STMcC’s Vote On '2018, February 1st: Battle Of The Bands (Or, Danny Gatton '75 Versus Danny Gatton '93) And The Final Tally:
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It was a lower'n usual turnout, so I DOUBLE THANK each of you who took the time to listen, evaluate, and vote. Y'all are good peoples!! (But then again, I have no idea what you do at home alone in the dark with other peoples. And, NO, don't tell me. I don't wanna know!)
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Well, this BOTB was Danny Gatton and his 1975 band going up against Danny Gatton and his 1993 band -- both of them doing 'Harlem Nocturne'. There was phenomenal playing in both recordings. The first one featured extended electric organ and tenor saxophone solos, while the second focused primarily on Gatton's guitar which was doing somersaults, backflips, handstands, Kung Fu, and opening up cans of beer and tennis balls during the slower portions. All in all, probably the most impressive electric guitar fretboard work I've ever heard.
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The reason I assembled this particular Battle is because I want to use one of Gatton's recordings of 'Harlem Nocturne' in a future contest against another "Nocturne" by another artist, but I honestly couldn't decide which of Gatton's recordings to use. So, I decided to leave that up to y'all. The voting was very close.
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If someone asked me to name the greatest guitar workout I've heard, I'd probably have to say "Danny Gatton's 1993 Harlem Nocturne". However, my all-time favorite musical instrument is the electric organ, and my second favorite is the tenor saxophone. The electric guitar comes in third. And for those reasons only, my own vote actually landed on Gatton's '75 recording, despite the mind-blowingness of the '93 rendition.
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Danny Gatton 'Harlem Nocturne' 1975 = 6 votes
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Danny Gatton 'Harlem Nocturne' 1993 = 9 votes
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And the Magic 8-Ball got it right again! The Ball is on a roll. Har!-Har!
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So... you will all be hearing Danny Gatton's 1993 recording of 'Harlem Nocturne' again in a future Battle Of The Bands contest. But my next BOTB installment, on February 15th, will be another in my "Battle For Los Angeles" series. However, this next time it will actually be about a very specific area in L.A. known as "Dogtown" (which also happens to be the area in which I grew up). So please be sure to contribute your $0.02 in my next Battle. Don't disrespect my hometown by ignoring it!
[;^)}
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For those who'd like to hear a little more Danny "The Humbler" Gatton wizardry on the guitar, until next time, I'll leave you with this straightforward rip-roaring Rocker:
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FUNHOUSE -- Danny Gatton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=278k2u46IM8
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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That's a good contest and summation. I'm glad you got to vote and not have a tie. I have a feeling that if Mr. Gatton was here he would have a hard time choosing between his creations. Gotta wonder how many times Mr. Gatton was asked to "sell out" between '75 and '93... and chose to play his guitar the way he wanted to. (Can't imagine him saying "sure" to an arena rock band's offer, "We're goin to do the first verse, chorus, second verse, you come in with a one-minute solo, then for the third verse we repeat the first verse, and you do a repetitive guitar as we sing the chorus six times to fade out).
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Dogtown. I don't know any bands from there. An abstract sense of thrashy punk bands soundtracking guys who know people are on vacation, go into their backyards, drain the pool and skateboard in the pool. "Dude awlright!" I'm sure your songs will be more elevated. Cheers!
G DogG ~
DeleteYeah, it would have been a bummer had I not been able to vote because it would have tied things up. (Some BOTBers never vote on their own Battles, but I have never failed to do so.)
Very sad about Gatton's career (or lack of one) and his decision to end his own life. The guy was just so prodigiously talented -- could blow the doors in on just about any other guitarist -- and yet never got the acclaim he really deserved.
>>... "We're goin to do the first verse, chorus, second verse, you come in with a one-minute solo, then for the third verse we repeat the first verse, and you do a repetitive guitar as we sing the chorus six times to fade out."
Man, that's the formula for formulaic Rock music right there. You nailed it. And that's the reason why I eventually lost interest in bands like Styx, Journey, and all the other groups like that and eventually immersed myself in Jazz, which seemed so much more adventurous and creative.
Ahh, cool, I see you know the history of Dogtown -- the birthplace of Extreme Sports (as some have called it). I will refer to that briefly before launching into the Battle.
This one should be interesting because it will be what I call a "Twisted Battle" (different songs but with a common theme) which includes a group that nearly NO ONE will have heard of against an artist that EVERYONE has heard of. And then there's also a little surprise that I will reveal later in the Battle's Results Post.
Glad to hear you plan to be here, McBrother!!
~ Stephen
Would You Like To See... 'It's A Wonderful Life' Come To Life?
My turnout was equally low, but I've been off the grid for most of the past week and not commenting on other blogs much at all.
ReplyDeleteI totally get your reason for picking the 1975 version which is the same as mine. Virtuosity is impressive, but variety is the spice that puts the kick in the pozole. There I go thinking about food--I'm must be getting over my illness of late.
I look forward to your biographical battle next week.
Lee
Tossing It Out
LEE, I've never even had pozole. Isn't that Mafioso macaroni? ;^)
DeleteI think it may take a little time for the 1st of each month to reestablish itself as a BOTB date. Hopefully participation will get back up to previous levels after awhile.
I'm in a bit of a quandary about my next installment. The video for one of the songs is pretty neat and entertaining. I want to use it, and yet I fear it may give the artist an unfair advantage -- and he already has one due to his fame. I did find an alternative video but I don't care for the single image it displays.
People who are not BOTBers probably have no idea how much thought goes into trying to assemble a competitive Battle.
~ D-FensDogG
Would You Like To See... 'It's A Wonderful Life' Come To Life?
Howdy Reno!
ReplyDeleteAt this rate I'll have to work through lunch on the day of my funeral! Sorry I missed it - again.
I do know how much thought goes into these BOTBs (yes, I peeked at the comments), that's why they are so enjoyable ;-)
Not to worry, lEPRECHAUN QUEEN. In the whole scheme of things, BOTB is small potatoes. Maybe even only Tater Tots.
DeleteRight now, I'm working on bigger manias, like, "What's The Perfect Morning Music?" and "Which Bourbon Ice Cream Is Better, Ben & Jerry's or Haagen-Dazs?"
As you can see, I'll do anything that keeps me from serious writing!
See ya for the 'Dogtown' Battle, maybe. (If I'm not too fat from the ice cream binging to put it together. Ever since I quit drinking, all I do is eat ice cream. I'm thinking that perhaps, for the sake of my health, I should go back to drinking.)
~ sTEPHEN
Would You Like To See... 'It's A Wonderful Life' Come To Life?