STMcC’s Vote On '2018, August 1st: Battle Of The Bands (BOTB) And The Final Tally:
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"So..." (as Batman famously said to Marsha, Queen of Diamonds)
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We done did do another 'Battle Of The
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John of the blog 'The Sound Of One Hand Typing' had used this same song in his 11/15/2017 BOTB contest. He put Bobbie Gentry up against The Supremes and Gentry trounced them 12 votes to 2.
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Back then, my vote went to The Supremes, and here is what I posted on John's blog:
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I love this song, and both of the renditions you chose were top-notch — I enjoyed listening to both. ...
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My favorite version of this song, though, is easily Santana’s, with the criminally underrated Greg Walker on vocals. I believe that sometime in 2018 (after Gentry has officially cleaned house here), I will put Gentry up against Greg & Carlos. And I’ll go so far as to predict that Greg & Carlos do to Gentry what she is doing now to The Supremes. ...But then I’ve been wrong in BOTB before.
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Well, I wasn't wrong THIS TIME! I knew that Bobbie, despite beating The Supremes senseless in 2017, was going to be the underdog in my Battle. David doesn't ALWAYS beat Goliath. At least not outside of The Holy Bible he doesn't.
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Now don't get me wrong -- I really DO like Gentry's relaxed and simple version of 'Stormy', but against Santana's? C'mon!
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First of all, the song is called 'Stormy'. So... (as Batman famously said to Marsha, Queen of Diamonds... Ohhh! Deja vu!) shouldn't some kind of "storm" be included? Well, Santana's guitar and Greg Walker's voice provided DUAL storms in their cover!! Two storms for the price of one! Bobbie Gentry's version offered no storms for the price of one.
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Of course I voted for Carlos and the terrific [link> Greg Walker! (Greg Walker: a lot like Marvin Gaye but with greater vocal control and more horsepower under the hood!)
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It's no coincidence that the two Santana albums I liked best were 'Moonflower' and 'Inner Secrets' -- two LPs that featured Walker's vocals. He was easily the best singer Santana ever hired! And to those who disparaged his singing I have only this to say:
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Now you can go back to your soy-boy singers Mike Score, Gary Numan, and (Soy) Boy George. Oh, but take this with you...
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GREG WALKER (with Carlos Santana) = 13 votes
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BOBBIE GENTRY = 4 votes
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OK, seriously though, I sincerely thank every one of youz who took the time to vote and comment. It was a pretty good turnout and as is usually the case, I enjoyed the Comment Section exchanges as much as I did the Battle itself. True, this was really "no contest", a total blowout, but I saw it coming and predicted it last year, so I'm not disappointed by it.
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In our The Battle Within The Battle, our friend The Amazing Sixwell. got conked on the head by The Magic 8-Ball. and they are both tied now at 6 hits and 3 misses.
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I hope you'll all return again for my next Battle on August 15th. It's going to be something a bit unusual: A male television star and a female movie star Battling it out over a song that probably every one of you has heard before.
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Be here on the 15th or... bring a note from Batman explaining your absence.
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Sing us out, Greg! Rock the house down, Brother!!
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SHE'S NOT THERE -- Carlos & Greg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdxUJeY1Yik
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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I'm not at all surprised by this outcome. I thought mine would be even worse. I'll put my results up tomorrow (Wed).
ReplyDeleteThe version by Classics IV was just about as laid back as Bobbie's. They had a really great relaxing sound.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
LEE ~
Delete[Link> THIS is just about as laid back as [Link> THIS? Not from where I'm sitting. Maybe it's a Nevada thang, but I'd say the Classics IV original is closer in intensity to Santana's cover than it is to Bobbie's cover.
I really dig this song and I like ALL of the recordings, but my order of preference goes like this: Santana, Classics IV, The Supremes, Bobbie Gentry.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Indeed the band is electrified and with drums so that does add "intensity". I can listen to either version and feel mighty relaxed so I'd call both laid back. But you are right about the Classics IV being more intense. Still that group had that seminal lounge band sound. The Classics IV version holds great memories for me and remains my favorite version of the song.
DeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
The saxophone breaks add a little grittiness, too.
DeleteI never owned any of the Classics IV recordings but I have liked every thing I've ever heard by them. I would describe their sound as "cool with traces of sandpaper".
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I used to have a Classics IV Hits 8 track cartridge that I played a lot when I was still living with my parents. They even liked this music so it must have sounded pretty mellow to them.
DeleteThe group definitely had a cool vibe. Funny, but that sax that you describe as "gritty" has almost a bit of a Kenny G sound to me. Well, maybe a gritty Kenny G. Sax almost always sounds a bit gritty to me, but also frequently laid back.
Man, that music really takes me back. Oh, to be young again--or at least younger than I am now.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
>>... Funny, but that sax that you describe as "gritty" has almost a bit of a Kenny G sound to me. Well, maybe a gritty Kenny G.
DeleteThe guy who played the sax on Classics IV is Black, thus it has a bit of soulfulness to it. And a trace o' grit.
K*n*y G has no grit because K*n*y G has no soul. He's like the elevator muzak of Elevator Muzak.
Also, feel free to use any four-letter profanity in this comment section that suits your fancy. BUT(!)... my Blog Rule #345(c) is: "Thou shalt not mention K*n*y G."
I mean, you gotta draw the line somewhere, and I draw it at K*n*y G. (I would have voted for Hellary before I'd have voted for K*n*y G. ...Well, maybe not. But I'd have to give it some thought. ;o)
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
DeleteMust not let Mr McCarthy get wind of me having a copy...
Shhh... don't tell!
~anonymous
DeleteEXORCIST WANTED
Wage negotiable
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bible)
{*That's a notice in the classified ads section we don't see too often.*}
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
>>...horsepower under the hood
ReplyDeleteuhhh... Is that anything like being hung like a horse? Because in Stormy - Greg is more hung like a seahorse... but he does have decent vocals in She's Not There.
Of course, I may be a bit biased, as I've always like She's Not There.
We all need a good blowout every once in awhile,(No. that isn't another euphemism!) I'm just glad it doesn't happen all the time :)
I'll be posting my results on Monday.
~M
ps, Did I tell you that I really like Santana? Way back in the days when I was briefly married - my ex bought me the Supernatural CD for my birthday. Probably one of the only good things that came out of that union.
MMQE ~
Delete>>... uhhh... Is that anything like being hung like a horse?
Probably. But I'm not going to be the one to find out!
>>... Greg ... he does have decent vocals in She's Not There.
Yip! I'd like to be that "decent" at... *ANYTHING*!
I don't mind a blowout as long as I was expecting it. It's those blowouts that occur when I believe I've put together a really competitive Battle that bother me.
I has a fairly strong feeling that my next Battle on 8/15 is headed for 'Blowoutsville' also. So if that does happen, again, I'm mentally prepared for it. It won't surprise me and thus won't bother me. On the other hand, if it's a shutout... now THAT I will NEVER be prepared for.
>>... my ex bought me the Supernatural CD for my birthday.
I'm not going to delve into it much here but... That album was aptly titled. Based on things I've read, which appear to be reliable, that album which became such a surprise sensation has a supernatural element behind it.
It sold a godzillion copies, garnered a godzillion awards, and after being a professional musician for parts of 3 different decades, it became Santana's all-time most successful album. How does something like that suddenly happen?!
Well, it was also, apparently, Santana's payoff for doing a demon's bidding in "this world". It seems Santana got involved in New Age occult stuffs and was promised by a demon named Metatron that if Carlos would do what he was asked to do (revealing some very private information about himself to the world), Metatron and his fellow entities in the unseen world would make certain his next album ('Supernatural') was a major success. And the rest is history.
After learning about the above, I purged every Santana album from my collection. Prior to that, he was one of my very favorites from the "Classic Rock" era.
Another massive favorite of mine was Van Morrison, but I had to get rid of most of my Morrison albums also, after he wrote and recorded a song praising Lucifer.
This sort of stuffs is rampant in "this world" but one has to do a little digging to discover it because the Mainstream Media, being complicit in it, sure ain't gonna broadcast it to the rest of "this world".
Hokey-Smoke! This comment section certainly took a quick and unexpected turn toward the serious, eh?
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Stephen my older bro '68 Mustang figurative older generations' Oldsmobile... That's it I've had it with you and your rock and roll ilk. Put any song up against a song with a guitar solo and I'll vote for any song.
ReplyDeleteGary Numan doesn't sing - he tries to sound like a robot on purpose. "Cars" is groundbreaking. Boy George before he got to cool for school and went solo - when with Culture Club brought some Smokey Robinson AND The Miracles stuff. Pretend you never saw him just heard this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74LOcw-ap-g
Alright, so you still likely don't like it. Santana isn't the reason I don't like guitar music from the late 60's through the mid-70's - but it's an exaple - when this country was a dancing wasteland on acid twirling to guitar solos and music - let's face it - Santana is a close cousin to the Grateful Dead waving their hand all willy-nilly noodling up and down too many notes.... "She's Not There" at 1'40" He couldn't help himself could he.
It's a new generation. With placards: "No Guitar Solos." "No Shrill Technically Proficient Histrionics."
"Another good battle, McBro," G-Dogg says from across the aisle with a handshake and treating for beers.
PART 1 OF 2:
DeleteMUH BRUHTHUH, G DOGG ~
We may not always (or ever?) agree on tunes, but that doesn't in the least diminish my appreciation of you. I'm totally grateful you've become a regular voter and a fun commenter!
Music isn't entirely subjective, but it is to a significant degree. So, different ears = different opinions. And it'z all good (as the young hoodlums say).
>>... Stephen my older bro '68 Mustang figurative older generations' Oldsmobile.
In truth, I'm really a [Link> 1959 Cadillac, but I feel much, much younger. I feel more like a [Link> '64 Caddy.
>>... Alright, so you still likely don't like it.
Wa-eee-ell... I'd heard it hundreds of times in my ancient past but never knew who the group was. It was... OK. Not intolerable, but pretty slick for my tastes. It was kind of Cheez-Whiz, and I'm more of a Chipotle-Jalepano Cheddar kind of guy. (I'm pretty sure it was Culture Club whom my friend Pooh beat up one night on the Santa Monica Pier in 1982.)
>>... the Grateful Dead waving their hand all willy-nilly noodling up and down too many notes....
Ha!-Ha! Well, I'm with you on that one. I never did get into The Grateful Dead. But then I never dropped Acid, either. (They're one of those bands I put in the "Sloppy Late-'60s" category.)
[Here's a FUN FACT: Ann Coulter is a big Deadhead. Who in their right mind would have ever guessed THAT?]
Someone once said that the 1966/'67 'Batman' TV series is hysterically funny when watched under the influence of hallucinogenics. But what would a straight-laced guy like me know about such things?
Continued Below...
PART 2 OF 2:
Delete>>... It's a new generation. With placards: "No Guitar Solos."
Do you remember [Link> the Little Rascals episode about the 'He-Man Woman-Hater's Club'? When I was very young, I felt that Alfalfa had betrayed the boys when he started cavorting with Darla Hood at the end of the episode. As far as I was concerned, Alfalfa was the Benedict Arnold of the 'He-Man Woman-Hater's Club'.
But then when I got older and wiser, I realized that the other boys were mad at Alfalfa simply because they COULDN'T get a girl like Alfalfa had done. So they wanted him to be as miserable and lonely as they were.
I well remember that era when the Punk Rocker types were howling "No Guitar Solos". At first, I thought they were establishing a genuinely legitimate new form of Rock.
But then when I got older and wiser, I realized that they were howling against guitar solos simply because they were such shitty musicians that they COULDN'T play a decent guitar solo to save their lives. (The best of them knew only a total of two or three chords.) As musicians, they were really just Naked Emperors. And so they protested against guitar solos because they couldn't get a Darla Hood of their own. Er-- well... you know what ah mean.
Now, I'm certainly not saying that I want to hear a guitar solo in every song. (Heck, the guitar isn't even my favorite instrument.) Nor am I saying that every guitar solo ever recorded was worth the tape it took to preserve it.
In fact, I think all the solos recorded by all those Hair Bands (like Poison and Twisted Sister) and poseur tough guys (like Metallica and Guns 'N' Lillies) are just tired 'n' trite recycled garbage. I can't stand to hear them. It probably would have been a good idea to legally ban guitar solos after Danny Gatton committed suicide, because I ain't heard nuttin' fresh since then.
But (IMO) the Punkers were all (bad) style and zero substance. I could sing better'n any of them and I can sing "not a lick" (as Thelma Lou twice said of Barney Fife at [Link> 4:35). I could play guitar better'n most of 'em, too, and I can't play a lick, either.
>>... a handshake and treating for beers.
Much appreciated, my fellow DogG, but I insist on buying ALL of the (virtual) drinks we ever consume together. Cheers!!
~ McStephen
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
POSTSCRIPT: You'll be ecstatic to know that there are no Rock guitar solos to be found in my next BOTB installment on August 15th.
Older Bro, I was going to treat to Coors Light but I'll let you treat and I shall defer to your connoisseur expertise.
Delete[Here's a FUN FACT: Ann Coulter is a big Deadhead. Who in their right mind would have ever guessed THAT?]
I never would have guessed that. Please don't get me more disjointed and tell me Michelle Malkin listens to Strawberry Alarm Clock and Incense and Peppermints - It's an Anglo-American thing she wouldn't understand.
JFK said, "The times require imagination" and we're all in our times. For example, in my opinion, Hotel California was The Eagles first album. The Sex Pistols happened too early for me - music? There are tons of books and theories on these guys "French Situationalists!" to make up for the fact they only have a few good songs. Remember "The Pistols" manager Malcom McClaren was the manager of The New York Dolls and added some Soviet flags on stage like "This is important." History is written by the victors.. or the first to get #1 records via hype... so.. uh.. The Sex Pistols started punk rock. It doesn't necessarily sound good. Bonus. Punk rock cleared the field, nuked it... so new genres could flower. New Wave ("post punk" is another, separate genre) New Wave wouldn't have happened without punk. And 200-300 page books on punk wouldn't have happened without punk.
One could write a sentence on how New Wave replac-- was the biggest thing.. a different choice from the Laurel Canyon scene. Hotel California and The Long Run are not only the best but the only Eagles albums I've ever heard... and they're fantastic for a whole album by cracky.
McBROTHER G DOGG ~
Delete>>... Older Bro, I was going to treat to Coors Light but I'll let you treat and I shall defer to your connoisseur expertise.
Consarn it! Did you just call me an "old bastard"? That's it -- STAY OFF MY LAWN! Go to the park if you want to play!
I hope I die before I get old... er.
Wish we started drinking together before I stopped drinking. That would have been fun. (Somehow life just isn't near as exciting when I'm all hopped-up and bloated on O'Doul's Amber and virgin Mojitos.)
To me, "the kingdom of the Naked emperors" (aka "Punk Rock") is exposed by the fact that McLaren was really a "fashion" guy:
Mr. McLaren rose to fame as the colorful manager of the Sex Pistols, but the art college dropout is also known for the infamous clothes shop he opened on London's King's Road with his then-girlfriend, Vivienne Westwood, in 1971. The shop changed its name and focus several times -- operating as "SEX," "World's End" and "Seditionaries" -- before the couple split.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/08/AR2010040805157.html
In other words, it was really all about "style" (whether one thinks it good or bad style), not "music", not "substance".
I actually owned not one but TWO Sex Pistols albums before I woke up. And I too used to think of them as the originators of Punk Rock (as we came to know it). But then I ran across an article stating that the Sex Pistols were really just England's answer to The Ramones. I checked the dates and said: Yep. Punk Rock was really American first. It was The Ramones who really got it started. (Although, as we've previously discussed, I think the initial seed of it can be found in Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues', and then taken to the next level by Jim Morrison's line in 'Roadhouse Blues' about beer for breakfast because the future will probably suck and death is just around the next bend in the road.)
>>... Please don't get me more disjointed and tell me Michelle Malkin listens to Strawberry Alarm Clock...
Ha! I know, right? The world made even less sense than usual when I learned that Ann was a genuine Deadhead. SMH! Brother, is *anything* really real? Coulter being a Deadhead is on a par with me being a crypto-Madonna fan. (No! Don't worry. Not true!;o)
>>... New Wave wouldn't have happened without punk.
Abbalouly! You can see the hybrid point where New Wave was just starting to emerge from the womb of Punk in Elvis Costello, The Cars, Talking Heads ('Psycho Killer'), and perhaps The Police, too. I was into ALL of that before my preference in music morphed into totally different genres outside of Rock.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Holy Blowout, Batman! Santana was impressive, as always, but Greg, not so much. Just my opinion, of course and he sounded a lot better in the recording you posted here. ☺ See you on the 15th!
ReplyDeleteHoly Guacamole, DEBBIE! I don't get how people don't get Greg Walker. I mean, I would assume anyone who likes Marvin Gaye would also like Greg Walker because they're definitely from the same mold, or cut from the same cloth, or two peas in a pod, or birds of a feather, or... OK, I think I'm out of trite expressions now. Lucky you.
DeleteSee ya on the 15th. I've got something a little different happening in my next Battle.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Greg Walker has a decent voice, but he wasn't as good as Marvin on the BOTB song. Opinions are subjective and everyone has different taste. ☺ Looking forward to your next battle!
Delete