2018, OCT 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, SWEET VS. SHERYL; Or, SANTA MONICA BEACH VS. SANTA MONICA BLVD.)

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Yes, it's time once again for BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB). 

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And not just that, but another edition of the subcategory series 'Battle For Los Angeles' (sub-subcategory: 'Battle For Dogtown'), as inspired by Sixgun McItchyfinger.
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!... 
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I love where I grew up when I did, and when the nostalgia kicks in, I get very yakky. Please forgive the excessive yakking and just humor me.
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In the mid-1970s, while at the corner of Bay Street & Main Street in southern Santa Monica, Skip Engblom and Craig Stecyk gave birth to the nickname "Dogtown". It became legendary in the world of skateboarding.
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Dogtown Coffee shop (formerly Zephyr Surf Shop) at the corner of Bay & Main Streets, Santa Monica, CA.

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Borrowed street sign in Dogtown, circa 1982.

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The same borrowed street sign in Phoenix, AZ., circa 2008.

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Same borrowed street sign now in Reno, NV., 2018.

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You've seen me mention a 90-minute tape I created in September of 1985 by recording various songs, advertisements, and disc jockey banter from a variety of Los Angeles based radio stations. I titled it 'Me, Lynth & The Beach Report', and listening to it today is like stepping into the Waybac Machine and traveling back to a better place and time. 
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My bedroom in Dogtown was the "studio" where I recorded the tape. Here are a couple photos of my old bedroom taken many years after I moved out of it and someone with a lot of money moved in and "fixed" it:
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My Brother went through that big window in my bedroom while chasing a badminton birdie in 1974. It severed the artery in his left arm and he has the scars to prove it!

My old bedroom is now a wine cellar. How apropos!

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Thanks to my good friend Bryan, who converted the actual "Beach Report" portion of the tape into a 1:37 video, you can listen to it as a mood-setting warm-up to this Santa Monica (or "Dogtown") themed Battle.
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The Santa Monica ("Dogtown") Beach Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H2P8vRHRgk

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Please indulge me as I share some more photos from my old Santa Monica stomping grounds:
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Lifeguard Station #26 (Santa Monica Beach) -- I spent many Summers with my beach towel parked in its shadow while I rode the waves for hours and hours.

A little North of Station #26 on S.M. Beach is that big, brown hotel. I worked there in 1985, during the time I recorded the tape 'Me, Lynth & The Beach Report'.

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OK, here comes our first BOTB contestant. We old-timers remember the English band Sweet for their Top Ten hits [link> 'Ballroom Blitz' and [link> 'Fox On The Run'. Both songs climbed to #5 in 1975. Good stuffs!! But their debut album four years earlier included a song titled Santa Monica Sunshine. The lyrics are included below the video if you want to sing along with Sweet:
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SANTA MONICA SUNSHINE -- SWEET
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFBe7cjhSek


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Traveling fast on a southbound highway
Into the sun where I know that I can live my way
Movin' down the highway
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A ticket to ride straight down cross the border
Into the sunshine of South California, my way
Straight down the highway
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Well, I'll drive, drive, drive
Soon I'll arrive
In that Santa Monica sunshine
Santa Monica sands, you're all mine
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Taking the road straight through Sacramento
Moving along, I'll soon be in San Francisco
That's the way you gotta go
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Leaving those Golden Gates far behind me
I look all alive, I'm sure gonna find me, I know
That's the way you gotta go
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Well, I'll drive, drive, drive
Soon I'll arrive
In that Santa Monica sunshine
Santa Monica sands, you're all mine
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Sheryl Crow's debut album included her first and biggest hit, 'All I Wanna Do' (#2 on the Billboard charts in 1994). 
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Fun Fact: David Baerwald and David Ricketts of the duo 'David & David' played on Sheryl Crow's debut album and were co-writers of many of its songs. You may recall that David & David won my very first 'The Battle For Los Angeles' contest HERE, three years ago this very day.
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Fun Fact: Santa Monica Boulevard is a major East-West street in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. It's so long that you can be on Santa Monica Boulevard and be in Santa Monica, or be on Santa Monica Blvd and be in West Los Angeles, or be in Century City, or be in Beverly Hills, or be in Hollywood, or be in Silver Lake, just a little North of downtown L.A. It's a lo-oooo-ng street!  
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Fun Fact: Santa Monica Blvd was part of the original, legendary Route 66. The street dead-ends at Ocean Ave on the bluffs that overlook Santa Monica Beach and the Pacific Ocean. In other words, Santa Monica Blvd was the Western-most point of Route 66 -- the end of the line, "from Chicago to L.A.".
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Randy Newman and "a big, nasty Redhead" turn off Ocean Ave onto Santa Monica Blvd - the Western end of Route 66.

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Fun Fact: Every time I hear the lyric "all I wanna do is have some fun until the Sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard" it always conjures up for me the memory of a certain night I spent with my friend Dean in 1982 when we were young and wild...
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Dean and Stephen T. McCarthy, circa 1982.

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...We started out at 'Yesterdays', our favorite bar in Westwood Village. After a couple drinks there we went across the street to 'Alice's Restaurant' for a couple more drinks, and to listen to the live Country-Bluegrass group playing there. 
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Afterwards, we picked up a little "road soda" and decided to cruise Hollywood. With Dean at the wheel of his V.W. bus, I was the guy lighting firecrackers and throwing them out the window at the feet of pimps standing on the seedy street corners. One of them even got in his car and took off after us but, like Starsky & Hutch, we lost him when Dean pulled a quick U-turn at a yellow light on busy Hollywood Boulevard. So long, Pimpy!
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After hours of that fun, we decided to hike up to the "HOLLYWOOD" sign. And when the Sun came up on the Eastern horizon over Santa Monica Boulevard (and every other Boulevard, Street, and Avenue in Los Angeles), Dean and I were hanging over ... 
the crossbar (-) of the "H" in the l-lOLLYWOOD sign, ... 
and looking out over the city, passing a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey back and forth. It was probably the most memorable Sunrise I've witnessed in my life because... "Location! Location! Location!"
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Backside of the "Hollywood" sign.

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The silhouette of downtown Los Angeles can be seen toward the upper left corner. (photo: NateKat.com)

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Decades after Dean and I did it, a man can be seen climbing up the backside of the "H".

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The lyrics are printed in the video if you wish to sing along with Sheryl:
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ALL I WANNA DO -- SHERYL CROW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEskz6IuBA


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The Battle Within The Battle

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VERSUS

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Question: "Will Sweet lose to Sheryl Crow?"

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The Magic 8-Ball (8-4) sez:  "Signs Point To Yes"

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The Amazing Sixwell (9-3) sez:  "Outlook Good"

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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. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)
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Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' 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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PSYCHEDELIC BOTB RESULTS: 2018, SEPT. 15 (Or, BROADWAY VS. HOLLYWOOD)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2018, September 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) Or, Broadway 'HAIR' Versus Hollywood 'Hair' And The Final Tally:
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It was our third and final Battle (the 2 out of 3 rubber match) between Broadway's 'Hair' (the 1968 original) and Hollywood's 'Hair' (1979 movie). The song was 'Aquarius' and the contest took place HERE.
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The voting started out kind of slow but it picked up and we wound up with a pretty decent turnout. As always, .I thank you, and You, and YOU. (all of youz) for taking the time to visit, listen, and vote. And also as always, the comment section was a fun place to be.
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For those of you who may not have been born yet, or were just too young to remember it (or flyin' too high to remember it), here's a photograph of what 1968 looked like:
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Ronnie Dyson was the lead vocalist for Broadway's 1968 original recording, and Renn Woods was the primary singer in the 1979 Hollywood movie version.
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In The Battle Within The Battle, both The Magic 8-Ball (8-4) and The Amazing Sixwell (9-3) were "definitely" "certain" that Hollywood would win, and they were quite correct. Counting my own vote, which went to Renn and Hollyweird, the Final Tally looked like this...
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Broadway (Ronnie Dyson) = 4 votes
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Hollywood (Renn Woods) = 12 votes
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And so that settles it. Musically, the consensus is that Hollywood 'Hair' is better'n Broadway 'Hair' (2-1).
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Most folks would probably agree that the definitive version of Aquarius was recorded by The 5th Dimension. According to Billboard, their #1 hit recording of it was the 7th biggest hit song of the 1960s! I love great harmonizing, and The 5th Dimension is one of my very favorite vocal groups of all time. And it's very odd how they came to discover what would become the biggest hit of their career:
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The magic of "Aquarius" began in New York when Billy Davis, Jr. [a member of The 5th Dimension] lost his wallet in a cab that he had taken back to their hotel room. As Marilyn comforted him, the phone rang. His wallet had been found by Ed Gifford, the cab's next passenger that day. In gratitude, the singer invited him and his wife to the group's performance at The Royal Box in the American Hotel. In turn, The 5th Dimension were Gifford's guests at 'Hair', a rock musical he was producing. Singer Ronnie Dyson wowed the attending vocalists with his number "Aquarius", which the group immediately heard as a single.
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So, in other words, the 7th biggest hit song of the 1960s was born because one of The 5th Dimension's singers lost his wallet in a taxi cab. Life can be doggone strange (with or without LSD).
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It wasn't just the great vocals that made [link> Aquarius such a huge hit for The 5th Dimension. The musical backing was provided by the group of legendary A-list L.A. studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. It's extremely rare for me to really notice the bass playing on a track, but pay attention to the bass lines provided by Joe Osborn of The Wrecking Crew when Aquarius segues into Let The Sunshine In. Man, that cat is GROOVIN'!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQOQqn1qH4o

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By God, that's great!!
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I've never been a Hippie and I've never dropped Acid and burned a Draft Card, but nevertheless, I really dig the movie 'HAIR'. It was directed by the brilliant Milos Forman, the same man who gave us 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'. I saw 'HAIR' in a theatre when it was released in 1979 and today I own it on DVD.
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And even though I am a [link> "Confident Heterosexual" (or maybe BECAUSE I am a "Confident Heterosexual"), I think this scene from 'HAIR' is hysterically funny:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0sjn2m47T8

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Well, that's it for this time. But I hope you'll join me again for my next installment of Battle Of The Bands. Same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel! (i.e., October 1st, right here.)
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2018, SEPT. 15: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, PART 3 OF 3: BROADWAY 'HAIR' VERSUS HOLLYWOOD 'HAIR' )

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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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But first things first! I am extremely happy to announce the return of Doc Cherdo to BOTB. She said, "Ah'll be bach", and I believed her. And here she is! So, although you're out of the habit by now, please MAKE CERTAIN you go to 'Cherdo On The Flipside' to welcome her bach and to vote on her first Battle since April.
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Alright, let's get on it. Get your PSYCHEDELIC tye-dyed T-shirt on!...
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The song begins with the line "When the Moon is in the seventh house". And by coincidence, it also happened to be the seventh most popular song of the (Psychedelic) '60s, according to the always-reliable Billboard music charts. 'AQUARIUS' was a monster of a hit for The 7th 5th Dimension, and if you will return here on September 21st to read my Results post, I will tell you a really odd story about how The 5th Dimension happened to discover the biggest song of their career.
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To recap: The 4th BOTB installment I ever did (September 15, 2013) utilized the song 'Easy To Be Hard' from the 1969 Broadway musical 'Hair'. I put the original Broadway recording, featuring Lynn Kellogg, up against Cheryl Barnes' version from the Hollywood movie, and Hollywood won 6-5.
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[*SigToo wrote of Cheryl Barnes: "Her strong set of pipes shattered my Charles Emerson Winchester commemorative cognac glass to bits." Yeah, I hate it when that happens!]
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This past June, I again used a song from 'Hair' - 'Good Morning, Starshine' - and pit the original Broadway recording against the Hollywood movie soundtrack cover, and Broadway's Lynn Kellogg beat Hollywood's Beverly D'Angelo 10-6. 
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As everyone knows, this means a rubber match HAD to be put together to determine once and for all who reigns supreme, Broadway or Hollyweird. And what better song to use for the third and final Battle than 'AQUARIUS', the most famous of all the HAIR-Y songs? 
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As an ear-candy novelty o' the times, I genuinely like 'Aquarius', but as global prophecy...
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When the Moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius
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Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius
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...FAIL!!!
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For prophecy, better stick with The Bible.
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The lead vocalist in the original Broadway recording is Ronnie Dyson and the vocalist in the Hollywood cover is Renn Woods. Male versus female; 1968 versus 1979; Broadway versus Hollywood -- YOU decide!
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AQUARIUS -- Original Broadway Recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB90kgSnqFE

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AQUARIUS -- Hollywood Movie Recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05DdCp9mtCQ

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The Battle Within The Battle

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VERSUS

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Question: "Will Broadway 'Hair' Lose To Hollywood 'Hair'?"

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The Magic 8-Ball (7-4) sez:  "It Is Certain"

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The Amazing Sixwell (8-3) sez:  "The Amazing Sixwell HATES hippies!  Smelly commie bastards and chicks with armpit hair." and "Yes - definitely."
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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. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)

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Voice Your Vote...

@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.

@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.

@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.

@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE

@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.

@ 'ANGELS BARK' 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: 2018, SEPT. 1 (Or, GOLDEN EARRING VERSUS TOM PETTY)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2018, September 1st: Battle Of The Bands (BOTB)' (Or, 'Golden Earring Versus Tom Petty') And The Final Tally:
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The BOTB Car Radio Road Race between Golden Earring, with Brenda Lee in the passenger seat ('Radar Love'), and Tom Petty, with Del Shannon in his passenger seat ('Runnin' Down A Dream'), took place HERE. It's now kind of humorous that I went into this Battle a wee bit concerned about it ending in a tie. When Golden Earring came flying out of the Batcave with a 5-1 lead, I could see this contest was already pretty much over.
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First, I THANK EACH OF YOU who took the time to vote! It was a good turnout and the comment section was full of fun exchanges! I think I can honestly say that the back-and-forth dialogue in the comment sections has become my favorite thing about BOTB. The music match-ups seem secondary to me now.
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Almost everyone seemed to be in agreement that both songs are terrific. I concur! I love 'em both and hate to have to vote against one of them. Although I framed the Battle in a "Driving" theme, and pointed out that each song featured a different 1960s singer on the car radios, the fundamental question remained the same. Simply this: Which song do you like better? However, some voters focused on the "driveability" of the songs, and others even took into consideration the songs playing on the car radios in order to help them decide. It'z all good!
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Personally, I think they're both A-list songs in general, as well as E-Ticket songs for driving to. But either way, I slightly favor Golden Earring's 'Radar Love'. Tom Petty made a plucky underdog effort to rally from behind (Rocket J. Squirrel would be proud of him) but the final tally looked like this:
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Golden Earring = "(Up To) Eleven" votes
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Tom Petty = 7 votes
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In The Battle Within The Battle, The Magic 8-Ball. (7-4) got run over by and The Amazing Sixwell. (8-3).
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You know what my September 15th Battle Of The Bands is going to be? ...Yeah, me neither. But I hope you'll return here for it.
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Let me leave you with this:
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I'm not sure how many of you watched some or all of the skateboarder going down Geiger Grade from Virginia City towards Reno in my last post, but here's a chance to do so, and to play some great hard-drivin' road Rock as his background musical accompaniment.  
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If you click THIS LINK HERE, it will open the Skateboarding Video in a new window on your computer. Then you can click the "Play" button on the Music Videos below and see which song you feel makes the best musical background for the skateboarder. I haven't decided which one I think is the best match yet (they're all great), but I'll post my preference in the comment section as soon as I've made up my mind.
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Runnin' Down A Dream -- Tom Petty :
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Born To Be Wild -- Steppenwolf :
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Highway Star -- Deep Purple :
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Thanks again for playing, and we'll yak again on my next Battle on September 15th.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2018, SEPT. 1: BOTB CAR RADIO ROAD RACE (Or, GOLDEN EARRING WITH BRENDA LEE VS. TOM PETTY WITH DEL SHANNON)

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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Shoop-Shooby -
Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah -
Buh-Doo-Wah!
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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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Those of you with the better memories will recall that in a recent BOTB installment I spoke of some compact discs that my friend Julio had burned for me. Two of them were titled 'On The Road Again' and designed for times when I have my hands on the wheel. The one subtitled 'Cruise Control' contained songs I'd selected for mellow, night-driving; the one subtitled 'Pedal To The Metal' had a playlist for the faster, more exciting daytime driving.
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As you also know (or would, if you paid any attention to what I write), I make a lot of trips up the mountain from Reno to the Old West mining town of [link> Virginia City.
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The  moment  Virginia  City  comes  into  view  on  Geiger Grade

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The last time I drove down Geiger Grade (the twisting, hair-pin turning highway that connects Reno and Virginia City), I was listening to 'Pedal To The Metal'. When Deep Purple's 'Highway Star' came through my speakers it seemed like the perfect musical soundtrack for that outrageously drunken road. 
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If you have the time, enjoy this video below of a dude going down a portion of Geiger Grade on a skateboard! I've driven this highway countless times and my favorite part starts at 2:15 in the video. It's a right turn that seems to go on and on and on forever. I laugh-out-loud every time I find myself in the middle of that turn with the distinct feeling that I'm making a 360 and about to drive into the bed of my own truck! 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mmxakHyORI

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To see the video of a motorcyclist who DIDN'T make it down Geiger Grade without crashing, click HERE. Fortunately, he was not injured, although his motorcycle was destroyed. 
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However, it was while I was going UP Geiger Grade the last time when a Twisted BOTB theme occurred to me:
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Tom Petty's song 'Runnin' Down A Dream' was playing when it dawned on me that 2 different songs on this compact disc contain lyrics about driving fast and listening to the radio, which is playing hit songs by OTHER singers from the 1960s.
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'Runnin' Down A Dream' mentions the old hit song 'Runaway' by Del Shannon, which climbed to #1 in 1961:
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It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin'
Trees flew by
Me and Del were singin' [link> 'Little Runaway'
I was flyin'
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Also on the CD is the well-known song 'Radar Love' by Golden Earring, and that one mentions the old hit song 'Coming On Strong' by Brenda Lee, which went up to #11 in 1966:
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The radio's playing some forgotten song
Brenda Lee's [link> 'Coming On Strong'
The road has got me hypnotized
And I'm speeding into a new sunrise
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Hokey-Smoke! (I thought) Why not put those two songs up against each other and see who wins this BOTB Road Race? 
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So, whose fast-driving song do you like better? Is it GOLDEN EARRING listening to Brenda Lee on their car radio, or is it TOM PETTY listening to Del Shannon on his car radio?
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RADAR LOVE -- Golden Earring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckM51xoTC2U

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CANADIAN VOTERS! If that video won't play for you, this one should: CLICK [link> HERE. 
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RUNNIN' DOWN A DREAM -- Tom Petty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXYl5NrHPb4


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The Battle Within The Battle

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VERSUS

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Question: "Will Tom Petty lose to Golden Earring?"

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The Magic 8-Ball (7-3) sez:  "My Sources Say No"

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The Amazing Sixwell (7-3) sez:  "Without A Doubt"

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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. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)
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Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' 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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