Friday, July 15, 2016

2016, JULY 15: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, LOUIS PRIMA VS. PHIL HARRIS)


Trump Vs. Hellary, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...

BATTLE OF THE BANDS! (‘BOTB’)


Shoop-Shooby –
Shooby-duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah –
Buh-Doo-Wah!

Yes, it’s time once again for ‘Battle Of The Bands’ (‘BOTB’)

Alright, let’s get on it...

EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER
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As a youngster I was fortunate that both of my parents had good taste in music but also that their tastes were slightly different. Therefore, I was exposed to a good variety artists. Pa and Ma agreed on Big Band and Sinatra and then their tastes diverged slightly.

Ma gave me Cannonball Adderley, Bill Black's Combo, Artie Shaw, Stan Getz, and believe it or not, Creedence Clearwater Revival. Pa gave me Nat "King" Cole, Dinah Washington, Willie Nelson, Louis Prima and Phil Harris. And those last two bring us to today's BOTB installment.

Everybody knows Louis Prima (and his wife Keely Smith) through classics like (link >>) Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody. Man, if THOSE people did not have fun on stage, then no one EVER has!!

Fewer people are familiar with Phil Harris. Phil was born in Linton, Indiana, but very much like Prima, who was born in New Orleans, he was strongly associated with the South (I loves me "the South", y'all!). Both men were Big Band leaders, vocalists, and very fond of novelty songs. Novelty songs... naturally my Pa, with that goofy sense of humor, loved them both greatly!

Phil Harris had quite a number of songs that were popular back in the '40s and '50s. I think perhaps the one I dig most of all is (link >>) That's What I Like About The South. Is there any way not to enjoy THAT song? Seriously! Is there?

What might surprise a lot of people is that Prima and Harris are featured in Disney's "Summer Of Love" (1967) animated classic 'THE JUNGLE BOOK'. Louis Prima supplied the voice for "King Louie" and Phil Harris provided the voice for "Baloo The Bear".

'I WANNA BE LIKE YOU' -- The Jungle Book


Now, I ask you, what could possibly be more fun than having KING LOUIE and BALOO THE BEAR face off against each other in a 'Battle Of The Bands' installment? ...That's what I thought! So, here's Prima and Harris doing a novelty song, the type of music they both specialized in.

If you're already very familiar with The Bible, you can skip this next segment and go straight to the tunes. If not, you'd better read this first or the song is not going to make any sense to you.

GOODNIKS  VS.  NO-GOODNIKS

First, one must know that in the Old Testament, God gave to the Israelites what's called "The Ten Commandments". The very first Commandment states:

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them."

Remember that, you'll need it later.

Now, in (link >>) the third chapter of 'Daniel', there's the story of how Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, made an image of gold that he set it up in the plain of Dura.

Then a herald cried aloud: "To you it is commanded that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery ... you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."

But three Israelites, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, remaining true to God's "First Commandment" refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's idol.

The King gave them one last chance before throwing them into the furnace, but they responded:

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury ... He commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were bound in their coats and were cast into the furnace. Because the furnace was exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who fell down bound into the midst of the furnace. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and spoke to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the the fire? ... I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

They saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him ... that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ... There is no other God who can deliver like this." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
 
OK, now you're ready for this fun song. "KING LOUIE" (Prima) versus "BALOO THE BEAR" (Harris) -- may the better Disney character win!

SHADRACH -- Louis Prima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFVaKg4MD74

GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

SHADRACH -- Phil Harris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu4kMDh4W_4


RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN
Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whoever you are) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. 

After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)

Voice Your Vote...

@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JANIE JUNEBUG, RIGHTING & EDITINGby clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
@ 'QUIET LAUGHTER' by clicking HERE
@ 'REINVINTAGED' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'EVIL POP TART' by clicking HERE.

As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Thursday, July 7, 2016

2016, 7/1 BOTB RESULTS (Or, TSOML,1982: THE LEAGUE OF SOUL CRUSADERS, Part 4 - Blog Bit 13)

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Today, I am combining my July 1st, 2016 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' (BOTB) Results post with another installment in my 'THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE' (TSOML) series.


First off, I want to thank all you DogGs and DogGettes for taking the time to listen, watch and vote. Considering it is Summer and this particular Battle was a bit more time-consuming than most (because I was asking you to cast two votes -- one for SONG and one for RIDE), this was a nice turnout. I appreciate that. Thanks!

This became a really good dual Battle, and because of the novelty of the contest, it is one of my favorites that I've ever put together.

This was an "E-Ticket" BOTB installment, and I asked you to compare the Disneyland rides "The Pirates Of The Caribbean" and "The Haunted Mansion" and cast your vote for your favorite of the two rides, and also a vote for your favorite of the two ride theme songs: "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)" or "Grim Grinning Ghosts".


I liked your answers 'splaining why you preferred one ride or song over the other.

I'm a big fan of both rides -- both "E-Tickets" in every spectacular sense of the expression -- and I have ridden both of them countless times. 100? 150? I dunno, but it's gotta be in that neighborhood.

My great buddy, Kelly, who killed himself in 1986, has his initials scratched into a New Orleans Square window at Disneyland, just a stone's throw from "The Pirates" ride. Now I wonder who might have done that!



One thing I knew beforehand with absolute certainty was that every former member of 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' (meaning Judge Al Bondigas, Pooh, and myself) would be voting in the Song category for 'Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)' Why?  Because one day, circa 1982, Pooh changed the lyric, and from that time on, we would cruise the Los Angeles streets in our topless, 1964 Cadillac ("Tiburon"), beer cans held aloft, and we'd belt out the new line at the top of our lungs: "Yo-Ho! Yo-Ho! A PARTY life for me!"

For us, "Grim Grinning Ghosts" never had a chance.




My favorite part of the "real" song, however, is the line: "Aye! But we're loved by our mommies and dads." Ha!-Ha!!-HilArious!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A19q7rysLs



In the Ride category though, I put my own vote in for 'The Haunted Mansion'. Both rides are fabulous, entertaining as all get-out, but 'The Pirates' ride is essentially restricted to the reality of what pirates did and would do. With the exception of a comedic exaggeration -- a fat, old woman chasing a skinny pirate with a rolling pin -- there wasn't as much room for imagination in 'The Pirates' as there was in 'The Haunted Mansion'.

In 'The Mansion', the Disney "Imagineers" were really free to "conjure up" any weird, spooky, or ghostly humorous scenario they could. And there are so many fascinating details in 'The Haunted Mansion' that I enjoy it just slightly more than 'The Pirates', even if 'The Pirates' seems more epic in size and rambunctiousness.

Due to the Johnny Depp movies, I figured that "The Pirates" would likely run away with this Battle in both categories, Song and Ride, but actually it was reasonably close in both. The final tally, including my votes, came out like this:

SONG:
'Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)' = 15 votes
'Grim Grinning Ghosts' = 9 votes

18 votes were also submitted for the Rides...

RIDE:
'The Pirates Of The Caribbean' =  9 votes
'The Haunted Mansion' = 9 votes

My thanks again to everyone who took time to vote, and I hope to see you all back here again for my July 15th 'Battle Of The Bands' installment.

And incidentally, as much as I loved 'The Pirates' and 'The Ghosts' at Disneyland, neither of them were one of my Top 3 favorite rides. Two of my three favorites were always these...

Link: --->> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtP5bMoSfRg

And...

Link: --->>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWzGN0Bezz8

My previous blog bits pertaining to 'The Soundtrack Of My Life' (TSOML) can be found by clicking the links below: 
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TSOML #1 - Prelude To An Introduction
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TSOML #2- Introduction
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TSOML #3 - First Song: 1959
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TSOML #4 - 8th Birthday: 1967
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TSOML #5 - Summer: 1974
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TSOML #6 - Outlaw: 1978
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TSOML #7 - M*A*S*H: Late 1978
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TSOML #8 - Innocence Lost: 1980
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TSOML #9 - A Friend With A View: 1980 

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TSOML #10 - The League Of Soul Crusaders: 1981
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TSOML #11 - The League Of Soul Crusaders: 1981 - Part 2

TSOML #12 - The League Of Soul Crusaders: 1982 - Part 3

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For more TSOML participants, visit the blog of GIRL WONDER ('Your Daily Dose') by clicking HERE.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Friday, July 1, 2016

2016, JULY 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, PIRATES VERSUS GHOSTS)



When I think of Summer I think of War. War because I've always loved their song 'Summer' (HERE). I dig that line "Kids of all ages diggin' Disneyland". I grew up on the beach in "Dogtown", which you already knew if you read my last blog bit (HERE). But I also used to be a Disneyland junkie.

I purchased my first Disneyland annual pass in 1985 or '86 and it cost less than $100 at that time. Today a one-day admission ticket for an adult is $95 to $119, depending on the day you visit! That's called "Inflation" (you un'erstan' what causes that, right?) and it's called "Disney Greed".

I had an annual pass up until I moved to Arizona in late '92, and oftentimes I'd go to D-Land after getting off work at UCLA around 3 PM, just to spend the evening unwinding at "The Happiest Place On Earth".


However, I still have some of those old D-Land tickets. They're collectors' items now. Did you know that the expression "That's an E-Ticket!" originates with the best, most valuable ticket in an old Disneyland coupon book?


What does all this have to do with 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB')? Well, we're going to Disneyland for this installment. I'm giving you a Day Pass at the discounted cheaper rate. Send a check or money order for $95 to:
STMcC
Rip-U-Off Vacations
P.O. Box 86
San Quentin State Prison, CA.

Anyone who's been to Disneyland or Disney World has probably gone on the (formerly) E-Ticket Rides 'THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN' and 'THE HAUNTED MANSION', both of them located in New Orleans Square.


THE PIRATES ride opened at Disneyland in 1967. These cute gals in cute little pirate outfits with eye-catching blouses... well, never mind. What happens is that you're assisted into a little boat by little pirates and it takes you past fighting pirates and carousing pirates and incarcerated pirates. There are lots of lions and tigers and bears - oh, my!

There's even a little pirate-wannabe dog:


The Countess and I used to go to Disneyland together all the time and the singing pirate below, in the red and white striped pants, we nicknamed him "Van Morrison"...

VAN  MORRISON  PIRATE  IN  THE  MIDDLE

THE  REAL  VAN  MORRISON  ON  THE  LEFT


Another favorite ride within rummy-stumbling distance of THE PIRATES is...


THE HAUNTED MANSION opened in 1969. At the end of this ride your "Doom Buggy" takes you past three hitchhiking ghosts. Right after you pass them, you go down a long hallway of mirrors and find in your reflection that one of the three ghosts has hitched a ride home with you.


The gaunt ghost in the middle looks an awful lot like an old guy who was also a regular at 'The Crest House' (HERE), a cocktail lounge in L.A. that The Countess and I used to frequent. So we nicknamed that patron "Mr. Doom". Mr. Doom always arrived and departed in a taxi cab. I 'spose that cab was his "Doom Buggy".

Mr. Doom, who must have become a ghost many years ago, ALWAYS sat on that last stool at the bar -- the vacant one next to the man in the light blue shirt [below]. The Countess and I always sat in the booth behind Mr. Doom's spot and closest to that famous, magical jukebox which contained so much "E-Ticket Music"! It was THAT  jukebox which made Glenn Miller's [Link-->] 'MOONLIGHT SERENADE' my #1 favorite musical recording, then, now, and forever...

'THE  CREST  HOUSE  LOUNGE':  HOME  OF  THE  COUNTESS,  STMcC,  AND  MR.  DOOM


Alright, let's get on it!...
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Vote for the E-Ticket Ride theme song you like better, and after that, you can even vote for the ride itself that you prefer...


'YO HO (A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME)' 
from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTelUxYo1WA




'GRIM GRINNING GHOSTS'
from THE HAUNTED MANSION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zAPDOYtmj8


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NOTE TO CANADIAN BOTBers:
Debbie found a working video for the song 'GRIM GRINNING GHOSTS'. You can use the link below:
Unfortunately, the video she found for The Pirate's song is from the Disney movie, not the Disneyland attraction. Below are more videos I've found for the song 'Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)'. Hopefully at least one of these will work for you Canadian participants:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-CW0X9V7o 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A19q7rysLs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ_iu7i7sp0
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Now that you've decided on the theme song, perhaps you wanna vote for one of the two rides? Originally, I conceived this as a Two-Way Battle, in which I would request separate official votes for both song and ride. But then I considered the time investment: you'd need to watch a 15-min and a 12-min video.

Also, although both of these "low-light" videos are pretty exceptional, I felt that many of the wonderful details in 'THE HAUNTED MANSION' do not come across nearly as well in video, so that ride would have been at a distinct disadvantage in a 'BOTR' ('Battle Of The Rides'), unless the voter had experienced the rides in reality and knows them very well.

For example, shortly after entering your "Doom Buggy" in 'The Haunted Mansion', you travel down a hallway with doors on either side. The wooden doors appear to be breathing -- expanding and contracting -- but this is not apparent in the video. Also, the talking Madame Leota in the crystal ball can barely even be discerned in the video.


Madame Leota:


Likewise, you don't get a clear view of "The Hat Box Ghost" weirdness in the full-ride video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtCXB709l-A


Nevertheless, if you'd like to also cast a voluntary vote for "The Pirates" ride or "The Ghosts" ride, based on the videos below, or based upon your own personal firsthand experience riding them at Disneyland or Disney World, or any other D-Place, I would LOVE to see how you vote. And I will announce the winner of the 'Voluntary E-Ticket Ride Battle' at the same time I announce the 'BOTB' Theme Song winner on July 7th.

'The Pirates Of The Caribbean' 
VIDEO  OF  THE  RIDE   
Click the URL link below 
for a big image in a new window:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S27oOuros0

'The Haunted Mansion' 
VIDEO  OF  THE  RIDE 
Click the URL link below 
for a big image in a new window:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H709rKA489k

So? Which song do you like better?  Which ride do you like better?

Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whoever you are) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. 

After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also.

Voice Your Vote...

@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JANIE JUNEBUG, RIGHTING & EDITINGby clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
@ 'QUIET LAUGHTER' by clicking HERE
@ 'REINVINTAGED' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'EVIL POP TART' by clicking HERE. 

As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

FUN FACT POSTSCRIPT: I have always had the hots for Tinkerbell, but I have NO IDEA WHY!!