Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Battle of the Bands Results - It's a Long Way to the Top

I tried something a little different this week. This week, I decided to pit two cover songs against each other. Instead of one performed by the original artists. This little shake up was an interesting experiment. Once again, I was introducing either one or two new artists to the BOTB enthusiasts. How were they received? Check a few of the comments I received below. But first, lets move to the actual battle and see who won. Because unfortunately, someone must win, and someone must lose.

The first round of votes made me think this was going to be a runaway by Dropkick Murphy's. They started strong with three votes, but the final two votes put Lucinda Williams in the running.

Suddenly, the wind was blowing in a different direction. The second round of votes once again were in favour of DKM, but they received only one vote, the rest were for Lucinda. It seems DKM was losing fans quickly. The were now trailing 4-6.

In the third round, many expressed displeasure with both groups and the votes seemed to be placed begrudgingly. A few placed their vote for who they disliked the most. This time it was almost split and DKM received two while Lucinda received three votes. So Lucinda was still leading, and still receiving more votes. At the end of the third round - DKM 6, Lucinda 9.

By the time the fourth round began, all of Lucinda's fans had packed up and went home. It was getting late, and no doubt they were eager to get back into bed. The Celtic punk rocker fans were still going strong. The final four votes placed were for DKM. They were once again back on top with a score of 10-9. But the votes were not all totalled as yet. I still had my final vote to cast. Safely sealed in an envelope, so I would not be swayed by the outcome of the voting or the comments. It turns out, my vote was placed for Lucinda Williams. You know what that means? That's Right.

WE HAVE A TIE!


Top Comments
Why did I vote the way I did? And why did some of you? Check out the top comments below.

Lucinda sounded a bit like a sloppy drunk at the beginning, but she got better as the song progressed.
Debbie D.

Lucinda Williams has an interesting voice. When she first started singing, I felt like I was listening to a female version of Jim Morrison!
Michele Truhlik

Consarn it! I thought this was going to be 'IT'S A LONG WAY DOWN TO THE TOP' by Backstreet Crawler! I love that band and that song.
Stephen T. McCarthy

Dropkick Murphy's version of this tune was more of an assault on my ears than Lucinda Wiliams's, so I'm going with her version.
John Holton

One is a twang version of rock and roll and the other never learned that shouting and screaming is vastly different from singing.
Cerebrations.biz

Lucinda sounded like a cat in heat to me but The Murphy's version sounded like a man who needs some anger management.
Birgit

It was a long way to the end of this song in either case, for me.
farawayeyes

Even though there are times I like harder rock, and punk versions of songs. I agree with a few people who felt the singing was more shouting from the DKM. I'm not a big fan of being shouted at. I loved that they used the bagpipes, but as another said, it felt it was just an imitation. I way as well listen to the AC/DC version of the song. DKM have other songs I prefer, I think I''ll listen to those. As for Lucinda, I appreciate she did something a little different with it, and yet it was still enjoyable.
Jeffrey Scott

Winners Circle
Since we ended in a tie, I have decided to present one additional song from each artist. In addition to that, I will also be adding the original song they have both covered. Enjoy!

AC/DC - It's a Long Way To the Top (If You Want to Rock & Roll)


Lucinda Williams - Real Love


Dropkick Murphys - Good Rats




Thanks to everyone who stopped by and placed a vote.
Come back again for a new battle August 1st.
Who will you vote for?
What song will I choose?
Which artists will battle it out?
Stay tuned.

Don't forget to visit the other participants in the Battle of the Band to see who won their battles.

STMcC PRESENTS 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
TOSSING IT OUT
JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE
WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME
ALEX CAVANAUGH
YOUR DAILY DOSE
BOOK LOVER
MIKE'S RAMBLINGS
CURIOUS AS A CATHY
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING
DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS
THE DOGLADY'S DEN
CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE
ANGELS BARK
FAR AWAY SERIES
NOVEL BREWS
QUIET LAUGHTER
HOLLI'S HOOTS AND HOLLERS

Are you currently in the BOTB and don't see your name in the list above? Let me know in comments and I'll include it.

18 comments:

  1. Wow, Jeffrey, your band battle worked out perfectly. Isn't a tie the perfect outcome from a hosting standpoint? You and I had the same rationale for voting for Lucinda. It was the freshest and most original take on the rock classic. The Murphs sounded so similar to AC/DC that you might as well listen to the original. I enjoyed Lucinda's "Real Love" more than I did "Good Rats" by those gruff Celtic punkers.

    Thanks for executing a fine band battle, Jeffrey. See you next time, good buddy!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! Glad you liked the Real Love song. I found myself drawn to it as well. I may have to find one or more of her albums to purchase. I may even get a DKM, for when I'm in that sort of a mood. But it's not very often.

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  2. I was on vacation last week, so sorry I missed this. Very cool you picked bands covering an AC/DC song.

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    1. I noticed you were on vacation. We could have used your vote to end the tie. ;)

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  3. I didn't listen or vote (as you know) but I'm a hue Lucinda fan so I probably would have chosen her.

    I rec'd your letter and wrote a reply only to discover you didn't include a return address. Can you email it to me at taro hands at gmail dot com? Thanks!

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  4. Huge not hue.
    rarichards68 at gmail dot com

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  5. Great Rockstar vibes you've got going here man, AC/DC are a cool band. Have you seen their "Shoot to thrill? - sure blew my mind.

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    Replies
    1. No, I have not seen it. Perhaps I'll go check it out.

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  6. I always try to find an original and two artists that covered it later on. That's not as easy as it seems some times, ha ha.

    This was a primo battle - break that tie, JAS!!

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    1. My vote is what caused the tie. If I were to abstain, the winner would have been Dropkick Murphy.

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  7. Although I didn't particularly like either one, this was a pretty epic battle to the end. And it seems fitting that it ended in a tie.

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    1. It was interesting to have a tie. To be honest, I was not sure who I really wanted to vote for. It killed me to cast a vote causing a tie. But it would have killed me to not cast the vote and allow a winner I was not all agog for.

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  8. JEFFREY ~
    Congratulations on your first BOTB tie. That's always a sign of a well-conceived Battle. Although I'd much rather have a tie than a shutout or blowout (except for this last Battle I put together), I'm not really fond of ties... and I think I've had 5 or 6.

    After all the work of putting together a Battle and monitoring it, I like to have a winner. It's always fun when MY vote breaks a tie and determines the winner. But if my vote can create a tie for my preferred performer who would have lost otherwise (as in your case here), that's good stuffs, too!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

    Here's the song I THOUGHT this Battle was going to be featuring when I quickly read the song title:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wszcZAORj7g

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    1. I listened to the song. I can see why you like it.
      I also see your point about having a tie. But even a tie tells us something. The same way a shut out does or a song that is heavily picked. As you say, it also shows the builder of the battle, was able to choose two similar songs, or song well rounded enough that everyone likes either one or the other.

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  9. A tie made sense in your Battle because both versions were pretty good.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote

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    Replies
    1. I was unsure who I was going to vote for till the very end.

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  10. Great battle your covers were quite different from the original. The two bands were extremely different as well which made the battle a lot of fun!

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