.
Yes, it's time once again for Battle Of The Bands (BOTB).
Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
Aerosmith; Bad Company; The Clash; Devo; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Eddie & The Hot Rods; Foreigner; Gentle Giant; Hall & Oates; Janis Ian; Jefferson Airplane; Kansas; Led Zeppelin; Steve Miller; Randy Newman; Gillbert O'Sullivan; The Police; Queen; The Rolling Stones; Styx (aka REO Journey Styxwagon); 10cc; Uriah Heep; The Velvet Underground; Joe Walsh; X; Yes; and ZZ Top.
In my teen years - the era of "Licorice Pizza" (LPs) - I owned at least one album by every one of those musical artists above. But over the decades, my musical tastes changed so drastically that, today, I don't own even one album by any of those same artists. ...Except for one! Can you guess which one?
"Tha-aaa-at's right!!" ...Eddie & The Hot Rods. I bought their LP 'Teenage Depression' in 1976 or '77. I'd never even heard of them, but the album cover piqued my curiosity so I took a chance. (Sometimes you take a chance and get lucky with Eddie & The Hot Rods; other times you take a chance and wind up with "Daniel D!psh!t and the Diarrhetic Donkeys". Hopefully, you'll know the difference.)
That roll of the dice paid off so well for me that, later, when I sold off my LPs (Licorice Pizzas) and transitioned to compact discs, Eddie & The Hot Rods was the only group from that list above that I reacquired on CD. And, now, in my Geriatric Years (aka my 'Edward & The Sunday Drivers' years), I still play Eddie every once in a while.
FUN FACT: There was no "Eddie" in 'Eddie & The Hot Rods'..
What genre of music was it? Contrary to some beliefs, it wasn't Punk Rock. In Britain, they called it [link> Pub Rock:
Pub Rock was a U.K.-based precursor to Punk, but while Punk was the sound of kids smashing up Rock's formal structures and stripping them to the frame, the pub bands were about taking Rock back to its breezy roots ... the music was meant to sound good played in a bar on a Friday night, accompanied by a few pints of beer. Pub Rock was also a strictly British phenomenon, and the pub stars best known in America are those who later hitched their wagon to the New Wave a few years later, such as Nick Lowe and Ian Dury.
Eddie & The Hot Rods played fast, loud originals and also some fast, loud covers. Their song 'All I Need Is Money' was an original. It has a sneaky rhythm which one might not catch after just one listen.
In my first ever BOTB installment [here> August 1, 2013, I highlighted how a musical arrangement can make a cover song seem like a completely different song from the original. This is another excellent example:.
Elizabeth McQueen & The Firebrands (there actually *IS* an "Elizabeth" in the band) take the same song but slow down the tempo and add a semi-subtle 'Country' element to the sound which turns it into nearly a completely different animal. The first time I heard it, years ago, it "knocked me for a row of lib-labs!"
See which version you like better - the original by Eddie & The Hot Rods or the cover by Elizabeth & The Firebrands:.
ALL I NEED IS MONEY - Eddie & The Hot Rods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M43bWq4TUwk
.ALL I NEED IS MONEY - Elizabeth McQueen & The Firebrands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_JPUo65JMY
.~ Stephen T. McCarthy
Hey Stephen,
ReplyDeleteI'm here. Unfortunately, I don't have time jibber jabber, so I'm cutting straight to the chase with my pick. I'm going with Elizabeth McQueen & The Firebrands. The country vibe adds interesting character and texture to the song. Have a bandtastic day, my friend!
HiYa, CAThy! ~
DeleteThanks for stopping by. I give you an "A+" in voting, but an "F" in jibber-jabber.
You really need to work on your jibber-jabber game, but we can overlook it. After all, Jesus died for your sins, so who am I to hold anything against ya? ;^)
Bless and be Blessed, my friend!
~ D-FensDogG
'STEPHEN T. McCARTHY REVIEWS...'
Thanks for forgiving me for not having time for a lot of chit chat. It's just been such a crazy, crazy week and the craziness continues. Please don't tell my mama I got an "F". She'll march me to the wood shed for that one. :) I hope things slow down a wee bit so I can enjoy more time in Blogosphere but really I don't think it's gonna happen anytime soon. Just look how long it took me to comment on your reply to my original message?
DeleteCAThy, muh dear, dear friend, no need to apologize, and there's nuttin' to forgive. Trust me, I know how busy life can get, and blogging is mere entertainment for when time permits.
DeleteSo, you should never feel bad if you have to "comment and run". It happens to all of us. I just hope things slow down for ya a bit soon, so you'll have more time for whatever things add some sugar and relaxation in your life.
Bless And Be Blessed, My Peep!
(Ha! That may be the first time in my life that I have ever used the word "Peep" as a synonym for friend. Gosh! I hope "this world" isn't finally starting to break down my maverick wall. ;-)
~ D-FensDogG
'STEPHEN T. McCARTHY REVIEWS...'
I was wondering which you may have kept. I thought for sure it would have been Pat Boone's heavy metal album or the pussycat dolls...hahaaaa.
ReplyDeleteOK I enjoyed the " hillbilly" rock of those men so my vote goes to the Hot Rods. The gal has a great, strong voice and it's a type if country I don't mind but I still go for the good ole
BIRGIT ~
DeleteKitty thanks you for your two cents!
Pat Boone's Heavy Metal album... I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that one. And this coming from a guy who genuinely digs Tiny Tim. I mean, when you've got a Tiny Tim fan all confused and Twilight Zoned, you have definitely done something notable.
The Pussycat Dolls? Is that a... thing?
A band? The female gang in that Ed Wood movie?
I feel like I'm missing out on something important here.
(Note: Real Men do play with dolls. And that's all I'm gonna say about... that.)
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy STUFFS'
Eddie is okay, but for me the slower Elizabeth works better. Though I might be slowing down in my older age, I probably would have preferred Liz 50 years ago as well.
ReplyDeleteGive my vote to Elizabeth McQueen and the Firebrands.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
MR. BOIDMAN ~
DeleteEddie definitely takes it pretty fast around the corners. His Hot Rod handles well, but it doesn't come with seat belts, so it can be a bit unnerving. Thankfully, the guy doesn't drink and drive, but he does disobey all the speed limits and flatly refuses to touch the brake.
(Eddie played only two kinds of songs: fast and faster! He never was gonna be everybody's nice cuppa tea. And the punk din't even care.)
~ D-FensDogG
'FERRET-FACED FASCIST FRIENDS'
Rupert van Oslow -
ReplyDeleteYEE-haw, thin Lizzy does a great country workover on this Hot Rod number. Daniel D!psh!t and the Diarrhetic Donkeys' cover version wasn't up to snuff, so I'm glad you went with hers.
I went and checked out her bio and webpage since I'd never heard of her. I will have to check out more of her stuffs! She gets the vote this week, er... month.
(And this month I am:)
Sheboyganboy Six
SHEBOYGANBOY 6 ~
DeleteYeah, Lizzy's cover of Eddie's 'All I Need Is Money' was the first song I ever heard by her. But I liked it so dern well that I checked out some of her others stuffs as well, and liked that, too! She later became a singer for the group Asleep At The Wheel. (You've probably already discovered that by now.)
All that having been said, however, your bote surprised me a bit. Why? Because Eddie & The Hot Rods remind me of the early Who. In fact, they even did a cover version of 'The Kids Are Alright'. So I thought that fast, raucous, English Pub proto-Punk sound was going to appeal to that 'angry young man' side o' you more than the slowed down Country-ish Lizzy version. But... that's why we still play this BOTB game -- because there are still surprises galore.
Thanks for putting down your sixgun long enough to put in your input in this Battle that we're in. (My writin' is gettin' better in this decade that we're in! Init?)
~ Rupert
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
When I saw the battle I fully expected to vote for The Hot Rods too. But their fast pace seemed to me to make the song LESS interesting and a bit too repetitive. I was surprised to find Liz's did not seem repetitive at all, while holding my interest.
DeleteSix
I liked the overall sound of Elizabeth McQueens & The Firebrands better than that of Eddie & The Hot Rods, so I will go with her cover.
ReplyDeleteYou can do that, JOHN.
DeleteIn fact, the BOTB Rules Committee absolutely insists - by order of the king - that everyone vote for their preferred rendition. Otherwise, there are negative consequences. I'm not 100% sure what they are, but I think they do involve nonstop Tiny Tim songs for 48 to 72 hours. Ain't nobody got time for that!
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Hi there, Stephen T.!
ReplyDeleteHaving listened to roadtrip songs for most of yesterday; both versions of this one fit the head-bobbing, dash-drumming theme surprisingly well. I like how the Hotrods sound like Credence, but my vote goes to the Firebrands (long as Jane Fonda doesn’t show up in walkin’ boots).
DEAR dIEDRE ~
DeleteHmmm.... I hadn't made a Credence connection. I'll have to think about that. Like, Credence on speed?
Jane Fonda... Ooh! Don't even get me started. Nancy Sinatra's boots shoulda kicked Jane's tush!
Thanks, my friend, for stopping by with some cents for the kitty. Kitty needs all the cents she can muster. (Me, I just need a beer.)
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
737 coming out of the sky...? Travelin' Band, my friend. Nancy vs Jane was a match up I figured actually happened behind the scenes ;-) It's early here, but I'll raise a mug in your honor later. Cheers!
Delete>>... "737 coming out of the sky...? Travelin' Band, my friend."
DeleteWell, I'll be a squashapushulzappus. Or whatever that word was that Pud called Mr. Brink in 'ON BORROWED TIME'. (I just listened to it about 12 or 13 times and "squashapushulzappus" is my best guess. Probably only 'Cryin' Bobs Watson' really knows fer sure.)
Yeah, yeah, the "737 coming out of the sky" sounds like Eddie & The Hot Rods, pedal to the metal... or like Big John Milner in his '32 Ford Coupe killing the competition on the dragstrip.
Sometime later this year (if the world doesn't end before this year does), I'll be doing a BOTB installment which has the theme "Speed-Singing". Eddie & The Hot Rods could be in that contest. But they won't be, because I already have my two artists signed up - they've paid their entry fees and the checks cleared. I don't think Eddie could afford the entrance fee.
>>... It's early here, but I'll raise a mug in your honor later.
Really? Did you? If not, tomorrow's another opportunity. And I always drink to "tomorrow".
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Hi Stephen, it's been a while, but I'm making my way back. ☺ Cool song, and I liked both versions, but Eddie's more frenetic pace had my toes tapping. A vote for The Hot Rods!
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE D'DOGLADY ~
DeleteHEY! Welcome back!! Really glad to see you here again. How ya been?
It is kind of a fun song full o' attitude, and I'm pleased as spiked punch that you liked Eddie's breakneck version. The Hot Rods needed someone to come along with a can of gasoline to keep them running in this race, so your timing was exceptional.
Are you posting blog bits at yer own place again? Or just visiting? I'll have to drive over there soon and see for myself. In the meantime, thanks again for stopping by with an opinion in this money match-up.
~ D-FensDogG
'STEPHEN T. McCARTHY REVIEWS...'
Hey, what have you got against Daniel D!psh!t and the Diarrhetic Donkeys? They put out my favorite hit single, which has a record breaking 12 Millennial 'whoop's in one fantastic chart topping track.
ReplyDeleteI've never been much for Punk, but I do find myself liking Pub Rock. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has a good voice, but something about her version just doesn't quite do it for me the same way Eddie does. Give my bote to him... even though that's not his real name. Psssh, what's next? You going to tell me your name isn't REALLY Stephen?
~Julio and the Juicy Fruit Chiefs
JULIO & THE JUICY FRUIT CHIEFS ~
DeleteWith a name like that, you gotta start a band! Move over, Daniel D!psh!t and the Diarrhetic Donkeys!!
>>... "Psssh, what's next? You going to tell me your name isn't REALLY Stephen?"
No, Stephen T. McCarthy is not my real name. And neither is Black Cole Kid, Trummy Tewksbury, Fred Gurley, Mr. Intense, Mr. Twoscoops, Herbert K. Foxglove or R.P. McMurphy. My real name is Louie Banana. You can see why I use a pseudonym, yes?
Thanks for feeding the kitty. Kitty was gettin' famished, and she gets catty when she's hungry. (What is a feline?)
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Yo S-Man,
ReplyDeleteHa, hadn't heard the quote or term "lib-labs" before (googled it) -- funny usage here.
Of the CDs you tossed, I would have kept Devo - the future back in the 70s and 80s sounds great. Haven't listed to the Clash's first album in many moons as I'm no longer an angry young man. May listen to it again if I become a cranky old man, Oi!
The classic days of rolling the dice in the real record stores, moving and slapping albums back one-by-one, I hear ya on going by the cover. In Eddie & The Hot Rods' song, the speed doesn't seem to be wholly matched with power, like the instruments should be 1 louder. But then that would make it punky. Good pub rock, and good summary of the genre you posted above. I can hear Nick Lowe in Eddie & The Hot Rods... or rather, vice versa now. (Haven't heard much Ian Dury).
A vote for Elizabeth McQueen & The Firebrands' version. (Even their name with ".. & the band name" seems retro homage. Petty & The Heartbreakers, Costello & The Attractions, Dury & The Blockheads...). I like its change ups and its galloping beat very much. Can never tell if country singer voices (drawls and accents and what not) are affectation or they naturally sing like that, regardless, I'll tell you whuut, she sounds like bubblin' butter on a GRIddle. Must say the "cheesy" three-note organ sounds fun and fantastic -- some new wave groups made whole songs with just that and a drum machine! "Hit me with that programmed rhythm stick! Hit me! Hit me!"
Cheers,
G Dogg
Woof! Woof!
Delete(That means, "Howdy, PROFESSOR DOGG!")
Always feeling "gratifaction" when you show up with two cents for the BOTB kitty.
>>... Ha, hadn't heard the quote or term "lib-labs" before (googled it) -- funny usage here.
Helck, I didn't even realize that there was a *real* meaning to it. Getting "knocked for a row of lib-labs" is just something The League Of Soul Crusaders used to say. We made up all kinds of words and terms.
I liked Devo in 'The Spirit Of '76' -- one of my very favorite "guilty pleasure" movies!
>>... I'm no longer an angry young man.
How'd you get off it? Cold turkey, or did you go to an 'Angry Young Man' Clinic and participate in the official program? I'm tryin' to get off it myself, but it ain't easy! Maybe some Mickey's Big Mouth malt liquor will help me with that.
I was surprised that the site I borrowed the definition of Pub Rock from did not mention Elvis Costello. I mean, c'mon! When that guy first appeared on the scene, he was displaying all of the Pub Rock qualities -- fast & short, aggressive songs with a dissatisfied punky attitude. Costello seems to me to be have been the most successful of all the Pub Rockers, and yet they overlooked him. Well... as I keep saying, "this world" has gotten truly bizarre and I often feel like Alice in Wonderland. (Hey, don't assume my gender! I can be an Alice if I wanna be! Helck, if Vince Furnier can be, so can I, consarn it!)
>>... "Hit me with that programmed rhythm stick! Hit me! Hit me!"
Speaking of getting hit with a stick, Elizabeth is beating Eddie with his own song like it was a stick she carries when she's not walking softly. But then again, in the song, she DOES sing that she's "a street-fighting kid". The horn-rimmed eyeglasses notwithstanding, I'm beginning to believe it.
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Yo S-Man,
DeleteWhile Vince isn't ten feet tall, he's more manly than Marilyn Manson.
https://www.theonion.com/marilyn-manson-now-going-door-to-door-trying-to-shock-p-1819565904
I hear ya, Elizabeth is like the good-lookin' librarian trope who's unfurled her hair --- yet doesn't take off her glasses. What the heck. The Spirit Of '76 full movie is on youtube, dig that 70s feathered hair.
I went cold turkey from angry to completely apathetic. Then fell off the wagon when I bought hubcaps from Junkyard Willie and sold them to Juavos for his souped up Honda -- turns out he was a narc and I got busted for misappropriation of stolen property -- and went through the roof. The court mandated anger rehab where they eased me down until I stopped yelling during The Lawrence Welk Show (with my eyes pinned open so I couldn't blink).
Agree, Costello's first few albums rocked hard. Then he got all eclectic to "grow." Didn't he learn from The Ramones - if it works don't change Anything. ("The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry"). Funny that The Ramones said they stayed pure and dissed their New York club scene cohorts Blondie for selling out and having number 1 hits with disco, rap, reggae lite. But no skiffle, dammit!!... my blood pressure is going up and.. 123, yup, my mandated bracelet just gave me a shock. C-c-cured.
Cheers,
G Dogg
G-DOGG ~
Delete>>... "I got busted for misappropriation of stolen property"
GOL! Dang, mang, that's embarrassing. If Cheech y Chong were really as great as they were (and, yes, they were!), THEY would have come up with that joke! (Those dopes protly smoked too much drugs.)
>>... "so Alice Cooper."
Alice shoulda sued Marilyn for "misappropriation of fake identity".
>>... The "Boo" tour was dealt a further blow when Manson learned that Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP had been banned from all Kmart stores.
Oh, that's so-ooo lightly notorious. In fact, it's anorexic notorious.
Get back to us when you've been banned from Target and Amazon. As you know, Yours Truly got banned by BigBitch.com in 2008, and I still consider it the highlight of my life! The day that Amazon deleted all of my content on their website, I knew for an absolute fact that I was going to Heaven when I die. (Thanks for the confirmation, BigBitch!)
>>... "The court mandated anger rehab where they eased me down until I stopped yelling during The Lawrence Welk Show (with my eyes pinned open so I couldn't blink)."
My guardian demon just whispered in my mind that your favorite color begins with the letter 'O'. Am I psykiQ, or what??!
So, here's a Fun Fact: Did you know that Jonathan Harris ("Dr. Zachary Smith" in the TV series 'Lost In Space') did NOT appear in the movie musical 'Tom Sawyer'? It's true!! Check out the movie credits [Link> HERE.
Best Regards And Baretta Rolls,
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
POSTSCRIPT: What's next in my immediate future -- Mickey's malt liquor or Tanqueray & tonic? Axe your guardian demon and see just how much it knows. Maybe you're as psykiQ as I am.
Yo SMcC,
DeleteA theory that you may have been deleted from Amazon because a moderator was overworked in general or knew he was being laid off and just started "pulling triggers" on peoples' accounts... hard to think of the moderator's actions being born of reasoned thought and lucidity.
You and your demon on your shoulder got it/figuratively saw the O coming up 6th Avenue.
Fred Jr the Cockatoo on my shoulder.. I see in his eyes .. you won't be driving. Tanqueray and tonic. In the near future you will think of driving... I see Mickey's... you won't be able to solve the puzzle underneath the cap thus will know you're officially over the legal limit.
************
"Mistake" at the Mickey's factory.
https://external-preview.redd.it/mS9BrC2156FyTb8g8BvRx67k2Ap2pYotgP6QBNV2i78.png?auto=webp&s=5a35d99918367c1d8a3a3877aaefb2ead688b8ac
It's supposed to be "You drive me crazy" but they used an ice cube instead of a crate (true). How cruel can they be? Making people think they're wasted when they're only seven bottles deep.
Cheers and chasing punks down fire escapes,
G Dogg
McBRUHTHUH DOGG ~
DeleteFred Jr. the Cockatoo was right as rain. It was Tanqueray & Tonic.
I remember a-way, way back when 'Lucky Lager' beer (Lucky Market's own beer?) had those puzzles under the caps. That was in the early '80s. My Boys and I only drank so much of that beer because of the puzzles. That's my story and I'm stickin' with it.
In my old age, Mickey's has become a favorite. And like I always said, "If you're only going to have one beer, you might as well make it six Mickey's". Somehow, that made sense to me, after 6 Mickey's.
I still enjoy working on those Mickey's bottle cap puzzles. One of my favorites was "Dance Your Ass Off". Yeah, that was a real one. And I still have the cap to prove it.
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Al Bondigas here. I remember you listening to Eddie and The Hot Rods when we were kids. I don't think I've ever met a Rock n roll fanatic anywhere close to what you were like back in those days. You lived, breathed, ate, and dreamed Rock n Roll. I'll be honest and say that neither one of these versions do much for me. I guess due to the more energetic version of Eddie And The Hot Rods, I slightly lean in their favor. That's it, that's my slightly leaning rulin'.
ReplyDeleteJUDGE AL ~
DeleteGiven enough time, most people (myself included) will grow the hell up. (At 62, I feel like I'm now pretty well on my way.)
Thanks for stopping by to leave your slightly leanin' rulin'. Eddie needs all the he'p he can get. And with your rulin', this Battle took a further step toward "respectability".
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Well I'm late to the party, but at least I have arrived, right? Due to my lateness, I'll just get right to it - voting for Elizabeth and the girls
ReplyDelete~MMQE
hopefully I'll get around sooner next time!
MMQE ~
Delete>>... "Well I'm late to the party, but at least I have arrived, right?"
Yeah. I said that myself once. ...Twice ...Three times a lady.
>>... voting for Elizabeth and the girls
Actually, it was Elizabeth and The Boys.
But that was then, and this is now.
Today, who the hell would know what "They" are. Or "Them"? Maybe, today, it would be Elizabeth McQueen & The Furries.
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
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:
http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2022/06/botb-results-june-1-2022-or-dogg-versus.html
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'