BATTLE OF THE BANDS RESULTS: 2018, MARCH 15 (Or, JOAN JETT VS. THIN LIZZY)

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As always, first I want to thank everyone who showed up and took the time to listen and submit a vote. I appreciate you all (even if our musical tastes don't always mesh). It was a good turnout this time, making up for the terrible turnout last time.
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Off the top of (what's left of) my mind, I'd say this was probably my least popular Battle Of The Bands installment since Paul Simon and The B-52s faced each other in May of 2015.
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I knew beforehand that this [link> Battle Of The Sexes edition was going to be a bad blowout at best, and possibly a shutout at worst. (Musically-speaking, Thin Lizzy's 'Bad Reputation' is objectively better'n Joan Jett's 'Bad Reputation'.) But what I did NOT at all anticipate was the antipathy expressed toward Thin Lizzy's song. I'll expound on that in a moment, but first... 
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It saddens me to say that I believe it may be time to retire the Magic 8-Ball from BOTB. Prior to posting the Battle, I asked it this:
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Question: Will Joan Jett Lose To Thin Lizzy?
MAGIC 8-BALL Sez:  "My Sources Say No"
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I then chimed in with this...
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(Methinks the 8-Ball needs to get new sources!)
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Well, including my own vote, we wound up with this...
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BOTB RESULTS:
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Joan Jett = 4 votes
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Thin Lizzy = 16 votes
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I'm sorry, doggone it, but you just can't get it THAT wrong and still expect to keep your job! Perhaps I should become the new Magic 8-Ball and predict the outcomes in advance. I would definitely do better'n the 8-Ball does.
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What I'm yakking about now is "Badass!" Songs that sound Badass! -- that ignite the Testosterone. Songs that make you break out the Air-Guitar or Air-Drums; that light up your inner "eye of the tiger". It's something I can't really describe in musical terms, but I definitely KNOW IT when I HEAR IT.
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It certainly has something to do with rhythm; sometimes it's tempo too. But there's more to it than just that. Lyrics CAN enhance it, but "tough guy" lyrics are not even necessary to make a song Badass! It's about the sound more than the words.
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If someone said to me, "Name a Badass! song", there's a small handful of titles that would quickly come to mind, such as... Rock The Casbah - Back In Black - No More Mister Nice Guy - Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo - She's So Tough - and even the slower tempo'd Little Dreamer.
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But unquestionably the first song that would come to mind for me -- my "go-to" Badass! song -- is Bad Reputation by Thin Lizzy. It's been that way since 1977. The song just explodes right out of the chute with that thick, heavy, sinewy rhythm and Phil Lynott's voice practically oozing a sense of foreboding. 
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EVERY SINGLE THING THAT MAKES A SONG SOUND "BADASS!" IS IN THIS...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqSzDJGFCgI

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My favorite moment in the song? That little guitar lick that Scott Gorham tosses in there at about 2:34 through 2:37.
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To better appreciate what guitarist Gorham is doing throughout the song, watch this cool video below. The kid hits a couple bum notes at one point, but other than that, his playing terrifically replicates what Gorham laid down for the 'Bad Reputation' track: 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSPGZAFtMK8

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My principal taste in music changed drastically when I got into my thirties and it turned to Blues and then Jazz. As a teenager, I was totally into Rock music -- especially Hard Rock. And in 1977, right after they released their 'Bad Reputation' album, Thin Lizzy became my favorite band. They didn't stay #1 on my list long, but I did see them live 2 or 3 times, with a concert they gave in a small Pasadena theatre being a standout performance. That's one Rock show that has stuck in my mind all these decades.
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As for Joan Jett's 'Bad Reputation', I don't have much to say about it. In my own opinion (don't hate me), it's just loud and fast without any notable musical elements to it. It sounded like she was just ripping a page out of The Ramones' playbook, and any aspiring musician who couldn't duplicate anything that any of her band members played on that recording after just 6 months of picking up an instrument should seek a career in chopping wood instead. In my opinion, there was no "there" there; it was just a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
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I mean, seriously, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, not me, me, me, me, me, me, me!" How long did it take her to come up with that chorus? And why do I strongly suspect that if Joan Jett were not a Liberal, Lesbian, Feminist she couldn't get into the 'Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame' without paying for an admission ticket?
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No personal offense meant toward any of the four good folk who took the time to listen and voted for Joan (I still sincerely appreciate your time and your BOTB participation), but IMO, she got her ass kicked by Thin Lizzy for good reason.
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And I'm still surprised that NO ONE hearing Lizzy's 'Bad Reputation' for the first time said anything like, "Gee, Stephen, that song kicks butt! Thanks for introducing me to it." I fear y'all don't recognize "Badass!" when ya hear it. ;^) 
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But then, as I've said many times, it's the surprises in BOTB that keep it interesting. If every Battle went just the way we BOTBers thought they would, there'd be no point in asking people to vote on 'em.
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When I was 17, Lizzy's 'Bad Reputation' was my favorite music album. Today, I only really dig two tracks: 'Bad Rep', of course, and 'Downtown Sundown'.
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Standing in downtown Reno today is an old, vacant Hotel & Casino which used to be called The Sundowner, and the song Downtown Sundown always makes me think of it. One day in 1990, while sitting on the john in a restroom at The Sundowner, it dawned on me that Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade' was my very favorite musical recording. (That's still true today.)
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And one day in late 2001, while staying in a room near the top of The Sundowner, I had a mystical experience in which Jesus sent me to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, which I could see below me, a couple blocks away. It was on the front porch of that church where Jesus answered a question that I had been praying and asking Him about for 30 days:
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For those reasons, the following song is kind of special to me:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfyXDoZubG8

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Again, I thank you all for voting in my last BOTB installment and I hope to see you all here again for my next Battle on April 1st.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2018, MARCH 15: BATTLE OF THE SEXES (Or, JOAN JETT VERSUS THIN LIZZY)

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Republican Vs. Democrat, 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...
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'BATTLE OF THE BANDS SEXES' ('BOTS')
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Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB'). Except that this time it's a "Battle Of The Sexes" edition, which I am dedicating to the memory of William Norman "Thesaurus Rex" Grigg -- may he rest in "the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding".
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Briefly, here is how this installment came about:
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Maybe four weeks ago, I was reading an article somewhere about a sporting event, and the article mentioned that sometime during the event Joan Jett's song 'BAD REPUTATION' was played. I thought: Joan Jett has a song called 'Bad Reputation'? Maybe I could use that in a BOTB installment against Thin Lizzy's 'BAD REPUTATION'.
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So, I immediately went to YouTube and listened to it. And then I just as quickly dismissed the idea. I've never had a BOTB shutout and I don't want one now!
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But then MMQE did a March 1st "Battle Of The Sexes" BOTB competition on her blog HERE, and that got me to thinking again about the "Bad Reputations". So, despite the age-old warning to "Beware the Ides of March", I'm throwing caution to the wind and doing this Battle Of The Sexes. To quote Queen Esther: "If I perish, I perish."
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing! Let's see who has the better bad reputation...
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Ladies first Joan Jett first:
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Wackypedia sez:
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Joan Jett ... is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, preceded by success with the Runaways, including the hit song "Cherry Bomb". The Blackhearts' song (link> "I Love Rock 'n Roll" was number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982. Her other popular recordings include "Bad Reputation", "Crimson and Clover", "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)", "Light of Day", "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and "Dirty Deeds".
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Jett has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. She has three albums that have been certified Platinum or Gold, and has been a feminist icon throughout her career. She has been described as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll. She is also known as the Godmother of Punk. In 2015, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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BAD REPUTATION (1980) -- Joan Jett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAR0bdp0LfA

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And representing "The Boys"...
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Wackypedia sez:
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Thin Lizzy are a hard rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland, in 1969. ...  The singles "Whiskey in the Jar" (a traditional Irish ballad), "Jailbreak", and (link> "The Boys Are Back In Town" were major international hits.
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Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy's de facto leader, was composer or co-composer of almost all of the band's songs, and the first black Irishman to achieve commercial success in the field of rock music. ... As well as being multiracial, the band drew their members not only from both sides of the Irish border but also from both the Catholic and Protestant communities during 'The Troubles'. ... Rolling Stone magazine describes the band as distinctly hard rock, "far apart from the braying mid-70s metal pack".
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'Bad Reputation' is the eighth studio album by the band ... As the front cover suggests, most of the tracks feature only three-quarters of the band, with guitarist Brian Robertson only credited on three tracks. He had missed most of their previous tour, following a hand injury sustained in a brawl.
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BAD REPUTATION (1977) -- Thin Lizzy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmLt5ubN3jg

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Question: Will Joan Jett Lose To Thin Lizzy?
MAGIC 8-BALL Sez:  "My Sources Say No"
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(Methinks the 8-Ball needs to get new sources!)
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) 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. 
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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.
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Vote your vice... Vice your voice... Voice Your Vote...

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@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ 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
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
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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.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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3-1-2018 BOTB RESULTS: NAT VS. NATALIE (Or, TERRIBLE TURNOUT!)

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Because there were so few of you, I triple-dog thank those of you who took the time 'n' trouble to vote on my latest installment of Battle Of The Bands (BOTB).
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I'm sure glad I didn't invest a whole lot of myself in this last Battle, because it wouldn't have been worth it. It wouldn't take too many more dismal voter turnouts like this one to make me reevaluate my time investment. (And as I've said before, if I ever get down to a single-digit voter turnout, I'm done.)
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PRO TIP: BOTBers do NOT need to have a Battle of their own running in order to vote here. You can vote whether you happen to be playing in the round or not. And, of course, non-BOTBers are welcome to vote as well, and have always been encouraged to do so.
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The song this time was 'ORANGE COLORED SKY' and the contestants were Nat King Cole versus his daughter, Natalie Cole. The contest took place HERE.
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I was surprised that the Battle wasn't much closer than it was, since in their previous face-to-face, Natalie came within two votes of tying her legendary old man. But, no, this was not competitive. And maybe it's good that more voters didn't show up because it may have become an even bigger blowout for poor Natalie.
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Natalie did capture the final four votes (mine included), but it was too little too late. I like Nat King Cole's voice well enough -- it was certainly unique sounding -- but I think Natalie actually has a technically better voice. I believe she had a better range and better vocal control than her famous dad did. In fact, it was kind of a "classic" female singing voice with plenty of power!
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I was also surprised that no one really mentioned Natalie's charisma on stage. Under most conditions, I would not use a live recording versus a studio recording, but something about Natalie's facial expressions and body movement in that live performance really appealed to me. I watched the video over and over and started to develop a little crush on her.
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Anyway, none of that mattered because Nat is a legend; people don't tend to vote against legends. (I think I'm officially retiring Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra from BOTB competition on this blog.)
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I just now got out my calculator, put fresh batteries in it, and totaled up all the votes. It turned out like this:
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Nat King Cole = 7 votes
Natalie Cole = 4 votes
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Hmmm.... This Battle felt like a blowout, but now that I'm actually looking at the final tally for the first time, I see this wasn't a blowout at all. Just a lousy turnout. Maybe Natalie would have had a chance after all, had more people posted an opinion.
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I will have a new BOTB installment appearing here on March 15th. It's going to be a "Battle Of The Sexes", which was inspired by MMQE's recent contest over at her blog Jingle Jangle Jungle. And I am certain that this next Battle -- a high-energy, fist-to-fist, "up to eleven" Hard Rock extravaganza -- will indeed be a blowout. In fact, I may just be asking for my first ever (dreaded) BOTB shutout. This is gonna be an ugly beatdown, no Q about it. The feminists better get out the vote and fight the Patriarchy if they don't want to see their representative suffer a shameful shutout against "the boys". (Not joking -- I'm seriously worried about a shutout, as I told Mary days ago in her comment section.)
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Will I see you here in the next round of BOTB on March 15th?
I'd pose that Q to my Magic 8-Ball but I'm a-skeered of what it might say.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2018, MARCH 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, NAT KING COLE VS. NATALIE COLE)

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Republican Vs. Democrat, 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...
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'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB')
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Shoop-Shooby -
Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah -
Buh-Doo-Wah!
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Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER

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Hokey-Smoke! Short month, and here we are again!
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After all the yakking I did in my last BOTB installment, I'm all yakked out. So, I'm gonna keep this short 'n' sweet.
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On August 1st, 2015, my BOTB contest was Nat King Cole versus his daughter, Natalie, and the song was 'Nature Boy'. Nat won by a super-slim 2-vote margin. Afterwards, I wrote: "I thought this was a great Battle. Natalie actually made it even closer than I originally imagined. (I figured she'd lose by 4, maybe 5 votes.) She may get a rematch here someday."
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Well, that "someday" is TODAY!
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I'm dedicating this terrifically colorful and fabulously upbeat song to everyone who thinks they don't like Jazz.
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GOODNIKS  VS.  NO-GOODNIKS

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ORANGE COLORED SKY -- Nat King Cole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE-z3bGgvp8

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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

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Ha! You think this contest is already over, don't cha?
Not so fast! Not so fast!!
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ORANGE COLORED SKY -- Natalie Cole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9W2hOr-CB4

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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN

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Question: Will Natalie Lose To Her Old Man?
MAGIC 8-BALL sez:  "Signs Point To Yes"
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) 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. 
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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.
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Vote your vice... Vice your voice... Voice Your Vote...

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@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ 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
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
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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.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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