Yes, it's time once again for BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB).
.And not just that, but another edition of the subcategory series 'Battle For Los Angeles' (sub-subcategory: 'Battle For Dogtown'), as inspired by Sixgun McItchyfinger.
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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I love where I grew up when I did, and when the nostalgia kicks in, I get very yakky. Please forgive the excessive yakking and just humor me.
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In the mid-1970s, while at the corner of Bay Street & Main Street in southern Santa Monica, Skip Engblom and Craig Stecyk gave birth to the nickname "Dogtown". It became legendary in the world of skateboarding.
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| Dogtown Coffee shop (formerly Zephyr Surf Shop) at the corner of Bay & Main Streets, Santa Monica, CA. |
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| Borrowed street sign in Dogtown, circa 1982. |
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| The same borrowed street sign in Phoenix, AZ., circa 2008. |
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| Same borrowed street sign now in Reno, NV., 2018. |
You've seen me mention a 90-minute tape I created in September of 1985 by recording various songs, advertisements, and disc jockey banter from a variety of Los Angeles based radio stations. I titled it 'Me, Lynth & The Beach Report', and listening to it today is like stepping into the Waybac Machine and traveling back to a better place and time.
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My bedroom in Dogtown was the "studio" where I recorded the tape. Here are a couple photos of my old bedroom taken many years after I moved out of it and someone with a lot of money moved in and "fixed" it:
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| My Brother went through that big window in my bedroom while chasing a badminton birdie in 1974. It severed the artery in his left arm and he has the scars to prove it! |
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| My old bedroom is now a wine cellar. How apropos! |
Thanks to my good friend Bryan, who converted the actual "Beach Report" portion of the tape into a 1:37 video, you can listen to it as a mood-setting warm-up to this Santa Monica (or "Dogtown") themed Battle.
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The Santa Monica ("Dogtown") Beach Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H2P8vRHRgk
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Please indulge me as I share some more photos from my old Santa Monica stomping grounds:
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| Lifeguard Station #26 (Santa Monica Beach) -- I spent many Summers with my beach towel parked in its shadow while I rode the waves for hours and hours. |
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| A little North of Station #26 on S.M. Beach is that big, brown hotel. I worked there in 1985, during the time I recorded the tape 'Me, Lynth & The Beach Report'. |
OK, here comes our first BOTB contestant. We old-timers remember the English band Sweet for their Top Ten hits [link> 'Ballroom Blitz' and [link> 'Fox On The Run'. Both songs climbed to #5 in 1975. Good stuffs!! But their debut album four years earlier included a song titled Santa Monica Sunshine. The lyrics are included below the video if you want to sing along with Sweet:
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SANTA MONICA SUNSHINE -- SWEET
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFBe7cjhSek
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Traveling fast on a southbound highway
Into the sun where I know that I can live my way
Movin' down the highway
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A ticket to ride straight down cross the border
Into the sunshine of South California, my way
Straight down the highway
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Well, I'll drive, drive, drive
Soon I'll arrive
In that Santa Monica sunshine
Santa Monica sands, you're all mine
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Taking the road straight through Sacramento
Moving along, I'll soon be in San Francisco
That's the way you gotta go
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Leaving those Golden Gates far behind me
I look all alive, I'm sure gonna find me, I know
That's the way you gotta go
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Well, I'll drive, drive, drive
Soon I'll arrive
In that Santa Monica sunshine
Santa Monica sands, you're all mine
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Sheryl Crow's debut album included her first and biggest hit, 'All I Wanna Do' (#2 on the Billboard charts in 1994).
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Fun Fact: David Baerwald and David Ricketts of the duo 'David & David' played on Sheryl Crow's debut album and were co-writers of many of its songs. You may recall that David & David won my very first 'The Battle For Los Angeles' contest HERE, three years ago this very day.
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Fun Fact: Santa Monica Boulevard is a major East-West street in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. It's so long that you can be on Santa Monica Boulevard and be in Santa Monica, or be on Santa Monica Blvd and be in West Los Angeles, or be in Century City, or be in Beverly Hills, or be in Hollywood, or be in Silver Lake, just a little North of downtown L.A. It's a lo-oooo-ng street!
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Fun Fact: Santa Monica Blvd was part of the original, legendary Route 66. The street dead-ends at Ocean Ave on the bluffs that overlook Santa Monica Beach and the Pacific Ocean. In other words, Santa Monica Blvd was the Western-most point of Route 66 -- the end of the line, "from Chicago to L.A.".
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| Randy Newman and "a big, nasty Redhead" turn off Ocean Ave onto Santa Monica Blvd - the Western end of Route 66. |
Fun Fact: Every time I hear the lyric "all I wanna do is have some fun until the Sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard" it always conjures up for me the memory of a certain night I spent with my friend Dean in 1982 when we were young and wild...
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| Dean and Stephen T. McCarthy, circa 1982. |
...We started out at 'Yesterdays', our favorite bar in Westwood Village. After a couple drinks there we went across the street to 'Alice's Restaurant' for a couple more drinks, and to listen to the live Country-Bluegrass group playing there.
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Afterwards, we picked up a little "road soda" and decided to cruise Hollywood. With Dean at the wheel of his V.W. bus, I was the guy lighting firecrackers and throwing them out the window at the feet of pimps standing on the seedy street corners. One of them even got in his car and took off after us but, like Starsky & Hutch, we lost him when Dean pulled a quick U-turn at a yellow light on busy Hollywood Boulevard. So long, Pimpy!
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After hours of that fun, we decided to hike up to the "HOLLYWOOD" sign. And when the Sun came up on the Eastern horizon over Santa Monica Boulevard (and every other Boulevard, Street, and Avenue in Los Angeles), Dean and I were hanging over ...
the crossbar (-) of the "H" in the l-lOLLYWOOD sign, ...
and looking out over the city, passing a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey back and forth. It was probably the most memorable Sunrise I've witnessed in my life because... "Location! Location! Location!"
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| Backside of the "Hollywood" sign. |
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| The silhouette of downtown Los Angeles can be seen toward the upper left corner. (photo: NateKat.com) |
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| Decades after Dean and I did it, a man can be seen climbing up the backside of the "H". |
The lyrics are printed in the video if you wish to sing along with Sheryl:
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ALL I WANNA DO -- SHERYL CROW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEskz6IuBA
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The Battle Within The Battle
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VERSUS
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Question: "Will Sweet lose to Sheryl Crow?"
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The Magic 8-Ball (8-4) sez: "Signs Point To Yes"
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The Amazing Sixwell (9-3) sez: "Outlook Good"
.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.
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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
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Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ 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.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
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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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Stephen,
ReplyDeleteYikes, goodness so glad your brother is okay after such an injury! That had to hurt. It makes me grinch just thinking about it. I wasn't sure how I'd vote until I heard both song but it didn't take me more than a few seconds into Sheryl song to realize that I liked SWEET better. Yep, I'm going against The Magic 8 and The Amazing Sixwell with my vote. My BoTB is rolled in with 4M post. Stop by when you get a chance, my friend and have a furtastic week!
CATHY ~
DeleteThanks a bunch for stopping by with your $00.02.
Methinks that both the Magic 8-Ball and the Amazing Sixwell hit a false note this time. We're only starting Day 2 of the voting and it already seems as if Sheryl Crow has lost the Battle. Oh, well.
I'm not sure how much pain my Brother felt when he went through that window. I'd imagine there was an intense, initial moment of pain, but he probably didn't feel it for long, because he went into shock very quickly (as any human being would).
Timing is everything, and by the grace of God's timing, at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Academy just a week or two earlier, I had been taught when and how to apply a tourniquet. I put that knowledge to work on my Brother and had I not, the paramedics said he'd have bled out and been dead before they got to the house.
I guess God wanted Nappy here on Earth for many years (decades) to come.
Yep, it's true -- but for God's Divine Wisdom & Timing (and my makeshift tourniquet), there would be no Judge Al Bondigas making "rulin's" on my BOTB posts!
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I've driven Santa Monica Blvd a number of times when I've taken visitors out that way. Rarely have I been in that area on my own just for the heck of it. I rarely even make it to downtown L.A. and usually that is for the purpose of taking visitors. I've never hiked up to the Hollywood sign, but I used to be able to see it from my house before they built the shopping center across the street from me. I couldn't actually see the letters distinctly, but I knew it was the sign.
ReplyDeleteI've grown tired of the Sheryl Crow song--it has gotten so much play over the years. The Sweet song was new to me and it sounded like so much of the music I listened to back then. I vote for The Sweet.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
LEE ~
DeleteI was on Santa Monica Blvd countless times, but only because I patronized certain businesses there. Otherwise, it was just another major street in L.A. And that's one of the things I found curious about Sheryl Crow's song: Why did she choose S.M. Blvd to include so prominently in her song?
I've noticed that same thing about a number of songs that reference L.A. The singers will name-check certain streets that leave me scratching my head and asking: "How come why for you chose THAT street?"
Some examples:
La Cienega, La Brea, and Gower have all turned up in songs I'm familiar with.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
My company used to have offices in West LA, and we would stay in Santa Monica at either the Huntley or the Sheraton Miramar on Wishire, very close to the ocean. As much time as I spent wandering around that area, I had to check a map to find Santa Monica Boulevard....
ReplyDeleteAnyway, on to the battle at hand. I like Sheryl Crow's "All I Want To Do," which I heard so much that it became an EBS Special for me. On the other hand, I had never heard "Santa Monica Sunshine" until now, and you know what? I like it better. So I'm voting for that.
JOHN ~
DeleteThanks for your vote, Buddy!
I haven't lived in L.A. since May of 1995, but I sure do remember the Huntley and the Miramar hotels. Nice locations!!
Funny that you had trouble finding Santa Monica Blvd without a map. I coulda told ya that... "It's the first major street South of Wilshire. Just drive South and you can't miss it." ...At least until you get to Beverly Hills, when the two streets switch positions (which I'd often forget until it was too late).
I did not know until this Battle that Crow's 'All I Wanna Do' was actually getting as much airplay across the country as it was in L.A.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Well, Well, Well...
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have a mighty fine battle going on here Mr McCarthy.
What a fun trip down that nostalgic lane. I enjoyed listening to the Beach Report and listening to your battle selections for today.
I like Sheryl Crow. But, I also like Sweet. Now to decide which song of these do I prefer more. After consulting with my attorneys, I have been given the go ahead to cast my vote without worry of any repercussion from the Magic 8 ball or Mr Sixwell.
Therefore, I am casting my vote for Sweet - because, I have a sweet tooth :)
Hope that you'll have a fantastic week and I look forward to you weighing in on my battle.
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
MMQE ~
DeleteI guess it depends on how a person defines "mighty fine battle". An insurmountable blowout isn't my idea of that.
Thanks for listening to The Beach Report. I was really hoping folks would, as I think it really sets the mood for what comes after it.
It seems that a lot of voters here have a Sweet tooth. ;o)
I figured the 'Familiarity Factor' gave Crow the advantage in this Battle, but that F.F. may have actually been 'Exposure Overload' which has hurt her instead.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
A few weeks ago, Rami and I went out to grab a bite, and we both saw a pimp (dressed very much like a pimp) escorting his ho (dressed very much like a ho) into the Cricket store so he could buy her a burner phone. I'm bummed I didn't remember to bring my firecrackers.
ReplyDelete(What a fantastic story, btw. Yours, not mine)
So Sweet's version ain't half bad. It's got a catchy little sound to it. On the other hand, full disclosure, I can't stand Sheryl Crow. I'm not very picky with most things, but of three things I am certain; I prefer my whiskey with a splash of Coke in it, I prefer my Country to be outlaw, and I prefer my Pop to be... well, in my whiskey. I don't like any other flavor of Pop. So Sheryl Crow's Pop Country... well, I gave it at least 30 seconds before I Xed out.
Just like that whiskey I'm craving now, give me a dash of that Sweet. I can't bring myself to eat Crow.
~J S-A
JULIO ~
Delete>>... "I'm bummed I didn't remember to bring my firecrackers."
My advice?: Don't leave home without them.
Do pimps still dress like Rooster and Huggy Bear?
Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed my story, Brother! I never said I was a "good boy", just a boy. And boys will be boys.
I don't know about that Coke in your whiskey bit, though. I always preferred my whiskey with a hair in it. You know, it's the "Confident Heterosexual" male way!
Crow's votes here have gone to the birds. I think her chances of winning this Battle have flown the coop.
Thanks so much for making your voice heard.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I don't remember Sweet. If I had fond memories of the song I might vote for it. Instead, I'm going with Sheryl Crow. I know some people got sick of "All I Wanna Do" but I love singing along to it. Of course, if I keep listening to Sweet, I might change my mind. That song is sure catchy.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Wow! JANIE ~
DeleteI haven't heard from you in many "dog's years", but your timing was impeccable!
I'm glad you came along and relieved me of the shutout fear. Honestly, I thought there was no possible way this Battle could be a shutout, but after the first 5 votes went to the essentially unknown song by Sweet, I started to wonder.
Yip! I agree, that Sweet song becomes more and more "earwormy" with repeated listenings. Maybe I should have called this Battle, "Earworm Versus Earworm".
I thank you for taking the time to stop by and contribute your $00.02.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
"Santa Monica sunshiiine" won't stop running around my brain and it's YOUR fault, Mr. McCarthy. I'm not around much because I foolishly got a job.
DeleteYou got a job, JANIE? And here I am trying to get OUT OF a job! Yuck! Me no like-um. The best job is NO job!
Delete~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Hey Stephen,
ReplyDeleteWow, you certainly have quite the post here! I like it. Many of us seem to be on the same wavelength as far as nostalgic thoughts and reliving via memories some of those fun events from a favorite decade, the 70s.
Boy that Bay St street sign sure made the rounds! And you know what's driving me absolutely bat-shit crazy right now? The name of the guy on top of it with the Coors can. My mind can not come up with his name! I was thinking Charlie Weaver but that was the old bartender with round wire glasses, then I thought Jimmy Durante but that's not it. It's on the tip of my tongue and I can't pull it out of my brain! That makes me crazy because I know who that is!!! Anyway, please put me out of my misery and clue me in...As soon as you say it, I'll be like, "THAT'S IT!" I guess this is an age thing I'm going to have to get used to...
I enjoyed seeing the photos of your old digs. A wine cellar? That's cool. Well duh, they're supposed to be...cool. :)
I also wish that Beach Report weather was here! Although heading into October, the temps are starting to drop into tolerable ranges so I'm much happier now.
You and Dean were quite the pair! You were nuts to
throw firecrackers at anyone, let alone pimps! Good Gravy! Today you probably couldn't get away with that now. It's a different time now and people are teetering on the edge half the time. There was a crazy road rage incident here last week and this idiot rammed his truck into the guys car over and over and over as they were driving down the highway. Why? Because the guy in the car blew his horn at the truck for cutting him off on his merge. People are insane these days! I'm glad my job keeps me at home most of the time...
I love the Hollywood sign story. I can just picture the two of you hanging over the H cross-bar! How far of a climb was that? And how exactly did you climb? Were their little foot ledges to help you up or were you climbing poles? That sounds like a fabulous memory.
re: Sheryl Crow's debut album: I didn't know David and David played on it! Too bad they couldn't keep it togehter. Welcome to the Boomtown -- such a great album (we've had this conversation before)...
Okay, now for your battle: "Ballroom Blitz" is a cool song and I LOVE "Fox on the Run". But I don't
know anything else of Sweet's really. So I was happy to be introduced to "Santa Monica Sunshine" I liked it alot!
I have loved that Sheryl Crow song since it came out. And my favorite line from that song is the same one you highlighted.
I was torn on which song to give my vote to. I have a great affection for Sheryl Crow's song and every time it comes on while I'm driving, I crank it up.
However, I kinda feel like Lee on this one. I've heard Sheryl Crow's song so much and the Sweet song is totally new to me. I like it enough to go ahead and toss my vote over to them...
I like your Battles for Los Angeles series.
I have a new series too that I kicked off last Monday so even though I don't have a battle up (i'm back to doing battles on the 15th of the month). It's a 4-part series of Songs on Aging and Getting Old. That birthday I just had kicked my ass... haha. Anyway, stop by when you get a chance and check out Parts 1 (last Monday) and Part 2 (today).
I also have another music post up today as I joined in on Mary's Rocktober Music Fest hop.
Lots of going back in time going around...
Have a great week. Happy October!
Oh, PS: I really dig those Aviators from your circa 1982 pic :)
Michele at Angels Bark
MICHELE ~
DeleteSorry I'm so late getting back to my comment section. Stuffs happened and left me gone with the dust!
I'm glad you enjoyed the blog bit. I saw an opportunity here to tell an ancient story from my ancient past. I think a lot about the past now, because it was so good to me and I don't expect times to be that good again, at least not while I'm occupying this body, anyway.
>>... Boy that Bay St street sign sure made the rounds!
Although it was so long ago, I still vividly recall the night we "borrowed" it. Some things just stick with a person.
>>... And you know what's driving me absolutely bat-shit crazy right now? The name of the guy on top of it with the Coors can. My mind can not come up with his name!
Ha!-Ha! I know that feeling. My little chickadee, the name you were looking for is W.C. FIELDS. He was the house mascot for our drinking gang. (Along with our crazy dog, Mickie.)
>>... You and Dean were quite the pair! You were nuts to
throw firecrackers at anyone, let alone pimps! Good Gravy!
We were completely indestructible back then, and we knew it. I might STILL be indestructible today, the only problem is - I don't KNOW IT anymore.
>>... People are insane these days!
That's why there's Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson. The guys I can't beat up with my fists, I'm sure I can out-shoot.
Glad you liked the Hollywood Sign story. I took a number of people up there over the years, but that night with Dean was the only time I actually climbed a letter. They weren't built for climbing, so he and I flew up there. ;o)
Soon'z I get a chance, I'll fly over to check out your latest playlist. But we need to get you back to BOTBing twice a month, Michele. I think you and Debbie are the only two BOTBers still doing it only on the 15th. We gots to fix dat!
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
In an another era I might of voted for Sweet, and the song did grow on me. However, Ms. Crow gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteMs. Crow needs all the help she can get, so I'm sure she thanks you, MIKE. (She should pay you, too.)
Delete~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I totally Dig Sweet's Ballroom Blitz and Foxes On The Run. They broadened their horizons with Santa Monica Sunshine: "We want to be taken seriously as artists with a broad palette." Hey, Sweet: Dance with the Foxes On The Run and Ballroom Blitz that brung ya. Whatever genre Santa Monica Sunshine is - I don't want to know that genre - I'm lumping it straight in with The Grateful Dead. That's hyperbole, Sweet's song is kind of catchy.
ReplyDeleteSheryl Crow's was ubiquitous for good reason - which is rare. And I haven't heard it for likely 10 years. It's a good song. It sounded new and fresh at the time... and still does. I think I've tipped my hand - a vote to Cheryl Crow.
Double up, Cheryl Crowe has some Ricki Lee Jones thing going on - not too shabby.
ReplyDeleteBRUTHTHUH McG DOGG ~
DeleteI thanks ya for your continued BOTB support, my friend!
>>... They broadened their horizons with Santa Monica Sunshine: "We want to be taken seriously as artists with a broad palette."
Somehow, that didn't seem right to me. But just to be sure, I confirmed it with Saul Alinsky's manual 'RULES FOR ROCKERS' and, indeed, my hunch was correct:
Article 6, Rule 2, Subsection a) states that "No musical artist or group may broaden their horizons on their first album. The debut release is to be used strictly to establish a style. No sooner than the second album - but preferably the third or fourth album, if at all - shall an artist or group broaden, expand, or reinvent their horizons."
Since 'Santa Monica Sunshine' was included on Sweet's debut album, it was actually 'Ballroom Blitz' and 'Fox On The Run' where they broadened their horizons. That's where they started dancin' with someone other than who brung 'em.
I believe the name of the style you had in mind is "Bubblegum".
Ya know, now that you mention it, there IS a kind of Rickie Lee Jones-esque quality to that Sheryl Crow song. Which is very odd considering the fact that I own 5 of Rickie's albums and liked her right from the very beginning.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I knew that little fun fact about Route 66! I was thinking what a fantastic window you had in your room - till I visualized your brother's mishap - yikes! Enjoyed the cruise down your memory boulevard today. I'm going with the Magic 8 Ball as the song stirs memories of Speedway Blvd in my hometown ;-)
ReplyDeletedIEDRE ~
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by with two cents for the pot, my friend!
Even before my Brother blocked the view from my window, it wasn't anything spectacular to look at. Mostly just a dusty backyard with a dog and a turtle in it.
Hey, I've been on Speedway Boulevard a few times! I never cruised it in my teenage years, but I'll bet you probably did.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I had a tortoise in my yard for years. He was a closet carnivore (I caught him with incriminating feathers in his mouth one day)
DeleteIndeed I did cruise Speedway! Had late-nite sodas at Sambo's, too ;-)
dIEDRE ~
DeleteWe named our tortoise "Big Mac". That was a cutting edge name at the time, because the McDonald's 'Big Mac' hamburger had only existed for a couple years when we chose to name him after that sandwich.
Big Mac was seen trying to cross an L.A. area freeway by someone my Mom worked with. The guy rescued the tortoise, brought him into work, and then Ma brought him home to us.
Big Mac was cool! Believe it or not, he really liked marshmallows. And whenever we were in the backyard playing some form of baseball, Big Mac would come crawling out of his deep tunnel to visit us. We had to keep picking him up and moving him off the baseball diamond. (No... we never even THOUGHT about using him for one of the bases. You can't have a base that keeps crawling to different spots on the diamond.)
And I'll bet FAE never heard THIS story before!!
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Too bad Route 66 is no longer all connected and, in some ways, forgotten. Actually, Toronto or as we all say up here, Turanna, has the longest street in the world, as far as I know, which is Yonge St. I have been on Yonge but never drove the whole length and forget how long it is. Listening to both, I vote for Sweet which just seems more eloquent. I like the Crow song and, when I hear it, I want to bring out my hippie skirt and a tambourine but I vote for the first song. I could never climb that sign-too scared of heights but, after some good ole Jack Daniels, did you see the ghost of poor Peg Entwhistle?
ReplyDeleteBIRGIT ~
DeleteBack in 1986, my friend Pooh and I undertook an extensive road trip in which we drove on a good portion of the original Route 66 in Airheadzona. That was way cool, especially since I was already a fan of the old TV show, 'Route 66' (with its great Nelson Riddle theme music).
>>... Toronto or as we all say up here, Turanna
The people of Prescott, Airheadzona, pronounce it "Presskit". I found that so pretentious that I started calling Scottsdale, Airheadzona, "Skitsdale". (Trust me, no one in Scottsdale calls it "Skitsdale", but I figured that what was good for the goose was also good for the gander.)
Despite the many times (8?) I've been up to the Hollywood sign at night, I never once saw the ghost of Peg. Or any ghost at all, for that matter. I'll tell ya though, it's a little creepy up there at night. The first time I went, I was alone, on New Year's Eve, when the '70s turned into the '80s, and I was a little creeped-out being up there by myself. But I got over the creep factor of the place.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I love this installment of the Battle! By the way, when did you put up a new picture? Did I miss it last time? Were you inspired by me bravely showing you my new old lady specs and "au naturale" hair? Ha ha. The new profile pic looks great; well done, good sir.
ReplyDeleteHorrified, I must tell you, I gotta go with the 8 Ball. Sweet sounds grand: good rhythm, good lyrics, your typical band from back in the day singing about your sweet (see what I did there?) hometown. What's not to love?
Just so happens, I really do like that Sheryl Crow tune...always have and Sweet just couldn't knock it off my list. Even the fact that she insists on spelling Cheryl with an S...and totally left off the "d-o" won't dethrone her.
Great battle, brudder! Great blast from the past, too.
Muchos gracias, Good DOC MacSIS!
DeleteHa! I guess you missed my mug on the blog the last time you visited, because I think it's been up there for about a month now. I got to thinking, what with Halloween coming soon... why not?
Yeah, that Sheryl Crow... she can't even properly spell her first name. Can you even imagine the misspellings on her lyric sheets? Hokey-Smoke! Good thing for her she's not going to be tested on that!
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
What a hell raiser you used to be, lol. Climbing the H sounds like fun, but I think I'll skip it at my ripe old age. Unless I'm downing some JD, and someone has some safety ropes . . .
ReplyDeleteGood battle. I think I like Sheryls vocals better - she has an awesome voice.
But I'm a Cali girl, and Sweet's version mentioned so many awesome cities, plus they really integrated the Santa Monica thing, so my vote goes to Sweet.
Sweet sure are p r e t t y, yeah?
WILD THING ~
DeleteI appreciate you coming by, my friend. Thank you. Always pleased when you toss two cents into the community pot. (Not to be confused with Cheech y Chong pot.)
Knowing this Battle was all Californicated, I was pretty sure you'd want to check 'er out.
Now THIS is amusing to consider: All through my school years I was painfully shy. I was even removed from kindergarten because I was too shy to interact with anyone else in my class. My senior year in high school, the award I received from the Theatre Arts Department was "Shyest". (Also, oddly enough, "Best Bod". Ha! Those two don't usually go together.)
I don't precisely know what happened after I graduated from high school, but I definitely started to blossom and find my own "voice". Hell-raising? Yeah, I did some of that, too. But I had the right group of buddies to do it with.
>>... Sweet sure are p r e t t y, yeah?
Ha! I'm probably not the best person to make that sort of determination but, [Link>
"Just to be sohshuble, I'll take your word".
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
Oh yes, Santa Monica Boulevard. But you must put your mindset into Sheryl's world. From the Troubadour to Barney's Beanery to Flips to the Starwood then on to Circus Disco. This was the street she was cruising. My nod goes to Sheryl.
ReplyDeleteBLUESMAN LELLY ~
DeleteThanks for stopping by to listen and vote, Brother! Very pleased to find you here.
"Circus Disco"?! Never heard of it. But then Disco sucks so... I likely blocked it out.
The Troubadour... man, how many nights did I spend THERE?! I still remember a 3-piece Hard Rock group that played there often whom I thought had "Can't Miss" written all over them!
You know what happened to them?
They "missed".
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
"A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her."
ReplyDelete"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it."
"I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food."
Thanks for crediting me with inspiration, but you don't need any!
It was a miracle that you (and Nappy) survived your youth. By FAR the most unbelievable part of your story was you guys outrunning a pimpmobile in a VW BUS. HaHaHaHa!! I've owned five of those things (VW's, not pimpmobiles) and if you don't keep the chipmunks fed properly you don't have any power at all!
It must have been the drinking. I didn't do wild stuff in my youth, but then again - I didn't drink. The wildest thing I did was holding a communist at knife-point and FORCING him to argue with me. He lost.
Santa Monica was obviously a great place to grow up. I was about 2 hours south of you at the same time... in a place far less fabulous. I think the combination of factors really added up in Santa Monica: the beach, neighborhood was good but not snooty, unparalleled weather, and the proximity to music venues. And the babes.
On to the battle. The wet (but clean) Beer Brother nailed it. Sweet's song ain't half bad. (I will expand that thought to add that it ain't half good either.) But it still waxes Crow.
I'd rather listen to Lance Armstrong than to Sheryl Crow. I'd certainly rather listen to The Black Crowes (the American iteration of The Faces.) Or even just crows. CAW CAW. Sheryl is tremendously overrated and I am bored to tears with her music. So, DUDE, it is SWEET for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMuGjeoS3qI
SHEBOYGANBOY McSIXGUN ~
Delete"Never give a sucker an even break."
"I once spent a year in Philadelphia.
I think it was a Sunday."
"I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy."
“A man’s got to believe in something.
I believe I’ll have another drink.”
>>... It must have been the drinking.
[Link> "Well, it must have been the whiskey!"
"Yeah, you ought to be ashamed!"
Put 16 Jim Staffords in one house and you have The League Of Soul Crusaders at 824 Bay Street.
Yeah, truthfully, I can't think of any place I'd have rather grown up. I was very, very blessed. Still am, actually. Only not quite so much now.
I turn you onto 'The Big Short' and you turn me onto 'Dude, Where's My Car'?
I've heard of it. Never seen it. Watched the video clip. Never gonna see it.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
You've never heard of "Dude Where's My Car"? It is a guilty pleasure, perhaps along the lines of "Spirit of 76" (??) that you was yakkin 'bout over at Lee's blog. I "Dude" it pretty funny... but then I'm easily pleased.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkdyU_eUm1U
If that isn't a tit for tat for "The Big Short," try this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dxh3lwdOFw
MR. S. McITCHYFINGER ~
DeleteQ: >>... You've never heard of "Dude Where's My Car"?
A: >>... I've heard of it. Never seen it. Watched the video clip. Never gonna see it.
I was unable to watch, here at work, the second clip you provided because the sound was too low for this computer. But I'll check it out from home. (Those two actors, aren't they in the band Green Day?)
Yeah, sounds like it's a "guilty pleasure" for you the way 'The Spirit Of '76' is for me. That's cool. I think everyone should have some guilty pleasures. I have a few... 'One From The Heart', Tiny Tim, etc.
Speaking just for me, the whole 'stupid guyz saying "Dude" thing' isn't my mug o' beer. The two great exceptions in my book are the aforementioned 'Spirit Of '76' and 'Idiocracy'. (Have we discussed that latter one? I can't recall. But if you haven't seen it, you need to. That will be right up your alley. It's brilliant in a semi-satirical way.)
But 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High' -- I worked on it. Sean Penn was an asshole then and Sean Penn is an asshole still. Plus, I don't like the movie. It's lame, dude.
Animal House?... Pffft!
Bill & Ted?... Pffft!
Dumb & Dumber?... Never bothered.
Harold & Kumar?... Thought it was funny the first time I saw it. Questioned my sanity the second time I saw it. Won't be seeing it a third time.
But, hey, to each their own.
Do check out 'Spirit...' and 'Idiocracy', though.
FUN FACT: One of my favorite moments in 'Spirit Of '76' really does include the word "dude":
Dumb 1976 Teenager: "If you don't mind my asking, what exactly IS your mission?"
Time Traveler from 2176: "We've come here to retrieve the heritage of our nation. The Constitution."
Dumb 1976 Teenager: "Are you for real? You came all this way just for that? Du-uuu-de!"
'Citizen Kane' -- OK, now we're yakkin'!
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I heard Sweet drank backstage, where the lead singer threw ice at the drummer and a woman in Milwaukee flashed her hooters in the third row. The vote should be postponed for more than one week while people consider the character of Sweet.
ReplyDeleteG DOGG ~
DeleteHA!-HA! :oD Bravo!
With that comment...
you win the Internet!
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Second times the charm, and all that jazz! If this comment doesn’ make it...well, that’s all she wrote.
ReplyDeleteI’ve had a good time reading all the comments to date. I might be more inspired by the tales of your misspent youth if I had not heard all these stories more than once before. ‘Not that there;s anything wrong with that!’
We’ve all had our day bing Y & S, but I ertainly hope I’m not going to be judged by the antics of my HS or College years. YIKES Although for being a perpetually ‘dumb blonde’, I was never THAT dumb, but then I was raised by the original weirdos and learned early on that I had better take responsibility for my actions.
Anyway...the BATTLE. Another clever idea, but neither song really excites me. BUT, I do NOT like Sheryl Crow, never have and I doubt she’s gonna change my mind today.j So, if more by default than a raging love of the Sweet number they get my vote.
FAE ~
DeleteThanks for the second effort.
But I resent you calling my youth "misspent". It was not! I spent every minute of it in a way that youth SHOULD be spent. (I think you're just jealous because I didn't invite you to "King Kong" the 'Hollywood' sign with us.)
And I don't think you've heard all my stories. Fighting a Mexican gang in a parking lot? Drinking with Danny Bonaduce? Sleeping in bushes on the Pacific Palisades? Sleeping on park benches on Catalina Island? Eight cop cars showing up uninvited to my surprise birthday party? How Twinkie got his nickname? Crashing a Fourth of July parade? Meeting our alter egos from England? Getting raped by two women who drugged my Irish Coffee at a Halloween party?
No, I've still got a few.
Not sure why you don't like Sheryl Crow when she speaks so highly of you but... Sweet is sweet on your Anti-Crowism.
Glad you liked the idea even if you didn't like the tunes. Thanks again for taking time to comment (twice).
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Let’s see the stories I may have missed are ‘drinking with Danny Bonnaduce (but hey didn’t everybody), the surprise at your surprise birthday party and the rape scene. Are you sure those women aren’t serving in the government today? AND, you might be right about the jealousy over the Hollywood sign, but then I can only imagine what I might have been doing on any given New Year’s Eve and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have involved climbing a big ass sign. Besides I’m afraid of heights.
DeleteOh, I didn't King Kong the Hollywood sign on a New Year's Eve. The night Dean and I did that, [Link> IT WAS JUST ANOTHER NIGHT.
Delete~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
The good news is that the decision to pick Sheryl Crowe was quick and painless. I like Sweet but Ed Wynn as lead singer kind of ruined them for me. (F-FFF 6/11/12). No hard feeling…except now I hear Steve Miller breathing heavy too. That could be a problem.
ReplyDeleteThe bad news is that the interest and late fees on that “borrowed” Bay Street sign is fast approaching the national debt.
“San-ta Mon-ica Boul-e-vard” does sort of roll off the tongue. I tried to switch the lyrics up a bit…
‘ until the sun comes up over Mar-tin Lu-ther King Express-a-way’
or
‘ until the sun comes up over Penn-syl-vain- eee-a Av-e-nue’
Nope. Proof that Sheryl knew what she was doing. Now if she could only spell her name right.
Sig Willy Willy Willy Bernankespan II
SIG WYNN 2 ~
DeleteHa! Thanks, Brother. What a blast from the past! I had forgotten all about the blog bit [Link> ED WYNN AND THE BALLROOM BLITZ.
At some point I may need to consider that sign "stolen" rather than "borrowed". I mean, I have EVERY intention of returning it someday but... what is the statute of limitations on "borrowing"? I fear the SMPD may come knocking sometime this decade.
OK, please don't hate me but... I've got a new one for ya:
We've been watching all of the episodes of GET SMART. We're now about midway through Season 3 and a couple weeks ago it suddenly dawned on me...
You know that "Steve Miller" breathing disease? Inhalitis? ...Well, Agent 99 suffered from it, too. For a minute I even thought I was watching Steve Miller, but then I realized, nah, too pretty to be Steve.
AGENT 99: "Now listen carefully. [INHALE] We've got to keep you out of sight for two weeks [INHALE] until after the Tudbury trial. [INHALE] Now we'll pretend to keep you here in Control headquarters. [INHALE] Actually we'll take you on a helicopter to hideout B, [INHALE] which is the penthouse suite in the Warfield hotel. [INHALE] Then we'll take you down an express elevator to hideout C [INHALE] which is the basement suite in the Warfield hotel. [INHALE] Then we'll take you out the back way up the fire escape to hideout D [INHALE] which is a shack on top of the Warfield hotel. [INHALE] Have you got that?"
Sigster, there is no question but that CSheryl Crow's song is as catchy as a cold in January. And not only that, but despite the Martin Luther King Civil Rights Demonstrations, not all streets were created equal. Santa Monica Boulevard is always going to have that White Privilege unless progressives like us rise up and make our voices heard.
I DEMAND that CSheryl Crow write a song about Martin Luther King Expressway and I DEMAND that radio stations across the country play it as often as they did 'All I Wanna Do'. This S.M. Blvd bias that is inherent in the system has GOT to be changed!
Thanks for another (always) amusing comment, Sig Too!!
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
And Stephen,
ReplyDeleteGood stories. I wonder how Dean is. I remember a few visits to the Hollywood Sign before they locked it down. I think I broke one of my non drinking spells up there if I recall correctly. I prefer Sweet’s other songs. This one not so much. It’s hard to vote against a song that is essentially about day drinking, which you and I were known to do on occasion and on occasion going all day. Nothing like a warm night at the Hollywood Sign with the Santa Ana’s a blowing and looking out over our fair city and nearly taking a finger off opening a Mickey’s Big Mouth. Thanks for bringing me back there.
JW,
Pooh
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!....
DeleteThe last I heard of Dean, he was living on a house boat. That was a lo-ooo-ng time ago.
Yeah, muh Bruhthuh, the "Hollywood" sign, day-drinkin' at The 99-Cent Club (long before there was a 99-Cent Store), drinkin' all day, laughing all day...
We had a great past. No wonder I prefer to spend my time now thinking about it. Live today? Live in the moment? Carpe Diem? Pffft!
I raise my cup of cold water (I'm currently in the midst of a 24-hour fast) and I toast the memory of Mickey's Big Mouth! As I recall, a Mickey's Big Mouth was the 6th last beer you ever drank (followed by 5 16-ounce cans of Budweiser). Quite an honor for Mickey's.
Thanks very much for checking in here, taking the time to listen and to cast a bote.
You're a good friend, buddy. I'll see you in Heaven.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Al Bondigas here. Dude cycle, I never knew Sweet did all of those songs. I only knew them for Ballroom Blitz. I know you and Bonehead really like that song but, to be honest with you I never really did. Now Fox On The Run I really do like, and for a goofy kind of song I like the Little Willy Willy ditty. Man that one really gets stuck in the head. Anyway, I've heard of Sheryl Crow, but never knew any of her songs. Now I know one and can't stand it. The Sweet song was ok, but gets muh rulin' based on dis-likin the Crow song so much. That's it!! That's muh rulin'.
ReplyDeleteJUDGE AL BONDIGAS ~
DeleteI have the impression that Sweet may have secretly wished they were not an English band but rather an L.A. band. In fact, their album which yielded the two big hits 'BALLROOM BLITZ' and 'FOX ON THE RUN' was titled [Link> 'DESOLATION BOULEVARD' and it featured a photo of Sunset Boulevard from back in that day ('75). Click on that link and take a look. And, FYI, that last tall building in the background, that was Central Casting.
I actually thought you would like 'SANTA MONICA SUNSHINE' far more than you do, because it is solidly in the "Bubblegum" genre and, to my ears, is a hook-laden earworm. In other words, exactly the sort of sound you normally gravitate to. I never dreamed you'd be voting for it merely by default.
Your comment almost sounds like you're saying that you'd never heard Sheryl Crow's 'All I Wanna Do' until this Battle. That can't be true, can it?!
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Yeah, it’s obvious they took a liking to L.A. Who wouldn’t have back then? Now? Not so much. No, believe it or not I’ve never heard that song before, but I have heard a great new hit by Tony Orlando and Dawn called ‘Knock Three Times’. Talk about hooks baby!! I know I live under a rock, but the only thing I know about Sheryl Crow is that she dated that sleezy, cheating, doping, libelous, slandering liar Lance Armstrong. Well, I’ve said too much.
DeleteHa!-Ha!
DeleteNo matter how many times I hear it, that line will make me laugh until my dying day.
Right, right. How could anyone (well, city dwellers, anyway) NOT like L.A. back in the day? What was there to complain about? Too much sunshine? Too many beaches? Too many things to do? Too many beautiful people to ogle? Sheesh! Somebody up there liked us!
You may be the only person in the country who hasn't heard 'All I Wanna Do' (until now). I'll have more to say about that in my Results post (which may be a day late due to my trip to Carson City, starting in about 30 minutes).
All I wanna do...
is get out of Reno
until a mushroom cloud comes up
over Virginia Avenue.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Hi Stephen! Loved your story about cruising with "road soda" and leaving the angry pimps in your dust! Great photos of the view from the back of the Hollywood sign! Though I enjoyed listening to Sweet, I really like the Sheryl Crow song, so she gets my vote. Hope I got here in time.
ReplyDeleteJulie
GEM JULIE ~
DeleteI left the voting open and I left a light on for you. (I also stayed at a Motel 6 the night before last.)
Actually, under normal circumstances, your vote would have been a day late, but because I was out of town yesterday (at a Motel 6), I'm happy to report that your 12.5-hour vote COUNTS!
Thanks so much for taking the time to come by, listen, and vote.
I'll keep you in my prayers, my friend!
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
POSTSCRIPT: It's 48 degrees in here. I may have to break down and turn the heat on. Either that or my frozen fingers may break while I'm trying to type my BOTB Results post.