We've been told that opposites attract. Hmmm.... well, sometimes...
in some areas.
.
.
Obviously, the major theme in all of my Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze installments is booze. Every song mentions some sort of hooch or a cocktail made with hooch. Most of the time, I attempt to include a kind of secondary theme, such as a shared subject, shared musical genre, tempo, or mood.
.
This time I decided to present two songs that are opposites in almost every way (e.g., ballad vs. rocker, vocal group vs. solo singer, beautiful vs. beastly, etc.)
.
For a very long time I have greatly loved the clever harmonizing by Spanky & Our Gang. I rank them higher than The Mamas & The Papas; lower than The Beach Boys; but at the very least, equal with The 5th Dimension. And I consider Tom Waits to be one of the two greatest lyricists of all-time. Let's see what happens when these two opposites square off against each other in Battle Of The Booze! (I think I know who's going to win, but I haven't a clue about the margin of victory.)
.
It's champagne & beer versus whiskey . Please vote for the song you prefer, and then please visit all of the other BOTBers and drop your two cents in their upturned hats. I intend to return to the comment section with my own vote & the final tally on Feb. 8th.
.
Cherry blossoms lose their bloom in the autumn
You lost your cool in the fall
You stumbled and you fell right down to the bottom
Nobody cared at all
But for me
You would have stood there with egg on your face
The bitter taste of old CHAMPAGNE
Up to your neck in rain
........
Here's a prescription for convalescent hippies
You oughta know
Get some Japanese BEER that I call sipsies
Ah-So,
Ret yourself go
Northwest Orient
.
(It Ain't Necessarily)
Byrd Avenue
by Spanky & Our Gang
.
Hang on, St. Christopher, on the passenger side
Open it up, tonight the devil can ride
Hang on, St. Christopher, and don't let me go
Get me to Reno, got to bring it in low
Put my baby on the flat car, got to burn down the caboose
Get 'em all jacked up on WHISKEY, then we'll turn the mad dog loose
.
Hang On, St. Christopher
by Tom Waits
.
~ STMcC
I've never heard either one of these songs before, and I'm sorry to say, neither one did much for me from a listening standpoint. The first one is way too "Broadway Musical-ish" for my taste, so I'll vote for Tom Waits, because he was more interesting, at least. Pass the Crown Royal! 🥃
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE D'DOGLADY ~
DeleteBut... but... but... I thought you liked musicals?!
Maybe I'm thinking of a different Debbie D'Doglady. :^D
Crown Royal... I like Crown Royal -- when I can't get Old Grand-Dad, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark, or Evan Williams.
~ D'Drunken DogG
This is indeed a crazy disparity of sounds. I do love the sounds of Spanky & co. but the quirky lucid lunacy of Waits is pretty cool and I especially like this crazy beat arrangement. I started off preferring Spanky hands down. But then. Those drums, the horns, the hypnotic beat kept drawing me in.
ReplyDeleteGive my vote to Tom Waits.
Lee
R. LEE BOID ~
DeleteHey, I'm pleased as spiked punch that you liked BOTH of the songs presented here (as do I).
I know exactly what you mean about the hypnotic beat of the Waits song drawing you in. It's definitely a weird song, but there's something compelling about it that grows on the listener.
~ D-FensDogG
I'm going to break the trend here and vote for Spanky and Our Gang, from the (formerly) great City of Chicago, my hometown (it's a great place to be from). That was some amazing harmony.
ReplyDeleteSIR JOHN ~
DeleteGOL! It's a great place to be FROM -- I gotta remember that line for the next time I refer to myself having grown up in helL.A. (It wasn't *always* "helL.A.").
Spanky & Her Gang did some fantastic harmonizing & arranging. The first time I heard their 'Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?' my mind flipped!
~ D-FensDogG
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteShame on me for not mentioning S&OG's version of 'Stardust', which is unquestionably -- I mean, UN-freakin'-QUESTIONABLY!! -- my all-time favorite rendition of that classic.
~ D'DogG
I'm with Debbie on this one, as I had not heard nor did my ears love either song. But I will vote for Spanky. It appeals a bit more. TW is just not a favorite sound for me, even though he wrote some great lyrics. I think I voted for him once in your battles... maybe twice. But the cards are stacked against him a bit at the start of any battle.
ReplyDeleteSixgun McItchyfinger
SIR SIX-A-LOT ~
DeleteI get what you mean about Tom Waits. Tom's natural voice is a gritty baritone, which he used on his first two LPs. I dig his natural voice.
With his third LP, he began artificially laying it on -- deliberately making himself sound unnaturally ultra-gritty. On his terrific soundtrack for the movie 'One From The Heart' (my 2nd favorite soundtrack ever) he dialed the fake-grit back a notch, in order to appeal to a mainstream movie audience. But after that, he went back to the artificial gritty baritone sound, and I think it hurt his music and his bank account.
However, I kind of like the sound of Tom's voice in 'Hang On, St. Christopher', as he applied some sort of effect to it, giving it a kind of Rudy Vallee "megaphone" sound.
The first time I ever heard Spanky & Our Gang was probably late 1984 or '85. I was driving alone on Imperial Highway, heading West, toward the setting sun -- just a few miles from the beach -- and the radio played 'LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU'.
McBrother, that was an amazing A+ / E-Ticket GOLDENSHADOW moment!! I'll never ever forget it. And as soon as the song ended, I knew that the next LP I purchased would be something by this band I'd never heard before.
I fell in love with so many of Spanky's songs, but I'll admit that it took me a little time before I could fully wrap my mind around '(It Ain't Necessarily) Byrd Avenue'.
That song has a pretty complex meter to it, making it a bit difficult to find the melody right away. In a way, it's kind of like a lot of PMG tunes, where they don't sound very distinct until - SUDDENLY! - one day the mind just shouts: "WAIT! I know THIS one!" and one starts whistling along to it.
Even after I came to dig this Spanky & Our Gang song, it was still a bit more time before I realized how wonderful the instrumentation is behind it. Today, I love the variety of musical touches between the stanzas as much as I do the vocal harmonizing.
~ D-FensDogG
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteMcSixBro ~
[Link> 'LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU' is the 74th video in my (88-videos - no more, no less) 'GOLDENSHADOWLAND' playlist, which is one of my very favorite "creative" endeavors that I ever endeavored to persevere at... in... on...? I guess it's not much, after 65 years of life, but... I spend a lot of time in Goldenshadowland nowadays. I'd rather go to GSL than... go outdoors and face... the present (with all of its tattoos, nose rings and purple hair).
~ D'DogG
I will give this to Tom Waits which held my interest much more than Spanky
ReplyDeleteBIRGIT ~
DeleteWell, that makes sense, since Tom Waits is a fine looking gentleman, and Spanky... well... she has a strange name (which would probably appeal to Tom Waits).
Thanks for bringing some hooch
to the par-TAY!
~ D-FensDogG
Spanky gets my vote ;-) Interesting battle!
ReplyDeletedIEDRE ~
DeleteSpanky says, "YAY!"
& Our Gang says, "What Spanky said!"
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteI've not heard either of these songs before and really I know little about these artists. Actually, I'm not sure if I've listened to Spanky & Gang until now unless you shared them in the past and I just forgot. I do that a lot.
It was interesting to listen to both songs and I was conflicted on how to vote, so I had to play each song a second time.
The first one has a gentle dreamy sway to it. The vocals are soothly pleasing to the ear. I can see playing this while nodding off to sleep. That's how relaxing it made me feel.
The second song makes the body move a bit. At first I really didn't like Tom's gruff voice but continuing through the show it grew on me. The horns and drums gave it a funkiness that I soon began digging.
In the end, I felt TOM WAITS deserved my vote.
Cool battle, my friend!
CAThy ~
DeleteYes, I did use Spanky's 'Stardust' in BOTB once, so you've undoubtedly heard them before. But that was about 7 or 8 years ago, and a lot of music has flowed under the bridge since then.
Methanx ya for your contribution, and for even taking it so seriously that you listened to both songs twice, just to be sure. I sometimes have to do that as well, on other folks' Battles, when the contestants hit the wire in a "photo finish".
I would have guessed you to be a Spanky voter, but that Waits song definitely gets under one's toes. And that's why we play this game -- because in BOTB, there very few sure things.
~ D-FensDogG
Not gonna lie, I completely forgot about Spanky and Our Gang, well, outside of the Spanky and the Our Gang that I know and love, so I partly was thinking, why the hell would he pit this poor lil kid against Tom Waits? This is gonna be a bloodbath!
ReplyDeleteI do remember Stardust now, and I do actually like that song, as well as today's song. Tom isn't bad, but for my money, that killer harmonizing really takes it to another level.
Give my bote to Spanky.
~Chief Julio (former president of the He-Man Woman Haters Club)
CHIEF BIG SHOOTER ~
DeleteThanks for bringing some Modesto Miracle Water for the party's punch bowl.
I know I turned you on to this some years agone, but I still maintain that the best intro to a Rock song is found in REO Speedwagon's [Link> TOUGH GUYS.
And bear in mind that their album 'HI-InFIdelity' is the ultimate soundtrack for a drive to Marina Del Rey's El Torito Mexican Restaurant in Big Al's little MG. Don't worry, Al knows the way, and YOU now know the soundtrack.
Cheers! Have a Margarita for me.
~ D-FensDogG
VOTE = SPANKY & OUR GANG
ReplyDeleteDuuuuuuudddde.
That was hard. Dig 'em both; nice and quirky, both musically and lyrically. Tough to choose!
Duuuuuuudddde.
It's ,MISTER Duuuuuuudddde, if'n you don't mind!
DeleteYeah, Eduardo, this has turned into an E-Ticket BOTB competition. Right now, I've got it at 5-4, with Spanky hanging on (like St. Christopher) to that one-vote lead.
This Battle is SO DIFFICULT for me that I've even been toying with the idea of abstaining, because it's truly a 50%-50% contest to mine own ears. However, seeing how close it is, I may *have to* vote if this thing ends in another damnable Tie!
~ D-FensDogG
Both new to me and I definitely like the Spanky song more!
ReplyDeleteHere's mine: https://christinebialczak.com/2025/02/03/battle-of-the-bands-2025-feb-1-or-beauty-and-the-beast-in-conflict/
ReplyDeleteCHRISTINE ~
DeleteI thanks ya for coming by with a vote. Spanky & Her Gang (whom I suspected would win) now have a 2-vote lead. But... will it hold up? Methinks there are probably at least two more Tom Waits votes out there just "Waiting" for the right moment to pounce!
This has *already* been an exciting Battle, regardless of who winds up with the 1st Place ribbon.
~ D-FensDogG
And Stephen....
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you know where this is going...Heck, I used to wear a Saint Christopher Medal back in my Catholic School Daze and I nearly drowned in my drool from the Spanky song induced nap. Nontheless, I do have an object to the line "Get me to Reno" in Tom Waits sang and I know you know why. The song captures the essence of our unhinged years if you know what I mean.
JW,
Poooooooh!
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!...
DeleteBut no, but no, but no!
You dozed 'n' drooled during Spanky's song?!
You Thin Lizzy fans be all alike!
When I was really, really young (uh-huh, I was!) many of us boys wore St. Christopher medals around our necks. And when you went "steady" with a chick, you were supposed to let her wear your St. Christopher medal. I guess it was supposed to be like an engagement ring for kids. And, no, not just Catholic kids, 'cause I've never been a Catholic. (Although I did once get an answer to a month-long prayer after attending a mass all in Spanish -- which I understood none of.)
Yeah, that line should have been something like "Spare me from Reno". I tried to tell you that we shouldn't stop there, but NOooooooo!... you did not heed my warning (and I'm still hungover from that night!)
Late last year, I reread "the book" for the first time in decades. Here's an excerpt that I thought was so funny that I read it aloud to Nappy:
The most extraordinary thing during the evening was that though completely drunk out of his mind, like everyone else, Lyle Flynn did not wind up in one argument with anybody. In fact, he even helped me break up a few of them.
Pooh, I thanks you for bringing some hot-buttered water to this party.
~ D-FensDogG
You know us Irish are all about keeping the peace. Not saying it was your people. Yes, sometimes I even surprised myself. Now about Reno, I recall feeling or saying "This is a dangerous place" and I was right about that.
DeleteAND, POOH...
DeleteOh, was it you who voiced the warning about stopping for a drink in Reno? I knew that one of us was against it, and I assumed it was me. ;^)
It was still your fault, though. Because you shoulda been more insistent! If you'd only stated the warning a second or third time, none of that woulda happened to us.
A word of warning to others who might pass through these bloggy parts:
"NOBODY helps drunken cowboys in Reno!"
~ D-FensDogG
(Who always takes *insistent* warnings to heart and heeds the good advice.)
"NOBODY helps drunken cowboys in Reno!"
DeleteAnd Stephen...that's a f'n shame!
Yer damn-straight it is!
DeleteHelck, even the taxi cab drivers & the sailors on leave won't help drunken cowboys in Reno. That's why I do all of my drinkin' in Virginia City now.
~ D-FensDogG
Al Bondigas here. Very interesting battle indeed. I’ve kind of gone back and forth on this one, originally thinking I’d make a rulin’ fer Waits, then I did a 180 and considered that great harmonizing. Lee was right on with his comment about the hypnotic effect of those drums and horns. Rulin’ fer waits!! That’s it. That’s muh rulin’. Incidentally, I must say, your commenters are obviously very intellectually inclined musically, and thoughtful in their responses. That’s another rulin’.
ReplyDeleteJUDGE MEATBALL ~
DeleteAh-HA! [Link> The old 360-Degree Rulin' Trick, eh? I should have seen it coming, but I "missed it by that much!"
There are still 48+ hours before the voting window closes on this Battle...
Alright, who are you *really*, punk? And what have you done with Judge Al Bondigas?! I ain't fallin' for the ol' banana-in-the-tailpipe trick for a third time this week!
~ D-FensDogG
Before divulging any of that top secret information about who I really am, I must insist that we use the cone of silence.
DeleteBut, Max-- er... I mean, whoever you are... you KNOW that the Cone Of Silence never works!!
Delete~ Thaddeus J. DogG
Better late than never they say ..
ReplyDeleteIt's been a tough month here for me. Got myself a difficult roommate and doing my best to stay out of trouble.
Me thinks you were drinking when you put this one together. Not really a fan of either... But a vote I must come up with!
Going for the lesser irritant and casting my vote for
Drum roll please
Spanky & Our Gang
-MMQE
MMQE ~
Delete>>... "Me thinks you were drinking when you put this one together."
Methinx I was drinking while NOT putting it together, too.
I only drink 16 hours a day... when I'm sleeping well. On nights when I don't get a full 8 hours of sleep, I drink a wee bit more.
Whew! I'm so glad a winner was finally decided & settled upon. The stress was distressing!
~ D-FensDogG
************************
ReplyDelete************************
************************
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Results For 2025, February 1st
'(It Ain't Necessarily) Byrd Avenue'
by Spanky & Our Gang
versus
'Hang On, St. Christopher'
by Tom Waits
************************
************************
************************
Hokey-Smoke and Shazam!
This was one helck of a Battle Of The Bands contest. Granted, some peoples didn't like the songs (situation "normal"), but then I knew in advance that this match-up was a bit different from standard BOTB fare. Beginning, of course, with the idea I conjured up of deliberately using two songs that struck me as polar opposites in almost every way. Both songs had rather abstract lyrics, and that was the only real common ground between them, as far as I could tell.
I sincerely thank EACH and EVERY ONE OF YOUZ who took the time to visit & vote. You made this Battle a "goot juan".
I stated in the blog bit I thought I knew who was going to win, but I didn't have a clue about the margin of victory. Well, the artist I thought was going to win did indeed do so, and the margin of victory was thin - like Twiggy on Laugh-In thin!
Something didn't happen in my Battle which had never not happened before. Eleven & a half years of BOTB, and this had never not happened in an STMcC Battle until this one. What didn't happen? I didn't cast a vote of my own. How come that? Because I really couldn't. I like both of the songs which I used quite a bit, and I like them both in the exact same measure. The two songs represented 180-degree mood swings for me: Lovely & Mellow versus Ragged & Rockin'.
I really wanted to cast a vote, and I tried to yak myself into it. I sez to myself, "Myself," I sez, "if you like the songs exactly the same, depending upon the mood you're in, then the question becomes: 'Which mood are you more often in, Mellow or Rockin'?'"
After nearly a week of contemplation, Myself finally answered the question and said, "Exactly 50-50".
So, I decided to let all of YOU voters determine the outcome of this contest, without any input from me.
Until this installment of BOTB (#210), the most difficult time I had in deciding how to vote in one of my Battles was #25, back in 2014. That was another squeaker that ended like this:
Frank Sinatra = 9 Votes
Ray Charles = 8 Votes
http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2014/08/battle-of-bands-2014-august-1-or-frank.html
I did finally manage to cast a vote for Ray Charles in that contest. This time, I just couldn't find even the slightest degree of preference between my two chosen songs, and the Battle ended like this:
FINAL TALLY:
Spanky & Our Gang = 7 votes
Tom Waits = 6 votes
My thanks again to all you "boters". God willing, I'll return here with another BOTBs' Battle Of The Booze slugfest on February 15th. (Don't forget to get your sweetie a box of sweets on the 14th.)
~ STMcC
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
That was a close one, Stephen! Too bad I was on the losing side. I never thought I would vote for a Tom Waits song, either! ☺ Anyway... I posted my pitiful results in comments as well. I'll be taking a break from BOTB for a while, but you can always visit me at thedogladysden.com.
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE ~
DeleteSorry to hear that you won't be BOTBing. I sincerely hope you won't be gone too long! And I will check in on you at times on your other blog.
~ D-FensDogG
That was a tight one, but makes sense because it was a difficult choice I thought. I really liked them both.
ReplyDeleteI've got my results up now too:
https://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2025/02/somedays-sunday-is-monday-botb-results.html
Lee
R. LEE BOID ~
DeleteI had a blowout in my last Battle, but the one before that ended in a tie. So, two of my last three have been extremely competitive. I'm in a decent BOTB groove right now.
~ D-FensDogG
I went with Spanky & the Gang, so yippee! Very close battle, my friend. Thanks for sharing the outcome. Have a bandtastic week!
ReplyDeleteCAThy!
DeleteWinner, winner, chicken dinner!
I was very pleased with how tight this race was. I knew there was zero chance of a shutout, and I thought S&OG *might* emerge victorious. But other than those two things, I was quite uncertain.
It was a goot juan.
~ D-FensDogG
Ah, the BOTB groove. I was actually on the winning side on this one, too! The first three results I looked at - which I think were Mary's, Cathy's, and my own, I was on the losing side. But, YAY, on Lee's and yours, Steebie, I am on the winning side. Woo HOOO!
ReplyDeleteSay... do you keep a spreadsheet of your BOTBs? You seem to know awfully quick about the status of your battles. Just wondering.
~Eddie.
HERMANO EDUARDO ~
DeleteNo, sir, I do not keep any detailed spreadsheet of my Battles. The "home" page of this blog always shows my ten most recent posts. Also, in the right margin of the blog, I have a basic listing of the winners and losers of my previous contests. The vote totals are not included, and they aren't all in correct numerical order because... Google.
However, this blog also has a "Search" feature in the right margin, and I often use that to access older Battles when I want additional details, like vote totals, old comments from specific voters, etc.
~ D-FensDogG
10-4
Delete