CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY GREETINGS, All Y'all!
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I thank you all for giving me the only gift that really matters (i.e., a vote in my Battle Of The Bands installment HERE). The song was 'CAROL OF THE BELLS' and the contestants were Mannheim Steamroller and Lawrence Welk & Company. I won't go quite so far as calling it a "Christmas Miracle", but Larry & his Goils completely wiped out Mannheim & his Steamroller! It wasn't beyond my ability to imagine Lawrence Welk winning this Battle, but I surely thought that it would be a close reindeer race.
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I like the Mannheim version quite well, except for that section around the midway point in the song when they introduce about 20 seconds of very un-Christmassy electronic robot voice & sound effect stuffs. Thankfully, the music quickly returns to a majestic Christmas sound (as is proper).
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For so many of the same reasons that Welk voters mentioned in the comment section, I also prefer Champagne Larry & his bubbly Goils' version.
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FINAL TALLY:
Mannheim Steamroller = 2 votes
Lawrence Welk = 11 votes
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Beginning on January 1, 2024, I will be presenting a brand new BOTB theme and ongoing song challenge. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and will include an extremely wide range of different musical styles. So I hope you'll all rejoin me in the New Year. Until then, I wish for each and every one of you a joyful Christmas and a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year!
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If you're looking for a great playlist to enjoy during these next two or three weeks, check out my YouTube...
[link> E-Ticket Christmas Song Videos! (playlist)
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I'll leave you all for now with this bit of weirdness from me, D-FensDogG, your favorite Christmas Canine:
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God is Love & Jesus Christ is our Sinless Savior!!
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Me? I have a twisted sense o' humor and it's just not quite Christmas until I've heard Tiny Tim coughing his way through 'Amazing Grace' in his 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' medley.
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Every year on Christmas Day, my Brother and I drop a coin into a body of water and make a wish that someday Tiny Tim will have a second hit song! This December 25th tradition is now roughly 20 years old. But I believe 2024 is the year the Tiny Tim wish will finally come true (...maybe). Please join us on Christmas Day and "Make A Wish For Tiny Tim".
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O Come, All Ye Faithful (medley) -- Tiny Tim
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~ Stephen
I'll leave you all for now with this bit of weirdness from me, D-FensDogG, your favorite Christmas Canine:
.
God is Love & Jesus Christ is our Sinless Savior!!
.
Me? I have a twisted sense o' humor and it's just not quite Christmas until I've heard Tiny Tim coughing his way through 'Amazing Grace' in his 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' medley.
.
Every year on Christmas Day, my Brother and I drop a coin into a body of water and make a wish that someday Tiny Tim will have a second hit song! This December 25th tradition is now roughly 20 years old. But I believe 2024 is the year the Tiny Tim wish will finally come true (...maybe). Please join us on Christmas Day and "Make A Wish For Tiny Tim".
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O Come, All Ye Faithful (medley) -- Tiny Tim
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~ Stephen
It's Christmas! Let traditions reign for as long as they can. Welk's crew deserved the win on this match.
ReplyDeleteHope your Christmas season is a fine one. And God Bless Tiny Tim.
Lee
Ha! God bless Tiny Tim, indeed! (Bless him with a second hit song, to get him out of that 'One Hit Wonder' category.)
DeleteThis Battle certainly didn't go at all how I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. And I am BIG on traditions, and particularly the ones related to Christmas.
~ D-FensDogG
Good battle, Stephen! Turns out Mannheim wouldn't have worked for me either since I was looking for hand bells. But I don't regret my vote here ;-)
ReplyDeletedIEDRE ~
DeleteWhen Debbie came along and voted for Lawrence Welk - making the score 4-0 - I knew this BOTB installment was in big trouble! At that point, I began to fret a bit about a shutout.
Thankfully, you and Christine came along to save me from the dreaded 'Some Number To Zero'.
I had originally toyed with the idea of making this 'Carol Of The Bells' Battle between Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Larry Welk. That may have been a closer, better contest. But there's no point in me crying over spilt champagne. ("My next one will be better.")
~ D-FensDogG
Aha! You were expecting me to vote for Mannheim. ☺ I wanted to at first, but then it took a turn I didn't like. Still, I'm surprised they didn't get more votes. As for Tiny Tim, didn't he die many years ago? Is there a long lost recording somewhere that could be turned into a hit song? If Paul and Ringo could do it, why not? P.S. I have a rare mid-month battle up, to celebrate the festive season.
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE D'DOGLADY ~
DeleteYeah, when you voted for Welk over Mannheim, you pulled another "Purple Waylon Effect" surprise on me!
I guess I better stop trying to predict how you will vote. You're just too unpredictable to be counted on. ;^D
No, there aren't any long lost Tiny Tim recordings that could potentially become a hit song. At least, not I'm aware of.
BUT(!)... I still believe in miracles, and still believe that Tiny could score another Top 40 hit. I mean, his first hit was like a miracle, and who says you can't catch lightning in a bottle... twice. (You know, there *have* been a few people who were struck by lightning more than once!)
Truth be told, I really do like a good number of Tiny's songs, and I have *NEVER* liked his big hit, 'Tiptoe Thru The Tulips'. For decades I thought he was a one-joke wonder based on that one song. But discovered, accidentally, that he was WAY better'n I ever imagined. I believe most people have a distorted view of that weirdo, just like I once did. He was bizarre, but he was also authentically himself and was also pretty good, especially when he had a top-notch producer working for him.
I have a new BOTB Theme Challenge I will be running with in 2024. And I already have a Tiny Tim song I intend to use in it. His fun & silly song could actually wind up beating a great many other more "serious" songs. We'll find out soon enough. I think folks who only remember his one high-pitched hit are in for a surprise. (I believe he's actually won more BOTB contests over the last 10+ years than he has lost.)
~ Stephen
Hahaha - got ya! ☺ As for Tiny Tim, I've never been a fan, but, like you said, that's based on the one song (and maybe a couple of others). It'll be interesting to see what you come up with in the New Year.
DeleteStephen,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the late visit to check on how things faired in this battle. Turns out I was on the winning side and a whole lot of others really digged ole Larry. Good job!
Tiny Tim's bravado is too quivery. I don't even quality period regardless of the singer. The Christmas medley does reveal a different side of the fella and I was happy to listen to the recording.
Have a very merry Christmas, dear friend!
CAThy! ~
DeleteThanks for checking in on the outcome. ("...in on the outcome" -- that's kind of like "something underhanded is afoot".)
It didn't really qualify as a "battle" and didn't have a good beat that you could dance to, but I think it had a nice nostalgic feel to it.
D-FensDogG, the Christmas Canine, has a well-stocked liquor cabinet, so I believe a "very merry Christmas" is guaranteed! :^D
~ Stephen