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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
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BALLAD OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE TAVERN
by Todd Snider
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(Live) THE STORY OF THE
BALLAD OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE TAVERN
by Todd Snider
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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.)