Monday, April 22, 2024
BOTB RESULTS: 2024, APRIL 15 (Or, SINATRA & RIDDLE VERSUS BASSEY & RIDDLE)
Monday, April 15, 2024
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2024, APRIL 15 (Or, FRANK And NELSON Versus SHIRLEY And NELSON)
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Howdy, Handsome DogGs & Pretty DogGesses!
It's time for Round #8 of Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze.
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This time we have two classic singers - one male and one female - going up against each other. The hooch (a.k.a. "evidence") in the song is champagne (a.k.a. "bubbly"). The male singer is Frank Sinatra; the female singer is Shirley Bassey. BUT!...
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...a thing I find particularly interesting in this match-up is the fact that behind both singers is the SAME orchestra and conductor. Have you ever heard of Nelson Riddle and The Nelson Riddle Orchestra? Yeah, of course you has, you marvelously musically edgeukated friends o' mine!
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I also find it ultra-interesting how the same orchestra operating under the same conductor sounds so completely different in both versions of the same classic song! Listen and you'll see what I means:
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I Get A Kick Out Of You
by Frank Sinatra (& The Nelson Riddle Orchestra)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II78P4HxcX8
I Get A Kick Out Of You
by Shirley Bassey (& The Nelson Riddle Orchestra)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDFA4NkDStc
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In ye olde comment section, please vote for which recording you liked better betwixt these two, and then please visit the other wonderful BOTBers and also drop your two cents in their comment sections.
* See the BOTBer links over there --->
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I plan to return here on or about April 22nd with my own vote (*if I can figure it out*) and the Final Tally of this BOTB installment. Until then... get a goot juan!
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~ Stephen-Boy
Monday, April 8, 2024
BOTB RESULTS: 2024, APRIL FOOLS' DAY (Or, TINY TIM VERSUS THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND)
"MOST OF ALL, I’D LOVE TO SEE CHRIST COME BACK TO CRUSH THE SPIRIT OF HATE AND MAKE MEN PUT DOWN THEIR GUNS. I’D ALSO LIKE JUST ONE MORE HIT SINGLE."
~ TINY TIM
[Interviewed by Harold Ramis for
Playboy magazine, June, 1970]
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Yep! You understood that correctly. Tiny Tim conquered the hilarious Charlie Daniels Band 7 votes to 6 in my most recent BOTB's Battle Of The Booze contest [link> HERE.
My genuine appreciation to all of you who took the time to visit here and cast a vote. I'm sure everybody figured Tiny Tim was a major underdog in this contest, but I actually had a strong feeling he would win. Why? Because, over the long history of Battle Of The Bands, Tiny Tim has won more contests than he has lost, and everyone is always surprised, re-surprised, and re-re-surprised when they discover (or discover yet again) that a great many of big Tiny's songs were considerably better than his weirdo reputation would seem to imply.
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I plan to return here again on April 15th with a new installment of BOTB's BOTB, so I hope all y'all will return also. Until then, may you...
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Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Monday, April 1, 2024
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2024, APRIL FOOLS' DAY (Or, TINY'S CHAMPAGNE VERSUS CHARLIE'S BEER)
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I'll return here on or about April 8th with my own vote and the final tally.
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Friday, March 22, 2024
BOTB RESULTS: 2024, MARCH 15 (Or, ERIC BURDON & WAR VERSUS UB40)
Friday, March 15, 2024
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2024, MARCH 15 (Or, SPILLING RED RED WINE)
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Hello, ALL! Welcome to my sixth installment of Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze, which is an ongoing challenge between songs that mention a type of booze, a brand of booze, or a cocktail made with booze. (No Shirley Temples need apply!)
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On February 27th, I read an Email that I had received from one of our loyal BOTBers, Debbie the Doglady. (She can be found HERE and HERE.)
Shortly afterwards, I found myself at my 'Goldenshadowland' YouTube playlist. (I live there a lot these days, reminiscing about people, places and events I have loved.) The video for the 1976 hit song 'Summer' by War began to play. And 12 seconds into the song, the video showed a photo of Eric Burdon and War.
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At that very moment it hit me:
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I knew that Eric Burdon was one of Debbie's all-time favorites. Later that day, I sent Debbie an Email saying in part:
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It suddenly dawned on me that a song by one of your very favorite musical artists wasn't even on my song list of future BOTB's BOTB challengers! The damn list was 114-songs long, BUT it DIDN'T have this particular song on it, which was a massive favorite of mine when I was a good deal younger than I am today. So, my BOTB's BOTB song list is now up to 115, and I intend to use this mystery song (in your honor) on ... March 15th.
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Therefore, regardless of which song wins the Battle, this BOTB installment is dedicated to Debbie D'Doglady. (Gee, I wonder who Debbie gonna vote for. Hmmm....)
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Today's question is: Are you going to spill or drink the red red wine?
Fun Fact: In constructing this Battle, I learned that UB40 actually stands for Unemployment Benefits, form 40.
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I will return here on or about March 22nd with my own vote and the final tally.
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Alright, let's get ON this thing!
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SPILL THE WINE
by Eric Burdon & War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRtAKcyl-54
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RED RED WINE
by UB40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_NMgwW5Ufw
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~ Dr. Stephen
Friday, March 8, 2024
BOTB RESULTS: 2024, MARCH 1 (JIMBO'S BEER VERSUS DONALD'S BEER)
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Friday, March 1, 2024
BOTB'S BOTB: 2024, MARCH 1 (Or, JIM MORRISON'S BEER VS. DON HENLEY'S BEER)
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Thursday, February 22, 2024
BOTB RESULTS: FEB. 15, 2024 (Or, NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND VS. BRUCE BLACKMAN)
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As always, first & foremost, my sincere thanks to each and every one of you who took the time to visit my Battle Of The Bands installment, listened and submitted a "bote" in the comment section. Y'all Cool Cats! The Musical Battle took place HERE, and it was between 'An American Dream' by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and 'Doing Nothing' by Bruce Blackman.
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This was a close contest. "Ya see?"...
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FINAL TALLY:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band = 7 votes
Bruce Blackman = 5 votes
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Anyone who was paying even the least bit of attention already knew from my comments in the Comment Section that I was going to vote for Bruce Blackman. After all, as I wrote, Mr. Blackman (unbeknownst to him) really helped me to overcome my immense shyness! I know! I know! I know what y'all thinkin': "No way was STMcC ever shy!"
"Wrong again, Fishface!" (as my dearly beloved Ma used to say).
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I was so shy that I flunked out of Kindergarten. My teacher called me "anti-social". (I wish she could see me now!)
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Here's the comment I posted on Bruce Blackman's 'DOING NOTHING' YouTube video 7 years ago:
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@D-FensDogG
7 years ago
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think "DOING NOTHING" may be my favorite Bruce Blackman song of all time. Yes, even more so than "Moonlight Feels Right". I think... maybe. Sheesh! That's a tough call, but I do know that over the last few years I've become very fond of saying "I NEED A COLD MOJITO". (And most of the time I do, too! Ha!)
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And Mr. Blackman replied:
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@StarbuckMusic
7 years ago
+D-Fens DogG I've been known to down a mojito or two, or three on occasion.
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By the way, *that* mojito, pictured above, was the best one I ever had! Courtesy of the bartender at the Claim Jumper restaurant in Reno. The first mojito I ever had was at Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant in Phoenix. Abuelo's is also where I invented the word [link>"goldenshadow".
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Oh well, that's how the cocktail glasses break in a dive
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Thursday, February 15, 2024
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: FEB. 15, 2024 (Or, THE NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND VERSUS BRUCE BLACKMAN)
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CONGRATULATIONS! You found it. This is the 4th installment of Battle Of The Booze, my new Battle Of The Bands theme (also know as BOTB's BOTB).
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You DogGs & DogGettes who have been paying attention know that so far 3 songs have been slated to appear in a future Playoff round. So far we've got these winners:
'Tequila' by Xavier Cugat
'My Name Is Bocephus' by Hank Williams Jr.
'Hotel California' by The Eagles
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This week, the two songs vying for a Playoff spot share a kind of tropical island getaway feeling.
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First up this time is the song 'An American Dream' by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - a #13 Billboard hit:
Keep on talking, mama, I can hear
Your voice, it tickles down inside of my ear
I feel a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to this hillbilly beer
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I think Jamaican in the moonlight
Sandy beaches, drinking rum every night
We got no money, mama, but we can go
We'll split the difference, go to Coconut Grove
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What is "hillbilly beer"? Is that Hamm's? Schlitz? Lone Star? Lucky Lager? (Does anyone out there remember Lucky Lager?!)
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Challenging The NGDB for that Playoff position is the song 'Doing Nothing' by Bruce Blackman. Who he? He's the man what gave us the massive 1976 hit song [link> 'Moonlight Feels Right'. And here's some of what Mr. Blackman is dreaming of in 'Doing Nothing':
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Well, I'm looking good and smiling big; I've got it made
Just wait until the evening sun pulls down its shade
A long tall senorita making a margarita just for me
Hoo-Wee!
Well, I'm underpaid and under-slept; ain't nothing new
The ocean calls my name in twenty shades of blue
I need a cold Mojito
Gotta get away from where I'm at
I can flat do that!
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So, we've got hillbilly beer & rum going up against a margarita and a cold mojito.
I'll return here on or about February 22nd with my own vote and the final tally.
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Let's get ON this thing (said Lightnin' Hopkins)
AN AMERICAN DREAM
by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvHgPE6Se_0
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DOING NOTHING
by Bruce Blackman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNIaOBUY4vY
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
BOTB RESULTS: 2024, FEB. 1 (Or, THE BEATLES VERSUS THE EAGLES)
Well, I did expect The Eagles' 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA' to win my most recent Battle Of The Bands contest HERE against The Beatles' 'Rocky Raccoon'. However, I also thought it would be a bit closer than it was. Nevertheless, I appreciate each and every one of you who took time to visit 'n' vote!
Unfortunately, what surprises me most of all (not really - I believe most people have lost their sense of curiosity) is that no one asked me about the meaning of this dialogue in my 'League Of Soul Crusaders' manuscript:
That shtick came from the Laurel & Hardy movie 'Our Relations'. Click HERE! League members routinely quoted from the greats, such as Laurel and Hardy, W. C. Fields, Monty Python, Benny Hill, Wally George, and Mister R. P. McMurphy!
Aside from the fact that both songs in the contest mentioned a type of booze (gin, wine & champagne), both songs also had a theme that pertained to checking into a rented room. Rocky checked into a hotel room above a saloon and found... "Gideon's Bible". The delusional dreamers checked into the Hotel California and found... they could "never leave!"
Thursday, February 1, 2024
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: FEB. 1, 2024 (Or, GIN Versus WINE & PINK CHAMPAGNE)
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Welcome to my 3rd installment of Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze (BOTB's BOTB). This time we have two of the most famous bands in Rock music history battling it out for a future Playoff spot. It's GIN (The Beatles) versus WINE & PINK CHAMPAGNE on ice (The Eagles).
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As most o' youz peoples know by now, in my very early twenties I was a member of [link> 'The League Of Soul Crusaders', perhaps the funniest, most unusual and outrageous drinking gang of all time. Below are a few excerpts from "the book", if you're interested in reading them.
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'ROCKY RACCOON' is the fifth track on the second side of The Beatles' "White Album", and it was also the center and highlight of "The Hangover Waltz". It includes these lyrics:
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Now, the doctor came in, stinking of GIN
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said, "Rocky, you've met your match"
And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch
And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"
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In 1977, The Eagles had a massive #1 Billboard hit titled 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA':
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"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here
Since 1969"
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Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said, "We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device"
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Remember: This is really about the songs and not the booze. So, in ye olde comment section, please vote for which song you liked better betwixt these two, and then please visit the other wonderful BOTBers and also drop your two cents in their comment sections.
* See the BOTBer links over there --->
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I'll return here on or about February 8th with my own vote and the final tally.
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Alright, let's get on it.
Let's get ON this thing!
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ROCKY RACCOON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDcDCZGcZj8
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HOTEL CALIFORNIA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BciS5krYL80
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~ Stephen