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Yes, it's time once again for Battle Of The Bands (BOTB).
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Like J. Thaddeus Toad (aka Mr. Toad) I've always moved from one mania to the next. I have 101 manias, and when I reach the end of the last one, I start over again.
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One of my recently completed manias was watching 18 animated Disney classics in a couple months. Great stuffs about lost boys, talking dogs, talking elephants, little woodenheads and flying womens. Stuffs like this:
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And in the process, I stumbled upon a (bad?) Battle Of The Bands idea.
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There are a few unwritten BOTB Rules of Thumb for avoiding blowouts and shutouts, and here's two of the biggies:
1) Do NOT use a famous rendition of a song against a relatively unknown cover version of it.
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2) Do NOT use one of the legendary crooners against a lesser-known singer. By "legendary crooners", I'm referring to singers such as Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, and Bing Crosby.
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Break these rules and you are just begging for a BOTB blowout or even a shutout. But... is it possible that occasionally two wrongs can make a right? What if someone (i.e., me) broke BOTH of those rules SIMULTANEOUSLY? Would the two wrongs cancel each other out and create something that works?
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I realize that I am begging for trouble with this Battle. However, sometimes you just have to be a maverick's Maverick and take a chance. Playing it safe can get a bit boring. So... let's try something "wrong" and see if it shakes out all right.
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The stupendously brilliant Sherman Brothers (sbSB) wrote the song 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' for Disney's 'Mary Poppins' movie and I've actually had it on my 'To BOTB Someday' list since, at the very least, early 2014:
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The Boidman of BOTB recently got away with pitting "King Cole" against a "modern" singer [link> HERE; and re-watching and re-falling in love with 'Mary Poppins' recently, those two things, combined, gave me the push that I needed. I decided it was time to BOTB this song.
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So, I give you the extremely famous original movie rendition by Dick Van Dyke & Julie Andrews versus Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong (one of those legendary singers we aren't supposed to dare use for fear of blowouts and shutouts).
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Please vote for the version you honestly like best, and when you're done "boting" here, please visit my fellow BOTBers (see list in the right column) and cast your "botes" there, as well. I'll return here with my own cherce and the Final Tally on March 8th (God, weather, and Jack Daniel's permitting).
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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CHIM CHIM CHER-EE -- Dick & Jane Julie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG6O4N3wxf8&t=56s
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CHIM CHIM CHER-EE -- Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22TnKgjEL_U
.~ Stephen T. McCarthy
(the maverick's Maverick!)
I wish I had 101 (manias), but they were all sold out last I went to the store. Thankfully my good friend Mickey (Mouse) had 40 (ounces) for me as a backup. What am I even talking about? To anyone else reading this, never you mind my alcospeak.
ReplyDeleteI do love a bit of rule breaking, and I also love classic Disney. And who knew that Satchmo covered Mary Poppins? Surely not me. With that said, no disrespect to ol' Louis, but I'm curious to see if you get a blowout going in the other direction. Firstly, the song sounds much better to me as a duet. I know Julie Andrews isn't a huge part of the song, but she adds even more charm (and it already had plenty to begin with). What's more, Louis's version is more than twice the length. I don't think it had to be nearly that long.
All of that is to say that I like Louis, and the horn is really sharp in that cover, but for my money, there's no beating Dick and Julie.
JULIO DOWN BY THE TRAINYARD ~
DeleteGOL! That opening paragraph was extremely clever. Have you ever thought about becoming a writer? They get to stay at home all day and drink. It's what they do, and it's what I aspire to.
I could foresee this Battle being a blowout in either direction. That's why I found the idea of it so intriguing.
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
This was an interesting Battle. I haven't seen Mary Poppins since the last century--probably when my kids were still young and living at home and we watched such stuff. It all came back to me how popular this song and others from Poppins were back then.
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard Satchmo's version. Initially it didn't strike me right, but then I started grooving with it and it started getting truly magical. But then it started turning into the "In-a-gadda-da-vida" of Disney interpretations. Well, I guess both recordings came out about the same time.
After Louis lost me, my heard went back to the movie version. That's the way it needs to be.
My vote goes to Dick and Julie.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
BOIDMAN OF ALCATR-- er... BOTB ~
DeleteYes, I also thought this Battle was an interesting concept. I may have overthunk it in one regard (to be 'splained later... maybe).
I recommend to every adult person who is still a child at heart that they see 'Mary Poppins'. It's almost liberating!
>>... But then it started turning into the "In-a-gadda-da-vida" of Disney interpretations.
You say that like you think it's a bad thing. And this from the guy who just gave us Clear Light's "Mr. Blue"? I Feel Like I'm Taking Crazy Pills!
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Actually I do like "In-a-gadda-da-vida" quite a lot. In fact, after I first obtained Iron Butterfly's album I began a quest to find the longest most outrageous songs I could find. I still like long songs, but 6+ minutes of Satchmo started to wear thin on me. I like the guy's singing, but after a point I started wishing he'd wrap up the song and move to the next one. I mean no extended psychedelic guitar jams, no long drum solos, and not even a forever and a day long trumpet fireworks display. What kind of sixties recording is that anyway!
DeleteArmstrong is great no doubt, but I'm not sure about an In-a-gadda-de-Louie doing a Chim-chim-i-na-cheree-cheree marathon. More cowbell please!
One can never go wrong with "more cowbell".
DeleteIn fact, a 9-minute long cowbell solo would still need more cowbell!
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteOh you rule breaker! I love the classic Disney movies over anything they have put out in the last 15-20 years and in my humble opinion Disney script writer have gone to the dogs. Heck, maybe they need to hire some of those talking dogs from their classic films to come up with a new animation resembling Disney's golden age in children entertainment.
Okay, my friend you're not going to have a blowout in this battle because I by far prefer SATCHMO's cover. Louis' distinct vocals have a special place in my heart for which I can not give my vote to any other. Sorry Dick and Julie! What a fun battle, my friend.
Whenever you get a moment, perhaps you'll swing by to cast your vote in my current BOTB. Have a bandtastic day!
CAThy ~
Delete>>... Oh you rule breaker!
As a former member of The League Of Soul Crusaders (the gang's 'spiritual opiate', to be precise), I have taken very seriously one of our primary slogans: "WE DO WHAT WE WANT!!"
I used to refer to myself simply as a maverick. But then I came to realize that even the mavericks kept me at arm's length. That's when I knew I was actually "the maverick's Maverick". Now... they call me MISTER MAVERICK! ;^D
Yes, I too love the old Disney. Sadly, the magic is gone and it ain't coming back. But I still have the movies and some Old School Disneyland videos to watch until they come to take me away, Ha!-Ha!, Hee!-Hee!, Ho!-Ho!
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
As lousy as Dick Van Dyke's Cockney accent is (and it's generally regarded as the worst in the history of film), you can't take away the fact that his performance in this movie was brilliant, and When you toss Julie Andrews into the mix, it's hard to beat. I wanted to go with Louis, but his seemed weak. Dick and Julie for me.
ReplyDeleteSo much has been made about Van Dyke's supposed "terrible" accent. But, actually, A) it was merely exaggerated. And somehow, in a movie that includes a woman flying with an umbrella, horses disengaging from a merry-go-round and entering a fox chase & thoroughbred horse race, and penguin waiters in a watercolor cafe, I don't consider Dick's exaggerated accent the that crime so many other folks do.
DeleteAnd, B) Dick's accent isn't any worse or more exaggerated than Simon Moon's accent in 'Frasier', and nobody seems to have any problem with that one.
In keeping with my maverick tradition, here are the three things in this world that I *MOST* believe in:
1. The Carpenters were NOT un-cool.
2. The Eagles were a really good band.
3. Dick Van Dyke's accent in 'Mary Poppins' was thematically appropriate.
And if I should mention a 4th belief, it would be that someday Christ will come back to crush the spirit of hate and make men put down their guns; and then He will give Tiny Tim one more hit single.
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Well, you're batting .500!
DeleteAnd that's 94 points higher than Ted Williams hit in 1941. (Now if only this were baseball, eh?)
Delete~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
I think you may have a very lopsided contest here by the end, but it looks like you already have at least one vote for Satchmo. You will not get one here. I like him, like the version, but the original just sounds too much like what it is supposed to sound like at this point.
ReplyDeleteI will add - as an unwanted opinion - that I never liked the movie "Mary Poppins," even as a kid. My parents took me to see the movie and I thought it was stupid. As a kid I disliked Dick Van Dyke's accent, too. I always thought Julie Andrews was pretty and had a loverly voice (and she should have kept her Broadway role as Eliza Doolittle and been cast instead of Audrey Hepburn.)
Sixgun McItchyfinger
DeletePart 1 Of 2:
>>... I think you may have a very lopsided contest here by the end
[Link> "That shit could really happen!"
>>... My parents took me to see the movie and I thought it was stupid.
As a kid you thought it was stupid?
I loved it when I was a kid and I love it even more today.
Taking into consideration that I am addressing a person who walked out on what is objectively one of the greatest films ever made (by any metric a person chooses to apply to it), and even though - Uhp! - I know I'm being an idiot here, lemme take a quick shot at this, just in case the lost boy in you can be found. (There are Lost Boys - of which I'm one - and then there are simply lost boys, who could use a road map or compass.)
I recently purchased 'Mary Poppins' on an old VHS tape at a Goodwill thrift store for $2. ("two dollars!"), and after watching the movie for the first time in several decades, I immediately re-purchased a copy of it on DVD. That's how much I fell in love with the movie... and with Mary.
Ordinarily, I follow these guidelines:
"First of all, I would like to make one thing quite clear: I never explain anything."
~ Mary Poppins
'Mary Poppins'
"I don't explain if you don't understand. I'm my own man."
~ Waylon Jennings
'Trouble Man'
But since you're such a good, longtime friend o' mine, I'll make an exception this time.
Continued Below...
Part 2 Of 2:
DeleteTHE BAD:
The movie is a little too long; the story could have been tightened up and improved with a few edits.
THE MAGIC:
Mary Poppins is a woman who measures [Link> practically perfect in every way, and what's more, SHE KNOWS IT! Not in a bad way; not in an egotistical way, but in a Spiritually-understood and in-complete-control way. It's as if Mary is conscious of the fact that an Eternally Perfect God created her in His own Image. There is no room in Eternal Perfection for anything else; Perfection does not create imperfection. Only perfect love & beauty can emanate from Eternal Perfect Love & Beauty.
You're with me so far, right?
It's as if Mary Poppins consciously recalls Where she came from. And therefore, she is "practically" perfect. In every single situation, Mary knows Where she came from and in what Image she was created, therefore she has supreme confidence & control. There is no problem too tough for the ultimate "strong woman"; whatever is necessary in any given circumstance, Mary has it at her beck and call. Wisdom, thy name is Mary.
I love the scenes wherein Mary interacts with the man of the house, Mr. George W. Banks. He always thinks he knows what's going on and that he is the ultimate authority in the scenario, but Mary manipulates him in multiple ways "as easy as eating" bread... or feeding multitudes with a few fish and loaves.
When each interaction is completed, Mr. Banks is left befuddled and trying to convince himself that everything turned out the way he intended it to. But we know better. We know that he is pompous yet clueless, however (thank God for Mary Poppins) everything is going to turn out very, very well.
In one instance, everyone in the household is convinced that Mr. Banks is about to fire Mary from her job.
Michael: "Didn't you just get sacked?"
Mary: "Sacked?!! Certainly NOT! I am NEVER sacked."
In truth, it is NOT Mr. Banks who hires Mary for the nanny position; Mary hires herself, because she knows she is needed. And Mr. Banks is NOT able to fire Mary from the position because Mary - and ONLY Mary - decides when her work is done, thank you very much!
[Link> Mary's Mastery (or, "Close your mouth, please, Sixgun, we are not a codfish".
By gobs! By George! If I were so inclined, I believe I could write a complete Spiritual manifesto based on the movie 'Mary Poppins' (although methinks it's somewhat already been done). Therefore, in short, 'Mary Poppins' is NOT a stupid movie. "Don't let's be silly." You may go now, Brother. "Spit-Spot!"
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Apparently I only visit here to make the host look good.
DeleteI never liked the movie. You can argue till the cows come home (and if they do I will eat them, unlike you) but it will not matter: I don't care for the movie and never have. Perhaps I was just a bit too old when I saw it and that's why it seemed silly. Perhaps it is that I do NOT like mixing live action shots with animation. Perhaps this that and the other... doesn't matter. Don't like the movie. I thought it was too slow. I thought her character was bossy. And yes, I thought his accent sucked EVEN WHEN I WAS YOUNG. And yes, I don't care if they fly around with umbrellas if the get the small shizzle right then I can suspend disbelief. Because 'THAT SHIT CAN HAPPEN." But it can't happen when you cast an American in a part that an Englishman should have gotten. I LIKE Dick Van D. That's not in question.
All the intellectual stuff you be yakkin 'bout sounds correct. Great! Write it all up and I'll read it and probably intellectually agree. But STILL not like Mary Poppins.
It is not that I was never a kid. I DID have a very brief period as a child before reading Atlas Shrugged and becoming waaaaay too adult. But I liked other Disney better than M.P., like Pinocchio, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmatians, Davy Crockett, et al. Heck, I even liked the Three Caballeros better.
I'm sorry I'm so stupid.
Six
>>... Apparently I only visit here to make the host look good.
DeleteNo worries. We appreciate your concern, but Mary and I don't need no help in looking good.
It's almost insulting that you think we do, however... [Link> Saint Mary told me that she does not condemn you. And, my brother, neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.
~ Ol' D-FensDogG
Hi, Stephen!
ReplyDeleteI didn't think this would be difficult since I like Satch so much, but this isn't a good song for him. Besides, I can't picture him as a chimney sweep.
It's not a good song for Van Dyke either. He can't sing for beans but at least he had Julie Andrews picking up his slack. I'm compelled to vote for team Disney (Dick and Julie) because they are the characters who made the song (and movie) memorable - if you like that kind of show. I was more of an "All Dogs go to Heaven" kind of kid ;-)
Thanks for the inspiration and the opportunity to vote!
Howdy, dIEDRE! ~
DeleteI thanks ya for coming by to drop two cents in the BOTB kitty!
I think the song suits Satch real good-like. However, it's a bit of a difficult squeeze imagining Satch fitting inside a chimney.
But then again, "if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch." Uhm... I meant, then so could the Satch!
>>... I was more of an "All Dogs go to Heaven" kind of kid
That sounds good to me!
I've heard of that movie, and even seen some scenes, but I don't recall seeing the whole thing. I should look that up and watch it. After all, I love doG so much that a d-o-g has been mentioned in (quite literally!) every single thing I've ever posted on the Internet.
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Even though Penis Van Lesbian...er, Dick Van Dyke can't do the cockney accent very well, I always liked his rendition especially with Julie. This is a case of apples and oranges because I would listen to both versions depending on my mood. That being said the original gets my vote. Congrats on being immersed into Disney and live to tell the tale. I still have to see Dumbo one day...
ReplyDelete>>... Penis Van Lesbian
DeleteOK, we'll let you be the first female "officially" admitted into The League Of Soul Crusaders... as long as you can drink enough without "dropping your wallet" (aka "vomiting").
Oh, Dumbo's great. YES, you "HAVE" to see it.
To this day, I still quote a particular line from 'Dumbo' at least 3 times per week:
"Just to be sociable, I'll take your word!"
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
And Stephen,
ReplyDeleteWalsh sent me a happy Anniversary message on Super Bowl Sunday, just to let you know the tradition humiliation continues but doesn't sting as much. Heck, it even made me laugh about the slap heard around the world. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...
I fondly remember seeing this movie when I was a young lad and always had a crush on Julie Andrews and enjoy the earworm of a song that it is in both versions. But now that I am older and wis...well, older at least, I'm going with Louis Armstrong on this one my friend.
JW,
Pooooooh!
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!...
Delete>>... Walsh sent me a happy Anniversary message on Super Bowl Sunday
I remember overhearing Nappy and Walsh yakking on the phone, discussing who was going to send you a "Happy Slap Heard 'Round The World" greeting. I guess Walsh won the contest.
I'll say this for yer Ma: She hit what she was aiming at, you Irish Lush! (And I mean "Irish Lush" with the utmost respect and admiration!!)
>>... I fondly remember seeing this movie when I was a young lad and always had a crush on Julie Andrews
Did you know that in a much later movie, Julie Andrews actually exposed Mary's "Poppins"?
I don't wanna see that again, because it kinda messes up my mind and leaves a less-than-"saintly" mental image of "Mary" in me mind.
Thanks for remembering to stop by and cast a "bote". Satch thanks ya too, because (shockingly!) he's the musical underdog here.
~ D-FensDogG
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
Interesting battle! Of course, I remember Mary Poppins from childhood and have always been a Dick Van Dyke fan (LOL to Birgit's name change ☺). Never heard Louis Armstrong's cover before and I did like it, as it was so different. That said, nostalgia wins out and I'm voting for the original movie version.
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE D'DOGLADY ~
DeleteThanks for stopping by and contributing! Yeah, I really *DO* think it's an interesting Battle. I wish the voting was more competitive but at least it ain't a shutout, and I've actually learned something with this match-up: Rule #1 overrides Rule #2.
My next Battle will be better. (I hope.)
I've got a few match-ups in mind for the future that I think will be fun.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Louis Armstrong gets my vote
ReplyDelete10-4, MIKE.
Delete~ D-FensDogG
Yo S-Man,
ReplyDeleteBesides broad plotlines I can't remember any details of the Disney movies you pictured above or any other Disney movies. I think seeing Rocky way back when cleaned the slate.. seeing it three times at the theater and Disney is like a pleasant CTE non-memory. Otherwise, family viewing was TVs Brady Bunch. Who could forget Marcia Brady aka the young Taylor Swift to Susan Dey's Selena Gomez. The Mary Poppins song version has too many change ups - fast to slow, a different instrument popping in for just a moment here and there. I vote for Armstrong as his voice instantly put a smile on my face and the music, while properly chill, got me snapping my fingers. The background singers are cool too, made in the shade.
Cheers,
G Dogg
G-DogG ~
DeleteI appreciated your 11th hour save (or, assistance) on behalf of the great Satchmo! In my non-humble opinion, he deserved better'n he got here. BUT!... barring any more over-the-top geopolitical insanity, the man with Gabriel's horn "will be bach" in BOTB before this year is out. I have another Battle in mind for dear, ol' Satch!
>>... Who could forget Marcia Brady aka the young Taylor Swift to Susan Dey's Selena Gomez.
Oh, is *that* how that works?
Well, in that case, put me down for Selena Gomez!
Even though she went and got all old on me, I'd still take Susan Dey!
[Link> DON’T BOGART THAT VERY “GUILTY PLEASURE”, DUDE (*A Haiku Review)
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
ATTENTION PEOPLES!
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in seeing the final vote tally for this 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' installment and my closing thoughts on it, you can put the following URL into your browser:
https://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2022/03/botb-results-2022-march-1-or-dick-van.html
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'