PSYCHEDELIC BOTB RESULTS: 2018, SEPT. 15 (Or, BROADWAY VS. HOLLYWOOD)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2018, September 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) Or, Broadway 'HAIR' Versus Hollywood 'Hair' And The Final Tally:
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It was our third and final Battle (the 2 out of 3 rubber match) between Broadway's 'Hair' (the 1968 original) and Hollywood's 'Hair' (1979 movie). The song was 'Aquarius' and the contest took place HERE.
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The voting started out kind of slow but it picked up and we wound up with a pretty decent turnout. As always, .I thank you, and You, and YOU. (all of youz) for taking the time to visit, listen, and vote. And also as always, the comment section was a fun place to be.
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For those of you who may not have been born yet, or were just too young to remember it (or flyin' too high to remember it), here's a photograph of what 1968 looked like:
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Ronnie Dyson was the lead vocalist for Broadway's 1968 original recording, and Renn Woods was the primary singer in the 1979 Hollywood movie version.
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In The Battle Within The Battle, both The Magic 8-Ball (8-4) and The Amazing Sixwell (9-3) were "definitely" "certain" that Hollywood would win, and they were quite correct. Counting my own vote, which went to Renn and Hollyweird, the Final Tally looked like this...
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Broadway (Ronnie Dyson) = 4 votes
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Hollywood (Renn Woods) = 12 votes
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And so that settles it. Musically, the consensus is that Hollywood 'Hair' is better'n Broadway 'Hair' (2-1).
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Most folks would probably agree that the definitive version of Aquarius was recorded by The 5th Dimension. According to Billboard, their #1 hit recording of it was the 7th biggest hit song of the 1960s! I love great harmonizing, and The 5th Dimension is one of my very favorite vocal groups of all time. And it's very odd how they came to discover what would become the biggest hit of their career:
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The magic of "Aquarius" began in New York when Billy Davis, Jr. [a member of The 5th Dimension] lost his wallet in a cab that he had taken back to their hotel room. As Marilyn comforted him, the phone rang. His wallet had been found by Ed Gifford, the cab's next passenger that day. In gratitude, the singer invited him and his wife to the group's performance at The Royal Box in the American Hotel. In turn, The 5th Dimension were Gifford's guests at 'Hair', a rock musical he was producing. Singer Ronnie Dyson wowed the attending vocalists with his number "Aquarius", which the group immediately heard as a single.
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So, in other words, the 7th biggest hit song of the 1960s was born because one of The 5th Dimension's singers lost his wallet in a taxi cab. Life can be doggone strange (with or without LSD).
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It wasn't just the great vocals that made [link> Aquarius such a huge hit for The 5th Dimension. The musical backing was provided by the group of legendary A-list L.A. studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. It's extremely rare for me to really notice the bass playing on a track, but pay attention to the bass lines provided by Joe Osborn of The Wrecking Crew when Aquarius segues into Let The Sunshine In. Man, that cat is GROOVIN'!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQOQqn1qH4o

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By God, that's great!!
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I've never been a Hippie and I've never dropped Acid and burned a Draft Card, but nevertheless, I really dig the movie 'HAIR'. It was directed by the brilliant Milos Forman, the same man who gave us 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'. I saw 'HAIR' in a theatre when it was released in 1979 and today I own it on DVD.
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And even though I am a [link> "Confident Heterosexual" (or maybe BECAUSE I am a "Confident Heterosexual"), I think this scene from 'HAIR' is hysterically funny:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0sjn2m47T8

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Well, that's it for this time. But I hope you'll join me again for my next installment of Battle Of The Bands. Same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel! (i.e., October 1st, right here.)
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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