BOTB RESULTS: 2019, AUGUST 15 (Or, TOMPALL GLASER VS. LYNYRD SKYNYRD)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, August 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Tompall Glaser Versus Lynyrd Skynyrd - And The Final Tally:
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It was a pretty low voter turnout this time, but it's probably just as well. Nevertheless, I very sincerely thank each and every one of you who took the time to visit, listen 'n' vote.
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UHP!  I'M AN IDIOT!!
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"Idiot" and his Sister.

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Yeah, I never seem to learn. Even when I know my lessons, I have trouble abiding by them. I'm gonna try to keep this post fairly short because this Battle just wasn't worth yakking much about.
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The 3 cardinal rules of BOTB:
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1) Don't use a Top 40 hit against a cover of the same song.
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2) Don't use a famous musical artist against a relatively unknown musical artist.
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3) Don't use a ballad against an uptempo song.
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In fact, it was I who wrote the following in my last BOTB Results post:
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"I'm not too surprised that The Partridges topped The Monkees in this Battle, because uptempo usually trumps ballads in BOTB."
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Yeah, very rarely is it a good idea to transgress any of those 3 BOTB cardinal rules. So, what did I do in this most recent BOTB installment? Dogged if I didn't break TWO of the Three Cardinal Rules (#2 & #3). And what happened? The predictable is what happened. (Except, of course, that Carnac The Magnificent predicted the outcome incorrectly, which any one of us could have predicted that he would!)
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The vast majority of the BOTBers boted the opposite of how I expected they would. Oddly enough, Tompall Glaser got 4 of the first 5 votes, and I thought: Yip! Here comes the thing I expected!
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Well, here are the vote totals, counting my vote for Tompall:
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Tompall Glaser = 5 votes
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Lynyrd Skynyrd = 9 votes
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I realize that over the last 6+ years I have said this ad nauseam, but I'm gonna say it yet again: I don't think I personally know ANYONE whose taste in music changed over the decades more drastically than mine did.
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Yes, in the BOTB post HERE, I told you about a road trip my friend Pooh and I made in 1986, and how the Lynyrd Skynyrd song 'T For Texas' became a sing-along memory for us while driving on the old Route 66.
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But that was then and this is now. Today, I still think that song sounds pretty good while going 70 mph on the open road, but that's about the only time I want to hear it. When I was a teenager in the era of "Licorice Pizza" (or "LP" - "Long Playing" record albums), I owned FIVE Lynyrd Skynyrd albums. Today, I don't own ANY of their albums, thank you very much!
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IMO, unless you're hearing Skynyrd's 'T For Texas' while the wind is blowing your hair back, it just sounds like typical Skynyrd music to me: Heavy-handed 'n' ham-fisted, with a bunch of indecipherable vocals growled while too many electric guitars are screeching too many pointless notes with nuttin' particularly interesting happening. Again, just in my solo opinion, Lynyrd Skynyrd sounds like a bunch of stupid, artless Rednecks. (...Oh, wait! What's this?)
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Anyway, that's just my own opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own. I don't mean to criticize anyone for how they voted. Variety is the spice of life. I'm merely trying to express how I felt about this match-up. And me, I love the Tompall Glaser version of 'T For Texas'. You can hear every word he's singing, and it's sung in a way that seems more organic to the sentiment of the lyrics. Not to mention its "much greater musical subtlety" - pun intended. ("Subtlety" - a word that Lynyrd Skynyrd didn't understand and none of the band members could have correctly spelled even if their lives depended on it.) It's trite but true: Very often, less is more.
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Well... I'll be back again (I think) with another BOTB installment on September 1st. Be here or... be somewhere else.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2019, AUG. 15 (Or, TOMPALL GLASER VS. LYNYRD SKYNYRD)

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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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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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[Link> Last September I did a BOTB installment which included two "driving songs" on a compact disc that my friend Bryan had made for me. The disc was titled 'On The Road Again' and consisted of songs with great "driving" rhythms. Well, in fact, there were two (count 'em: 2) compact discs. One was subtitled 'Pedal To The Metal' and had fast-movin' songs. The other disc, subtitled 'Cruise Control', contained exclusively slower songs for less frenetic night driving. 
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2018: Muddy with 'Pedal To The Metal' and 'Cruise Control'.

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One song, by two different artists, found its way onto BOTH CDs. It was the old Jimmie Rodgers song 'T For Texas'. A Lynyrd Skynyrd rendition was on 'Pedal To The Metal', and the Tompall Glaser version was on 'Cruise Control'.
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#8: T For Texas (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

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#9: T For Texas (Tompall Glaser)

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In 1986, my buddy Pooh and I drove from L.A. to Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and while motoring along on an old section of the original Route 66 in Arizona, we had Lynyrd Skynyrd's live album playing. While sipping a little "road soda" for to quench our thirst, 'T For Texas' became a first-rate, E-Ticket sing-along for The Pooh and I. That's when it dawned on me that the song was best when heard "on the road". 
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1986: Muddy 'n' me, hitchhiking on old Route 66.

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1986: Muddy literally "on Route 66".

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General Poohregard with "road soda" (aka "beer") at Devil's Tower, 1986.

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1986: Sunbeam somewhere (Wyoming?)

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It wasn't until a number of years later that I discovered the Tompall Glaser version of 'T For Texas'. It was included on the legendary compilation album [link> 'Wanted! The Outlaws', the first Country music album to sell one million copies and be certified 'Platinum'. Tompall's take on 'T For Texas' lopes along at a slower pace than Skynyrd's but is no less expressive ("Tell Lucille to go to hell.")
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Carnac The Magnificent: [link> "Like Doc Holliday against Ike Clanton in a spelling contest."
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Question: Will Tompall beat Skynyrd?
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OK, please listen and tell me which version you enjoy more. It's got nuttin' to do with driving. This is just music for music's sake. And if you need to close your eyes in order to keep your vote from being unduly swayed by the images of Skynyrd's onstage performance, please do so. Again, this is just about the music, not about driving and not about live concert footage.
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T FOR TEXAS -- Tompall Glaser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Is0Kwx46mU

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T FOR TEXAS -- Lynyrd Skynyrd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBeS5ThMnyA


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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. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
@ THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ THE DOGLADY'S DEN 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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BOTB RESULTS: 2019, AUG. 1 (Or, THE MONKEES VERSUS THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, August 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, The Monkees Versus The Partridge Family - And The Final Tally:
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First of all, I wanna say that this was a nice turnout for a lightweight (almost tongue-in-cheek) Battle, and I thank each and every one of youz who came by and made it a success. THANK YOU! 
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Because of some busyness, compounded by my 60th birthday yesterday, I'm two days late getting this BOTB Results post up. Sorry 'bout that, Chief! The actual Battle took place HERE, and it was a pretty good one. The Partridge Family jumped out to a quick lead, but The Monkees managed to draw even once or twice, before finally falling behind again for good. 
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I was kind of rooting for my childhood favorite group The Monkees. They lost, but I had a lot of crazy, Green Acres psychedelic-like fun yakking with y'all in the comment section, so that kissed my boo-hoo and made it all better. 
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I'm not too surprised that The Partridges topped The Monkees in this Battle, because uptempo usually trumps ballads in BOTB. But I actually dig that slow Davy Jones ballad 'I Wanna Be Free'. There's a kind of wistful, bittersweet lonely soul quality to it. Almost like a "skinny White saudade". Ha! It may not seem like it if you've only heard the song once or twice, but there is definitely a "there" there in 'I Wanna Be Free'. And for me, it even has an "earworm" quality to it; I've been humming and whistling the melody of 'I Wanna Be Free' off and on for the last week. Ever since I posted the song on this blog, it's been stuck in my noggin. 
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Fun Fact: On my birthday yesterday, I found myself driving through Pleasant Valley (Nevada) while '(Theme From) The Monkees' happened to be playing in my truck (Chuck the Truck). I'd call that "congrutiating". Now if only yesterday had been a Sunday, eh? That would be "super-congrutiating"!
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STMcC's 60th Birthday Celebration!

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The Monkees = 8 votes
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The Partridge Family = 11 votes
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A number of voters said that normally they'd expect to vote for The Monkees over The Partridge Family but they just didn't get into the Monkees' ballad. Someday, I may give The Monkees a rematch against The Partridges. But this time, the underdog won.
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On a sad note, yesterday - on my birthday, of all days (how ironic!) - Sikike Phteven was hit by a bus and killed. Oddly enough, some witnesses whom I later spoke with described the bus driver as looking quite a bit like Patrick McGoohan. For now, the authorities are treating the accident as a suicide, although witnesses are still being interviewed and the case hasn't been closed.
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But not to worry! We will be introducing a new BOTB psychic here with the August 15th Battle. Please be sure to return then and welcome...
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Carnac The Magnificent

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2019, AUGUST 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY VERSUS THE MONKEES)

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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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I received the following comments on my last BOTB installment:
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Judge Al BondigasJuly 20, 2019 at 6:44 AM

Al Bondigas here. I guess you already knew I wasn't going to like any of this shiite. I'll have to make a rulin' fer Tom Sawyer because it was the least offensive to my ears. Bring back The Partridge Family!! That's it!! That's muh rulin'.

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LellyJuly 20, 2019 at 10:17 AM

Now there's a thought, made for TV bands Battle. Partridge Family vs The Monkees.

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Hmmm.... The Partridge Family versus The Monkees? (Or The Wrecking Crew versus The Wrecking Crew?) Never let it be said that this radio station doesn't take requests from its listeners! Plus, this idea plays perfectly into the fact that next week I will be turning 60, and I play The Monkees every year on my birthday! Why?... Read on and that Q will receive an A. (This will be a lengthy but hopefully interesting BOTB Introduction.)
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The yakking hand puppet. Yip! I owned one of these, and I played it to death! 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRwJ9nFDAcw

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First of all, those of you who don't actually create BOTB installments of your own have no idea of the twists and turns some of us experience when trying to conceive of a competitive Battle. For example, here's the mental (creative?) process that finally led me to the Battle below:
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Oh, this'll be easy! I'll just put The Monkees' biggest hit (I'm A Believer - #1 for 7 consecutive weeks) against The Partridge Family's biggest hit (I Think I Love You - #1 for 3 straight weeks). ...No, no. My brother, Nappy, will vote for the latter, but I don't think this would go well for Keith Partridge. ...I know! I'll make this a 'Christmas In August' Battle' and use The Partridge Family's lovely [link> Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas against one of The Monkees' Christmas tunes! ...No, no. The Partridges would KILL The Monkees. That would be my first BOTB trip to Shutoutville. ...Fuhgeddaboudit! I'm gonna make it The Monkees versus The Beatles. ...Wait. What's this?! YouTube has removed my favorite video for the song Rocky Raccoon? Well, POOP! ...Alright, I'm back to The Partridges versus The Monkees, but which songs, dern it?! 
...Think!-Think!-Think!...
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{*...Somewhat stumped, I finally gave up and let my Brother "rule" on which Partridge Family song I should use!*}
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MY PERSONAL HISTORY WITH 
MONKEES & PARTRIDGES :
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In 1966 & '67, I was still a little kid, and those 2 years were all about 2 things: Batman & The Monkees. Davy Jones was my favorite Monkee. And people think I'm joking when I say this, but it's true: It was Catwoman (Julie Newmar) who first made my young male mind really begin to seriously contemplate the differences between boys & girls:
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Holy Cat's-Tail, Batman!

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I turned 8 years old on 8-8-1967 ("The Summer of Love") and my Mom & Dad gave me a Monkees'-model plastic guitar and The Monkees' debut album for my birthday. It was the first LP I ever owned. (4 or 5 years later, I stupidly traded it to Greg Ford for his copy of the album 'Incense & Peppermints' by The Strawberry Alarm Clock. It broke my Mama's heart!) 
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My sister, Bonehead; The Birthday Boy (wearing pajamas and a serious Rock star expression); my brother, Nappy; and The Monkees' first album on the table in the background.

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My Ma passed on less than 2 years later but - GOD BLESS HER! - for my birthday on August 8, 2003, she gave me that first Monkees album *AGAIN* (to replace the original LP I traded to Greg Ford); and this time she gave it to me on compact disc. I play that CD every year on my birthday, as a tribute to my Ma (who is probably dancing to the State Line today). When the CD is playing '(Theme From) The Monkees', what I hear coming through my speakers is "Happy Birthday to you!  Happy Birthday to you!!..."
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The Partridge Family: The show ran from 1970 to 1974, and I only watched it for the first 2 or 3 seasons, but the show Susan Dey really made an impression on me!
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Today, I only recall 2 of the episodes: The one where Keith Partridge (David Cassidy) got his own pad and was trying to seduce some girl by playing Bolero (Waiting For Bolero), and the Christmas program Don't Bring Your Guns to Town, Santa. The latter episode was David Cassidy and Shirley Jones' favorite of the series. I guess many folks feel that way. I know this: If you were to sit down at a table to play poker with my Brother and I, it would not be long before one of us would sing (a la Keith Partridge) "Nothing beats a loaded pistol!"
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"Lick My Lolly" from 'Don't Bring Your Guns To Town, Santa'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azllrsg37yE


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I don't think it was until I saw the movie THE SPIRIT OF '76 in which David Cassidy good-naturedly mocked his role as "Keith Partridge" that I fully came to appreciate him. BTW, The Spirit Of '76 is one of my all-time favorite "guilty pleasures". Do you remember the Bicentennial (1976) and all the fire hydrants painted in red, white, and blue? Do you remember the "gas shortages", and hamburgers named after Founding Fathers and Founding Documents? Do you remember the song 'Disco Inferno' & the EXPLOSIVE Ford Pinto? If so, you *NEED* to see the ridiculously silly (but funny) movie THE SPIRIT OF '76.
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Long ago, at Amazon.scum, I wrote a "haiku review" (deleted years ago by Amazon.scum) for this movie:
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THE SPIRIT OF '76
starring David Cassidy
released: 1990
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Loud clothes! Fords explode!
Seventies: silly, zitful.
STILL want Susan Dey!
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haiku review by...

D-FensDogG

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A very interesting YouTube Video is [link> E True Hollywood Story: The Partridge Family.
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FUN (And NOT-SO-FUN) FACTS: In 1982, about 11 years after having last seen Danny Bonaduce on TV as the conniving and precocious redheaded "Danny Partridge", my Brother and I worked with him in an episode of the (truly atrocious) TV series CHiPs. We were all supposed to be gang members who were into martial arts. Below are some screenshots from the episode:
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Danny Partridge Danny Bonaduce, 5th person from the left, in black T-shirt. Yours Truly is 3rd from the left in brown cowboy boots, blue jeans, and blue work shirt. My brother Nappy is wearing the yellow T-shirt at far right in this photo.

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Me with a big rod (only in Hollywood!), and Danny Partridge Bonaduce to my right. Plus, Erik Estrada's butt in very tight pants. Eew!

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Me, entering the scene, wearing my 'game face' and ready to whoop-up on someone!

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My brother, Nappy, about to "leave a mark" on Officer Jon Baker.

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After the trouble, Brother Nappy puts his arm around me and escorts me away from the scene. My big rod is left on the ground, never to be seen again. NOTE: "Danny '71" graffiti on wall above! Wink!-Wink! A nod to Danny Bonaduce in 'The Partridge Family' era?

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One year after my Brother and I appeared in (the atrocious) CHiPs, one of my two very best friends, Marty Brumer, also appeared on the show. He had a pretty decent-sized part playing a thief named Blue in an episode titled [link> 'Day Of The Robot'. Tragically, 6 years later, he was killed by a "real-life" thief in a Los Angeles intersection.
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Martin Brumer, with big, Bob Dylan-like hair, in (the atrocious) CHiPs.

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Marty and accomplice, casing a warehouse.

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Bad-Boy-Marty stealing a big box o' nuttin' from a fake warehouse.

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A year or two after having worked with Danny Partridge Bonaduce in (the atrocious) CHiPs, my Brother and I - two members of The League Of Soul Crusaders - ran into him on a couple different nights in Los Angeles watering holes. Once (as I recall) was in a bar near Trancas Country Market in Malibu. And another time was at The Music Machine in West L.A. - one of our regular weekend hangouts:
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The Music Machine was where Twinkie acquired the nickname "Twinkie". It was where Pooh, with rage in his drunken eyes, chased some little guy around the parking meters for what seemed like 10 minutes; and it was where, sometime later, Pooh went after a guy whom he'd been holding a grudge against since junior high school! Ha! The Music Machine was also the site where the infamous expression "I dropped my wallet" was invented as a code for "I threw up". (It originated with some chick who was trying to drink with The League Of Soul Crusaders. Dumb, dumb idea!! "Honey, leave the *serious drinking* to the professionals!")
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Anyway, the times our paths crossed with redheaded Danny Bonaduce in L.A. bars, he remembered working with my Brother and I on (the atrocious) CHiPs and seemed like a cool dude. (You don't meet and easily forget League Members! We always stood out wherever we went!) Despite all the post-Partridge Family negative publicity he endured, I have nuttin' negative to say about Danny Bonaduce. He had a good sense o' humor and I'd drink Mojitos with him any time! 
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Alright, the long, long yak is over. Here comes the actual BOTB contest. Vote early and vote often (especially if you're dead in Chicago):
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I Wanna Be Free (1966) - The Monkees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCnlyMXt6Zw


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I'll Meet You Halfway 
(#9 in Billboard in 1971) - The Partridge Family
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU7psHBVyQE


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QUESTION: Well?
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SIKIKE PHTEVEN (3-2): I don't wanna play anymore. I'd rather get hit and killed by a runaway bus.
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QUESTION: C'mon, punk!!
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SIKIKE PHTEVEN: Alright... Mmmm....onkees. I'll say The Monkees will win. But if they don't, I'm a-gonna blame it on my own Magic 8-Ball, and then I'm gonna run right out in front of a bus and get my ass outta this contract!
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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. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
@ THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ THE DOGLADY'S DEN by clicking HERE
@ CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC by clicking HERE
@ ANGELS BARK 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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