BOTB RESULTS: 2022, MAY 1 (Or, R.J.S. VERSUS R.J.S. VERSUS R.J.S.)

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The results are in! 

My most recent 'Battle Of The Bands' installment took place [link> HERE, and it was match-up between the three big Billboard hits by the group REO Journey Styxwagon. 

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I thought the Battle was a fun one (semi-tongue-in-cheek, but ONLY "semi") and the comment section exchanges were just as much fun if not funner. (Yeah, funner is not a real world, but it should be, and since when did a maverick like me begin paying attention to all the arbitrary rules invented by the eggheads? Huh? When? When did I? Answer! Answer the damned question! ;-)

I really, sincerely appreciate everyone who stopped by with a vote! You peoples are the reason I keep playing this game. And since I did manage to reach double-digit votes again (barely), there will indeed be another BOTB installment from me on June 1st. It won't be as outside-the-box as this one was, but I still think it'll be worth our time.

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So, how'd I "bote" in this contest and what was the outcome of this Battle?

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I have an occasional sweet tooth, but 'Babe' by REO Journey Styxwagon was just way too saccharine sweet for me!

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I have an occasional sweet tooth, but 'Open Arms' by REO Journey Styxwagon was just way too saccharine sweet for me!

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I have an occasional sweet tooth, and 'Can't Fight This Feeling' by REO Journey Styxwagon was sweet but not TOO SWEET for me!

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FINAL TALLY:

'Babe' = 3 votes 

'Open Arms' = 4 votes

'Can't Fight This Feeling' = 4 votes 

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Today, I don't own a single compact disc by REO Journey Styxwagon, but if I were to buy one, it would most definitely be the album [link> 'hi INfiDELITY'. To me, this was the best album ever put out by R.J.S. and it carries a lot of fond memories for me:

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For a year or so in the early 1980s, my dear ol' friend Big Al and I used to drive down to the Redondo Beach Pier most Tuesdays to partake of the all-you-can-eat dinner buffet at the EL TORITO Mexican Restaurant there. And 9 or 10 times out of 10, 'hi INfiDELITY' was the cassette we'd listen to while making the drive in Big Al's little MG convertible sports car. I have goot memories associated with that one particular album by REO Journey Styxwagon and I really should purchase the CD someday. 

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Although it's not my favorite song on 'hi INfiDELITY', I think 'Tough Guys' has the single greatest intro ever tacked on to a song. Take a listen here:

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'TOUGH GUYS' by REO Journey Styxwagon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhmn23I4wvY

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Anyway, thanks again, all y'all, for your participation. I feel that a tie was actually apropos for a Battle like this. It's the first BOTB tie I've ever had that I can wholeheartedly applaud. I hope you'll all come to visit me again on June 1st for more "Jocularity! Jocularity!"

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Stephen T. McCarthy 

2022, MAY 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, R.J.S. VERSUS R.J.S. VERSUS R.J.S.)

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

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

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My old friend Pooh and I had a long-running, ongoing joke throughout the first half of the 1980s. In the same way that Andy Kaufman, Tony Clifton, and Latka Gravas were the same person, we maintained the idea that the Rock groups Styx, Journey, and REO Speedwagon were in fact the very same musicians simultaneously marketing albums under three different band names. Pooh and I always referred to all three bands as "REO Journey Styxwagon". Why $ell just 1 mu$ic album a year when you can $ell 3 per year?

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Just for kicks, I recently conjured up the idea of doing a 3-way 'Battle Of The Bands' contest pitting REO Journey Styxwagon against REO Journey Styxwagon and against REO Journey Styxwagon. I figured the fairest way of doing this would be to match up all the biggest Billboard hits in chronological order. And so that's what you'll find below. In the comment section, please vote for your favorite of these three big hits by REO Journey Styxwagon. After that, please check out what the other BOTBers are offering this week.

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'Babe' by REO Journey Styxwagon was a #1 hit for two weeks in 1979 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9mmbrLmV2A

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While 'Open Arms' by REO Journey Styxwagon failed to reach #1, it actually remained at #2 on the Billboard charts for an impressive six weeks in 1982. Not bad for an underdog, eh? :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl2TjYwcycg

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'Can't Fight This Feeling' by REO Journey Styxwagon was a #1 Billboard hit for three weeks in 1985 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WYwfrMFko

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So, which of those three REO Journey Styxwagon songs do you like best?

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Maybe someday... later on - like, in the future - I'll do a BOTB installment pitting Spinal Tap against The Folksmen. ;-)

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy