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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 25, 2015

EVERY COWBOY NEEDS A HORSE

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[from the STMcC archive: September 15, 2006]

Where would Roy Rogers have been without Trigger? Where would The Lone Ranger have been without Silver? And Pecos Bill without Widowmaker, or Doc Holliday without Big Nose Kate? 

The indisputable fact is that every cowboy needs a horse to ride. And what with the price of gasoline and oats these days, is it any surprise that many of us urban cowboys have shifted to the two-wheeled variety of equine transportation?

The other day - just on a whim - I did a search to see if anything would come up when I entered in the name and style of my deeply beloved bicycle, THE HUFFY "GOOD VIBRATIONS" model cruiser. How exuberantly surprised I was to find myself staring at a photograph of my lovely, faithful "steed." It's still being made. Hooray! "Classic" cruisers are still in and I'm still astride mine (even if the "fenders" are long gone.)



Let me tell you about my bike: I bought my Huffy "GOOD VIBRATIONS" cruiser at Pep Boys in downtown Santa Monica, California, circa 1980. (It looks identical to the one pictured here.) I've probably logged over 144,000 miles on mine. I used to pedal it every day before work on the beach bike path for exercise and for just the pure joy of it. My favorite ride took me from underneath the Santa Monica pier, through the human carnival of Venice Beach, around the boat slips of Marina Del Rey, and along the sand through El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, to the outskirts of Torrance, and then back again. Or to put it more succinctly: My favorite ride was Heaven on Earth!

And note: With the barest minimum of maintenance, I'm still riding on "GOOD VIBRATIONS." Yeah, uh-huh, that's right. About 26 years after buying my bike, it and I are still the best of friends; I'm still planting my "cushions" on its seat and still pedaling along the canals, to the horse track, or to the grocery store, or to work. Now, how many years have you been driving your car? Think you'll get 26 years out of it? Will you get 26 years out of your job? How 'bout your marriage? Yeah, what I'm saying is that "GOOD VIBRATIONS" last and last...

But I had a real scare recently: The bearings in the doohickey that connects to the thingamajig had gotten wrecked and the handlebars were loose in the whatchamacallit. (Rode it that way for over a year anyway.) 


Finally, took it in to a bike shop and "Homeboy" tells me to throw my best friend into a dumpster. "Homeboy" says it can't be repaired. According to "Homeboy" the bike was basically junk when brand new, and that the fork could break on me at any moment and put me in the hospital. 

Well, certain that "GOOD VIBRATIONS" could never hurt me, I put my buddy in the bed of my truck and drove it from Phoenix, Airheadzona, to Santa Monica, California, for one last beach bike path ride. I figured that if it broke on me along the way, I'd just leave it on the beach to R.I.P. (Rust In Pieces).

Well, we made it from the Santa Monica pier to Torrance and back, just like the good ol' days! The other riders could hear us comin' up on 'em because "GOOD VIBRATIONS" was loudly going "SQUEEEK - KREEEK - RATTLE - GROAN! SQUEEEK - KREEEK - RATTLE - GROAN!" Other bikers probably thought he was crying in pain, but I recognized those sounds for what they really were: SINGING! JOYFUL SINGING!

Back home, Good Friend Melanie suggested that I take "GOOD VIBRATIONS" to see the nice, old gentleman who owns ROADRUNNER BIKE CENTER in Glendale, AZ. Two weeks later and only $34.59 lighter, "GOOD VIBRATIONS" is as good as new and ready to hit the canals again as soon as the weather cools down! (Why, that dirty dog at the first bike shop! I think "Homeboy" just wanted to sell me some newfangled, multi-geared "horse.")

Only one thing concerns me: My bike is clearly labeled "HUFFY - MADE IN U.S.A." Are "GOOD VIBRATIONS" still made here, or are they now produced in China? I urge you to investigate before buying because "GOOD AMERICANS" don't financially support Coummunist countries that utilize slave labor, threaten their neighbors, imprison the religious, and force abortions on their women. Right?

Sometimes only poetry can express a cowboy's love for his "horse".


O, my Bike, O, my Horse
We've ridden twenty-six years
You have carried me through
Times of joy and times of tears

We've traveled city streets
And journeyed along the strand
I rarely gave you oil
You never bitched 'bout the sand

Leaving California
You never said, "This is bad!"
You never once complained
(Though I kinda wish you had)

You never bucked me off
Never trampled on my hide
Never had a headache
When I said I'd like to ride

You are my "Black Beauty"
You are truly my best friend
I'll shout it from rooftops
Though others I might offend

Because of you alone
I have known excitations
And more than The Beach Boys
You give me Good Vibrations

I feel so close to you
You are almost like my kin
Throw you in a dumpster?
No, I'll throw that "Homeboy" in!

"A COWBOY NEEDS A HORSE"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIRkjozEFQE



 ~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Monday, June 15, 2015

2015, JUNE 15: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, JOE COCKER VERSUS RARE EARTH)

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Republican Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
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THE 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’)

But first, I want to announce our newest BOTBers Jeffrey Scott of the blog 'J.A. Scott' and Madilyn Quinn of the blog 'NovelBrews'. Please be sure to visit them, cast a vote on their debut Battles and make them feel welcome. Thanks!
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Alright, let’s get on it...
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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER
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In my last BOTB installment, I used the Traffic original 'Medicated Goo' against the cover by Kracker. Today, I am again using a Traffic song but this time the band Traffic won't be competing. This is cover vs. cover, and English Rocker vs. American Band.
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GOODNIKS  VS.  NO-GOODNIKS
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At the Woodstock music festival in 1969, British Blues-Rock singer JOE COCKER performed a number of cover tunes including one written by The Beatles, three written by Bob Dylan, and three written by Traffic. One of the three Traffic tunes was FEELIN' ALRIGHT, which became a Billboard Top 40 hit for Cocker in 1972.

The popular singer had a total of nine Top 40 hits in his career. Let's hear his sixth one, FEELIN' ALRIGHT, which incidentally was not a hit for the original artist, Traffic. In fact, oddly, Traffic never had a Top 40 hit in the U.S. It wasn't until the band broke up that some of its individual members began scoring American radio hits.

FEELIN' ALRIGHT - JOE COCKER



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoAO0851FwA 
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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG
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Joe Cocker's competition is the Detroit band RARE EARTH. Although they are largely forgotten today, Rare Earth had a total of six Billboard Top 40 hits in the 1970s. Their highest charting single was 'Get Ready', at #4, although it seems that today the hit that gets the most airplay on Classic Rock stations is 'I Just Want To Celebrate', which went to #7.

Rare Earth was the 4th all-White band signed by the Motown label, and the first to score any hit songs. Their version of FEELIN' ALRIGHT was not a hit for the band, but let's hear it regardless:

FEELIN' ALRIGHT - RARE EARTH



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W84jB0E7CWw
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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whoever you are) 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 @ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'BOOK LOVER' 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.
@ 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THIS BELLE ROCKS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME' by clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
@ 'NOVELBREWS' 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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Friday, June 12, 2015

THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE (Or, TSOML - Blog Bit 4)

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8/8/1967. The “Summer Of Love”. My eighth birthday. I received my first ever music album: The Monkees.
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There were two things that most rocked my world back then: The Monkees and Batman and Catwoman (Julie New - mmmmm! - mar). OK, that’s three things. My math was never very good.

STEPHEN ON HIS 8th BIRTHDAY, WITH MONKEES GUITAR AND 'THE MONKEES' RECORD ALBUM IN BACKGROUND. FLANKED BY SISTER BONEHEAD AND BROTHER NAPOLEON

In retrospect – after it was way too late – I came to realize that I should have made a career in the music field. I was always interested in a variety of creative paths, but the one I didn’t really explore enough – music – is the one I should have focused on. Oh well, next lifetime.

I may have liked ‘Theme From The Monkees’ and ‘Last Train To Clarksville’ better than ‘I Wanna Be Free’ back when I was eight, but ‘…Free’ better illustrates the mind-set I would develop later in life. And because the song is not even two and a half minutes long and because its vocalist, Davy Jones, stood only 5 feet 3 inches tall, I’m counting this as only half a song (so there will be a "Bonus Track").

I WANNA BE FREE - THE MONKEES (featuring Davy Jones)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIFLRasX2UQ

1966: 
I wanna be free,
Like the bluebirds flying by me
Like the waves out on the blue sea.
If your love has to tie me, don't try me,
Say goodbye.

I wanna be free,
Don't say you love me, say you like me,
But when I need you beside me,
Stay close enough to guide me,
Confide in me,
Oh-oh-oh 

I wanna hold your hand,
Walk along the sand
Laughing in the sun,
Always having fun
Doing all those things
Without any strings
To tie me down.

I wanna be free
Like the warm September wind, babe
Say you'll always be my friend, babe
We can make it to the end, babe
Again, babe, I gotta say:
I wanna be free
I wanna be free
I wanna be free 

One thing I still appreciate about Davy Jones (my favorite Monkee) was his willingness to make jokes about his lack of height. It takes a big man to do that. 

The Monkees were created as America's television answer to The Beatles. The show was a lot of wacky fun and I was a Monkees fanatic back then. Today, I even have a DVD titled 'Our Favorite Episodes'. Each Monkee (Davy, Micky, Peter & Mike) was asked to name their favorite episode, and all 4 of those were collected on this DVD.

FUN FACTS:

It was probably in 1970 that I made the mistake of trading my Monkees album, which I'd received on my 8th birthday, to my friend Greg for his LP 'Incense And Peppermints' by The Strawberry Alarm Clock. Years later, I greatly regretted that trade. But my "Mommy made it all better" when, in 2003, she gave me that same recording on compact disc for my birthday.

Half a block from the world famous OK Corral there used to be a small drinking establishment, a gin joint, a hooch parlor, a silly shack called 'The Lucky Cuss Saloon'. (I believe it later changed its name to 'Legends Of The West'.) I mean, this place was a real dive. I really liked it. It was my favorite bar in Tombstone. And it was also right next door to where Morgan Earp was shot and killed through the back alley window of a billiard room. Some say the ghost of Morgan Earp haunted the saloon's back room.


I remember being in The Lucky Cuss Saloon one night (late 1991 or early '92) with my girlfriend "The Countess", when this couple of tourists, a man and woman from jolly old England, came in, sat down and ordered drinks. There were only us two couples and the bartender in the saloon.

Me being the troublemaker that I am, it wasn’t long before I happened to mention (just loud enough) to The Countess that The Monkees were better than The Beatles. Of course that’s total balderdash. I knew it perfectly well. But what the heck, I had to defend us Americans on our own Western turf, didn’t I?

It wasn’t long before there was a pretty... uhm.. spirited"... discussion going on about which band was better. I defended The Monkees with everything I had, and I really enjoyed the... uh... conversation. It was touch-and-go there for awhile about whether or not this was going to turn into “The OK Corral Shootout, Part 2”. To steal a line from Bugs Bunny: “Ain’t I a stinker?”

BONUS TRACK:

I STILL enjoy the wackiness of The Monkees. That had to be some of the funnest money ever made:

GONNA BUY ME A DOG - THE MONKEES (Monkee-ing around)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v72H7YRzOEg

My previous blog bits pertaining to 'The Soundtrack Of My Life' (TSOML) can be found by clicking the links below:

TSOML #1
TSOML #2
TSOML #3

For more TSOML participants, visit the blog of GIRL WONDER ('Your Daily Dose') by clicking HERE.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Monday, June 8, 2015

THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE (Or, TSOML - Blog Bit 3)

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My friend Robin the Girl Wonder has started a blog series titled 'The Soundtrack Of My Life'. A few of us bloggers have decided to participate. This is my third installment in the series.
 
According to my Ma,...


I was conceived on her wedding night at the El Cortez Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Here's the man what caused all the trouble:

DOGGED  IF  SHE  WOULD  LISTEN!  (Link:->)  MAMA  COULDN'T  BE  PERSUADED.

In August of 1959, three weeks after the “sell by” date, I entered “this world” kicking, screaming, crying and fighting at the ‘University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center’:

SEE  RED  BRICK  BUILDING  IN  CENTER  OF  PHOTO.

The first song that I can remember being aware of and being entertained by is Home On The Range by The Sons Of The Pioneers. I was about five years old then and I had a yellow plastic Colt .45 that made a clicking sound when the trigger was pulled.

RIGHT  GUN,  WRONG  COLOR
RIGHT  KID,  NOT  IN  COLOR.

I used to put my ‘Home On The Range’ .45 on to my children’s record player and run around my bedroom shooting my .45. It’s hard to believe, but I actually still have the single:

BACK  IN  THE  "OLD  DAYS",  RECORDS  WERE  SQUARE.

1964:
Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play.
Where seldom is heard
A discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day . . . 

‘Home On The Range’
by The Sons Of The Pioneers



My previous blog bits pertaining to 'The Soundtrack Of My Life' (TSOML) can be found by clicking the links below:

TSOML #1
TSOML #2

For more TSOML participants, visit the blog of GIRL WONDER ('Your Daily Dose') by clicking HERE.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Friday, June 5, 2015

4 FOR 2 (Or, THAT'S A HELLUVA HITTER!)

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TALKIN' BASEBALL


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqsnpd9TeCM

"SORRY" SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w142CaROC0

~ Stephen T. McCarthy [Los Angeles DOdGers fan]

DOGGY BAG? FUHGEDDABOUDIT!

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"Hello, Low IQers!" (as Mr. Know-It-All used to say),
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and welcome to my ____  ...(What's the word I'm looking for here? Anybody? "Yes, you in the, uh, vest, is it?")... of today's Bonehead Blog Hop. More Boneheads can be found HERE.
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"Why don't you forget the moose... for a moment?!"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_-KXsee5vA

Yes, forget the moose (forget 'Mr. Know-It-All', too), because what we are talking about here today is forgetfulness, but it has nuttin' to do with mooses. What it has to do with is... is... uhm... well, boy-howdy, I forget what it has to do with. (You know, he really MUST have hated that moose, don'tcha think?)

...Dogs! Well, not dogs, but DOGGY BAGS! That's the forgetful thing we're remembering to yak about here today. (Now I remember!)

Is there any one thing that you can do better'n anyone else can? Most people would answer no to that question, but I can answer yes.

Nobody ever lived who could forget their doggy bags better'n I could. If every doggy bag I ever asked for in a restaurant and then left sitting on the table when I walked out could magically appear before me right this second, I could eat for about a year. (Of course, some of those leftovers may be a bit stale at this point.)

Seriously, I have no idea how many doggy bags I've requested and then forgotten to take home with me, but it's a prodigious number, whatever it is. Some of my "doggy-bag-forgetfulness" may have had something to do with alcohol ("I can't decide"), but I've proven many times over that I can also forget a doggy bag while stone-cold sober. (Ooh! Don't say that word! Don't use that kind of language around me.) 

The forgotten doggy bags that I have most kicked myself about were the many I left in La Barbera's Italian restaurant in the early 1980s. They had the BEST pizza EVER!... ANYWHERE! (Just ask anyone who had it.) 

"FOOD  TO  TAKE  OUT"  -  yeah,  good  luck  with  that!

La Barbera's pizza was so monstrous that I could never finish it, but it was way too damned good to leave there. So I'd always ask for my leftovers in a doggy bag. I figured that pizza was gonna taste so good for lunch tomorrow when I was hungover. Never happened. Well, truthfully, it DID happen... once. The reason I remember that is because it was such an extraordinary event: I'd asked for my leftover La Barbera's pizza to be put in a doggy bag, and when I woke up the next morning, THERE IT WAS! ...on top of the TV set.

Makes me cry to think of it, because La Barbera's is long gone. The family eventually sold the property so some high-rise office building or strip mall could be put up on the spot where their legendary restaurant had stood for many years.

But, of course, I didn't just forget my doggy bags at La Barbera's. I forgot 'em at Pinocchio's, too. And at Paco's. And at The Broken Drum, and at Zucky's and every other restaurant where I couldn't finish my meal. *Sniffle-Sniffle* I really miss my Shannons doggy bags.

In recent years, I seem to have gotten a bit better about remembering to take my doggy bags with me. It seems the more I age, the better my doggy-bag-memory gets. Go figure...

Now if I can just find where I left my car keys. They're probably hanging out somewhere with my eyeglasses. Hmmm... I haven't looked for them in the refrigerator where my doggy bag is. Anyone wanna place a bet on this?



[Be aware that the voting window for my most recent 'Battle Of The Bands' installment (Traffic Vs. Kracker) is still open for this one last day. If you haven't voted and want to, click HERE]

..."Hat!"

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Monday, June 1, 2015

2015, JUNE 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, TRAFFIC VERSUS KRACKER)

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Republican Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
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THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS! (‘BOTB’)
.
.
Shoop-Shooby –
Shooby-duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah –
Buh-Doo-Wah!
.
Yes, it’s time once again for ‘Battle Of The Bands’ (‘BOTB’)
.
Please be sure to visit and welcome our new BOTB members MARY BURRIS of the blog 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' and JANIE JUNEBUG of the blog 'WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME'

Alright, let’s get on it...
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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER
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The band 'TRAFFIC' was an influential hybrid of Rock, Folk and Jazz. It was formed in the late 1960s and its first lineup included Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. All of them went on to have notable solo careers.

The song 'MEDICATED GOO' was written by Winwood and producer Jimmy Miller. Let's hear it first. (I'm providing you with the lyrics. You can thank me later.)
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GOODNIKS  VS.  NO-GOODNIKS
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'MEDICATED  GOO' - Traffic


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ISxSn7vxSs

Pretty Polly Possum, what's wrong with you?
Your body's kinda weak
And you think there's nothing we can do
Good Golly, Polly, shame on you
'Cause Molly made a stew that'll make a newer girl out of you

So follow me, it's good for you
That good old fashioned Medicated Goo
Ooo, ain't it good for you!
My own homegrown recipe'll see you through

Freaky Freddy Frolic had some, I know
He was last seen picking green flowers in a field of snow
Get ready, Freddy, they're sure to grow
Mother nature just blew it
and there's nothing really to it, I know

So follow me, it's good for you
That good old-fashioned Medicated Goo
Ooo, ain't it good for you!
My own homegrown recipe'll see you through

Aunty Franny Prickett and Uncle Lou
They made some Goo
Now they really sock it to their friends
Frantic friends and neighbors charge the door
They caught a little whiff now they're digging it and seeking more

So follow me, it's good for you
That good old-fashioned Medicated Goo
Ooo, ain't it good for you!
My own homegrown recipe'll see you through
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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG
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Interestingly, cowriter Jimmy Miller also produced a number of popular songs and albums by other bands such as 'Blind Faith', 'Motorhead', 'Primal Scream' and 'The Rolling Stones'. According to Wackypedia, Jimmy Miller's "father, Bill, was a Las Vegas entertainment director and the man who booked Elvis Presley into the International Hotel for his 1969 return to live performance."

Another band that Jimmy Miller produced was 'KRACKER' (at first, five Cubans).

Wackypedia sez: "The band was originally formed in South Florida in 1970, but moved to Chicago in April 1971, where they were introduced to producer Jimmy Miller. With Miller, they recorded their first album, La Familia, ... In early 1973, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards developed an interest in Kracker, resulting in a deal whereby the band's second album was licensed for distribution outside America by Rolling Stones Records, making Kracker the first band on that label. The association with the Rolling Stones continued when later that year Kracker moved to London and toured Europe as the opening act for the Rolling Stones."
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MICK  JAGGER  WITH  KRACKER:  BERLIN,  1973
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Not all that surprisingly, 'KRACKER' recorded a cover of the Winwood/Miller song 'Medicated Goo'...
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'MEDICATED  GOO' - Kracker


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkVb8H01SQE
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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whoever you are) 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 @ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE. [NOTE: FAE is outta town and unable to participate in BOTB this time.]
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'BOOK LOVER' 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.
@ 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THIS BELLE ROCKS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME' by clicking HERE
@ 'ALEX CAVANAUGH' 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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