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My Friends, My Friends, please bear with me this time, OK?
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My last BOTB's Battle Of The Booze contest was sugar & spice & everything "nice", and most everyone seemed to like it. This one, with its heavy, Heavy, HEAVY keyboards and even heavier theme, won't likely be as appreciated. But, as an infamous person once said:
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My last BOTB's Battle Of The Booze contest was sugar & spice & everything "nice", and most everyone seemed to like it. This one, with its heavy, Heavy, HEAVY keyboards and even heavier theme, won't likely be as appreciated. But, as an infamous person once said:
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"Sometimes you just gotta unleash the dog and let it go sniffin’ around whichever way the wind blows it."
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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My all-time favorite movie soundtracks are:
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#1) [Link> BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S by Henry Mancini.
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#2) [Link> ONE FROM THE HEART by Tom Waits (& Crystal Gayle)
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#3) [Link> THE ENDLESS SUMMER II by Gary Hoey
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(Anybody who thinks movie soundtracks cannot Rock really hard has obviously never heard Gary Hoey's guitar work in 'The Endless Summer II'.)
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1986 was a rough year for me. The angels of "Los Angeles" had departed, and one of the very, very best friends I've ever had committed suicide in '86. And it was still eight years before I would meet Yeshua. A tough time for ol' STMcC (who wasn't really ol' yet, but was beginning to feel kinda ol').
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However, that same year, David & David released their only album, 'Boomtown', which made them a one-hit-wonder when their song [link> 'Welcome To The Boomtown' climbed to #37 in the Billboard charts.
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David (Baerwald) & David (Ricketts) and their only album attracted a "cult" following, which still exists today. I know because... I'm a cult member. Without boring you to death with details, I'll simply say that I had 'Boomtown' on 'repeat' in '86 & '87 because I felt that The Davids had been "reading my mail". The songs really spoke to me (like me speaking to myself!)
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That brings us to this installment of BOTB's Battle Of The Booze. We have 'LITTLE BOY BLUE' by Tom Waits from his soundtrack for the movie 'One From The Heart' going against 'ALL ALONE IN THE BIG CITY' from David & David's only album 'Boomtown'.
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Please vote for your choice as "the lesser of two weevils" here. And then go deposit your two cents-worth in the Battles of the other BOTBers. I plan to return on Oct. 8th with my own vote and the Results.
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Alright, let's get on it.
Let's get ON this thing!
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So, Abracadabra
Now she's disappeared
Everything's Canada Dry
So, watch your behavior
And rattle your cage
With a bottle of bourbon
Good-bye
~ 'Little Boy Blue' by Tom Waits
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LITTLE BOY BLUE
by Tom Waits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjuRjjBwidc
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What's the matter, buddy?
Do you want another drink?
Try Jack Daniel's
It really helps you to think.
~ 'All Alone In The Big City'
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My all-time favorite movie soundtracks are:
.
#1) [Link> BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S by Henry Mancini.
.
#2) [Link> ONE FROM THE HEART by Tom Waits (& Crystal Gayle)
.
#3) [Link> THE ENDLESS SUMMER II by Gary Hoey
.
(Anybody who thinks movie soundtracks cannot Rock really hard has obviously never heard Gary Hoey's guitar work in 'The Endless Summer II'.)
.
1986 was a rough year for me. The angels of "Los Angeles" had departed, and one of the very, very best friends I've ever had committed suicide in '86. And it was still eight years before I would meet Yeshua. A tough time for ol' STMcC (who wasn't really ol' yet, but was beginning to feel kinda ol').
.
However, that same year, David & David released their only album, 'Boomtown', which made them a one-hit-wonder when their song [link> 'Welcome To The Boomtown' climbed to #37 in the Billboard charts.
.
David (Baerwald) & David (Ricketts) and their only album attracted a "cult" following, which still exists today. I know because... I'm a cult member. Without boring you to death with details, I'll simply say that I had 'Boomtown' on 'repeat' in '86 & '87 because I felt that The Davids had been "reading my mail". The songs really spoke to me (like me speaking to myself!)
.
That brings us to this installment of BOTB's Battle Of The Booze. We have 'LITTLE BOY BLUE' by Tom Waits from his soundtrack for the movie 'One From The Heart' going against 'ALL ALONE IN THE BIG CITY' from David & David's only album 'Boomtown'.
.
Please vote for your choice as "the lesser of two weevils" here. And then go deposit your two cents-worth in the Battles of the other BOTBers. I plan to return on Oct. 8th with my own vote and the Results.
.
Alright, let's get on it.
Let's get ON this thing!
.
So, Abracadabra
Now she's disappeared
Everything's Canada Dry
So, watch your behavior
And rattle your cage
With a bottle of bourbon
Good-bye
~ 'Little Boy Blue' by Tom Waits
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LITTLE BOY BLUE
by Tom Waits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjuRjjBwidc
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What's the matter, buddy?
Do you want another drink?
Try Jack Daniel's
It really helps you to think.
~ 'All Alone In The Big City'
by David & David
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ALL ALONE IN THE BIG CITY
by David & David
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCcxR6fW73I
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~ Ol' Stephen T. McCarthy
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ALL ALONE IN THE BIG CITY
by David & David
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCcxR6fW73I
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~ Ol' Stephen T. McCarthy
(who, now, really is ol')
Losing someone to suicide must have been devastating and your battle certainly reflects that mood. I love dramatic music and enjoyed both songs, but "All Alone In The Big City" really struck a chord. My vote goes to David and David.
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE ~
DeleteI lost two friends to suicide; Ty in '76 ("suicide by cop") & Kelly in '86 (DIY suicide).
Yeah, one never quite gets over it. It's a haunting that never gets completely exorcised. No friend or family member should *EVER* do that to another friend or family member!!
I wasn't convinced that *anyone* would like either of these songs, let alone BOTH of them. Thanks for your vote!
~ D-FensDogG
You know your audience. Your thoughts about how we will react to this battle is correct, I am sure. (Watch now as others enthusiastically dispute you!)
ReplyDeleteThese are not easy-listening pop songs. The David and David song almost strikes me as a tone-poem with words added. The melancholy music SOUNDS like "All Alone in the Big City" even if they had not added the explanation in lyrics.
The musical tone of Waits here is more upbeat, but his voice is that gravelly awful style that you know I dislike. So which way to vote? The music of "Little Boy Blue" which I dig - sans singing, or the good voices on "All Alone" with the good (but not as good) music that is more of a downer?
I will vote for David and David. You turned me on to them years ago, as I had missed them at the time. I generally like all the stuff on the album, and I generally don't like Waits because of that vocal style.
Sixgun McItchyfinger
SIR SIXY ~
DeleteFor a long time I have been saying that I like "the pre-'83 Tom Waits". *Musically*, he got deliberately weird after his 1982 soundtrack for 'One From The Heart'. (I blame it on his wife.)
*Vocally*, however, it's a slightly different story. On his first two albums, 'Closing Time' (1973) & 'The Heart Of Saturday Night' (1974), Waits had a deep, fine grain sandpaper voice. It was good in a naturally manly kind of way.
But beginning with his 1975 live album 'Nighthawks At The Diner', he began putting on that completely FAKE voice (i.e., Satchmo x 11). It's pretty annoying, and one must find a way to overlook it in order to appreciate those great, Great songs he wrote.
For the 1982 'One From The Heart' soundtrack, Waits actually toned down his FAKE voice to a large extent. No doubt in order to appeal to a more mainstream movie audience. So... if you think "his voice is that gravelly awful style" on 'Little Boy Blue', you should just thank your lucky stars that I didn't use a song from 'Blue Valentine', or any of his other ultra-fake vocals.
As always, I appreciate your BOTB support, "muh bruhthuh".
~ D-FensDogG
For me '86 was a pretty good year as I recall. Maybe some bad things, but mostly good. Like every year I guess.
ReplyDeleteFor me the choice of music is an easy one. I have my quirky moods when Tom Waits fits the bill. He's clever, but too clever just for getting lost in the music and floating away. Give me David and David for something to put on repeat play like you did.
They get my vote, but I still like Waits and he has his place in my musical life.
Lee
R. LEE BOID ~
DeleteI believe Tom Waits may have been the single greatest songwriter ever. Certainly not the most influential (that honor definitely goes to Bob Dylan). But Waits took the road that Dylan opened and then really mastered it. Many of his songs are truly soundtracks to my life. BUT (as with Dylan), one has to find a way to learn how to tolerate that "voice" thang.
That David & David album, 'Boomtown', is one of only a few albums from the 1980s that I can still listen to. Other than Van Morrison, the '80s is where pop music completely lost me (and never got me back again!)
~ D-FensDogG
VOTE = DAVID & DAVID
ReplyDeleteFirst, I dig the low-register piano intro; and the vocals are captivating. The other instrumentation is excellent, too - synth, drums, lead guitar... Yep. David & David.
~Ed.
HERMANO ED'O ~
DeleteAlthough the David & David song seems, on the surface, kind of subdued and maybe even a shade monotonous, there is actually A LOT of musical stuffs going on in the background. It probably takes a few listening sessions (preferably with headphones or earbuds) to pick up on all that semi-hidden aural info. But you seem to have noticed a goot deal o' it.
We doggies thank you fer yer participation!!!
~ D-FensDogGs
Tom Waits gets my vote. That bass, man...
ReplyDeleteMR. BASS MAN ~
Delete(Do you remember that 1963 song?)
Yes, sir, that walking bass was sumpin', was it not?
Here's some more awesomely deep bass for you (not to mention the drums, sax & snake-like guitar)...
[Link> PIPE
"PIPE"... now that's some serious water!! That's the kind of water that sends a good body-surfer to the lemonade & hot dog stand as a more rational alternative.
~ D-FensDogG
It's so difficult fir the people left after someone you love commits suicide. One thinks, " If only..." but that just builds more despair. I often feel music does help the soul and, in this battle, I'm going with David & David. I like Waits but I prefer the David's better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing some hooch to the party, BIRGIT!
DeleteYeah... "If only"... and "what if?"
I can say with 100% utmost honesty that if it were not for my belief in, & love and understanding of God & Christ Yeshua, I would NOT have lasted this long.
However, I am happy to unequivocally state that I KNOW that everything is going to end up Heavenly. (No, I do not have "faith" in that; I KNOW that. There's a *massive* difference between "faith" and "knowing".)
I'm getting close to *knowing* that David & David are going to win this Battle, too. :^D
~ D-FensDogG
Both offer a distinctively mournful, almost spooky vibe. Fitting for the season, actually. I'm going with the Davids and their Big City song. I couldn't help replaying it ;-)
ReplyDeletedIEDRE ~
DeleteIt seems like the David & David album was a "lightning in a bottle" moment in the timeline.
Paraphrasing here, but...
Joan Baez said in an interview that a lot of people didn't really get what Bob Dylan was doing in the early and mid-'60s. But for those people who DID get it, they got into it VERY deeply.
I would say the same thing applies to the one & only album by David & David. To most people it would probably just sound "OK". However, for a relatively small number of us who discovered it at the [quote]perfect[unquote] time, it was like listening to strangers telling us all about our lives.
Funny thing: 'All Alone In The Big City' isn't my favorite song on the 'Boomtown' album. And neither is their one hit {#37 on Billboard} 'Welcome To The Boomtown' my favorite song on the album.
My two big favorites are 'A Rock For The Forgotten' and 'Swallowed By The Cracks'. After those two... I like them ALL, but it's difficult to say in what order I like them.
~ D-FensDogG
And Stephen....
ReplyDeleteGood Battle my old friend. I typically side with our good friend Tom Waits but here...David and David had me at Jack Daniels and the memories and some non memories of good times with our buddy Jack. Which as Dough might recall is good for a toothache but probably over priced and over proofed for such a small inconvenience. I do recall you playing David and David usually with your door closed and locked.
JW,
Poooooooooooooohoooooooohooo!
And that's not all....I was so tied up with Jack that I forgot to mention my condolences once again for loss of your good pal. I ran a 5K for Didi Hirsch's Suicide Prevention Program in memory of good old Johnny and others who found life hard. I do remember the bigger than life character and his energy well. RIP.
ReplyDeleteJW, JW (and a manly hug),
Pooh
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!...
ReplyDeleteMcBruhthtuh, I greatly, Greatly, GREATLY appreciate your continued support of BOTB! (Not to mention that melikes your voting in these here parts, too!)
Yes, me ol' drinkin' 'n' Drinkin' 'n' DRINKIN' pal, unfortunately we BOTH know about the feelings left in folks after a suicide. It's just wrong in so many ways. Only my Spiritual life has kept me from spiraling down the sink. I lost two friends to suicide, but you actually lost a real Brother. That's hard for even me to imagine! (I did, however, save my Brother's life once... and he has yet to forgive me for that! ;^)
I very recently reread 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' from front to back. It was probably the first time I reread the ENTIRE thing (all 195 pages) since I wrote it in 1983.
Man, some of it was *LITERALLY* laugh-out-loud funny!! Other parts were just horrifying and scary... even though I know that we all managed to survive those years. And I love the fact that Kelly played major roles in some of the 'scenes', even though they weren't all joyful 'n' shit.
Speaking of Jack Daniel's, here's an excerpt from the time when a bouncer was following Cranium around in Mom's Saloon:
"I can't believe he would actually follow me around like that", Cranium said to Torch. "You'd think he would know better than to try to intimidate a man with a glass of Jack Daniel's in his hand."
That *SHOULD* be an advertising slogan used by the Jack Daniel's Distillery in LYNCHburg, Tennessee! GOL!!
~ D-FensDogG
Now that is a great line! But of all of us expected to be followed around by a bouncer, Dan would probably be low on my list. I'm proud of him! I am wondering if what followed that night was the next morning with Dan on the lawn with a bucket on his head.
DeleteAND, POOH!...
DeleteThat was a goot question. Naturally, I had to look it up. So, first, I put 'Me, Lynth & The Beach Report' into my CD player. And then I got "the book" out of the oven, where I keep it hidden, and I looked that up.
No, actually, "Buckethead" Cranium occurred earlier than "Jack Daniel's In His Hand" Cranium did. "Buckethead" was in chapter 11, 'LIKE A ROSE, THE MADHOUSE BLOOMS' (a long and funny chapter), while Cranium being followed by a bouncer occurred in chapter 12, 'IN FORMATION' (which, as you probably don't but maybe recall, was based on a line of dialogue by R.P. McMurphy in '...Cuckoo's Nest').
In chapter 11, there's this:
McME to Twinkie: "It's so early... why are you drunk this early?"
TWINKIE to McMe: "Well, hey, Cranium wakes me up and says, 'Let's go get a drink'. What am I supposed to say? 'No?'"
Later, of course, Cranium wound up with a bucket on his head and a garden hose between his legs.
Back inside the house we were drinking when some small children on bicycles rode by on the sidewalk. They stopped and stared at the body on the lawn, then they got off the bikes and walked over and stood, hovering over Cranium's limp body. One of the kids bent down and looked at Cranium's face.
"I think he's dead", one of them said, as we watched from the window.
"Is he breathing?"
"I don't know."
"Nah... he ain't dead", said another. "He's just drunk."
They got back on their bikes and rode away. We were laughing hysterically.
Goot times, my friend. Goot times!!
Thank God I wrote "the book" when I did, or none of us would remember most of it.
~ D-FensDogG
Ah, '86 was a good year. I had no cares in the world, no responsibilities, life was smooth, whimsical, magical... and then I had to go and turn 4 years old.
ReplyDeleteIt all went down hill from there.
I actually liked both of these songs. Maybe it's just because I'm a fan of One From The Heart, but I like the Tom Waits song... just not quite as much as I like that David and David track. That deep, ominous piano, that airy synth - it's got a slight eighties sound to it, but not enough that it nosedives into that corny synthpop kind of sound.
Give my bote to David and David, and my heart to the mid 80s, when life was a little more simple.
~Chief Julio down by the time machine