.
Welcome back, my friends, to the "Battle" that never ends.
We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside!
.
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.
.
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!
.
[NOTE: Links to the first year of 'BOTB' (#1 - #24) can be found at the very bottom of this page.]

Thursday, February 15, 2024

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: FEB. 15, 2024 (Or, THE NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND VERSUS BRUCE BLACKMAN)


.
CONGRATULATIONS! You found it. This is the 4th installment of Battle Of The Booze, my new Battle Of The Bands theme (also know as BOTB's BOTB).
.
You DogGs & DogGettes who have been paying attention know that so far 3 songs have been slated to appear in a future Playoff round. So far we've got these winners:
'Tequila' by Xavier Cugat
'My Name Is Bocephus' by Hank Williams Jr.
'Hotel California' by The Eagles
.
Brief reminder: Every song I use in BOTB's BOTB must mention a type of booze and/or a brand name of booze or a cocktail made with booze.
.
This week, the two songs vying for a Playoff spot share a kind of tropical island getaway feeling.
.
First up this time is the song 'An American Dream' by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - a #13 Billboard hit:
.
Keep on talking, mama, I can hear
Your voice, it tickles down inside of my ear
I feel a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to this hillbilly beer

.
I think Jamaican in the moonlight
Sandy beaches, drinking rum every night
We got no money, mama, but we can go
We'll split the difference, go to Coconut Grove

.
What is "hillbilly beer"? Is that Hamm's? Schlitz? Lone Star? Lucky Lager? (Does anyone out there remember Lucky Lager?!)
.
Challenging The NGDB for that Playoff position is the song 'Doing Nothing' by Bruce Blackman. Who he? He's the man what gave us the massive 1976 hit song [link> 'Moonlight Feels Right'. And here's some of what Mr. Blackman is dreaming of in 'Doing Nothing':
.
Well, I'm looking good and smiling big; I've got it made
Just wait until the evening sun pulls down its shade
A long tall senorita making a margarita just for me
Hoo-Wee!
.
Well, I'm underpaid and under-slept; ain't nothing new
The ocean calls my name in twenty shades of blue
I need a cold Mojito
Gotta get away from where I'm at
I can flat do that!

.
So, we've got hillbilly beer & rum going up against a margarita and a cold mojito
.
Remember: This is really about the songs and not the booze. So, in ye olde comment section, please vote for which song you liked better betwixt these two, and then please visit the other wonderful BOTBers and also drop your two cents in their comment sections.
* See the BOTBer links over there --->
.
I'll return here on or about February 22nd with my own vote and the final tally.
.
Alright, let's get on it (said Howlin' Wolf)
Let's get ON this thing (said Lightnin' Hopkins)
.
AN AMERICAN DREAM
by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvHgPE6Se_0

.
.
DOING NOTHING
by Bruce Blackman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNIaOBUY4vY

.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy

24 comments:

  1. Give me the nitty gritty! Wait...that doesn't sound right...lol. I prefer that song as the other is ok but nothing special. I get no kick from champagne...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. >>... "Give me the nitty gritty! Wait...that doesn't sound right."

      Oh, sheesh, BIRGIT!
      Don't do that sort of thing! You'll just get me started. Upon reading that, immediately my mind began riffing on it - coming up with a variety of variations - NONE of which I would have felt comfortable posting here (but all of which made me internally chuckle because I'm such a sick bastard!)

      >>... "I get no kick from champagne..."

      Mere alcohol doesn't thrill you at all? ;^D

      You can bet yer boots that song was already on my list to eventually use in BOTB's Battle Of The Booze.

      ~ D-FensDogG

      Delete
  2. I'm going with Nitty Gritty Dirty Band. I remember the song, maybe that's why. The other contender and song no recollection of either. Just so you'll know, there's no battle going on at my place. Have a bandtastic day, Stephen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CAThy ~

      I'm sorry to hear that you haven't got a music Battle going this time for me to barge into and shoot my fingers off about. But, hey, I get it. Life happens to all of us. (I hope things are going well in your neck of the country.)

      Thanks for coming by with a shot of Hawaiian Punch for the rum bowl. ;-)

      ~ D-FensDogG

      Delete
  3. I think you know which of these I'm going to vote for, but just to make it official: my fellow Atlantan and a man I think of as a good buddy (even though we haven't met), Bruce Blackman, gets my vote.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BROTHER JOHN ~

      >>... "my fellow Atlantan and a man I think of as a good buddy"

      And not to mention that line in 'An American Dream',
      "Augusta, Georgia, is just no place to be"

      Why, the *nerve* of them! :^D

      He doesn't know it, but Bruce Blackman actually played a role in helping me to come out of my shell when I was a painfully shy teenager. How did he do that? By asking me toward the end of the song 'Rock 'N' Roll Rocket', "Is it fun to be serious?" and then laughing at me. Being young and impressionable, I actually (ironically) took that question "seriously", and it helped me to become the freewheeling cut-up that I am today.

      I was in Hot 'Lanta a long time ago.
      But my favorite Georgia story - which I've told many times - comes from 1983, during a cross-country road trip (N.Y.C. to L.A.). My buddy Eric and I got lost one night in the Okefenokee Swamp, armed only with one flashlight and two bottles of Lowenbrau beer. And alligators started closing in on us from three sides. No kidding! (It took more than a wingless angel named Clarence to get us out of that messed up situation!)

      ~ D-FensDogG

      Delete
  4. I suspect this contest will be a blowout... like the next election. ("Michelle" will win by the greatest number of votes ever collected in history, something like 357 million, or slightly more than the actual number of living occupants of the US.)

    In this BotB, the Dirt Bros and Sister will win by a landslide. Not that Blackman's song is bad, but those dirty doggs who have grit just have a catchy and well-known song! Plus, they have the backing vocals of Linda Ronstadt. THAT is always a good thing in my book! I would vote for them even without her lovely addition, but she definitely seals the deal for me. I vote NGDB! I hope Lee comes along and breaks up a shutout for you; sometimes he enjoys a contrarian viewpoint.

    >>Alright, let's get on it (said Howlin' Wolf)
    >>Let's get ON this thing (said Lightnin' Hopkins)

    "Let's Get It On" (said Marvin Gaye)
    "That Thing You Do" (said The Oneders)
    "The Thing" (said Phil Harris)
    "We Gotta Get You A Woman" (said Todd Rundgren)
    "Engage" (said Captain Jean Luc Picard)

    Sixgun McItchyfinger

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MR. SIX
      (Soitently *NOT* to be confused with Mr. Six-Six-Six) ~

      I found myself watching Rocky (or, Bullwinkle), and suddenly something jogged my memory and I remembered that [Link> I get a kick out of you, and I hadn't yet responded to your voment here. (Vote + Comment = Voment.) "Kick", "Bang", in horseshoes, grenades, and BOTB, they're all close enough.

      I liked your comment! You *always* give me plenty to woik with. And I figure that five good quotes deserve another... twelve. So, here ya go, Brother:

      "I can't go for that. No can do" (said Hall and Oates)
      "Don't rock the boat, baby; don't tip the boat over" (said The Hues Corporation)
      "Behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but Jesus was asleep" (said Matthew)

      "We're not counting that!" (said the woman bowler at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company)
      "I'm the one got cheated!" (said Ike Clanton)
      "Tha-aaa-t's right!" (said Ray Barone)

      "Floyd Lawson, you're a miserable, deceitful wretch!" (said Floyd Lawson)
      "No. He ain't bluffin'" (said Ike Clanton)
      "Ye shall afflict your soul, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord" (said The Lord)

      "They say this cat, Shaft, is a bad mother--" (said Isaac Hayes)
      "Shut yo' mouth" (said Isaac's well-mannered ladies)
      "That's right" (said Eddie Brock)

      Thanks for the inspiration, Sixgun. I'd stick around and quote more but...

      [Link> "We gotta run!"

      ~ Rocky & Bull-- dogG

      POSTSCRIPT:
      E coming soon to an InBox near you.
      (Sunday is lookin' bloody good!)

      Delete
    2. As usual, my prognostications about how others will vote was wrong.
      https://tenor.com/view/rocky-and-bullwinkle-moose-and-squirrel-gif-8986054
      More people are voting for Blackman than I guessed would. I thought YOU and maybe Lee. ("Wrongo, bar rag breath!")

      Glad to provide you with material to work with. As Rush used to say: "It's your job to make the host look good."

      Six

      Delete
    3. SIR SIXLETS ~

      Methinx you were paying too much attention to the Magic 8-Ball when Bullwinkle said, "Eenie meanie chili beanie, the spirits are about to speak..."

      So, here are some little-known Fun Facts:

      The first name of Mr. Peabody, that brainy canine, was Hector.

      That plucky squirrel, Rocky, was *not* born in Frostbite Falls, Minnesota. He was actually born in Winnemucca, Nevada. (And for some odd reason, I always confuse Winnemucca with Tonopah. "How come that?" It makes no sense because Tonopah has far better beer!)

      Bullwinkle completed his military career by serving as a hat rack in the Fort Blunder officers' club.

      For additional Fun Facts, put another quarter in the slot and press the "Tell Me More" button.

      ~ STMcC (or, D-FensDogG)

      Delete
  5. Good battle, Stephen T!
    I already knew who I'd vote for, having just a tad bit of history with the band...but then I heard that magical husky voice singing a beachy tune while "Doing Nothing" except watching a purple sunset under a pumpkin moon - jeeweez!
    Bruce Blackman gets my vote - thanks for the introduction ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dEAR dIEDRE ~

      You are a gem! A gem shining under the Arizona sun. (Gems don't shine no better'n that! I know from 20-years' worth of firsthand experience in Phoenix. How you think I got so hot?... "I need a cold mojito!!" Guffaw-Out-Loud!)

      Mr. Blackman, I am sure, appreciates your support. He's a bit behind here, but I still be keepin' the faith that he can pull a rabbit out of his funny, little white hat. (If Bullwinkle could pull a lion out of *his* hat, why can't Bruce pull a victory out of his... hat... his little, white hat? :^D

      ~ D-FensDogG

      Delete
  6. I was gonna do a Battle today, but something happened that kept me from it. Damn Computers!

    Anyway I'm here to vote at least. Both songs are great listening. I'm not overly familiar with the second and the first I hadn't heard in years and if I did I would have probably thought it was Jimmy Buffet.

    Bruce was nice and jazzy laid back, but I really like that Dirt Band song so I'm voting on that.

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. >>... "but something happened that kept me from it. Damn Computers!"

      "Computers"? Is that what we're supposed to be calling them now? Having never been married, I never got that memo.

      But, seriously now, folks!...
      I'm glad you stopped by to vote, Lee. For about 6 hours and 58.5 minutes, I was a wee bit o' concerned. Glad to know that you're still stepping on daisies and not pushing them up, my friend! ;^)

      ~ Dr. DogG

      Delete
  7. These songs are both new to me. Nitty Gritty was catchy, but the smooth vocals and arrangement of Bruce Blackman's tune won me over.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahh, DEBBIE!
      You are my favorite Doglady ever!!
      ("No! No! I no kidding you-uh!"... to quote my ol' boss at U.C.L.A.-uh.)

      Every time I listen to Bruce Blackman's song 'Doing Nothing', I fall into blissful, Heavenly sleep at about the 1:38 mark. And then, oddly, I seem to suddenly awaken at the 2:08 point, remembering that I have a cold mojito sitting next to me that is only half-consumed. (I don't s'pose I need to tell you what happens after that-uh.)

      ~ Stephen
      DogGtor of Alcohology &
      King of Inebriation Nation-uh

      Delete
  8. This is a tough one! I am going for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, though. I liked the slow-dance feel of Doin' Nothin' - and that sentiment of doing nothing - but the toe-tapping fusion of country-blues and island rhythms got me. ~Ed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MR. ED! ~

      Methanx you for stopping by and bringing a pint of rum for the punch bowl! (The punch just wasn't punch-drunk enough, doggone it!)

      I sincerely appreciate your participation here (lowercase p) and I will be sure to loudly announce your Participation (uppercase P) when the time comes.

      [Just between you and me - psst! - I've got a goot feeling about the future of BOTB!]

      ~ D-FensDogG

      Delete
  9. Al Bondigas here. Great selections youse got goin' on here Steve-O. Well, I really hate to have to make a rulin' fer just one of these fine songs, but, hey, that's the way the gavel bounces. Rulin' fer "An American Dream". That's it, that's muh rulin'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JUDGE AL ~

      In your courtroom, it seems the rulin' always goes in favor of Sailor Jerry. Is he paying you under the table... in the back room... when the security cameras are malfunctioning... and the guards are asleep? ;^)

      ~ D-FensDogG
      (in contempt of court,
      because this trial is out of order!)

      Delete
  10. This was a good battle! I thoroughly enjoyed both songs, too. You know, I'd much prefer a margarita and a cold mojito to some rum and a hillbilly beer, unless maybe it was Cruzan Black Strap with a side of Hamm's (gotta keep hydrated via the Hamm-water). And yet I prefer the Nitty Gritty Titty Committee to Bruce the Black Man quite a bit overall. "An American Dream" is more fun to listen to, has a great mixture of vocals, and Bruce's song is just a little TOO laid back for me. I'm a bursting ball of energy. The idea of just laying around doin' nuthin' sounds like my personal version of hell.

    So give my bote to Nitty Gritty, and may the fairly one-sided drubbing continue.

    ~Chief Julio Redman

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CHIEF TOM STRONGBOW
      From Land Of Sky Blue Waters ~

      Heap big thank you for bring-um firewater to Billy Jack Raindance Ceremony! No good-uh without firewater... and 7-Up.

      >>... And yet I prefer the Nitty Gritty "Pappies" Committee

      But next time leave-um squaw in tepee.
      This BGTOW ('Braves Going Their Own Way') powwow!

      ~ Chief Big Kahuna
      (DogG-paddling in pure Rocky Mountain spring water)

      Delete
  11. Well well well.... (that's a deep subject!)

    I thought for certain I would bed giving my vote to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band because I've always enjoyed their music.

    But Dag Nab It All!

    Bruce Blackman took me by surprise and I'll be damned if that song isn't stuck in my head now.

    Going to have to give my vote to the ear wormy guy - Mr Blackman.

    Great battle!

    ~MMQE
    ps down to just 2 more radiation treatments and then an infusion this week... then it's time off for good behavior for 3 weeks! Aside from the massive fatigue - I feel pretty darn goot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MMQE ~

      >>... Going to have to give my vote to the ear wormy guy - Mr Blackman.

      Ha! You're right, he *IS* pretty ear-wormy.
      I mean, except for that song 'Moonlight Feels Right'.
      There's nut'n ear-wormy about that one.

      Thanks! I feel vindicated that you felt this was a great Battle.

      Well, maybe not "vindicated". That's protly not the right word. More like... justified. Or-- hmmm... maybe shatisfied. Oh, stuff and fluff! I have no idea what I'm tryin' to say here. (My doctor WARNED ME not to attempt sobriety without consulting him *first*! But would I listen?...)

      >>... then it's time off for good behavior for 3 weeks!

      "Good behavior"?! HA!-HA! Nice try, sister!
      Who are you really, and what have you done with
      Mary, Mary Quite Extraordinary?!!

      I'm really glad to hear that you are moving in the right direction and are starting to feel pert-dern goot. I mention you to The Father every day.

      Here is your [Link> Musical Prescription for hitting hard, knocking down, and throwing off shackles!

      ~ Dr. DogG

      Delete

---> NOTE: COMMENT MODERATION IS ACTIVATED. <---
All submitted comments that do not transgress "Ye Olde Comment Policy" will be posted and responded to as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to comment.