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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"How long have you been combing your hair with a wrench?"
('Wossamotta U'?)
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You call it "New Years Day", but the coolest of the cool call it "Margarita Day", and the coolest of the cool have at least one Margarita every January 1st! (And don't blame me if'n you ain't the coolest of the cool! Helck! I'll betcha didn't even make a Christmas Day wish that Tiny Tim would get a second Top 40 hit song! Tsk-Tsk!!)
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Official 'Margarita Day' Theme Song
[*sung to the tune of [link> 'Howdy Doody Time'*] :
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It's Margarita Day!
It's Margarita Day!
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray...
For Margarita Day!
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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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It was my Pa who started the tradition of 'Margarita Day' in 1986. And this SHOULD be the 35th year of the tradition... except that somehow we inexplicably forgot to drink a Margarita on January 1, 1994. Hence the humorous official slogan "A tradition since 1986, except for 1994".
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This being the
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As any skoolboi knows, the song 'Tequila' was a Billboard #1 hit song (five consecutive weeks) for The Champs in 1958. And being way smarter'n the average bear, I am NOT using the original version by The Champs in this Battle. Nor am I using [link> this cover by the great Boots Randolph, which would probably clobber every other version (except for The Champs').
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Wackypedia sez:
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The tune was covered by the Ventures twice. Initially it was on their 1963 Dolton album 'The Ventures Play Telstar and the Lonely Bull'. ...
Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded a version of the tune on his 1966 album 'Tequila' on Verve Records.
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So, let's put the Surf Guitar cover up against the Jazz Guitar cover and see which rendition staggers to the Finish Line first :
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TEQUILA - The Ventures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYCl2Hbvl3c
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TEQUILA - Wes Montgomery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSoZDKIRclI
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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 winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Happy Margarita Day to you! I might have some egg nog with brandy later today, but don't guess I'll be having any margaritas. Don't plan to go out anywhere and since I broke my blender this past year I can't make my own. Don't have any tequila anyway.
ReplyDeleteI can't recall ever having heard either of these versions before, but they are both very good. The Montgomery version is so cool and smooth and quite good musically, but I think this song works better with a celebratory raucousness as the Champs originally delivered. That's why I'm giving my vote to The Ventures.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
LEE ~
DeleteFor many years I drank egg nog with rum - the traditional way. But then one time, on a whim, I tried it with brandy and realized immediately that I'd been sucked into the nearly always false 'common knowledge'. Egg nog & brandy is the BEST combo!
Now, at the age of 60, I could probably be accurately labeled as a "Maverick" in almost everything. I am nearly always - NEARLY ALWAYS - marching to the beat of a drummer that the vast, VAST majority of people do not hear.
~ D-FensDogG
'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'
Happy Margarita Day! I actually had one too many when I was in Panama years back, apparently did the chicken dance by the pool and really hurt my left hand so it swelled up to twice it’s size. I don’t really know what happened but people were looking at me the next day. I have not had a margarita since....hahaaaa. I actually have that exact album with the bikini clad gal in front. I give it to the Ventures because I liked the rendition better.
ReplyDeleteBIRGIT ~
DeleteHa!-Ha! Your story clues me into the idea that you would have probably been one of only very few females who would have dared to party with 'The League Of Soul Crusaders'. And also one of the very few females who would have been accepted (and protected) by The League. ...And believe me, no woman was more safe than when she was partying with The League. Hell! We even scared ourselves! So, who was gonna mess with a woman who was partying with us?! :^D
Thanks fer yer bote!
May you have a terrific 2020!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
It is hard to mess up this song, though I am sure we can find someone who would manage it. Both the versions are good and I might vote either way on different days. Today I am voting for the Ventures.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is because I've been into surf music lately! How'd that happen?
BTW, I am not cool enough to have had a Margarita on M-Day. Actually, never on any day. I AM COOL ENOUGH, however, to have dropped a coin and wish for Tiny Tim on Christmas day!
>>... It is hard to mess up this song, though I am sure we can find someone who would manage it.
DeleteYeah, pee wee Pee-Wee messed it up.
Surf Music! How the hell you'd get into Surf Music? That's music for pusses!
[Link> Even JOHN MILNER knew that The Beach Boys weren't "boss!"
A Wish For Tiny Tim On Christmas Day wipes out at least ten transgressions on Margarita Day. (You dun goot!)
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Happy Margarita Day! May your ice be cold and your salt be sugar... or something like that.
ReplyDeleteCan I vote for this guy instead? His karaoke rendition is spot ON.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM8pwnmcLb0
Oh well. Since I can't, I guess I'll vote for The Ventures. A song like this needs to be more upbeat and lively, and Wes's ain't bad, but it also is threatening to put me to sleep a bit, and a good shot of tequila should DEFINITELY not do that!
JULIO (aka Mr. T., aka Mister Tequila) ~
Delete>>... Happy Margarita Day! May your ice be cold and your salt be sugar... or something like that.
Actually, it goes like this:
"May your bartender be generous, may your stomach be cast-iron, and may your DUI be only a first offense."
I'd actually come across that video while listening to potential BOTB contenders for this song. He was good. And his concept gave me the idea to someday go into a karaoke bar and sing 'A Fifth Of Beethoven'. I mean, his idea was great, if perhaps a bit too verbose.
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
In some cases less is more and if that was the case Wes would win. However with Tequila we need more! So my vote goes for the Ventures.
ReplyDelete>>... "In some cases less is more"
DeleteIs [Link> THIS one of those cases you had in mind?
I agree with you, though, that with Tequila, more is more! (It's also a night in a Mexican jail and a hellacious hangover in the morning, when your friends come to bail you out.)
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Howdy Ho StMac!
ReplyDeleteHere's a fun fact for you - I ALMOST did not post a battle for Jan 1. I ALMOST said 'Screw it!' But while I was kicking around ideas for my battle, I thought about doing a battle of Mr Maragaritaville himself in your honor. But I had such a hard time finding any decent contenders that I scrapped that idea. Thankfully, the idea for my battle came to me just in time to post. Sadly, though, I had to put my blog on moderation as I seem to have picked up a spammer or two. Here's hoping that I can remove the moderation feature soon and they will have decided to leave me alone.
Hope your holiday went smoothly. Mine was alright. I didn't have a margarita - as for the last two times that I had a Cap'n & Coke, my body revolted in nasty ways. Let's just say it was a good thing I was at home!
Did I cast my vote yet? If not... It's for The Ventures.
~Mary
Robert Burns Battle
MMQE ~
Delete>>... I thought about doing a battle of Mr Margaritaville himself in your honor.
NOW you tell me?! You shoulda done it! I coulda been somebody! I coulda been a contenduh!
Fun Fact: I don't often drink Margaritas. But almost ALWAYS on January 1st, I do. I drank a couple of them once, at about 10:00 AM, in Kelbo's restaurant in West Los Angeles, and the very next thing I knew, I was in a jail in Mexico. Needless to say, I immediately stopped drinking Margaritas at 10:00 AM in Kelbo's in West Los Angeles. From then on, the Margaritas I drank at 10:00 AM, I drank at Azteca restaurant in Venice. I was smart enough not to make the same mistake twice!!
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Fun Fact: ... I was in a jail in Mexico.
DeleteHa Ha! Here's one of my Fun Facts: The ONLY time I have ever been 86'd from a bar is when I drank a boatload of Margarita's during Happy Hour at a little Mexican restaurant in Sun Valley. Damn I was pissed. They sure made a good Maragarita and it was hard to find one that compared anywhere else.
MMQE ~
DeleteWhat a shame! A good Margarita source is a great thing to find, and a terrible thing to lose!
As far as I can remember, I also got 86'd from a bar only once. And that was the infamous Saint Patrick's Night of 1983 (Chapter 22, 'When Irish Eyes Are Bloodshot', in "The Book").
That was the night my brother Nappy and I both got 86'd from 'O'Mahoney's', and we never even knew the reason why. The Soul Crusaders were so laminated that night, that the next morning, none of us could agree on whether we'd paid a cover charge to get into O'Mahoney's, and whether or not there was a live band there:
Pooh said that we paid to get in and that there was a band. Twinkie said that we paid to get in but there was no band. Napoleon and I believed that we did not pay and that there was a band. Cranium wasn't sure about anything. We considered calling O'Mahoney's and asking for answers but finally figured it would be more fun to just leave it a mystery forever.
'The League Of Soul Crusaders'
Chapter 23, 'Dear God, Please Don't Let Gus Come Here Today'
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not one of the cool kids and never have been but I'm good with that. :) Happy bleated New Year's, I mean Margarita Day!! You're welcome to drink mine if you want. lol I'm going with The Ventures. Their version seems happier sounding somehow to my ears which makes my body move this morning. Wes Montgomery's cover isn't bad, but it didn't do it for me today.
Here's to all good things that's coming your way in 2020. May God bless you always, my friend!
CATHY ~
Delete>>... Well, I'm not one of the cool kids and never have been
There's hope for you yet, my friend!!
From Kindergarten (which I flunked out of for being "antisocial") through 12th grade, I was probably the shyest person you could have ever met (except for my best friend, Eric, who was the only person on the planet even shyer than I was).
But then, after I graduated from high school, I started reading nonfiction books... and I started drinking... A LOT... and look at me now!! On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the shyest, I'm probably a -8 (negative-eight).
And that, my friend, is what great nonfiction books and gallons of cheap tequila can do for a person!!
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Stephen,
DeleteOh, I'm not shy, just not cool. lol DH was horribly shy in his youth. He's come a long way since those days. The good thing is he didn't need cheap tequila to pull him out of it, just me. :D Nah, he actually forced himself out of that shy shell. He's actually more talkative to strangers than I am now. The roles have changed a bit in that regard or maybe it's I just like talking as much as I did.
It's interesting how much some folks change as they get older. I'm scarcely the same person I was when I was a kid, and then later a young adult in my twenties. I feel like I've been 3 very different persons in just this one lifetime.
Delete~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Happy New Year, Stephen T!
ReplyDeleteLove the song. So much more I would say, and probably will - once I get the arm-sling off : -) A vote from me for The Ventures!
dIEDRE ~
DeleteThanks for going to the trouble of leaving a vote with your one good arm!
One arm is in a sling?! Oh, what a great story this must be! Please, do tell... ASAP! And please don't leave out the juicy parts! If this is not a story suitable for children, then I... INSIST that you tell me!!
Hokey-Smoke! I lived in Arizona for 21.5 years and I never once found my arm in a sling. Please, DO TELL!!
~ Stephen
D-FensDogG of the
Loyal American Underground
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteI did sometimes get my ass in a jam, but I never got my arm in a sling.
;^)
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Ha!
DeleteFate must have had a hangover the morning a young nose ran like a river in a storm, for it lifted not a helpful hand when the would-be heroine sprinted blindly with a potion she’d fetched from high above that might have saved the day had she not tripped over the dang step-stool.
How's that?
:^D
DeleteWell told, dIEDRE! And in a way that only you could do, methinks.
I felt like I was reading some Olde English poetry that had found its way here in Mr. Peabody's Wayforward Machine. I thank ye!
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Happy New Years Stephen! May it be a awesome 2020! What move was "Tequila" featured in? was it Jim Carrey's The Mask? I forgot!
ReplyDeleteMy votes goes to Wes Montgomery. His version is soothing!
--aisasami
https://ailovemusic.net/celebrate-a-new-year-with-this-interesting-battle-of-the-songs-2/
AMY ~
DeleteThank you! And I hope your 2020 is awesome, too!!
As G-DogG wrote below, the song 'Tequila' was used in the Pee Wee Herman movie 'Pee Wee Acts Like A Retarded Homosexual'. (I'm not sure what the real title of the movie was, but I figured that description would cover pretty much any Pee Wee Herman movie ever made.)
Wow! Did you know that you are Wes Montgomery's hero?! I can't believe it took him THIS long to get a vote, but you sure did come through for him when things were looking hopeless!
~ Stephen
D-FensDogG of the
Loyal American Underground
Hokey smoke, Steverino! Wes is getting to backside handed to him! My vote goes to him, not out of pity, but because I like his version a whole lot better. It has that jazz vibe but doesn't stray that far from the main theme. He does his solo, which is like a lot of his solos: single notes, then octaves, then block chords, then gets back to the head. What I noticed about The Ventures' cover is that they were playing the solo from The Champs' original as if it were part of the song, rather than a break from the theme. Not that it's bad, but not to my liking. Wes gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteJOHN ~
DeleteI appreciated your support for Wes. I kinda figured The Ventures would win this Battle with some room to spare, but I certainly did not anticipate a blowout of this proportion!
At least Wes will avoid a shutout "with some room to spare".
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Yo McBroMan,
ReplyDeleteCheers and Happy New Year. Good history on the almost unbroken track record of Margarita Day. My vote goes to The Ventures which seems more of a drinking song. Regarding aisasami's movie question, A version of the song is used in at least one movie - Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVKsd8z6scw
Happy 2020.
G Dogg
McG-DogG ~
DeleteThanks for stopping by with two cents for the BOTB kitty!
I have never actually seen a Pee Wee Herman movie, but I did come across that scene while searching YouTube for potential 'Tequila' covers. I read a bunch of the comments for that video and was kind of astounded by how many people thought that scene was laugh-out-loud hilarious. All that scene did for me was confirm my decision to spend my free time watching things other than Pee Wee Herman movies. ;^D
I hope your 2020 is everything you want it to be, muh McBruhthuh!
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Al Bondigas here. Yes sir, you were wise not to include the original by The Champs. oddly enough, I never loved this song, I just thought it was ok. Great at parties where we were doin R thang. I really wanted to help Wes out here. so dammit, I will. Rulin' fer Wes Montgomery!! Another day and I could possibly rule fer The Ventures. I like that surf sound, but I've got to be in the mood for it. You know, put zinc oxide on our noses and a little sea n ski. Damn,I miss those days!! First shower!! I called it punk. Anyway, I'm all over the place here. Rulin' fer Wes. That's it!! That's muh rulin'.
ReplyDeleteJUDGE AL ~
DeleteI'm kinda surprised you never really dug this song that much. But then again, I'm also kinda surprised that you favored Wes in this Battle. I had you pegged as a bote for The Ventures. You never cease to surprise me. (How many people do you have in there with you? Ha!)
Alright, you called "first shower", so I guess I'll just make my canned egg salad sandwich until the shower is free. But hurry up, Punk! This sand and dried salt on my back is killin' me! *Scratch!-Scratch!*
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
And Stephen...
ReplyDeleteAnother fine battle. I thought it would be a slam dunk for the Ventures but the Wes Montgomery version was fairly good. I’m still voting for the Ventures. Happy New Year! And regarding Tequila... I’d rather not talk about it.
JW,
Pooh
Yeah, you'd *BETTER* not talk about it, Mr. O'Mahoney!
DeletePut da ting on da ting, and be quick about it, "Or do I have to slip you my left for a convincer?"
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
And Stephen...did ya know that Tequila roughly translated means ...poor decisions followed by deep and lasting regret
DeleteThat sounds like a very accurate translation!
DeleteTequila:
As a young George Bailey said to Mr. Gower the druggist, after he had accidentally slipped some of it into a prescription he had been filling...
"It's poison, I tell you! It's poison!!"
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Happy Belated Margarita Day, Stephen! 🍹 Hope I'm still in time to cast a vote in your BOTB. I do like Margaritas, but they're more of a summer cooler for me. Interesting covers. I'm going with the minority and choosing the smooth jazz version by Wes Montgomery. Best wishes for a fabulous 2020 and beyond!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to the Blogosphere, DEBBIE!
DeleteYeah, I'm definitely with you on the idea that Margaritas are more for Summer. Mojitos, too. But my Pa just happened to start this tradition on New Year's Day in '86, and I've kept it alive (even though he is no longer walking amongst us down here). I think he had never had a Margarita before and got curious enough to order one, and then another one, and then another and another...
So, drinking a Margarita on January 1st - I like to think of it as giving Winter "the finger".
Your vote sure surprised me. Of all my regular voters, I probably would have pegged you as "Most Likely To Vote For The Ventures". BOTB... the mystery continues.
May your 2020 be everything you want it to be!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
I'm all for giving winter the finger! ☺ As for my choice, there was something I didn't like about the Ventures version - probably because they put their signature sound to it. The original by The Champs is much better, IMO. Therefore, I preferred the version that was completely different.
DeleteStephen - Hope you had a marvelous Margarita Day! Your stories about McCarthy family traditions are always entertaining. The Ventures have my vote as they made my toes tap to Tequila. You deserve all good things in 2020 and every year, my friend!
ReplyDeleteJulie
GEM JULIE ~
DeleteThanks! Glad you enjoyed the yak. And thanks also for the nice 2020 wish.
I also hope you have a terrific new year. I know you're off to a great start, what with that extraordinary gift you received late last year. I sincerely hope things continue moving in that good direction for ya, my friend!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'