BOTB RESULTS: 2020, AUG. 1 (Or, RYAN ADAMS VERSUS KENNY CHESNEY & PINK)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2020, August 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Ryan Adams Versus Kenny Chesney & Pink - And The Final Tally:
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First and foremost, I wish to thank all you Doggs & Doggettes for taking time to visit my blog and humoring me by listening to the Battle songs I presented and weighing in with your opinions. Y'all voluntarily tossed two cents into the BOTB kitty despite a national change shortage, and I appreciated that. Thank you!!
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It was a 'Battle For Los Angeles' installment which took place HERE, and it was one of the extremely rare occasions when I actually used two songs that I, personally, didn't really dig. Even so, it was a very good, competitive contest. Both songs ('La Cienega Just Smiled' and 'Setting The World On Fire') prominently mention La Cienega Boulevard in L.A. I still don't quite know why the songwriters find that street, which runs through West Hollywood, so notable. I know why *I* do, but I don't know why *they* do. (Maybe it was for the same reason?...)
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My own BOTB Bote went to Ryan Adams' 'La Cienega Just Smiled'. I kinda-sorta like that ballad. Not enough to ever feel like I need it in my compact disc collection, but it does have a bit of nostalgia / melancholic mood going for it.
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On the other hand, I feel the same way that A Beer for the Shower feels about Kenny & Pink's 'Setting The World On Fire'. He wrote this:
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I liked Ryan Adams a lot more than I liked Kenny Chesney and Pink, but that was to be expected, because I'm not big on Kenny Chesney and I'm not big on Pink. They put together that typical poppy sound that I'm not a fan of (I'm surprised they didn't pepper a Millennial whoop in there for good measure)

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Yip! I don't consider Kenny to be real Country music. It's that '90s Pop sound that Country became after the "Country Outlaw" style of music became long in the tooth. It ain't your father's Country music, and it ain't mine, either!
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Nevertheless, a very slight majority of voters preferred it to Ryan Adams' offering: 
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Ryan Adams = 7 votes
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Kenny Chesney & Pink = 9 votes
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I thank you all again for your participation! God willing, I will be back with a new Battle Of The Bands installment on September 1st. And I will be around to vote on all the Battles that other BOTB participants present us with on August 15th.
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May you all Bless And Be Blessed!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2020, AUG. 1 (Or, RYAN ADAMS VS. KENNY CHESNEY & PINK)

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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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It's been a doggone long time since I've done a BOTB 'Battle For Los Angeles' installment, so...
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood, Calif.

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Wackypedia sez: 
La Cienega Boulevard is a major north–south arterial road that runs between El Segundo Boulevard in Hawthorne, California on the south and the Sunset Strip/Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood to the north.
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La Cienega Boulevard is a regular surface street and one of Hollywood's major thoroughfares. Offices for A&E Network, The History Channel and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are located on La Cienega as are the studios of Citadel Broadcasting flagships KABC and KLOS, two of Los Angeles' biggest radio stations.
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What does La Cienega Boulevard mean to me, personally? Well... I lost my virginity on La Cienega Boulevard. And, although I looked and looked, I never found it again. 
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Wackypedia sez: 
'Gold' is the second studio album by Ryan Adams, released September 25, 2001 on Lost Highway Records. The album remains Adams' best-selling album, certifying Gold in the UK and going on to sell 364,000 copies in the U.S. and 812,000 worldwide. Adams noted that "with Gold, I was trying to prove something to myself. I wanted to invent a modern classic."
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Included on the album was the song 'La Cienega Just Smiled'.
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(Because, for the 666th time, Google has fixed what wasn't broken, I no longer know how to embed a video, so you will need to "click the link" in order to be transported to the YouTube video)
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LA CIENEGA JUST SMILED - Ryan Adams
[link> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbrUhHdd62Y
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Wackypedia sez: 
'Setting the World on Fire' is a song written by Ross Copperman, Matt Jenkins, and Josh Osborne and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Chesney as a duet with American singer Pink. It was released to Country radio on July 28, 2016 and to digital retailers the following day as the second single from Chesney's 2016 album Cosmic Hallelujah. ... The song was nominated for the Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
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Was the photographer "Drunk On La Cienega Boulevard"?

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(Because, for the 666th time, Google has fixed what wasn't broken, I no longer know how to embed a video, so you will need to "click the link" in order to be transported to the YouTube video)
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SETTING THE WORLD ON FIRE - Kenny Chesney with Pink
[link> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ECz0BBt8IY
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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. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
@ THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE by clicking HERE
@ CURIOUS AS A CATHY by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC by clicking HERE
@ STORMS & STARDUST 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 of each month to post my own votes and announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2020, JULY 1: BOTB RESULTS (Or, THIS AIN'T THE SUMMER OF LOVE)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2020, July 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, The 5th Dimension Versus Oliver - And The Final Tally:
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The Battle took place [link> HERE. 
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First and foremost, as always, I want to thank you, You, and YOU (yes, every single one of you) who took the time to listen to my BOTB songs and then took enough interest to also write a comment and post a vote (aka "bote"). Without you, You, and YOU, BOTB would not exist at all! So... thanks, all y'all!
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Secondly, I apologize for being late with this BOTB Results post. This should have posted yesterday, but I've been real busy (and not in a good way).
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Mang, this was a really great (i.e., "doggone close") Battle! The lead actually changed hands during the voting, and the outcome was decided by a single "bote". (My very, Very, VERY favorite kind of BOTB installment!)
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BOTH of these songs are very special in my (now packed) memory. I dig both songs (even though I detest the stoopid Hippie era and the nonsense that these songs symbolize). In 1970 or '71, I was part of an elementary school's choir (or was it junior high school?), and we actually sang 'Aquarius' in a public performance. To this day, I LOVE 'The 5th Dimension' - they are still one of the most frequently played artists on my CD player! 
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Musically backing The 5th Dimension on 'Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In' was the legendary L.A. studio musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew". And on bass, was Wrecking Crew member Joe Osborn, who was actually best known for having impeccable timing and keeping everything tight, without getting real fancy. [Link> CLASSIC TRACKS: Fifth Dimension 'Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In'. 
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But, for whatever reason, on 'Let The Sunshine In', Osborn switched to "BEAST MODE" and just cranked that stuffs "Up To Eleven!!" I've played "Air Guitar" countless times in my life, but I can honestly say that the ONLY time I have ever played "Air Bass" is while listening to Joe Osborn playing bass like he was Larry Csonka running through everything in front of him!
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Meet The ORIGINAL "BEAST MODE"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azvRQ0QKUMk


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Mang, if you can't feel Joe's bass thumping your soul like an 8.88 earthquake in 'Let The Sunshine In', you better check yourself into the nearest Soul Hospital in a Saint Hurry!
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But... having sincerely said all that, my own vote still goes to OLIVER's song 'GOOD MORNING, STARSHINE'. There is no song that, for me, personally, more epitomizes the late 1960s; and few songs make my soul feel more serene, more happy, more carefree. As I responded to my Brother's bote in the comment section:
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"There's just this kind of joyful innocent feeling that washes over me when I hear Oliver's 'Good Morning, Starshine'. It ain't got nuttin' to do with drugs, anti-Vietnam War protests, or The Sexual Revolution. It's a feeling that rises above all that stuffs, and it's a feeling that's intensely personal."
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I truly, sincerely, genuinely feel bad for anyone who can listen to Oliver's 'Good Morning, Starshine' and NOT feel what it makes me feel!! (If words could put that feeling in your heart & soul, I would surely write them here: ________ .)
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Anyone who might be mildly interested in how I acquired Oliver's song 'Good Morning, Starshine' on compact disc can click [link> SET THE "WAYBAC MACHINE" TO SEPTEMBER, 1969.
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Muddy 'n' Me trippin' out on the Chocolate "Waybac Machine" in Reno, 2018.

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I actually had to count and re-count, and re-re-count the votes in this Battle to be sure I had the winner correctly recorded. THAT is how close this contest was. The lead changed hands two or three times as the votes came in.
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In the final analysis, I voted for Oliver, but Billboard's Top 40 records chart proved to be still correct in 2020, as The 5th Dimension beat Oliver by a single vote:
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The 5th Dimension ('Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In') = 9 votes
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Oliver ('Good Morning, Starshine') = 8 votes
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I thank & love you all (NOT in a dippy, drippy, hippie [commie] way!), and I hope to see all y'all here again on AUGUST 1st for my next 'Battle Of The Bands' contest.
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~ Stephen T. McHippienot
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2020, JULY 1 (Or, THIS AIN'T THE SUMMER OF LOVE!)

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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It's July, 2020, and I think most of us can agree that, as Blue Oyster Cult said: [link> "THIS AIN'T THE SUMMER OF LOVE". (That's a good song, but "it needs more cowbell".)
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(For them what're too young to know: [link> "Summer Of Love")
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Oh, no! Not only is this damn-sure NOT "The Summer Of Love", but this is actually the beginning of the end for "this world" as we know it. You think things have been bad so far in 2020? Well, YOU AIN'T SEEN NUTTIN' YET! 
The Bible tells me so: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” 
(~ Revelation 12)
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If you haven't surrendered to God yet, you are very seriously running out of time. Before long, we are going to reach that point of no return, where Christ Jesus, speaking on behalf of God, our Father, will say to you in your desperate, last-gasp appeal to reconcile with Him: "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" 
(~ Matthew 7)
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If you can't sense "this world" changing for the worst and at a supernaturally rapid rate of speed, then your Spiritual I.Q. is in Negative territory! Better quickly fix that, while you still have a little time to do so.
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But, climbing down from my xtremely-informed Spiritual Soapbox now... 
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!
[link>  Let's "turn on, tune in, and drop out".
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'Easy To Be Hard', 'Good Morning, Starshine', 'Aquarius' 
-- three times in the life of BOTB I have used famous songs from the musical 'Hair', putting the Broadway recordings up against the Hollywood movie recordings. (Hollywood beat Broadway 2-1.)
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Rather than use recordings from the Broadway play and Hollywood movie, this time I am using the actual Billboard big radio hit songs against each other. It's The Fifth Dimension's 'AQUARIUS / LET THE SUNSHINE IN' (#1 in 1969) versus Oliver's 'GOOD MORNING, STARSHINE' (#3 in 1969). Based on Billboard's 1969 chart figures, Oliver would seem to be a slight underdog in this Battle, but let's see if the BOTB audience hears it the same way in 2020 as the record-buying public did in 1969.
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This most DEFINITELY AIN'T "The Summer Of Love" but, for the next seven minutes and twenty-eight seconds, let's pretend that it is:
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AQUARIUS / LET THE SUNSHINE IN - The 5th Dimension
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlrQ-bOzpkQ

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GOOD MORNING, STARSHINE - Oliver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E-ZkyNWzrM

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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. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
@ THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE by clicking HERE
@ CURIOUS AS A CATHY by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC by clicking HERE
@ STORMS & STARDUST 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 of each month to post my own votes and announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BOTB RESULTS: 2020, JUNE 1 (Or, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION - 1977)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2020, June 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Starbuck Versus Vicki Sue Robinson Versus The Tavares Brothers - And The Final Tally:
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First and foremost, my sincere thanks to everyone of you who voted on my Battle [link> HERE. 
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When I made the decision to treat Starbuck like a red-headed stepchild by removing their big hit 'Moonlight Feels Right' from this 3-way BOTB competition, I pretty well figured it meant that I was giving the victory to Vicki.
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And that's exactly how it played out:
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Starbuck = 3 votes
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Vicki Sue Robinson = 9 votes
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The Tavares Brothers = 4 votes
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Because I done Starbuck wrong, for fear of facing a BOTB shutout, I feels bad. And to rectify the situation, I'm seriously thinking that on June 1, 2021 (if the Internet and BOTB is still a "thing"), I may give Starbuck a rematch against Vicki and see if she can still wallop Starbuck on an even playing field. (My Magic 8-Ball sez: Outlook not so good.)
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I had a lot of fun in the comment section. (Thanks again all Y'all!) And I got a kick out of it when G Dogg referred to Starbuck's 'Rock 'N' Roll Rocket' as "The Plan 9 From Outer Space of Songs!"
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Ha!-Ha! That still makes me COL! (Chuckle-Out-Loud!)
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And now for the rest of the story...
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As much as I love Vicki Sue Robinson's 'Turn The Beat Around' (and, yes, I really do LOVE it!), my vote went to Starbuck because... there's just so much history there for me.
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I told y'all (here) how I happened to see Starbuck play their final song of the night ('Rock 'N' Roll Rocket') at Disneyland during "Grad Nite '77". The very next day I drove to a record store and bought ALL of Starbuck's LPs. ...(They only had two albums out at that time.) Over the next two or three years, I played those albums to death - damn-near wore the grooves smooth.
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If you listen to [link> ROCK 'N' ROLL ROCKET' / LITTLE BIRD (Reprise) once more, you'll notice that in the segue to 'Little Bird (Reprise)' there's this weird Framptonesque "Talk Box" segment in which Starbuck's singer, Bruce Blackman, asks the question "Is it fun to be serious? Ha!-Ha!-Ha!-Ha!-Ha!"
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Believe it or not, hearing that so many times over the next few years, it actually had a pretty huge impact on me. As some of you even mentioned in the BOTB comment section, my senior portrait showed a very intense and serious 17-year-old. Indeed, that was me. 
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But within a few years of that picture having been taken, I had lightened up to a tremendous degree and had actually developed a pretty quick 'n' sharp sense o' humor. And although there are certainly plenty of reasons for the change - or more well-rounded development - I have always given credit first to Bruce Blackman for asking me a godzillion and two times, "Stephen, Is it fun to be serious? Ha!-Ha!-Ha!-Ha!-Ha!"
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Thanks, Bruce! You done helped me come outta my shell quite a bit!! 
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Well, that's all for this one. But I hope all Y'all will join me again for my next Battle Of The Bands installment on July 1st.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2020, JUNE 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION - 1977)

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB) 
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Front cover of my 1977 High School Yearbook

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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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As I sit here about to compose my next BOTB installment, I am experiencing an Xtremely Bittersweet feeling. I know for a fact that as long as I live on Earth in this D-FensDogG body, "the good times are over" ...as perfectly xpressed in the song [link> 'The Good Times Are Coming' by Mama Cass.
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On June 17, 1977 - 43 years ago this month - I graduated from Santa Monica High School. And that same night, my graduating class - along with many other graduating classes from the Southern California area - celebrated 'Grad Nite' at Disneyland.
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That night, the 3 headlining bands at "The Happiest Place On Earth" (or, "The House The Mouse Built") were Starbuck, Vicki Sue Robinson, and The Tavares Brothers. When this BOTB idea first occurred to me several months ago, my initial thought was to put each artist's highest charting song against each other in a 3-Way BOTB and see who triumphed.
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But pretty quickly it dawned on me that Starbuck's biggest hit - [link> 'Moonlight Feels Right' (#3 in 1976) - was so hugely popular that it would probably blow out, if not shut out, the competition. (Is there anybody who dislikes that song?!!) So, in an effort to try to keep this Battle a bit more competitive, I selected a different song to represent Starbuck.
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I was actually standing in line for the Matterhorn ride when I heard 'Moonlight Feels Right' wafting through the air. I turned to my friend and said, "Wow! That sounds exactly like the real version from the radio! I wonder if it's the real band."
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After we got off the Matterhorn ride, my friend and I went straight to the bandstand where we luckily happened to catch Starbuck's finale for the night - 'Rock 'N' Roll Rocket' - which was not only the title track of their second and latest album, but it was also the first time I ever saw two drummers drumming on full drum kits on a stage at the same time.
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Since 'Rock 'N' Roll Rocket / 'Little Bird (Reprise)' were not radio hits, I'm using them in this Battle in the hope it will make this more of a... well... a "battle".
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ROCK 'N' ROLL ROCKET' / LITTLE BIRD (Reprise) - Starbuck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UQvRmOeyNk

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My Senior Portrait in the '77 Yearbook

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I was a big "Disco Sucks!" guy in the 1970s. There were only a scant few Disco songs that I actually liked (like). But I will tell you upfront and without the slightest bit of shame that my #1 all-time favorite Disco song - which I love so much that I even own it on a compact disc today - is 'Turn The Beat Around' by Vicki Sue Robinson (#10 in 1976). Man! That song makes me get on down with my bad self and move my groove thang! (I have no idea what a "groove thang" is, but if it's attached to my body, it's MOVIN' when I hear this song!!) I love everything about 'Turn The Beat Around'. Everything! And I always did. Crank it up to 11 - show no shame!!
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TURN THE BEAT AROUND - Vicki Sue Robinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eybDOisOOLg

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And for the Soulful folks in the crowd, we have The Tavares Brothers' hit 'It Only Takes A Minute' (#10 in 1975). You gotta admit, the 1970s radio programming was "diversified", and that was without any government edict to enforce it! Bring back KHJ, KMET and WKRP in Cincinnati!!! (*We love you, Mary Ann in Cincinnati!*)
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IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - Tavares Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtPbCYk-38

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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. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
@ THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE by clicking HERE
@ CURIOUS AS A CATHY by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC by clicking HERE
@ STORMS & STARDUST 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 of each month to post my own votes and announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BOTB RESULTS: 2020, MAY 1 (Or, VAN MORRISON VERSUS BOB SEGER)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2020, May 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Van-The-Man Versus Bob Seger - And The Final Tally:
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Sorry! I'm a wee bit o' late with this post. Shoot-'N'-Begorra! Well, coronavirus happens! (I'm gonna start blaming coronavirus for everything that's wrong in my life.) 
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The Battle took place [link> HERE, and I thank each and every one of you for participating! I couldn't-a dun it widout ya!
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The outcome of this one *REALLY* surprised me! (I sez that a lot, don't I?) I was worried that Van Morrison - playing his own original song - would clobber Bob Seger playing a cover of Van's tune. HA! Oh, Stephen, you foolish, foolish man!!
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I mentioned to my Brother prior to posting this Battle that Van Morrison has a weird history of losing BOTB contests. I've used him in BOTB at least 3 or 4 times and, for as popular as he's always been, I don't think he's EVER won!
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And I not only thought he would finally win one with this match-up, but I sincerely worried that he might actually shut-out the competition. WRONG!
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Some FUN FACTS:
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* Although I generally prefer male vocalists to female vocalists, my all-time favorite vocalist is Karen Carpenter.
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* Although Karen Carpenter is my all-time favorite vocalist, my favorite vocal performance that I've ever heard is [link> THIS  - in which the singer nearly disappears, becoming just an instrument for The Holy Spirit to express Itself through. (You can even see "The Light Of The World" in her eyes!)
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* Although I do like Van Morrison's studio version of 'I've Been Working', I think his version from the live album 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' is not only better, but I believe it is, musically, the funkiest and single greatest live performance I have ever heard by anyone at any time!
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* Patrick Humphries: "As far as Van live on disc is concerned, his first live set, 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' is unquestionably one of the best-ever live rock 'n' roll recordings. ... Van was cooking when he came to record these 18 songs. ... Every note you hear was recorded live - there was not one overdub."
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* Looking back on the album, guitarist John Platania told 'Mojo': "I would say that tour represented the height of his confidence as a performer."
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* Bassist David Hayes: "When I speak to Van about that album he still talks about it as having marked the peak of his career. He really feels that he was on to something very special."
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* D-FensDogG: "Although I usually prefer studio renditions of songs to their live counterparts, I think that in every case, except one, Van Morrison's live versions of the songs on his 1974 album 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' are superior to their studio renditions. No one - not Ray Charles, not James Brown, not Stevie Wonder - NO ONE ever recorded a funkier song than Van Morrison's live 'I've Been Working' from the 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' album! I'm Black Irish-American and I'm proud!"
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Here's the thing... it was almost like the musicians were psychic! Clearly, the band was extremely tight and knew the song quite well but simultaneously, and seemingly contradictory, the band was also so uniquely loose that the song sounds super-spontaneous. It's like the sort of oxymoron that every great Jazz musician has aspired to: attempting to achieve "independent improvisational teamwork".
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This live recording of 'I've Been Working' has always blown me away. From the first few notes, my toes are tapping and the song is just pinging on my backbone. The Funk Factor is off-the-charts and the band seems to be communicating by mental telepathy. That funky chicken-scratch guitar work is itchy-to-the-max. The piano is like a machine gun! The bass is bumpin' 'n' grindin' like a whorehouse in an earthquake!! From 1:28 to 2:08, that sex sax is committing a licentious act o' civil disobedience!
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However, my very favorite section of the song is from 2:40 to the end. The interplay between the musicians is the best I have ever heard - EVER!! According to my ears, no band has ever topped that - the way each musician cuts in and drops out. They all take turns cutting in to play a quick riff, and then dropping out for the next guy. In and out, in and out, in and out! It's just UNBELIEVABLE musical rapport! After 60 years of life, I still consider this live version of Van Morrison's 'I've Been Working' to be the best, tightest, and most spontaneous collaborative musicianship I've ever heard.
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And the BEST way to learn to appreciate it is by listening with your eyes closed, so you can get that single-purpose mental focus on each and every instrument, as they all play off of each other.
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So, here ya go - "one more once"... Please listen with your eyes closed (especially from 2:40 to the end) and FORCE your mind to focus intently on each individual instrument as it cuts in and drops out, making room for the next instrument to cut in and drop out, etc. Phunq, mang, how dey do dat?!
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'I'VE BEEN WORKING' (Live) -- Van Morrison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3hkAWqmICI

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Nevertheless, to my slack-jawed shock, Bob Seger won the Battle:
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Van Morrison = 8 votes
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Bob Seger = 9 votes
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I've got a VERY SPECIAL BOTB INSTALLMENT planned for June 1st, so I really hope to see you all here again for that one. And thanks again for participating in this one!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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