Setzer Vs. Seltzer, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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Shoop-Shooby -
Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah -
Buh-Doo-Wah!
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Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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| Eugene Martone vs. Jack Butler |
As all y'all know, my last BOTB installment was a heartfelt Tribute To My Mom which occurred [link> HERE. It was a 3-way contest in which 1st place and 3rd place were separated by only 2 votes (i.e., it was exactly the kind of Battle we all hope for when we put these music contests together).
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In case you wuzn't here, I'll tell ya that The Brian Setzer Orchestra (barely) beat Count Basie's Orchestra and The Cannonball Adderley Quintet. And that got me to thinking about how I discovered that first Brian Setzer Orchestra album to begin with...
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| Good-niks vs. No-goodniks |
The year was probably 1998. My brother Nappy (aka Judge Al Bondigas, which means "Judge Meatball") and I had spent the weekend in Tombstone, AZ. I was driving us back to Phoenix and had the car radio on when this song came on...
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I was thinking:
Wait a minute! I know this song! This is 'Rock This Town', but it's definitely not The Stray Cats. ...Hmmm.... That DOES sound like Brian Setzer singing, though...
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I was really curious about this, so I looked into it when I got home and discovered that Brian Setzer had reemerged on the music scene fronting a full orchestra. I could be mistaken, but as far as I know, Setzer was the inventor of 'Big Band Rock', which has since become "a thing".
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This Battle *HAD* to be done! Who you boting (or voting) for?
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The Stray Cats were a 3-piece Rockabilly band out of Long Island, New York, and 'Rock This Town' (#9 in 1982) was their first of three Top Ten hits. It very briefly gave me hope that Rock 'N' Roll was not dead. ...But then Rock 'N' Roll died.
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ROCK THIS TOWN - The Stray Cats (1982)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-a6ct8aalg
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| Godzilla vs. King Kong |
In 1998, The Brian Setzer Orchestra covered the song on their first album 'The Dirty Boogie'. Here's the 3-piece Rockabilly hit given a brassy Big Band treatment:
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ROCK THIS TOWN - The Brian Setzer Orchestra (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvs9ODIjhiU
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Question: Will the older Brian Setzer beat the younger Brian Setzer?
Sikike Phteven (0-1): Is the pope Catholic? Does a bear go poo-poo in the woods? Can a low-I.Q. bartender become a Congresswoman in New York? Will the world end in 12 years if we don't address "Climate Change" today?
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Question: Huh? I think you're sending mixed signals.
Sikike Phteven: Oh... Right, right. Scratch my last question.
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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.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'AI LOVE MUSIC' by clicking HERE.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' 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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Hey There McCarthy!
ReplyDeleteRight off the bat I thought - I'm going to vote for Brian Setzer! I've always been a fan of The Stray Cats, but I really enjoyed what he did with his orchestra. They made a fun song... more funner! (yup, that's really a word - I checked online, and you know that if it's online - it *HAS* to be true!)
So there you have it. My vote is for The Stray Cats on steroids aka Brian Setzer Orchestra.
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
MARY, MARY, QUITE EXTRAORDINARY ~
Delete>>... Right off the bat I thought - I'm going to vote for Brian Setzer!
That's one of the things I like best about ya! You are DECISIVE! You don't hem 'n' haw, shift from one foot to the other, making goofy "thinking" expressions while staring into the sky looking for an answer. You know what you're gonna do immediately and you follow through. I'll bet you got an "A" in school on 'Follows-Through On Projects'. (In the 'Plays Well With Others' category... Mmmm.... maybe a "C", when you really applied yourself?)
>>... I checked online, and you know that if it's online - it *HAS* to be true!
YIP! It's like that long-haired dude in 'Spinal Tap' said... what was his name? Lenny? He said, "I believe everything I read". That's the way to be. Skeptics really annoy me.
Had you not voted for "The Stray Cats on steroids", I'd be looking at a shutout right now. Tiny Tim bless you, your children, your Mojitos and your Margaritas!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Hi-Ho, Steverino,
ReplyDeleteI'm going with the original version, mostly because I love what Brian's playing on the guitar in that. In the big band version, he doesn't do as much because he doesn't have to: he's got the band with him. He still soes some tasty licks in there, but in the original you notice them a lot more.
*Tsk!-Tsk!*
DeleteDEAR JOHN ~
You're about as predictable as the weather in Carson City. (The other day, it was 68 degrees out and hail was falling from the sky! No, I no kidding you-uh!)
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
I vote for Brian Setzer and Brian Setzer because I loves me some Brian Setzer. I found out (too late) that our fair city was a stop on his Christmas tour. I hope he comes back because I will be there.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
LOVE JANIE ~
DeleteGot it! You're voting for "The Stray Orchestra".
I had a nightmare decades ago where Christmas had come and gone but no one had told me about it. I was really, Really, REALLY mad at everyone because everyone knows how much I love Christmas!!!
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
I had a nightmare last week in which I was back in my parents' house for Christmas, which was not a good time to be there. I was upset because I saw my father sitting in a chair opening my gift to him and it wasn't time to open presents yet. He wouldn't have done that, of course, and he won't do it now because he's been dead for many years. I saw him so clearly in the nightmare. I wish it had been a happy dream. My son finished rehab, and he has a job. He even gave me part of his first paycheck to help with bills because I've done so much for him. He's super devoted to AA and is now making friends at church services instead of in bars.
DeleteLove again,
Janie
JANIE ~
DeleteTo me, any dream of Christmas is a good dream. It's my favorite Holiday, without a doubt.
That is fantastic news about your son. I recall praying for him a number of times. God is great!
IMO, it's especially heartening to learn that your son is on the right track right now. Because according to my longtime study of Scripture, we are currently barreling into the Biblical End-Times. Therefore, our chances to "get right with God" are dwindling daily.
I'd bet a pretty penny that 2029, give or take a year, is when Christ Yeshua is going to ring down the curtain on this terrible show. (I wrote a blog bit a few years back explaining my reasoning.) So, I'm as pleased as spiked punch that your son has gotten it together!!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
My vote goes to the Stray Cats sometimes a three piece is hard to beat
ReplyDeleteThanks! Got it, MIKE. I'm recording your vote for "the Stray Cats sometimes a three piece is hard to beat".
Delete~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Howdy ho, neighbor! I read the post and started with the newer version of the song...the orchestra sounded GREAT and I thought to myself, yeah, this new version is the bomb. Hold that thought...
ReplyDeleteI've always loved Brian Setzer from day one. The rest of the Stray Cats...meh. I think he carries the show and when a group goes their separate ways and no one can tell you what the other guys did off the top of their head...well, I think that proves he carried the show.
However much I loved the orchestrated version, I had to change my vote once I listened to the original. That tune is a goodie in both cases, but I LOVE THE ORIGINAL. Why is that? I can't put my finger on it. It's just a tad more rock, a smidge more roll, and double the sumthin' sumthin'.
A classic!
Howdy Ho, MacSIS ~
Delete>>... I've always loved Brian Setzer from day one. The rest of the Stray Cats...meh.
Can anyone even name one of the other two Stray Cats?
It's that mysterious "sumthin' sumthin'" that always seems to be the deciding factor.
M'Dear, the Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And... sumthin' sumthin'.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
For me this song calls for a simplistic treatment. With the orchestra I found that arrangement too big, too brassy, and overly long.
ReplyDeleteGive my vote to the rocking sound of the Stray Cats.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
LEE ~
DeleteSome crazy guy below (whom I thought had died via bus) agrees with your assessment.
Thanks for restoring my faith in... uhm... sumthin' sumthin'.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
McBrutha,
ReplyDeleteIt's apt (someone told me it's not proper to start a sentence with "It's." And that person can go to H. E. double hockey sticks).
…. It's apt that the picture of Batman is close to the Setzer Orchestra, which brings everything but the kitchen sink, (not supposed to use clichés either) because the band sounds like a Batman episode by golly:
Bam! Pow! Kazoom!
Rock didn't die. For example, Boston's first album in 1976 not square cats from 1974. Wait, that was before 1982 but yet after the 50's. I'm confused at the perfect storm. I'll use cliches whenever I damn well please. Pleased as punch! Go Bruins!
Stray Cats vote here. A retro classic, now classic, future classic.
Also, Sikike Phteven may not be the best prognosticator. Yet. He chooses the song he likes best, me thinks. A recipe for success.
Cheers,
G-Dogg
Mr. McG-DogG ~
DeleteHey, muh Bruhthuh, how's retired life treatin' ya? You just lyin' on the porch like a good ol' dog and barkin' at them damn kids that step on your lawn?
>>... It's apt (someone told me it's not proper to start a sentence with "It's." And that person can go to H. E. double hockey sticks).
Hear!-Hear!
Back when I was in skool, they taught me never to start a piece o' writin' with "I". So, "I" regurgitated all their rules back to 'em, in order to get a passing grade and get my ass graduated from their skool. And then I got older and read one of the all-time greatest essays in the history of written language. I mean, of course, 'Civil Disobedience' by Henry David Thoreau. And in case you've forgotten, here's the very first essay of the sentence. Er-- ...I mean, here's the very first sentence of the essay (*methinks the Tequila's kickin' in, Bruh!*)...
I heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least;" and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically.
After I read that, I said, "Fuck 'em and their literary rules!" Except that I try to be mo' Christian about it, so I always write "fuck" as "phuq". Except for those times when I don't. Write it that way, I mean. (*Oh, yeah, the Tequila's kickin' in.*:-)
>>... Stray Cats vote here. A retro classic, now classic, future classic.
You see?! That's why I still think yer brilliant, and I think back on our give-and-take comments at BigBitch.com with such fondness. Man, we had a rare thang goin' on there! (John Wayne!-John Wayne!) These friends of mine here, they don't know.
~ Stephen
'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'
POSTSCRIPT:
Recommended Listening...
The album 'I've Always Been Crazy' by Waylon Jennings. I've got it playing right now and... well... I bought it in 1978. I bought it because of the title track and, back then, I thought that was the only good song in the collection. Boy, was I ever [link> "WRONG!"
McBruthahman,
DeleteThey* say when a bachelor retires be careful because you may sit on the couch and eat chips. Not by a long shot. I sit in a chair and drink beer. I didn't yell at the kids but rather turned the sprinklers on... and they liked it. I then cored a hole in the middle of the yard, walked outside with a starched collar shirt with short sleeves and plaid pants and started putting. I went to hand the kinds putters and they ran away fast. It's not exactly Walden's Park here in the 'burbs.
Yeah. I don't understand why schools hand out grammar books. Give 'em good books, the classics, and they'll know how to write.
In the news the last couple days, BigBitch.com may be hit with an anti-trust investigation by Congress. I already don't trust them: Both Amazon and Congress.
The Waylon Jennings song is excellanto.
* The Van Patton family of course
McG DogG ~
DeleteYou are my kind of retired man! (John Wayne! John Wayne!) But even so, try the couch & beer combination sometime. Try it, you'll like it (to coin an expression that ought to be a commercial slogan).
Yeah, kids don't like anything that looks like work, and putting around in your yard might have seemed un-fun to them. You shoulda charged 'em .25 cents each. You know, pull the ol' "Tom Sawyer" on 'em.
Man, I'd love to see BigBitch brought down. But I fear she is too big to fai-- er... too big to be messed with. ...*I KNOW!!* I got it! It just came to me... Trump should come out and publicly say that BigBitch has every right to exist in its current form. That'll get EVERYONE insisting that Bozo Bezos and his BigBitch.com should be brought down, dismantled, and dispersed.
My all-time favorite episode of 'Baretta' was the one where Tony busted the Van Patton gang, which was supplying all of South-Central L.A. with tainted cocaine. (Man, that Tony Baretta really hated tainted drugs!)
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
McBroMan,
DeleteI hear ya, if Trump says he's for something the Dems were for three years ago now they're against it. For all the chattering class' talk about diversified media, the New York Times and Bezos' Washington Post still drive/feed the narrative across most media. And (don't start a sentence with 'and.' That's enough, learn-ed inner voice, get off my back!) now they have so much data on people they can tailor their message just so. For people who have BigBitch.com's trumpeted "Alexa" - "she" listens to everything they say, literally. Welcome to dystopia.
You mentioned the Jennings album.. which can lead to drinking. In 1978, I was walking down the street with Frampton Live - Baretta hated that album and thought it led to the use of marijuana aka weed, leaf, tea. He shoved me against the brick wall:
"Where'd you get the album."
- silence.
Baretta shoves me against the wall again.
"Where'd you get the album."
- "I don't know nuthin', man." I say with the stereotypical nervous Richard Prior look.
Baretta shoves me harder. "Where'd you get the album!"
- "Okay man okay. Licorice Records out on 5th Street. I don't know his name. Guy with too much facial hair looks like he doesn't have a care in the world."
Baretta hops in his highrider, puts on a disguise with mirror sunglasses, goes to Licorce Records, brings Frampton Live to the counter, slides across the counter and pushes the guy against the window. "Where'd you get this."
- "I don't know nuthin, man."
Baretta grabs him by the t-shirt, "You're looking at two years in the joint!"
- "Okay man okay man. Columbia Records in New York. That's all I know, that's all I know."
Baretta hops in his highrider, puts on a disguise and heads to New York.
McBruhthuh DogG ~
Delete>>... And (don't start a sentence with 'and.' That's enough, learn-ed inner voice, get off my back!)
HA! And, yeah, that's another one of those BS grammar rules they made up and tried to brainwash us with. I used to believe that (because I wanted a good grade in my English class) and avoided starting sentences with "And". But then one day, I picked up a copy of THE HOLY BIBLE and started reading the first page. Genesis, chapter 1:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And from that day forward, I have started as many sentences as possible with "and". If it's good enough for God, it's certainly good enough for me!
>>... BigBitch.com's trumpeted "Alexa" - "she" listens to everything they say, literally. Welcome to dystopia.
And right you are! If you haven't seen this video before, you will definitely get a kick out of it:
[Link> Amazon's Alexa Is A Crazy SJW Liberal!
GOL! Your Baretta scene literally had me laughing out loud! Well played!
It's like Baretta almost always said: "Don't listen to the album if you can't do the time!"
I sure hope Tony made arrangements for someone to feed the cockatoo before he left for New York. Otherwise, he's going to return to a DEAD FRED. "And dat's the name of dat tune."
~ D-FensDogG
'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'
Yo BruthuhMan,
DeleteCool video, I had no idea Alexa was so indoctrinated and indoctrinating.. she/the product ought to come with a warning, "Not for children and the thoughtless."
Good quotes you note and quote. And of the Good/best book.
Tony's cousin Luigi house sits for Tony. Many people say Luiji has Tourette syndrome - not true. He just has a shorter fuse than Tony and is more verbose, so Fred started skuawking curse words and racial epithets. When Tony's heavy black sergeant stopped by to tell Tony not to make the case a personal thing, he realized Tony went to NY without his approval. "Damn," the sergeant thought to himself for the 50th time... called Tony on the CB, "I'd take you off this case... except you're the only damn cop who can get this done. You've got 48 hours to solve this case and to teach Fred not to use the n-word."
Tony made short work of Henry Livingston III of Columbia Records - the NY fuzz let only Tony into the interrogation room to play bad cop bad cop. On the way home, Tony got two boxes of crackers to re-teach Fred respect.
People will always debate Baretta vs Serpico as the best cop of all time. I think Baretta is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwD0GG2htZg
Baretta would send these uniformed cops to the joint "You're out of your jurisdiction again Baretta!" stick their heads in the toilet then send them out of solitary into genpop, he'd put on a prison uniform then shank them himself. Baretta ends crooked cops.
McG DogG ~
DeleteNo one could play 'Bad Cop, Bad Cop' like Baretta! He was an expert. He studied it with Master Con, until the day his Master said, "Tony, it is time for you to leave".
I'm totally with you on the Serpico / Baretta debate. I admire Serpico's sincere desire to clean the streets of crooked cops, but he didn't go to the same extremes that Baretta did. I think Tony just cared a little bit more.
People tend to forget the amazing fact that throughout all those years of arguing with his sergeant, dressing up as an old washerwoman to rid the streets of the criminal element, blowing the whistle on crooked cops, inventing catchphrases, and teaching Fred to stop using the n-word, Tony Baretta still kept his eye on the sparrow! Not once in all those years did he ever fail to keep his eye on the sparrow.
I read a biography about him many years ago and it said that when he was playing Little League baseball, his coach was always yelling at him, "Keep your eye on the ball, Tony! Keep your eye on the ball!" Years later, when he became a cop, he applied that same advice to the sparrow.
People were always asking him how he always managed to keep his eye on the sparrow, and Tony would reply: "You obviously never played ball for Coach Conigliaro."
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
McBroman,
DeleteYour words make a lot more sense. I read in the National Enquirer that Sammy Davis did poetic license with sparrow because Baretta kept his eye on the birdie as a top badminton player in junior high.
Baretta was a good enough baseball hitter that nobody in the stands shouted the patronizing phrase after a wiff, "Good Swing! Good Swing!"
At some point later in life, something switched righty Baretta. Because in baseball, even after being brushed back, he never charged the mound! However plowing into the catcher and keeping his spikes up making second base was a handful.. and in hindsight somewhat predictive. Nobody wholly knew how Baretta would fill out out/what Baretta would grow into. Well, besides a renegade maverick scout from the Padres "You're out of control scout!"
- "He's go footspeed and power!"
"He's not disciplined! And you can't teach that!"
Ahh, yes, Tony's badminton game was top-notch. I can't believe I forgot to mention that! DUH!!
DeleteBoy, was that guy ever right about not being able to teach discipline... as Baretta's sergeant at the LAPD eventually came to find out first-hand.
But had Tony been more mainstream and controllable, there were a number of costume shops in L.A. that would have probably gone out of business. He kept the criminal element worried and looking over its shoulder, and he simultaneously kept food on the tables of costume shop owners and their families. Win!-Win!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
HONK HONK! That's me honking at yet another stray cat darting across the road. I'll be glad when the Humane Society rounds up these howlers and we move on to Three Dogg Night, Hootie and the Blowfish, or even the Pet Shop Boys. I'll have drunk my last seltzer and be sipping some Cream from Fountains of Wayne or The Waterboys.
ReplyDeleteWith this one, I agree completely with Lee. He said "With the orchestra I found that arrangement too big, too brassy, and overly long." Spot on.
Vote for Stray Cats over the orchestra.
SIXGUNSHEBOYGANBOY ~
Delete>>... HONK HONK! That's me honking at yet another stray cat darting across the road.
You honk at 'em? Give 'em warning? Don't you know you can collect three dollars and fourteen cents for every dead stray cat you take to-- uhm... well, send me an Email and we'll discuss it mo' privately.
You know, the damnable thing of it is that, in advance of posting this Battle, I asked my Magic 8-Ball, "Will Sheboyganboy vote for the Orchestra?"
8-Ball said: "It is certain."
I asked: "Will Sikike Phteven predict an Orchestra victory?"
8-Ball, he say: "It is certain."
I asked: "Will the majority of boters bote for the Orchestra?"
8-Ball: "It is certain."
Me: "You're saying that the Orchestra will win?"
8-Ball: "It is certain."
If I were smarter, I'd have figured out at that point that, the 8-Ball, he be broken.
~ D-FensDogG
'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'
IT'S A MIRACLE! THE 8-BALL IS STILL WITH US!
Delete(He's never been with us; he's been against us from the start!)
Actually, I was reading an obscure blog the other day about magicians, illusionists and prognosticators that said that The Amazing Sixwell had FAKED HIS DEATH! So... perhaps that story about both the 8-Ball and Sixwell perishing was fake news and they are both chuckling to themselves, drinking Moscow Mules while hanging out on Venice Beach.
SIXGUNBOY ~
DeleteYou may very well be right about The Amazing Sixwell having faked his death. He had beady, shifty eyes, and I never trust that sort.
I rather doubt, however, that he's drinking his Moscow Mules at Venice Beach. According to a very interesting documentary I saw a few weeks ago, which was narrated by Tony Clifton, it seems there is an uncharted island called Elvis Island (not to be confused with Ellis Island). Apparently, Elvis Island is just a three-hour boat ride from Gilligan's Island, and it's a place where famous celebrities, who have tired of all the adulation and the paparazzi, go to live out the remainder of their days in anonymity after having faked their deaths.
Tony Clifton claims that some of the "dead" celebrities living on the posh island are Andy Kaufman, James Dean, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Harry Houdini, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Hoffa, and of course, Elvis Presley. He says that Janis Joplin was there at one time, also. But she was constantly liquored-up on Southern Comfort, annoying the others, and that she wouldn't stop screeching (which she insisted was singing), so Hoffa had her offed.
I just now asked my Magic 8-Ball, "Did The Amazing Sixwell fake his death and go to live on Elvis Island?"
And the 8-Ball said: "It is certain."
So... now we know!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
I liked both versions, but I think the original Stray Cats recording has a bit more pizazz. It also benefits from a less complicated arrangement.
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE D'DOGLADY ~
DeleteYou were one of the boters whom I figured would be boting for... the *other* one.
That shows to go ya what I know!
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Ha! Never assume. ☺
DeleteI made an "ass" of me again, didn't I?
Delete~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
I am giving this to the original Stray Cats version. The big band version is fun but almost too frenetic at times and tough to calm down on a Monday sleepy morning..yes, I am at work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, BIRGIT ~
DeleteI shall add you to the Stray Cat Kennel (aka Stray Cat Fan Club).
As close as my last Battle was, that's how lopsided this one is. Oh, well. It's just the BOTB Seesaw playing out yet again.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
my vote goes to.....Robert Gordon! oh wait, you did not ask which revivalist I preferred. Love horns, love big bands, dig Brian. My vote goes to the 3 piece. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
ReplyDeletePHUQIN' LELLY ~
DeleteLemme tell ya, Brother -- there was one vote (or "bote") that I was more sure of in advance of posting this BOTB installment than any other vote (or "bote"), and that was... YOURS!!
I know that you have a Rockabilly soul, and there weren't no way in sheol that you'd bote Big Band over Rockabilly.
Yours is the ONLY bote I figgered right.
>>... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
Man, that might be the one maxim I quote more often than any other. I'm still bummed that I didn't invent it. I would have, but... I was drunk the year someone else invented it.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
My bote might be a little biased. You see, I used to love The Stray Cats' version when I was a kid. My mom would put that on the record player, and I'd zip around the house like my pants were on fire. I didn't even know that A) The Stray Cats were fronted by Brian Setzer or that B) he redid this song with his orchestra.
ReplyDeleteYou know that I love big band, but for some reason, this kind of song just sounds better to me when it's coming from a frenetic three piece band. So give my bote to the cats.
Also, FUN FACT: you say above that The Stray Cats were a 3-piece band, but did you know that they still are? In fact, they released a new album just literal days before this BOTB was posted, with Setzer in the driver's seat. How's that for some sikike timing?
The Stray Cats - 40
So you see, rock and roll isn't dead! It's just... really old now and mostly ignored*.
*aka it's dead
"Rock and Roll is here to stay!"
ReplyDelete~ Danny & The Juniors
Danny Rapp (May 9, 1941 – April 3, 1983)
Yeah, 1983. That's right about when R&R breathed its last. Sure, the body remained alive for a couple more years in the ICU, with all kinds of machines hooked up to it, shocking the heart into rhythm, forcing air in and out of the lungs. But,... it was just waiting for Doctor Johnny Fever to sign the paperwork authorizing the unplugging of the machines. For all intents and purposes, Rock 'N' Roll was already dead.
Ha! JULIO, that is so funny that you were zipping around the house to The Stray Cats and never knew until now that Brian Setzer *WAS* The Stray Cats... by and large.
While you were zipping around the house like your pants were on fire, I was sitting on the Bay Street house couch watching The Stray Cats on MTV while pounding 40-ouncers of Mickey's Big Mouth. (When all the 40-ouncers were finished, we'd go buy some Rum and try to figure out where we were going to go drinking that night. ;-)
"RAP is here to stay!"
~ Said No One Ever
At this point, it's beginning to look like Sikike Phteven is here to stay (meaning: I foresee a bus accident in his immediate future).
With all these mysterious deaths, what we need most is Lieutenant Colombo to solve them! Where is Columbo?!
Peter Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011)
Hokey-Smoke! Even Columbo wasn't here to stay!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
In that case, I'd like to apologize for the death of rock and roll. I can assure you that it was not my intention.
DeleteSincerely,
The guy born in 1983
Oh, and I don't know who Peter Falk is, but I'm a yuge fan of Pedro Falcon.
I always did suspect you were responsible for the death of Rock 'N' Roll, but I didn't want to say so publicly. However, now that you've outed yourself...
DeletePeople who get on the wrong side of Pedro Falcon don't know who they're phuqin' with!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the late visit. It's been another crazy week but as I see it, things aren't going to change for awhile. My vote goes easily for old Brian Seltzer. I love his whole retro rock n' roll vibe making me think of Elvis Presley a little. Nice battle. Your mama would be proud of ya. :)
Hey, no worries, CATHY, my friend. You're still here in plenty o' time.
DeleteYip! Elvis was a Rockabilly cat - that was Rock 'N' Roll in its infancy. And Eddie Cochran was, too. He's my personal favorite from the '50s. It's pretty cool that Brian Setzer even portrayed Eddie Cochran in the movie 'La Bamba'.
I hope things settle down for ya soon.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Stephen,
DeleteLife has me going crazy. I'd subscribe to comments but you get so many of them and then I get confused seeing the all come in. It's like an overload for my brain. I'm pretty sure there are blonde roots there somewhere. Anywho, I had no idea that Brian Setzer portrayed Eddie Cochran in that flick. I haven't seen it so maybe that's why I didn't know. Thanks for the education.
CATHY ~
DeleteI saw the movie once, eons ago. And I don't remember anything about it. To me, it seemed like so many of those other biopics about musicians. They always feel sleek, shiny and synthetic. None of them ever stay with me longer than a day.
~ D-FensDogG
'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'
HiYa, Stephen T!
ReplyDeleteStray Cats all the way for me! I think I was one in another life. But, "widespread success in the 80's with 50's-style" music - that's impressive - and before he went to Swing, which, in this case, just didn't get me in the mood for cutting any rugs.
To tell you the truth, thanks to summer 'fitness' routines with middle schoolers, I couldn't cut my way out of a rug right now ;-)
Anywho, Cats for me, and thanks for fond memories of pain-free joints!
Howdy, dIEDRE ~
DeleteI appreciate your feline self slinking over here to deliver a vote for them Stray Cats. (You cats stick together like Siamese twins.)
Sounds like your joints need oiling. The Jim Beam company in Kentucky makes a pretty decent joint oil, and you can find it in joints all over the country. ;^)
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Al Bondigas here. I remember when we were at a club or at a party, and this song would come on,I would get this burst of energy (like we needed any more energy) and really tear up the dance floor. None of us were very good dancers, but some songs fired us up enough to pull it off. Anyway, I loved the orchestra version, but I gotta rule fer the original. Sorry to do this to you, wish I could help you with this rout, but rulin' be fer The Stray Cats. That's it!! That's muh rulin'.
ReplyDeleteJUDGE AL ~
DeleteWell, no worries. All botes should be honest botes, regardless of the ass-whuppin' that may result.
Yeah, we were just so lethargic during those "League" years.
I wish we could have tapped some of that energy, bottled it, and saved it for a rainy day (read: "older day"). Or... just think if we could have bottled that energy and then sold it in convenience marts and grocery stores.
"Bay Street Energy" - a one-ounce bottle for one dollar, and it comes with a money-back guarantee to keep you awake and partying like madmen for three days and nights or until the cops show up, whichever comes first.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Hi Stephen, I enjoyed both versions, but Stray Cats really made me want to jump up and dance. I also thought the newer version was a tad too overkill. BTW, I really dig that photo of you with the fringe vest! My brother had one like that and I was very jealous. Sorry I missed your tribute to “Ma.” I look forward to checking it out.
ReplyDeleteJulie
GEM JULIE ~
DeleteThanks for visiting and leaving your $00.02.
That photo is from 1970, when I was quite the little hippie. And I LOVED that vest. In fact, that was my favorite shirt back then, too. Therefore, what you see in that class photo was my favorite outfit.
When I got older, I realized that guys don't have "outfits". Only women do.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
And Stephen,
ReplyDeleteGood battle again. You're getting purty good at this. I been had seen Brian with the Orchestra and it was quite a good show. BUT! My vote goes with the original as I've got a few memories stuck to it and I think it packs more of a wallup. Hard to believe that wall of sound came from a 3 piece band. There you have it. Have a bitchin summer!
JW,
Pooh
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!...
ReplyDeleteAs always, I thank ya for checkin' in with a BOTB bote. This Battle was slightly lopsided... slightly.
This ain't no joke
You need 'Scope'
Not a sip, not a swallow
But the whole damn bottle!
Just kiddin'!
You have a bitchin' Summer, too. See you next year in Mister Friedman's class.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
ATTENTION PEOPLES!
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in seeing the final vote tally for this 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' installment and my closing thoughts on it, you can put the following URL into your browser:
https://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2019/06/botb-results-2019-june-1-or-brian.html
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'