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Welcome back, my friends, to the "Battle" that never ends.
We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside!
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This is 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB') where you listen to different recordings and vote for the one you like best. A new Battle gets posted on the 1st of each month and on the 7th, I place my own vote, tally 'em all up and announce the winner.
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Friend? Foe? Stranger? No matter, ALL are welcome. So pull up a chair, pour yourself 24 oz. of DOG BITE High Gravity Lager (or the poison of your choice) and turn it up to Eleven!
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[NOTE: Links to the first year of 'BOTB' (#1 - #24) can be found at the very bottom of this page.]

Thursday, June 8, 2023

BOTB RESULTS: JUNE 1, 2023 (Or, ALPHA RHYTHM KINGS VERSUS SWINGABELLA)


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Howdy-Doody!
My most recent Battle Of The Bands installment took place HERE and it was a goot juan! Many of the voters said they really enjoyed both versions of Choo Choo Ch'Boogie and that it wasn't easy choo-choo-choosing between them. This makes me happy because (other than those times when I used the B-52s, Joan Jett, and Pete Seeger), it is never my intention to make BOTB a chore for my listeners to participate in.
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The Irish Andrews Singers Swingabella came out swinging and smacked the Alpha Rhythm Kings in the face with the first five votes. That's when the Alpha Rhythm Kings woke up and realized that this wasn't a damn show, that it was a damn fight, and they started swinging back.
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When the bell ending the final round rang and the smoke cleared, the judge's scorecard looked like this:
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FINAL TALLY:
Alpha Rhythm Kings = 5 votes
Swingabella = 7 votes

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Like so many of the voters, I also really dig BOTH renditions of this song quite a bit. My own vote went to the ARK primarily because of the chugging sax solo (saxophone is my second favorite musical instrument) and because this version was just a wee li'l bit slower, which I felt better highlighted the clever lyrics.
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Anyway, as always, my genuine thanks to every one of all y'all who took the time to stop by and participate in my Battle. I appreciate your contributions. And I intend to return here again on July 1st with yet another installment of BOTB. Until then, may you...
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Bless & Be Blessed!! 
(e.g., try not to punch anybody in the nose).
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~ D-FensDogG (a.k.a. STMcC)

Thursday, June 1, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: JUNE 1, 2023 (Or, ALPHA RHYTHM KINGS VS SWINGABELLA)

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Frequently when I am doing something somewhere and I feel it's time to go somewhere else to do something different, I will say, "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie". Basically it means 'My work is done here. Moving on...' It's just part of my personal lingo.
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Decades ago, I was turned onto a great deal of terrific music by my dear departed Ma. She turned me onto artists like Count Basie, Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Ralph Marterie, Bill Doggett, Clyde McCoy, Cannonball Adderley, and Bill Black's Combo, to name a few. Ma also made me aware of 'Choo Choo Ch'Boogie', a Swing song made famous by Louis Jordan in the 1940s.
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For your consideration, I present two excellent cover versions of Jordan's classic Swing hit by a couple of modern groups. I sense this will be a tough decision to make for a lot of voters. It may primarily come down to whether a person prefers good sax or good guitar; and whether the voter prefers solo vocals or more vocal harmonizing. Both of these videos are a helck of a lotta fun to watch, but try not to let the images influence your "bote". But if they do, I dersn't really mind.
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!!
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Choo Choo Ch'Boggie - Alpha Rhythm Kings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5dRQNmVnDM

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Choo Choo Ch'Boogie - Swingabella
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DriUGDZsjzY&t=181s

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After voting for one of these songs here, please be sure to visit the other BOTBers and cast your votes there, also. (See links to their Battles in the right-hand column.)
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I intend to return here on or about the 8th of June to cast my own vote and to announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy