
Indeed, StillStormin' II, indeed.
DeleteIt makes me wanna drown my sorrow in Margarita's... (I think that's about far enough.)
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I never did care much for Whitney Houston. I'm glad she didn't win this Battle.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Yeah, she was never my style either. Although I do think she did a terrific job here on the National Anthem. It just didn't affect me quite as much as Jesse's. I think his was actually a bit more stirring.
Delete~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...