Republican Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, 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 versus Jack Butler |
Because it's Christmastime, and because I love Christmas and Christmas music so much, I'm planning to do two (count 'em: 2) BOTB contests this month - the first one on the 1st (hey, that's TODAY!) as well as the second one on the 15th.
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| STMcC at Santa's Village, circa 1990. |
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I've never been on a sled pulled by dogs. But I have been on a sleigh ride - kinda-sorta. That was at [link> Santa's Village near Lake Arrowhead, California, in probably 1989, '90, or '91. .
When my Brother, Sister, and I were very little, our parents took us to [link> Santa's Village two or three times. We LOVED it!
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When I went up to Santa's joint a couple times from '89 to '91, the place had fallen on hard times, and since there were no reindeer (horses or mules) to pull the sleigh ride, an employee had to get behind the sleigh and push it around the track. Ha!-Ha! It was like something out of a satirical, black comedy Holiday movie.
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I'm happy to report that after closing in 1998 and remaining abandoned for 15 years, Santa's Ghost Town was purchased and refurbished and apparently looks great again. I'd love to revisit Santa's Village someday:
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OK, that was my lead-up to today's BOTB song, the classic 'SLEIGH RIDE'. Here are the two competitors:
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SLEIGH RIDE - THE RONETTES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6rDA2Czz0E
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SLEIGH RIDE - CHICAGO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fskjw1czWmI
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Carnac The Magnificent (2-2) : "Jessica Claus"
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Question: Who will win this Battle of the Sexes?
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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.
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS 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
@ CURIOUS AS A CATHY by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC 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 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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Dear StNick...
ReplyDeleteThis year for Christmas I would like...
Oh wait! wrong post! oops, my bad :)
Dear StMac
You dun chose a good one this time around. (not that you've chosen a bunch of bad ones as of late). I had 'toyed' with the idea of using this song at one point, but hadn't put in the necessary time and effort to follow through with it.
I'm ecstatic that you've chosen to go with 2 battles this month. I'm still debating on my 2nd battle for the month. We'll see how this first battle goes. I've sure been in a big bah humbug mood lately. I needs to get over that soon. The cute one has a birthday coming up in the next week or so and then Christmas and the the start of a new decade.
Thanksgiving dinner turned out quite nice. The Chinese Buffet was a good choice (albeit the ONLY choice we had) but it was the first time since 2010 that all of my living siblings were together in one room at the same time. The cute one didn't make it to dinner, as he had gone to dinner the day before at the skilled nursing facility with his mother, and well... dinner didn't agree with him. Poor guy. I've only known him 35 years, one day he will meet the bros.
Oh, right... the battle. (I'm a bit distracted at the moment).
At first, I thought for sure I would be voting for the Ronettes, as that seems to be the one everyone is most familiar with. But I gots to be honest here - I really dug the smoothness of the male vocals that Chicago brought to the game. After listening to Chicago, it seemed the Ronettes felt like they were grinding on that last nerve, but Chicago was like a breath of fresh fallen snow. (or something like that).
My vote: Chicago
~Mary
ps.. come on by and check out the Reindeer Games I have going on at my place...
MMQE ~
DeleteYeah, big difference between St. Nick and St. Mac. One makes a lot of toys, and the other makes a lot of noise. One doesn't drive his sleigh while drinking and the other doesn't sleighv his drive while drunking.
Funny... I checked your BOTB Master list to see if either of these versions of 'Sleigh Ride' had been used in BOTB before and I was astounded to find that not only had neither of these been used, but in fact the song 'Sleigh Ride' had only been used in ONE previous BOTB contest and *I* am the person who used it (Leroy Anderson vs. Glenn Miller). This is such an iconic Christmas song that I'm astounded no one but me has used it.
Believe it or not, I've ALREADY got my December 15th Battle figured out. (It's going to be a 3-Way, and I have no idea who is going to win it. Should be quite a contest.)
Did the waiters in the Chinese restaurant sing to your family, "Frah-rah-rah-rah-rah - Rah-rah-rah-RAH!"?
Methinks maybe the gods of harmony have deemed that "the cute one" and your brothers are not MEANT to meet. Tread lightly there, Mary! ;-)
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
I realized the problem with The Ronettes' version: they don't really do the whole song. They leave out the "giddy-up"s and the whole piece about Currier and Ives and just sing the verse over and over until they get to three minutes.
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect to enjoy Chicago's version as well as I did, but they did a bangup job on this, so they deserve the vote I'm giving them.
JOHN ~
DeleteIt had never even dawned on me before that The Ronettes left out the Currier & Ives verse.
I guess it doesn't matter (to me) if I never noticed it on my own.
I heard this song by Chicago at YT a couple Christmas seasons ago while just scrolling around and I liked it so much that I immediately wrote it down on my paper 'To BOTB Someday' list.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Ahh...so tough! I prefer the sound of the Rosettes, but like everyone else, really appreciated that Chicago did the whole song. My vote is for Chicago, but just by a smidge!
ReplyDeleteAlso: I'd like to take about coming back to the 'Battle in 2020. I think I'm finally at a place where I can participate again if you guys will have me back! If not, no worries. I'll just come listen and vote.
Kim
Howdy, KIM ~
DeleteSure! We'd LOVE to have you rejoin us in BOTB again. (It's been a long, long time!) "The more the merrier!" Or is that "the more the scarier"? Well, either way...
Please just stop by and leave me a comment-reminder a couple days before you intend to join, so I'll be sure to have included links to your blog when your first 'BOTB Return To The Fold' post goes live. We still do the Battles on the 1st and 15th of each month, but a few BOTBers (myself ordinarily included) choose a schedule that is the 1st *OR* the 15th, rather than the 1st *AND* the 15th. The true hardcore BOTBers still do two Battles a month.
I'm pleased as spiked punch that you found this Battle a challenge to vote on! Nearly always, I'm trying to put together contestants that I hope will make the voters go "Shoot! What do I do?!"
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Great! I can have a battle ready for the installment on the 15th! And I'm not stupid, but for some reason my computer corrected "Ronettes" to "Rosettes". I didn't notice before I hit send. Hell, I didn't notice till now. I look forward to joining up again; thanks for having me back!
DeleteKim
Glad to have you rejoining the fold, KIM! I will have links to your blog in my sidebar and on my individual BOTB blog pages.
DeleteThese days, I usually only post Battle installments of my own on the first of the months (although I did BOTH Battles - the 1st AND the 15th - in December). But I will write up a brief blog bit on the 15th to announce your return to Battle Of The Bands.
Gotta admit, I'm very pleasantly surprised. I did not think you'd ever return to us. ;-D
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
I am so happy to be back! I meant to return about two years ago, then for sure in 2019. Then 2019 kicked my butt from one end to the other (mostly the first half of the year, though), and I just never recovered enough to commit to the kind of time this hop deserves!
DeleteThank you for being willing to write up my return - I will probably also only do battles on the first, but I hope to be able to do both.
See you all in a few days!
Kim
I hear ya! 2019 was really a pisser for everyone I personally know. It started out great for me, but then deteriorated. Death & Divorce seemed to be the dual themes of 2019 for so many people I know, and I can't remember the last time I was so eager to see one year leaving and a new one coming in to take its place.
DeleteBy coincidence, I just now came to my computer to begin writing an announcement for the Jan. 15th BOTB, and I found your comment waiting for me.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
I've been close, but never in Santa's Village at Lake Arrowhead. Probably won't go unless I happen to be in the vicinity and my wife wants to go. I've been to similar attractions in Indiana, North Carolina, and perhaps elsewhere--but that was quite a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI figured I'd be going with Chicago in this match-up, but then it started to seem a bit of pop-jazz schmaltz as I listened to it. On the other hand, the version by the Ronettes has become such a holiday. The bright vocals and upbeat tempo are pretty hard for me to resist.
A vote for The Ronettes. So much fun.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
LEE ~
DeleteAh-ha! Shutout avoided. (Although, truthfully, I don't begin to wonder about and worry about a shutout until I've got about a 7-0 voting scoreboard.)
I know there were other similar attractions like Santa's Village in various states. Not sure if they all shared the same owners, and I never entered any other than the one near Arrowhead, but I've passed a couple others while on long road trips (possibly even those you mentioned in Indiana and North Carolina).
Yeah, this version of 'Sleigh Ride' by The Ronettes gets so much radio airplay during the Christmas season that I figured the familiarity of it would probably carry it to victory. I still think it may, but Chicago has already proven that it's a legitimate contender.
~ Stephen
D-FensDogG of the
Loyal American Underground
I liked Chicago's version - at first, but enjoyed the Ronettes all the way through. A vote for the Ronettes, please ;-)
ReplyDeleteHowdy, dIEDRE! ~
DeleteAre you enjoying all that fluffy snow in Tucson?
Oh, wait...
That's right, now I remember. (It's been years now since I lived in the Southern part of Arizona. Heatstroke, not snow. I remember now. ;-)
That Ronettes version sure is cheerful, isn't it?
Thanks for stopping by again, as usual, my friend. And I hope your Holidays are off to a rollicking good start!
~ Stephen
D-FensDogG of the
Loyal American Underground
Nah, not so much snow in the dustbowl as wind and rain, and tornados! We're rollicking over that, for sure. 'Bout time they called the "microbursts" what they really are.
DeleteDo you have your holiday tree up yet? From what I see in the comments, you're gonna have to bundle up ;-)
dIEDRE ~
DeleteNot only do I not have my Christmas tree up yet, but I can't even get to it in my shed without also dragging a lot of snow into the house. Not digging this Christmas season so far!
I remember one microbur-- er... I mean, I remember one tornado... or hurricane... or cyclone - whatever the hell it was - that occurred in Phoenix while I was living there. Best guess: late 1995 or 1996. That was something else! The sky had turned black, the winds were whipping around, and I was watching shingles from our roof - and our neighbors' roofs - landing in our swimming pool! What a mess! We were lucky that we only needed our house re-shingled. Some neighbors actually lost complete chunks of their roofs and needed the entire thing replaced / rebuilt.
~ Stephen
D-FensDogG of the
Loyal American Underground
Ughh...I can't get to my personal google chrome with the new changeover at work. I hope you see this..It's Birgit:) I will go with the Ronettes as I prefer it over Chicago which is good with the trumpets but The Ronettes appealed to me more
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, BIRGIT, you made it through despite the obstacles.
DeleteMuchos gracias! I appreciate your BOTB input (as always). Every two cents is a joy to receive!
I hope your environs are less white and cold than mine are. It's only December 2nd and I am already sick & tired of Winter! It's already gotten old, and we have about 100 months more of it to look forward to. ARrrGgghhhhh!
%#@$!!!
~ Stephen
D-FensDogG of the
Loyal American Underground
And the Ronettes come charging back from a wipeout!
ReplyDelete'Cept I'm voting Chicago and breaking the run. Both are fun versions, but I really dug the C. style on this classic.
Boy, it is too early for you to be sick of winter! CC is a cold area... but there are plenty of places way more cold! I spent a week at my Iowa house during February a few years ago and it never rose ABOVE -7. Coldest it got was -22. I avoid the place in winter! Be grateful that God did not direct you there as "Willowberry."
(As an aside: Sig! Where are you? Drop in and give StMcC a Christmas vote!)
McBRUHTHUH SIXGUN ~
DeleteI have sent a couple Emails to Sig over the last couple years and not heard back from him. I worry a bit about that. I need to see if I have his phone number recorded somewhere and if so, I'll try to give him a call.
Oh, for sure, it's much colder and snowier elsewhere. But!... C.C. has turned out to be much snowier than I was led to believe by my online research and by longtime residents. Everyone told me that last Winter was an aberration and ordinarily the snow that falls one day is melted away by the next. Instead, what we *really* get is day after day of snow, and snow that is too deep to easily walk through that lasts for weeks, or longer. I'm sick of it already, and disappointed to find that what I thought I'd be getting was a local myth. Snow that melts off in a day? My ass!! More like snow that hangs around for two or three straight months!
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteI can't resist going with The Ronettes. Like Lee, the bright vocals of the ladies makes this song a holiday classic. Chicago did a great job but it's the gals who get my vote. Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up let's go, let's look at the show We're riding in a wonderland of snow...no snow here but it's sure fun to sing about it!
CATHY ~
DeleteI thank you for your *ringing* endorsement of The Ronettes' version.
I wish I could send you some of our snow.
...Wish I could send you ALL of it! ;-)
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
And Stephen,
ReplyDeleteAs Seamus would say ting a lingle a ting on the ting! Good battle my vote goes to the Ronettes because it is more lively and also probably the one that hangs in my memory (albeit the memory is getting more and more suspect with time) the most. Funny no mention of our visit to the Arrowhead area and me falling in. Happy Holidays my friend!
JW,
Pooh
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!...
DeletePut your finger in your ear and go "Ting-a-ling-a-loo!"
I think it's just (rightly) assumed that anywhere you ever went (including Lake Arrowhead), you fell in. Whatever there was to fall into, you found it. ("Discovered by Pooh. Pooh found it.") Ha!-Ha!
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Lookie look at that there cowboy (cowman?) at Santa's village! Pretty dern snappy, I say. Now, if you were holding a guitar, too...well, who can resist that?
ReplyDeleteLove both the song versions but I always, always love the Ronettes!
As a side note, let me just say that somewhere out in the world is my long, lost buddy, Sharon. Sharon, I'm not one to point fingers but you played every stinkin' Chicago album to death and you alone may be responsible for the total absence of a Cherdo vote for Chicago (overall). There may be an exception, but I can't recall one...shame, Sharon, shame.
I hope everyone, especially YOU, Mr. McCarthy, are in the holiday spirit big time. God bless and I hope you jingle all the way. :-)
DOC CHERDO ~
Delete>>... "I hope you jingle all the way."
Indeed I will, because I've got spurs that jingle-jangle-jingle!
I was a huge fan of Chicago back in my teen years, but I probably didn't play their albums quite enough to drive you insane and drive you away.
~ Stephen
D-FensDogG of the
Loyal American Underground
Hi Stephen, I remember taking our kids to Santa’s Village in the Chicagoland area when they were very little, and a good time was had by all. Though I liked both versions, I prefer Chicago’s original take on the song. Thanks for getting me into the holiday spirit! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, dear Stephen!
ReplyDeleteJulie
GEM JULIE ~
DeleteAlways a pleasure to find you here! Thanks for bringin' the kitty yer two cents!!
In a lot of ways, I'm still a big kid (never quite grew up completely), so I still love things like Santa's Villages, animated movies, toys like The Magic 8-Ball, cotton candy and ice cream trucks.
And I too hope your Holidays are merry and bright. (What a gift you got this year, eh? I am incredibly happy for you!)
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Al Bondigas here. I really enjoyed that jazzy version by Chicago. I don't recall having heard that before. Very good stuffs. However, The Ronettes' version is the gold standard for this song. Therefore, I'm rulin fer them. Rulin' fer Ronettes. That's it!! That's muh rulin'!!
ReplyDeleteJUDGE AL ~
DeleteI wasn't entirely sure how you would rule in this case, but I somewhat suspected that the olde tyme version would eclipse the newfangled model for you. Livin'-In-The-Past Boy! ;-)
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
BroMan,
ReplyDeleteI've heard the full Spector Christmas CD a number of times and it gets redundant. The Ronettes' Sleigh Ride must take at least one of the cakes as being redundant in and of itself. Ring A Ling Ding Ding Ring A Ling -- Okay, I get it! I get it! Spector's groundbreaking "Wall Of Sound" is apt - I's about to bang my head against - ring a ding ring a ling - the wall for good measure! A trailblazer? Likely. Though Dr J had a big 'fro much earlier.
BTW I grew up in Western New York state (Lewiston and its adjacent Niagara Falls) whose blizzards are the Barreta to the rest of the country's Hutch. Where the Police via radio literally made it illegal to leave the house and of course to drive ring a ling ring a l - Zip It!
A vote for Chicago's Sleigh ride which is timeless and sounds like they made it themselves. Not just good compared to the Spec- excuse me Ronettes sound but good within itself. Chicago's Sleigh Ride is a fantastic song in the park or anywhere else and any day.
A vote for Chicago and Happy Holidays,
G Dogg
McBRUHTHUH G-DOGG ~
DeleteI thanks ya for taking time out between yer egg nogs and hot buttered rums to submit a Ring-A-Ling-Ding-Ding Ring-A-Ling comment!!
I used to own that Phil Spector Christmas album on vinyl back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Funny thing is... the only song from it that I can still remember is 'Sleigh Ride' by The Ronettes. And that's protly because it's the one track that seems to get all the ring-a-ling-ding-dong radio airplay.
I loved your "Zip It!" It reminded me of the hilarious 'Frasier' episode ([Link> 'Forgotten But Not Gone') where Frasier and Niles were battling it out over control of their wine club friends and Martin told Frasier to "Zip it!" Probably one of my Top 10 favorite episodes of the show. (BTW, my list of "Top 10" favorite 'Frasier' episodes has at least 30 episodes on it.)
"Are you gonna let your brother play?!
Are you gonna let your brother play?!
Are you gonna let your brother play?!
Are you gonna let your brother play?!"
Man, growing up where you did, I'll bet the twerpy kids were making "snow angels" while you and your friends were doing awesome "Baretta rolls" in the snow!
As always, I thank you for your participation. I'm pleased as spiked punch that you enjoyed the Chicago 'Sleigh Ride' and didn't feel that it was just another rainy day in New York City.
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
When I was first scrolling through comments and seeing nothing but botes for Chicago, I thought maybe my taste in music was bad.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMqZ2PPOLik
I don't mind their sound, but it's a little too musical pop for me. I want Christmas, not jazz hands. So give my bote to the Ronettes, who seem like they're making a pretty solid comeback. That also gives me a little more confidence in my bote. Not that I would have pussed out and gone with the in-crowd, anyhow (just Maverick things).
I'll see you back here on the 15th for the lightning round. You bring the green chile, I'll bring the pecans.
~J S-A
JULIO ~
DeleteThis has been a pretty rootin'-tootin', jingle-jangle-jingle contest. Thanks for adding to the controversy. I haven't counted the botes, so I'm really not sure who is actually in the lead at this point.
I appreciate Mavericks, as you know. Especially since "common knowledge" is almost always incorrect, and the masses can usually be counted on to be on the wrong side of truth.
Green Chiles and Pecans - at 70 to 80 proof - it just doesn't get better'n that! That spells "*MERRY* Christmas!!"
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
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/2019/12/botb-results-dec-1-2019-ronettes-versus.html
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'