First, I thank each one of you who took the time to listen 'n' bote on my most recent installment of 'Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB). This one was a part of my 'Battle For Los Angeles' series (subcategory: 'The Battle For Dogtown') and it featured songs and artists with a connection to Venice Beach -- a part of "Dogtown".
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| CUTEST DOG EVER, POSING IN "DOGTOWN" |
Some of you may remember that in my previous Battle of 2/1/2018, featuring Danny Gatton, I wrote this: Circa 1994, Larry, a friend and co-worker of mine -- who also happened to be a guitarist in a local Blues band -- gave me a cassette tape he'd recorded for me. It was titled LITTLE GUITAR DITTIES: "Lelly's Favorites". "Lelly" was a pet name we had given to him at work. [Remember this -- you'll need it later!]
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Well, it's now "later": Larry Rosen (LarryR), a member of the band Slavin' David & Loose Gravel, who wrote the song 'Walking Down The Right Path', which did battle against Van Morrison's 'Venice, U.S.A.' here, is also the aforementioned "Lelly" who made me aware of Danny Gatton all those years ago! And not only is my friend and former co-worker, Larry one of the "Loose Gravels", but another friend and co-worker, Lonnie Millsap, actually designed the album cover for 'Rock And Roll Road':
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This Battle wasn't much of a battle. In fact, for Van Morrison, it was almost an exact dose of negative karma: In my 10/15/2017 BOTB installment, the song was 'Good Morning, Little School Girl', and Van The Man clobbered Taj Mahal 12-4. In this "contest", Slavin' David & Loose Gravel clobbered Van Morrison 13-4. As you do unto others, it shall be done unto you.
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My vote also went to David & Gravel. I like Van's 'Venice U.S.A.' well enough as a rather vague but upbeat "mood piece", such as Van sometimes likes to do, but I much preferred the Spiritual message and loose, gravelly guitar work provided by my buddy LarryR in 'Walking Down The Right Path'.
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A few voters commented that they felt Van's song was a bit too long. I concur, and so did Patrick Humphries:
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'The Omnibus Press Guide To The Music Of Van Morrison' by Patrick Humphries (1997): It is when Van gets riffing that 'Wavelength' kicks up a gear. As a straightforward story, 'Venice USA' wouldn't detain the casual listener long, but Van manages to infuse it with genuine buoyancy, even if it does eventually overstay its welcome by a couple minutes. The melody combined with Van's scat singing help the song gain momentum...
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That pretty well nails 'Venice, U.S.A.'. It really is one of the most "buoyant" songs I've ever heard, but also drags on a bit too long.
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4 1/2 years of BOTB has taught me that trying to create a competitive Battle is much closer to a hit or miss art form than it is a science. There are a number of possibilities to consider and evaluate, and not-always-easy decisions that a BOTBer must make.
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Usually, I try to keep a very even BOTB playing field, but sometimes I'll agonize over angles and nuance. For example: In this Battle, I figured that due to his worldwide fame, Van Morrison would have a subconscious advantage over the mostly unknown Slavin' David. The video I really WANTED to use for 'Venice, U.S.A.' made the song seem even more buoyant and likeable, and diminished the sense that it was overlong. And I felt that Van probably already had too much of an upper hand right from the get-go.
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Unless specifically asked to do so, voters are expected NOT to let the images in a video influence how they vote on the music. But I think it probably occurs sometimes regardless, due to human nature. So, rather than risk giving Van a double-advantage in the Battle, I decided to use a video for him that matched the static image video I was using for Slavin' David.
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But now with 20/20 hindsight, seeing how badly Van got slaughtered, I find I'm second-guessing myself and thinking this might have been a much more competitive BOTB installment had I used the video for 'Venice, U.S.A.' that I really like.
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If you can, watch the following video, listen to Van's song again, and tell me if you think your vote for Slavin' David & Loose Gravel might have gone to Van The Man had I used the following video instead of the one I did. I definitely think that 'Venice, U.S.A.' works better as a soundtrack for appropriately themed images than it does as a stand-alone song.
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And, for those of you who perhaps have never experienced Venice Beach, California, this video gives you a terrific idea of what a typical Summer day there looks like. It will also give you glimpses of the turbaned guitar player, Harry Perry, and the Sidewalk Café & Bar, which I specifically mentioned on the Battle page HERE.
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VENICE, U.S.A. --- Van Morrison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibEImDrlj18
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I thank you all again for indulging me with your patience, time and votes (or "botes", as Julio sez). Because February is such a short month, I will be returning here with a NEW BOTB installment in just 8 days from today. I don't know yet which song I'll be using, but I've got a list 8 miles long to choose from.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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