BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2022, MARCH 1 (Or, DICK VAN DYKE & JULIE ANDREWS VS. LOUIS "SATCHMO" ARMSTRONG)

 

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Yes, it's time once again for Battle Of The Bands (BOTB).

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Like J. Thaddeus Toad (aka Mr. Toad) I've always moved from one mania to the next. I have 101 manias, and when I reach the end of the last one, I start over again.

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One of my recently completed manias was watching 18 animated Disney classics in a couple months. Great stuffs about lost boys, talking dogs, talking elephants, little woodenheads and flying womens. Stuffs like this:

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And in the process, I stumbled upon a (bad?) Battle Of The Bands idea. 

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There are a few unwritten BOTB Rules of Thumb for avoiding blowouts and shutouts, and here's two of the biggies:

1) Do NOT use a famous rendition of a song against a relatively unknown cover version of it.

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2) Do NOT use one of the legendary crooners against a lesser-known singer. By "legendary crooners", I'm referring to singers such as Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, and Bing Crosby. 

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Break these rules and you are just begging for a BOTB blowout or even a shutout. But... is it possible that occasionally two wrongs can make a right? What if someone (i.e., me) broke BOTH of those rules SIMULTANEOUSLY? Would the two wrongs cancel each other out and create something that works?

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I realize that I am begging for trouble with this Battle. However, sometimes you just have to be a maverick's Maverick and take a chance. Playing it safe can get a bit boring. So... let's try something "wrong" and see if it shakes out all right.

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The stupendously brilliant Sherman Brothers (sbSB) wrote the song 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' for Disney's 'Mary Poppins' movie and I've actually had it on my 'To BOTB Someday' list since, at the very least, early 2014:

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The Boidman of BOTB recently got away with pitting "King Cole" against a "modern" singer [link> HERE; and re-watching and re-falling in love with 'Mary Poppins' recently, those two things, combined, gave me the push that I needed. I decided it was time to BOTB this song.

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So, I give you the extremely famous original movie rendition by Dick Van Dyke & Julie Andrews versus Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong (one of those legendary singers we aren't supposed to dare use for fear of blowouts and shutouts). 

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Please vote for the version you honestly like best, and when you're done "boting" here, please visit my fellow BOTBers (see list in the right column) and cast your "botes" there, as well. I'll return here with my own cherce and the Final Tally on March 8th (God, weather, and Jack Daniel's permitting). 

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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...

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CHIM CHIM CHER-EE -- Dick & Jane Julie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG6O4N3wxf8&t=56s

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CHIM CHIM CHER-EE -- Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22TnKgjEL_U

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy

(the maverick's Maverick!)

BOTB RESULTS: FEB. 1, 2022 (Or, DR. JOHN VERSUS AVERAGE WHITE BAND)

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First and foremost, I wanna say THANK YOU to each and every one of you who visited my little corner of the blogosphere, listened and submitted a "bote" in my latest Battle Of The Bands contest. (And another warm welcome to our newest friend, CarolCooks2.)

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The BOTB contestants were Dr. John ('Right Place, Wrong Time') and the Average White Band ('Pick Up The Pieces') and the Battle took place [link> HERE. 

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The turnout was good, but the contest... not so much. I actually thought this would be a neck-and-neck race with the AWB coming out on top by maybe 2 or 3 votes. After all, 'Pick Up The Pieces' was a #1 Billboard hit, while 'Right Place, Wrong Time' topped out at #9. But sometimes the underdog beats the favorite, and that's why we play this game to begin with.

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For me, this was a tough one to vote on because I seriously dig BOTH songs quite a bit; there's a little bit o' Funky R&B soul in this old White bloke. In 'Pick Up The Pieces', there's a point in that sax solo (about 2:36-2:41) where the Funk runs right up my spine and literally makes my White shoulders shiver!! (It's like sex, only better.)

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Even so, after a good deal of deliberation, my own vote went to Dr. John. Really, just because his song has a bit more "grit". He was seriously gettin' on down with his bad, bearded self!

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FINAL TALLY: 

Dr. John = (cranked up to) 11 

Average White Band = 4 

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[View: Looking East from the back porch of the Silver Dollar Saloon.]

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Again, I thank all y'all for visiting the Silver Dollar Saloon in Virginia City with me, and I hope to see y'all back here again for my next BOTB installment on March 1st. Until then...

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Bless And Be Blessed!! (It's a karmic thang instituted by God, Who's pert-dern smart!)

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy