BOTB RESULTS: 2022, SEPT. 1 (Or, THE BEACH BOYS VERSUS STEELY DAN)

 

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Hokey-Smoke & Hoo-Wee! (as Rocket J. Squirrel & Deputy Dog Dawg would say). This turned out to be a better Battle Of The Bands installment than I thought it would be. The contest took place HERE and it featured two different songs titled 'DO IT AGAIN'. 

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I had a really nice voter turnout this time, so I thank every one of you who made this Battle possible. And Special Thanks to my two "Anonymous" voters who generously dropped their two cents into the BOTB Kitty. (Don't worry - "Special Thanks" is nothing like "Special Sauce"). I hope you'll both return again next time, on October 1st. And bring a name, if you feel comfortable coming out of the Film Noir shadows.

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Because The Dan's 'Do It Again' was a bigger hit than was The Beach Boys' 'Do It Again', I half-expected them to win handily here. But it was a very interesting Battle: The Boys came charging out the chute, garnering the first two votes. Then The Dan slapped 'em around for awhile, but The Boys came charging back, landing a flurry of punches just before the final bell rang.

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I really dig BOTH songs a lot, but my vote went to The Boys, because from those first few funky notes, that unique rhythm has me bopping in my chair. Plus, I can really relate to the lyrics of The Boys' song, whereas The Dan song is so lyrically unrelatable (which is true of almost all their great tunes) that it just doesn't quite bury itself into my heart & mind.

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As I said to my old drinking pal, Pooh: "girls... the beach... suntanned bodies... waves of sunshine... warm and out-of-sight nighttimes... surfing and dancing... and a beautiful coastline". Or, "sorrow... stolen water... getting dragged by the feet... a cheating girlfriend... Vegas slot machines, roulette wheels, and cards that are black". Hmmm?

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Anyway, two great songs slugged it out and here's how the judges' combined scorecards added up:

FINAL TALLY

The Beach Boys = 7 votes

Steely Dan = 8 votes

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Wow! An ideal BOTB outcome (1-vote point spread between winner and loser). I loved it!

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Thanks again, All Y'All! I hope to see y'all back here again on Oct. 1st.

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Bless And Be Blessed!!

~ STMcC

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: SEPT. 1, 2022 (Or, THE BEACH BOYS VERSUS STEELY DAN)

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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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When I was young, I hated to see the Summer end. It meant that days at the beach were over and I had to return to school. In June, the kids would say, "See you in September!" (Yeah, not if I had anything say about it, you wouldn't.) 

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But now that I am retired from the workforce and there are no schoolrooms in my immediate future, I can't wait to see the dog days of Summer come to an end. I can't wait to see 90-100 degree days end and the gorgeous Fall weather arrive to cool things down.

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For a variety of reasons, my all-time favorite Summer was 1974. I was recently thinking about how much I adored Summers at the beach when I was a teenager, and how at the end of August I'd be wishing that we could do Summer all over again. Why did there have to be a September? Why couldn't we just go back to June after August 31st?

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And all of that thinking reminded me of the funky Beach Boys song 'DO IT AGAIN'. (Yes, I really DID use the words "funky" and "Beach Boys" in the same sentence.) Naturally, this also made me think of Steely Dan's different song with the same title. And so... HERE we are, about to do one of those 'Same Title, Different Song' Battles.

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The Beach Boys' 'Do It Again' was a #20 Billboard hit in 1968, while Steely Dan's 'Do It Again' climbed to #6 in 1973. In researching those Billboard stats, I was surprised to learn that 'Do It Again' was The Dan's first Top 40 hit. For some reason, I'd always thought it was 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number'. In fact, 'Reeling In The Years' also preceded 'Rikki...' in the Top 40 charts.

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Anyway... below are the songs. You know what to do:

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DO IT AGAIN: Beach Boys 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWOKiIONgi8

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DO IT AGAIN: Steely Dan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UwvNxO_8Nw

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Q: Will The Beach Boys beat Steely Dan?

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I'll be back to cast my own BOTB bote and announce the winner on (or about) the 8th. Until then... 

BEHAVE YOURSELVES, Damn-It!!

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy