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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
.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
Just the other day after having watched a few movies from the eighties I was noting how much so many groups sounded alike back then. But I guess it was like the sixties British invasion sound, or the seventies country rock movement, or the later disco movement when there was a hit formula and there were waves of acts that followed said formula and cranked out songs that sounded similar. It's the same way now. I keep hearing new songs that sound like the last new song I heard. Fads and stylistic movements.
ReplyDeleteI liked all three of these groups you've used in this post and maybe liked them more years after they came out. I didn't buy albums by most of them until I was building my CD collection and filling it in with big acts from the past.
The songs you've presented maybe have been some of their biggest hits, but they are also my least favorites by these groups. That's kind of the way I've always been though--the big hits often don't attract me as much as lesser known songs.
"Open Arms" & "Can't Fight This Feeling" are both nice, but they just seem too Barry Manilow sweet for me. "Babe" is too, but there is something about the melody, harmonies, and arrangement that appeals more to me than the other two.
Give me the Kilroy Was Here album for my Styx preference, but for this Battle I'll settle for "Babe" by Styx. And overall I think Styx was the more interesting band, but I can't say I've listened enough to all of them with the comparison in mind to make that absolute judgment.
Styx it is for now.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
LEE, these three songs were definitely the biggest hits that the three versions of REO Journey Styxwagon had, according to Billboard.
DeleteInitially, I thought that maybe I would use my own personal favorite three songs from R.J.S., but then decided I didn't want to inject too much of my own preferences into this Battle. I decided that using the three biggest Billboard hits (i.e., the general consensus, rather than my own viewpoint) was probably the best and fairest way to approach the contest.
But like you, very often, my favorite recordings of a musical artist are not the big hits that everyone knows, but "deeper cuts" from their albums.
Had I constructed this Battle according to my own tastes, the match-up would have looked like this:
'LADY' (or some other track from the 'Styx II' album - maybe 'Father O.S.A.')
versus
'WHEEL IN THE SKY'
versus
'RIDING THE STORM OUT' (probably the live version)
But I'm glad I took this route with this Battle because, so far, it's shaping up to be a pretty tight race.
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
HAHAHAHAHA!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I have always thought the bands were mighty similar. You are on to something here. Were those bands ever directly accounted for at the same time?!?!
REO is a lesser band and never was a favorite of mine, but both Styx and Journey were at times my favorite band for a while back in the day. It makes sense since they are the same band.
I a college writing class we were required to write a play or teleplay, and mine was a light comedy about an "Elton John-like" pianist who was never really seen out of a costume, but who led a double life as a famous classical pianist. He knew he would not be taken seriously by either fan base if he were exposed. It came to a head when he was accidentally booked to appear at the same event. The play was a stinker, but I got an A. Maybe they had already started handing out decent grades just for effort by then.
In this contest, I am going to vote for R.J.S. behind door number two.
Sixgun McItchyfinger
MR. McITCHYFINGER ~
DeleteThe first Rock concert I ever attended was at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in late 1976 or early '77. Styx opened for Journey.
My second Rock concert was at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1977. Mink DeVille opened for Styx.
My third Rock concert was at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in late '77 or '78. Journey opened for Styx.
I was pretty sure you would appreciate this match-up, because I remember an Email exchange we had not long after meeting each other at BigBitch.com. I mentioned to you that at one time Styx was my very favorite band, and that I always hated Journey. You asked me, "What's the difference?" I had to laugh, because being young and stupid -- UHP! I was an idiot!! -- I didn't realize they were the same band. But by 1980, they weren't pulling the wool over my eyes anymore.
>>... Were those bands ever directly accounted for at the same time?!?!
I seriously doubt it. I'm pretty sure that when I saw Styx the first time, they just went backstage after their show and changed into their more colorful Journey outfits and then returned to the stage as the headliner.
I have attended three Journey concerts, but never once did I go to see Journey; I was always going to see the other band that was touring with Journey. What's funny is that, today, I don't own a single Styx album, but I do own a Mink DeVille CD, whom I had never even heard of when they opened for Styx at the second Rock concert I ever attended.
>>... It came to a head when he was accidentally booked to appear at the same event.
That actually sounds like a pretty interesting play you wrote. I'll bet it's WAY BETTER'N you remember it being. It seems like that concept would be ripe for a lot of humorous situations and twists.
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
I never thought of them as one in the same...but they are! It makes me think of Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson being one in the same. After listening to all, I am going with #3-"Can't Stop This feeling" which is one that I always liked even if it is a bit syrupy. The next would be Styx which is a good song followed by Journey's "Open Arms". Great theme here.
ReplyDeleteBIRGIT ~
DeleteI don't really know any of Janet Jackson's music, but it's not difficult for me to take your word for it.
Had he lived longer, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross would have probably become one and the same person. ;^) It was already getting pretty close.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy STUFFS'
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteI think subconsciously I picked up on these three bands similar sound but then I recognize a lot of similarities others as well. I like all three of these bands and it was really hard for me to choose. In this battle I think I'm going to go with Styx.
Thanks for dropping by today to vote in my current BOTB. Have a good Sunday!
Howdy, CAThy!
Delete>>... I like all three of these bands
Wait! What?! You mean you still believe they are three different bands?
...Wanna buy a bridge?
Ha! (Kiddin', kiddin'! Jocularity! Jocularity!)
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy STUFFS'
Stephen,
DeleteSure, I've always wanted to own a bridge! LOL
Now, I'm scratching my head. Am I to assume you're just pulling my leg or that you're dead serious? I think you're just messing with me because well...let's face it, I'm slow on the take and I'm okay with that. :)
They really do sound an awful lot a like, though. The 80s totally rocked with great music!
This was a fantastic, laugh out loud battle, and I love the pictures you inserted of the Mighty Mouse theme song performer. For me, this was a really close battle. At first I was pulling for REO Journey Styxwagon, but then I listened to REO Journey Styxwagon, followed by some REO Journey Styxwagon, and just when I thought I was going to bote for REO Journey Styxwagon, I changed my tune, and I think I'm going to bote for REO Journey Styxwagon.
ReplyDelete(I wanted to be the first one to make that stupid joke)
Kidding aside, give my bote to #2, if only because Steve Perry's voice carries that song to new levels. Also, as a fun fact, did you know that the singer who took over for Steve Perry is a little Filipino dude, who didn't speak a lick of English before joining the band, but has an uncanny ability to sing just like Steve Perry?
That has always tickled me, hearing that voice come out of that man.
~J S-A
JULIO ~
Delete>>... I wanted to be the first one to make that stupid joke
Well, somebody had to do it! The joke wasn't going to tell itself! You done right.
Andy Kaufman was a genius. In fact, he was such a genius that I'm still not 100% convinced that he's dead.
And say what we might about Jim Carrey, but he was born to star in the Andy Kaufman biopic.
One of my favorite Kaufman stories: He told an audience that after his show, he was treating them all to milk and cookies. Everyone laughed, thinking he was just being silly. WRONG! After his act ended, the audience found rented buses in front of the nightclub. They were all ushered into the buses and taken to a big parking lot filled with tables and chairs and... milk and cookies for everyone! ...Genius.
I did know about the Filipino dude filling in for Steve Perry. But I did NOT know that he didn't speak a lick of English at first. Amazing!
My old friend and fellow Soul Crusader, Twinkie, was a massive Journey fan. I don't think he really appreciated me always referring to Steve Perry as "the Barbara Streisand of Rock".
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy STUFFS'
Yo S-Man,
ReplyDeleteHad Journey's Escape album on cassette. It was a great cassette, never once had to wind the tape back in by twirling a pencil. Seriously the production value and hooks from start to finish is great, akin to perhaps the trailblazers of the "arena rock" sound - Boston's first album. If the contestants played in concert, "Good evening Oakland! I heard Oakland likes to party!" I would wave my lighter most to Open Arms. On cassette or youtube, a vote for Open Arms.
In my ear's eye, Styx's operatic Mr Roboto is more memorable than Babe which may support the idea that Babe is cliche/dime a dozen. And Journey's Don't Stop Believing is I think embraced as kitschy with Perry trademark overwrought. Wikipedia notes on Don't Stop Believing, "Decades after its release, it became the best-selling digital track from the twentieth century, with over seven million downloads."
Surpassing that accomplishment, Tony Clifton was bodily removed from the Dinah Shore show for dumping scrambled eggs on her head during the show's cooking segment (because she wouldn't sing a duet with him), ejected from Taxi, and added in interview "I've been removed from almost every major picture set and tv studio in America."
And who can forget Ferrari, Vic Ferrari
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao_OPAZDBdQ
.. And you may know this already. The Folksmen opened for Spinal Tap before A Mighty Wind was released and were booed off the stage. Harry Shear said, "So we come out as the Folksmen and the audience is obviously expecting Spinal Tap. And they start going, ‘Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!’ And we can’t break character and say, ‘No, no, no — we’re the guys you like! Come on!’"
Cheers,
G Dogg
Welcome, PROFESSOR DOGG ~
Delete>>... It was a great cassette, never once had to wind the tape back in by twirling a pencil.
Let's face it, that's how older gentlemen like us could tell a great album from a poor one. If you didn't need a pencil for the cassette, it was a great tape, a great band, and a great album!
>>... "Good evening Oakland! I heard Oakland likes to party!"
If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium-- er... I meant, Oakland.
"OAKLAND!!... ARE YOU READY TO ROCK! LET'S ROCK THIS TOWN! One, Two, Three, Four!...
No matter how stupid they may have been, all rockers could, at the least, count up to four.
You cross Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Rupert Pupkin, Sid Vicious, and Johnny Rotten with a fifth of Wild Turkey 101 and what do you get? You get your hero and mine: Tony Clifton! Let's hear it, ladies and gentlemen - a big hand for Mr. Tony Clifton! Mr. Tony Clifton, ladies and gentlemen! Tony Clifton!
>>... The Folksmen opened for Spinal Tap before A Mighty Wind was released and were booed off the stage.
Yip! I'd heard about that. One of the funniest stories I ever heard. Ain't life a kick in the head?
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Stephen, this is a cruel battle.
ReplyDeleteI truly am fond of each of these songs. All three transport me to a much younger version of myself and I have great memories associated with each of them.
This is like choosing one's favorite child. Is it possible?
Yes, it's possible. Only because some children are little shits.
I digress.
I'm going to have to go with #1 because it's had the longest impact on my life (mostly because it's been around the longest) but I could easily vote for the others, too
-MMQE
MMQE ~
Delete>>... Stephen, this is a cruel battle.
I am Vlad the Impaler of the BOTB crowd.
>>... This is like choosing one's favorite child. Is it possible?
Yes, it's possible. Only because some children are little shits.
That made me laugh-out-loud. And it's true, too. Just ask my Mother.
I'm pleased as spiked punch that you stopped by with your two cents for the BOTB kitty.
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Hi there, Stephen T.!
ReplyDeleteYou know, if only I'd read the comments first, I wouldn't have fretted so much over this battle ;-) Now that I've finished stumbling over songs I don't care for, I can get to the business of bands. I like them all, but it's Journey for me. Always Journey. "Wheel in the sky" is an awesome example of why.
Howdy, dIEDRE!
Delete>>... I like them all
And they've never said a mean thing about you, either. Sounds like a Mutual Admiration Society!
>>... it's Journey for me. Always Journey.
You sound like my ol' friend Twinkie. He was the one big Journey fan in The League Of Soul Crusaders. But we were so often blasting Bruce Springsteen, or dancing to Side 2 of The Beatles' 'White Album', that Twinkie's Journey albums didn't make it to the turntable very often.
Thanks for visiting and contributing, my friend!
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy STUFFS'
Twinkie had Journey albums? You could dance to side 2 of the White Album? I'm impressed ;-) In the Twilight Zone, as I was at the time your contenders were popular, I had no car, no TV, no albums and no turntable to play them on anyway. I did, however, have a boombox...
DeleteOh, and I hadn't heard the Warren Zevon song before. Thanks for the tip ;-)
Dear dIEDRE ~
DeleteYes, Twinkie had Journey albums. But when he played them, he knew he was walking a tightrope between life & death. Plus, Twinkie (the "blonde-headed Swede") knew that he'd been granted a special privilege being included in [Link> The League Of Soul Crusaders, an otherwise completely Irish-American drinking gang. Despite his blonde hair, Twinkie was smart enough not to push his luck. ;-)
>>... You could dance to side 2 of the White Album? I'm impressed
Well... I was using the word "dancing" in a very, very loose way. We called it "The Hangover Waltz", it was more like a circular jig around the living room while shouting and sloshing beer everywhere.
'The Hangover Waltz' probably looked something like [Link> THIS.
I honestly hesitate linking to the following, but I do so while throwing myself upon the mercy of the court and pleading "Innocent By Way Of Immaturity" (it was 1983 and I was just 23 - still sowing my wild oats). I'm more "adult" today... somewhat.
Please excuse all the misspellings, grammatical errors, and deplorable punctuation. This was a 1984 Christmas gift for The League, and it was just the roughest of drafts, written as fast as I could possibly type, because Christmas Eve was only a month away:
[Link> The League Of Soul Crusaders - Chapter 23, page 1
[Link> The League Of Soul Crusaders - Chapter 23, page 2
'Rocky Raccoon' was always the highlight of 'The Hangover Waltz', and technically, the Waltz did not include ALL of Side 2 of The Beatles' 'White Album'. By the time "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" was over, and before the song "I Will" had begun, we were already organizing a B.C. meeting. B.C. stood for "Breakfast Club". (This was YEARS before the movie of the same name existed.)
One of our favorite Breakfast Club meeting places was Rae's diner on Pico Blvd., which, if you care to, you can see featured in [Link> THIS Eddie Money video for his (great!) song SHAKIN'.
The League Of Soul Crusaders was, in actuality, "the good guys", but by appearances, most people misjudged us. And therefore, there were very few females who dared to party with The League. But those females who did had the best protection possible. (I still remember the guy who slapped his girlfriend at a party in our house. When we heard about it, we went looking for him and the guy ended up terrified and, on all fours, crawling out of our back kitchen door. He then made the mistake of calling the cops on us. They showed up and arrested him for having cocaine in his car. Karma's a bitch, and it was even worse when you messed with The League!)
...Anyway, 'Rosanna' in the Eddie Money video is one gal who would have loved partying with The League.
dIEDRE, I sincerely thank you for your comments! This was a great deal of reminiscent fun for me!!
[Link> THE LEAGUE OF SOUL CRUSADERS: Imaginary 1985 Movie Soundtrack
~ D-FensDogG
So we got two Illinois bands in this battle, which means that Journey Styx REO is out. Of the two other bands, I like REO Styx Journey better than Styx REO Journey, so I'll go with REO Styx Journey. Or maybe the Judean People's Front, or the People's Front of Judea...
ReplyDeleteBROTHER JOHN ~
DeleteAnybody who can quote from Monty Python like that gets an automatic A+ from me.
The League Of Soul Crusaders hero-worshipped very few peoples, but Monty Python was definitely in the mix. We quoted from Python constantly.
We also often quoted: W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy, Benny Hill, The Little Rascals, Deputy Dawg characters, and the movie 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'.
Other than that... we were quite sane.
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Al Bondigas here. Great battle you got goin on here. I remember quite well how we used to call them the same band. Ahh such fun times we had!! Well, I guess I'm rulin fer "Can't Fight This Feeling", whoever it was who did it. That's it, that's muh rulin'.
ReplyDeleteJUDGE AL ~
DeleteRight now, this is an extremely close Battle... as one would expect when 3 big hit songs by the same band are matched up against each other.
I feel that a 3-Way Tie would probably be the most logical outcome.
Nobody bothered to axe me about the reason for the strange 'PLAYING CARDS' header photo for this Battle. (This crowd gets un-cu·ri·ous-er and un-cu·ri·ous-er the more it be exposed to me.) But I'm-a 'splain it to you because I'm running outta time.
The politically incorrect answer is because, to my ears, the three lead singers for the band...
Dennis DeYoung (for REO Journey Styxwagon)
and
Steve Perry (for REO Journey Styxwagon)
and
Kevin Cronin (for REO Journey Styxwagon)
...they all sound like "the Queen of Hearts" to me!
So, a deck of cards with 3 Queens of Hearts makes sense.
Call me old-fashioned, call me a dinosaur, but... my non-quiche-eating ears don't lie.
Queens... of Hearts... ALL OF THEM!
("nOT tHAT tHERE'S aNYTHING wRONG wITH tHAT.").
~ D-FensDogG
(proud King O' Da Neanderthals)