BOTB RESULTS: NOV. 15, 2024 (Or, JIM STAFFORD Versus TODD SNIDER X 2)

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My 11/15/2024 Battle Of The Bands contest took place HERE and it was between Jim Stafford's song 'Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne' and Todd Snider's 'Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern' (two versions - studio and live recording).
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It was a disappointingly poor turnout, but most of those folks who DID show up to vote (and I very sincerely thank those of you who did) said that they enjoyed all 3 recordings. Yip! Same here. If the BOTB contest had simply been Stafford's song versus Snider's studio recording, I'd have voted for the staggering bulldog. But I find the live version of Snider's song so laugh-out-loud funny that my vote went to it.
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FINAL TALLY:
Jim Stafford = 0 votes 
Todd Snider (studio version) = 4 votes 
Todd Snider (live version) = 5 votes 
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Well, I hope more voters will show up for my December 1st Battle. I don't normally announce in advance what my next planned BOTB installment will be, but this time I WILL reveal it beforehand: Dec. 1st will find Frank Sinatra in the ring with Simon & Garfunkel. Until then, may you all...
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Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ STMcC

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2024, NOV. 15 (Or, FUNNY STUFFS BETWEEN JIM STAFFORD's CHAMPAGNE & TODD SNIDER's BEER)

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Friends & Neighbors, this installment of BOTB's Battle Of The Booze is going to be a horse of a different color (don't worry, ladies, I'm not gay 😏), so hang on & pay attention. I'm adding a new wrinkle to my BOTB format here.

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If you don't like spiders & snakes, and if you've ever smoked a wildwood weed, then Jim Stafford needs no introduction. Stafford is a highly underrated guitarist (you can see that HERE).

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However, Todd Snider probably DOES need an introduction. I consider Snider to be one of the all-time great lyricists; he'd very likely be on my Top 5 list. 

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NECESSARY BACKGROUND INFO:

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[link> 'Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)' was a MASSIVE (#1) Country music hit in 1977. The song was a duet featuring Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson. (Remember this, you'll need it later!)

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Waylon sang the chorus like this:

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Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas

With Waylon and Willie and the boys

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And when Willie took the lead vocal, he sang the chorus like this:

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Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas

Willie and Waylon and the boys

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(Ya gotta love their playful WayWil & WilWay senses of humor!)

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OK, now you know what you need to know in order to fully grasp the history behind Todd Snider's song 'Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern'. Two very different versions of that song will be battling against Jim Stafford's song 'Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne'. 

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Here's the deal: Because they are so radically different from each other, I am using Snider's studio recording of '...Devil's Backbone Tavern' AND his live version of the song against Stafford's champagne-drinking bulldog. 

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'Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern' studio version: It begins with Snider stating the song is "The story about a failed trip to Luckenbach". It's 3:11 long and has full instrumentation in a Dixieland-like style. 

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The live version, titled 'The Story Of The Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern', is 10:42 long and it is just Todd Snider and his acoustic guitar. A lot of it is Snider talking to his audience and explaining the details of how he came to write the song about that "failed trip to Luckenbach". I'll tell you this: If Todd Snider ever gives up music, he could make a living as a standup comedian. Yes, THAT'S how funny his monologue is. I think he's hilarious, and no matter how many times I listen to it, I still wind up literally laughing out loud! 

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So, the choice is yours: You can listen to Todd Snider's studio version of the song AND/OR his live version of the song (which does include a few f-bombs). If you have the time 'n' patience, I urge you to listen to BOTH and you'll get extra credit in the comment section. Either way, if you do vote for one of these Snider recordings over the Jim Stafford song, please let me know which version you are selecting, "studio" or "live". (And, remember, you can only vote one time for one recording only, no matter how long you've been dead in Chicago!)

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YOUR BULLDOG DRINKS CHAMPAGNE 

by Jim Stafford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49czzPsFLow

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BALLAD OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE TAVERN

by Todd Snider

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9StmfRexJc

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(Live) THE STORY OF THE 

BALLAD OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE TAVERN

by Todd Snider 

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

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After you've done your doo-ty here (*clean up after your bulldog!*), please visit the other BOTBers & do your duty there. I'll be back on or about Nov. 22nd to reveal my vote & announce the winner.

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~ STMcC 

(w/ a shout-out to L.C.) 

BOTB RESULTS: 2024, NOV. 1 (Or, STEELY DAN Versus STEELY DAN)

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My November 1st Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze went down HERE, and it was a contest between Steely Dan's pina colada (or 'Bad Sneakers') and Steely Dan's rum and Coke Coke and rum (or 'Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More'). I expected this to be a nip & tuck race all the way to the finish line, and it certainly did start out that way. With six votes in, it was tied up 3 to 3. But then 'Bad Sneakers' captured the next 6 votes ("including yours and mine, and one more chimp who isn't here"). 

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Despite the lopsided outcome, I agree with the several folks who said this was not an easy decision. I really like BOTH songs. Daddy's got that Double-F going for it (Funk Factor), but there's just something about 'Bad Sneakers' that really appeals to me. I think it's that slightly odd, extended cadence in lines like this: "Bad sneakers and a piña colada, my friend, stompin' on the avenue by Radio City with a transistor and a large sum of money to spend". It seems like a long, strange trip over many hills and through many valleys to a cozy campsite where the s'mores are waiting. (Helck, I dunno. I just make this stuffs up as I go along.)

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Anyway, my great gratitude to everyone who took the time to visit 'n' vote!

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FINAL TALLY: 

Steely Dan = 9 votes 

Steely Dan = 3 votes 

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So, 'Bad Sneakers' advances to the eventual post-season Playoff rounds, while 'Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More' goes back to New York City, where he came from. ("Get a rope!")

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Please be sure to visit me here on November 15th, because I've got a BOTB's BOTB installment planned that is going to be a ton o' fun and unlike any other Battle I've concocted over these last 11+ years. "See ya soon". 

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~ STMcC 

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POSTSCRIPT: If you were wondering where the "dog" was in this post, I decided not to include a dog. This is the first time ever that I posted a blog bit sans a dog.

BOTB'S BOTB: NOV. 1, 2024 (Or, STEELY DAN'S PINA COLADA Versus STEELY DAN'S COKE & RUM)

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I didn't really become aware of Steely Dan until their biggest hit, 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number', reached #4 on the Billboard charts in 1974. '74 was totally bitchin' and that song will always Waybac Machine me to the Summer of '74 within a matter of seconds. (Thank you, Mister Peabody, you brainy dog!)

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The music of Steely Dan was always slick, sophisticated and somewhat strange -- yes, a wee bit bizarre. But strange / bizarre in a goot way. To me, Donald Fagen & Walter Becker are like the Rocky & Bullwinkle of Rock music.

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Over the decades I owned a fair number of Steely Dan albums. I know that 'Aja' was their biggest non-compilation seller; however, my favorite was always 'Katy Lied' (1975). The cover was as weird as the songs, and that LP spent a LOT of time on my turntable. It was one of 2 or maybe 3 albums I would put on when I didn't really know what I was in the mood to hear. Somehow 'Katy Lied' always hit the spot and those tracks took me to some very different kind of place! 

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"The Dan" mentions booze, hooch, evidence in a goot number of their songs (all of which I like). But, for this installment of Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The  Booze, I decided to run with two relatively obscure Dan tunes from the 'Katy Lied' album. Please vote for your favorite between them, and then please also visit the other BOTBers and drop your two cents in their comment sections. 

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I plan to return here on November 8th with my own vote and the final tally. 

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Bad sneakers and a Piña Colada, my friend

Stompin' on the avenue by Radio City with a transistor and a large sum of money to spend

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BAD SNEAKERS 

by Steely Dan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r5PsCkBrDg

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Daddy don't drive in that El Dorado no more

He don't travel on down to the neighborhood liquor store

Lucy still loves her Coke and Rum

But she sits alone 'cause her Daddy can't come

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DADDY DON'T LIVE IN THAT NEW YORK CITY NO MORE 

by Steely Dan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjf9QQKjRzc

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Be well & stay safe, all y'all!

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~ Stephen T McKatydid McCarthy