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...
THE BATTLE OF THE
BANDS!
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'). This is my second and last
Christmas edition, so pour yourself some Eggnog or a “cup of cheer” and relax
for a little bit.
.
 |
| EUGENE MARTONE VS. JACK BUTLER |
.
My
original idea was to use a secular Christmas song in ‘BOTB’ #9 and a sacred
song today in ‘BOTB’ #10. Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and... snowmen...
The song
I wanted to use today was ‘O Holy Night’, but my friend FAE went with that one
on December 1st. No problem, I’ll just switch to ‘God Rest Ye, Merry
Gentlemen’. Oh, but YouTube does not have the one version I really wanted to
include. No problem, I’ll just go with ‘Little Drummer Boy’ – it’s not exactly
“sacred” but it IS about Jesus Christ. And again YouTube did not have
my favorite rendition of that song. So... I have another “lightweight”
children’s song for you.
HOWEVER(!),
please return here on or around December 20th, because I am going to
post a single song (not ‘BOTB’-related) which is my gift to you this
Christmastime. I am going to share with you my very favorite version of
‘O Holy
Night’. (Damned if I’m going to go the entire Christmas season without posting
a great sacred Christmas song on my blog!) So please do return on or around
12/20 for my final post before Christmas Day. You have GOT to hear this
particular take on ‘O Holy Night’!
.
 |
| GODZILLA VS. KING KONG |
.
Alright,
‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ – it’s a pretty silly little song but it CAN be
appealing if presented with some style, and I have two stylish versions of it
here for you to judge.
I grew up
with the Jimmy Durante take on ‘Frosty’ from the animated TV classic of 1969.
Durante has a very, very distinctive voice and a likeable personality which
makes this song more enjoyable to me than it might otherwise be. So, let’s
listen to the vocal flair that “The Schnoz”
brought to this old children’s tune.
[An aside: At its most fundamental level, Christmas is a birthday party we are throwing in honor of Jesus, so how appropriate that Frosty's very first words are "Happy Birthday!"]
[An aside: At its most fundamental level, Christmas is a birthday party we are throwing in honor of Jesus, so how appropriate that Frosty's very first words are "Happy Birthday!"]
Frosty The Snowman – Jimmy Durante
.
 |
| RIDDLER VS. BATMAN |
.
I was at
Dodger Stadium one day in 1989 or ’90 when The Ray Conniff Singers gathered in
center field to sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. With 3 or 4 part harmonies, it
was the very first time I ever heard our National Anthem and actually enjoyed
it as a piece of music. So I definitely have some respect for the Conniff
Singers.
Last
year, for the first time, I heard a certain version of ‘Frosty’ being
played on a radio station and I thought it was quite entertaining. (Hmmm...
What was it about that version that made me crave a glass of Champagne? I wonder...) My first thought
was that it sounded like The Ray Conniff Singers and about 5 minutes worth of research
confirmed that for me.
I found
the song posted at YouTube in a video that featured pictures of ‘Santa’s
Village’ near Lake Arrowhead in Southern California. My parents took me to ‘Santa’s
Village’ (S.V.) when I was a tot who still believed in ‘The
Fat Man In Red’. Later, as an adult, I went back to S.V. several times
because I loved the colorful, childlike mystique of the place. Sadly, 'Santa's Village' is gone now, but I have a very
special ornament acquired at S.V. that I hang on my Christmas tree every year.
And
speaking of style, once upon a time, I had some. Below is a photograph of me
leaning against the ‘North Pole’ at ‘Santa’s Village’ in 1989.
.
 |
| STMcC AT NORTH POLE, 'SANTA'S VILLAGE', CALIFORNIA |
.
IWWWBTFPTMTEPOTPS.
I WONDER
WHO WILL BE THE FIRST PERSON TO MENTION THE ELF’S POSITION ON THAT PHALLIC
SYMBOL.
Again I
remind you that ‘BOTB’ is about the music, NOT the videos. But if it were about
videos, this one would score massive points from me due to the ‘Nostalgia
Factor’.
Frosty The Snowman - The Ray
Conniff Singers
Damn, if
I don’t get me a glass of Champagne I’m gonna die!
Alright now, you know the gig... I welcome EVERYONE to
vote for their favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel
free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. (NOTE: Comment Moderation is activated. All submitted comments that do not
transgress "Ye Olde Comment Policy" will be posted as soon as
possible. Thanks for taking the time to comment.)
After
voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you
pop over to FAE’s ‘Far Away Series’,
Arlee Bird’s ‘Tossing It Out’,
Robin’s ‘Your Daily Dose’, LC’s ‘DiscConnected’, and Chris' 'The Creative Outlet Of StratPlayer' blogs 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 ‘Far Away Series’,
‘Tossing It Out’, ‘Your Daily Dose’, ‘DiscConnected’ and ‘The
Creative Outlet Of StratPlayer’ to vice your voice ...vote your
vice ...voice your vote.)
Voice Your Vote @ ‘FAR
AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘TOSSING
IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘YOUR
DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘DISCCONNECTED’
by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘CREATIVE
OUTLET OF STRATPLAYER’ by clicking HERE.
.
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.
Links To Previous 'BOTB'
Installments:
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
YE OLDE
COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem
attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read:
"posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com,
so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
.
There you are (another HOT version of you). WOW!
ReplyDeleteI just watched 'Frosty' the other day (another meltingly handsome guy). It's early and I'm still a little foggy, so I'll be back to vote on the song later.
My mother used to have a lot of Ray Conniff albums and I loved listening to them. Still like the group especially when they're singing the standards. Not so much on "Frosty". Sounds too manufactured like an obligatory Christmas album.
ReplyDeleteI also grew up with Jimmy Durante. Used to watch his show when I was little. He put's personality and style into everything song he sings. Durante definitely gets my vote between these two.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Sorry that the be-all-and-end-all of modern music let you down. Gimme Jimmy. Loyal to the toons I grew up with.
ReplyDeleteIt's the hat that conveys style. The Ray Coniff Singers get my vote. Not a fan of Durante's style, vintage vaudeville. However, I think we had that version for the kids when they were little tots. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteOK, I'm back and more awake. After I made that 'foggy' comment I was reminded of something. It had to do with 'Rudolph' and not 'Frosty', but I'm gonna tell you anyway. I knew a little redheaded girl who used to love to sing 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' at the top of her voice all year long. There was only one problem, when she learned the song she heard the word FROGGY instead of foggy, everyone would be howling with laughter when she came to ' then one froggy Christmas Eve' and for years I don't think she knew why. Once she got the right idea, she still had a hard time singing it as foggy instead of froggy. She's now an adult and I'll bet, unless she thinks real hard about it, she still says 'froggy'. OK, I'm done with my little bit of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteThe Ray Coniff Singers do a really fun version and now I want a glass of champagne (but more because you mentioned it, than because of the song), BUT, although Durante has a distinctive voice, that really isn't
all that melodious, nostalgia wins again, and he gets my vote.
BTW, we used to go to a Santa's Village at The North Pole, Colorado. It looked a lot like the place you mentioned, but there was no HOT Bocepheus look alike there, that I ever saw. Also, I googled it and it's still there, but today has a whole raft of amusement park type rides, and appears to do a booming summer business.It also appears to be somewhat modernized and that took away most of the charm. We always went in November or early December when the snow was pretty deep (it's located on the way up to Pike's Peak, or Peak's Pike as my family used to say).
Re: the picture....going for the Waylon look, were we?
ReplyDeleteRe: the song....Jimmy all the way!
Even as a kid I never liked that cartoon special, though...the only two I liked as a kid were Charlie Brown and Rudolph...well and of course, The Grinch, but that was a true-life documentary.
If I were not sticking with the Todd theme to the end (looks like 2/1 will be the end), I'd have done a few versions of the Grinch theme for this post...
I keep watching, thinking that THIS will finally be the year he keeps Christmas from coming!
Before we get to commenting on the song, I MUST say something about your picture. First, I never pictured you in cowboy clothes. Not sure how I picture you actually... hmmm. Now, I am thinking about it.... Anyway, you remind of a leaner Toby Keith in that picture. For the record, I love those boots.
ReplyDeleteNow, on to the songs. This Battle is TOUGH. I really like the Durante version because it takes me right back to being a kid watching Frosty on the TV every Christmas. That "Happy Birthday" just makes me smile. The Ray Conniff Singers are so good at everything they do, however, so it makes it difficult.
I am going to give the win to Durante by a hair. Durante and the kids embrace the joy of the season. I FEEL the story when I hear that song. We are going to have so much fun while I am around, but don't cry when I am gone, because I'll be back!!!
I was a fan of the Schnoz, but I'm gonna vote for the Ray Conniff singers this time around. Each version evokes a response, but the response to their version is more... Christmas-y. Yeah, I know, not very technical. Durante is about the fun, and the other is more about the warm fuzzy feelings.
ReplyDeleteThanks, One And All, For Your Votes And Feedback!
ReplyDelete---- FAE ----
Not hot at all! There may not have been snow on the ground and more a-fallin', but it was cold enough to snow.
And I know exactly how hard it is to overcome our initial "froggy" mistakes. There are a few words where, every time I use them, there's a slight pause first as my mind has to sort through the possibilities and work to find the correct word, having the wrong word ingrained in my mind years earlier.
OK, now that your mind ain't so froggy, yer goin' with The Schnoz, primarily reflecting a vote for nostalgia over Champagne.
---- BOIDMAN ----
I figured you were gonna give me another armful of grief over using a secular children's song again in my Christmas 'BOTB'.
I can imagine that Durante would have probably been a fun guy to out on the town drinking with. He probably had more stories than one could shake a stick at, and that voice alone would have made even the unfunny seem hilarious.
---- BROTHER MARTIN ----
Your pattern of sticking with the oldies from your youth continues unwaveringly.
---- D.G. HUDSON ----
There are also a number of little musical touches that The Conniff Singers include in their battle against 'The Schnoz Under The Hat'. Thanks! And a Merry Christmas to you as well. Glad to see your continued support of 'BOTB'.
---- DR. DISC ----
Waylon stole his look from me! I shoulda sued the dude!
The Grinch is too weak-willed to keep Christmas from coming. He always sells us out at the end. I nominate YOU for the job this year.
---- ROBIN ----
I was "cowboy" when "cowboy" wasn't cool. (Heck, I was cowboy even before I could afford caps for my cap pistol.) That's one of the rare photos of me with a full beard, and wherever the beard went, I guess that's where the boots ended up too; neither has known my face and feet for a long time, and the Stetson has gone from black to brown in these "Winter" years of my life.
And Robin... I wish you a "Happy Birthday!" I hope Santa brings everything you want this year.
---- SUSAN ----
Thanks for keeping The Conniff Singers alive in this Battle. They're taking it on the chin so far, but there are more votes yet to come. (I likes the close contests best of all.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I'll start with this: It is blatantly obvious, as I said to you before.
ReplyDeleteSecond: you look dangerous in that picture. Is there a sixgun belt under that coat? Aren't you too hot in that long thing?
Third: I loved the pictures of Santa's Village in the Coniff vid. We never went, but I am certain that I'd have loved it.
Fourth, Christmas is all about nostalgia, and I think both these versions hold much nostalgia for me. I honestly could vote either way on this and feel good about it. I am not a huge fan of the Coniff Singers style in general - that of a large crew singing in unison (vs. harmonies and counterpoint.) However, their sound is one heard often at Christmastime and hence it sounds right for this sort of carol.
Ultimately: Durante by a nose.
(Did I actually just say that?)
Nothing against Durante, but I hated the Frosty cartoon, only one of the season, except for all the new ones! LOL
ReplyDeleteThe Conniff Singers get my vote - at least I could listen to it without getting angry. - Don't know where that anger comes from?
>>... Don't know where that anger comes from?
DeleteUhm... because you never got what you REALLY wanted at Christmas? All you got was a bunch of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something, when what you REALLY wanted was real estate?
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Or because someone took too long to answer when you asked them if they thought you were beautiful? Or because you're still suffering the traumatic after-effects of getting dog germs after being kissed by a bouncing beagle????
DeleteBTW - what is the acronym?
ReplyDeleteSHEBOYGANBOY SIX ~
DeleteNo gun under the coat. "Real Men" don't need guns to protect themselves. And "too hot"? Are you kidding? It was early December and it was damned cold up there in the mountains.
Too bad you never went to Santa's Village. It was like stepping into some sort of childlike fantasy movie. I really liked it.
The Conniff Singers could do it all. What I heard them do with The Star-Spangled Banner at Dodger Stadium was awesome; they had harmonies and counterpoint and I would have purchased a recording of it if I could have.
"Durante by a nose" - Ha!-Ha! You really come up with some good one-liners.
The acronym? It's probably a little soon to let this cat out of the bag, but since you axed... Go to the acronym, put your cursor on it, left click and hold down as if you are going to copy and paste it, then scroll down slightly until the secret message below the acronym is revealed.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I'm a little pissed that farawayeyes stole my thunder. I was gonna call you a wannabe Hank Williams Jr. But, more importantly, who do you think would win in a fight between Frosty and Sam the snowman?
ReplyDeleteANON ~
DeleteA wannabe Hank Williams Jr.? Why do you say that? Just because... "I have my hat and shades and beard an' all"?
Well, Sam The Snowman is fat, old, and out of shape. But Frosty was obviously gay. So I'd put my money on Sam.
But almost as important as that question was... which version of the song are you voting for?
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
The Conniff Singers, but I love both versions.
DeleteThanks for returning and voting, ANON.
DeleteThat was an excellent question you posed, and you are welcome back here anytime.
~ D-FensDogg
First -- sorry I wasn't here yesterday, especially since it was my first foray into BOTB on my own post! But Christmas prep and travel just ended up taking the whole day and I didn't get a chance to post. Trying to catch up today. :
ReplyDeleteNext: Great pic! If you were just standin' there leaning against the pole, it would be just another of a million snapshots, but the leg cross that shows off the boots gives it that extra effect and makes the juxtaposition awesome -- a tough-lookin' cowboy, dressed in black, jauntily leaning against a prop from the family-fun Santa's Villiage. Like I said -- great pic!
Finally, BOTB voting: I have never been a fan of Percy Faith or Ray Conniff or any of that white-bread easy-listening singing. I grew up in a house with the sounds of Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington, and gravitated to hard-edged rock 'n' roll in my early teens (Deep Purple's "Machine Head" was the first album I ever bought). Then I discovered the blues and have had that deeply ingrained into me over the years.
Since then, I've greatly expanded my range of musical appreciation. I can find something worthwhile in almost every style of music, but I must admit that it is still just hard for me to connect with that style.
So I have to go with Jimmy. Not only for nostalgia (I was never a huge fan of Frosty -- give me the Peanuts Christmas special and I'll watch that a thousand times over, but Frosty? Meh...). I just think the mix of Jimmy's gruff old voice and the kids voices is much more effective than a bunch of singers and their easy-listening harmonization.
CHRIS ~
DeleteI was never tough, I was never more than a drugstore cowboy, and I was never really "cool", but I could fake all of it well enough to pull off a 30-second photo shoot.
Thanks for the all the insight. You're kinda new in these parts and I appreciate getting to know a bit more about ya and your musical background.
>>... I grew up in a house with the sounds of Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington, and gravitated to hard-edged rock 'n' roll in my early teens (Deep Purple's "Machine Head" was the first album I ever bought). Then I discovered the blues and have had that deeply ingrained into me over the years.
Our musical background is pretty similar. I grew up in a house with the sounds of Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cannonball Adderley (on my Ma's side) and Nat King Cole, Louis Prima, and Roger Miller (on my Pa's side). But I gravitated to hard-edged Rock 'N' Roll in my early teens. [Somewhere on my defunct 'Stuffs' blog, a couple years ago I reminisced about how I once thought: I hope I don't die soon; I haven't heard Deep Purple's 'Machine Head' enough times yet. Decades later I had a similar thought, but this time it was Dave Brubeck's 'At Carnegie Hall' that I wanted to live for.]
My Hard Rock phase transitioned into a Blues phase which eventually showed me the way to Jazz.
Today, I like some of most musical genres, even some "White Bread" stuffs. But Rap and Speed Metal junk is out. And a lot of what I used to love as a teenager I find almost unlistenable today (e.g., Styx, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, etc.) Some of DP's stuffs, like 'Lazy' and 'Smoke On The H2O' still sound really good to me.
Thanks for voting and commenting.
And incidentally, regarding the BOTB logo... 'Crossroads' is a favorite movie of mine, but being Blues-based, it didn't make much of a splash when it was released and unfortunately I think it is still mostly unknown to the masses. Bluesmen like you and me would naturally be familiar with it, but I'm sure Tom, Harry, Dick and Jane have probably never even heard of it.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
IWWWBTFPTMTEPOTPS I'm glad SBB6 asked. I almost whipped out my NSA decoder ring. A Google search for those letters also reveals the hidden answer. At least the little elf is smiling.
ReplyDeleteGot more of a Jim Morrison vibe there, for some reason.
"Frosty" was never a favorite (too traumatic for a sensitive guy like me), but I did like the line where one of the kids says, "Let's call him Oat-meal."
One vote for Ray Conniff Singers. They really rock the HiFi.
SigToo
SigToo ~
DeleteWhat, no James Dean?!
I was sort of a mash-up of James Dean, Jim Morrison, Waylon Jennings, Jim Stafford, and maybe even a little bit of me in there too.
Man, the NSA decoder ring you got works way better'n mine. No matter what code I break with it, the secret message is always the same: "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine".
Rockin' the HiFi with The Ray Conniff Singers... WOO-HOO!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
What I want to know is, how was Jimmy Durante able to project his voice with that huge schnozz blocking all of the soundwaves? Now THAT'S true talent.
ReplyDeleteI vote for the Proboscis Monkey with the felt hat. Easily.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Portrait_of_a_Proboscis_Monkey.jpg
~5B
5-B ~
DeleteAn excellent observation. I think it was a talent developed on stage during his Vaudeville years.
Looks like the Proboscis Monkey with the felt hat is going to take this battle, Betty.
~ Al-Dogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I do just like Durante's version better, I should mention. His resemblance to a big-nosed monkey is simply an uncanny coincidence and had no sway in my voting.
DeleteI'm going to post this here instead of e-mail because my e-mail has been a little screwy lately in the sending department, and I need to work on that. But before I do, I should mention a few things.
1) As I sit here typing this, I'm sucking on a SUCKS. Thanks to the miracle that is the Internet beer forum, I found some Denver guys who mentioned that our Total Beverage just stocked up on it. Swung by this morning and snagged a sixer. If you can believe it, the big BIG liquor warehouse did not have it. The modestly sized Total Beverage now does. And according to them, since it's in such high demand (and apparently Lagunitas is producing more of it this year) they will continue to stock it for its full seasonal run.
I think I just found my new favorite liquor store.
2. SUCKS is... amazing. I absolutely love it. In the time I typed out that paragraph above I'm already down to a quarter of a glass (started with a three quarters). This is easily in my top ten. Not sure where it places, but thank God I have 5 more to help me figure that out, right?
3) I mailed out your Christmas gift this morning, and the UPS fairy told me that it should be there Friday (estimated). Watch for it. And since you probably already know what it is, I'm sure you also know to open it and enjoy it ASAP before the contents are no bueno. Enjoy, and merry early CHRISTmas.
4) After I fix my e-mail sending issue this afternoon, I'll send you a right proper e-mail response tonight for your graveyard shift.
5) I might have to go have another SUCKS. The willpower to not tackle that entire sixer like a 400 lb linebacker is quite difficult.
~5B
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteIn case you can't receive images with that e-mail you gave me, you should know that SUCKS even got the Snow Dog's attention.
http://i.imgur.com/fGWcpd7.jpg
5-B ~
DeleteGreat picture! Now that's a dog with a nose for fine beer.
I stopped in at Fry's grocery store for some 'smoked string cheese' this morning after work (God help me! I'm addicted to that stuffs and I'm gonna weigh 270 pounds before Christmas if I don't kick this addiction quick!)
Curious to see if they still had 'DayTime Ale', I strolled by the beer section. I saw 'Daytime' on the shelf and figured I'd buy a sixer for tonight. But then I spotted 'SUCKS' right next to the 'DayTime' and I did a jig in the aisle.
So I brought my smoked string cheese and my 'SUCKS' up to the cash register and said to the dude, "Hey, it may be 6 AM Tuesday to you, but it's 5 PM Friday to me!"
I had two 'SUCKS' before hitting the sack this morning, and while checking my Email and blog dashboard.
I'll be honest with you, after the long wait and all the build up, when I had 'SUCKS' last weekend, I wondered if it was really as good as I remembered... or if the recipe had changed a little bit for the worse.
Those two 'SUCKS' I had this morning as a nightcap changed my mind. I kept thinking: Damn, this is GREAT beer!
I'm glad you really liked it after all that yakking. I would have felt bad if you thought it was just "eh". And I would have felt bad if my judgment fell in your opinion. But the fact that Nappy said it was better'n Odell IPA the other day gave me confidence again, because I think you and Nappy have nearly identical taste buds. (I won't axe how that may have happened.)
Anyway, NOW it really is like morning to me, so I'm drinking coffee, and looking forward to tonight's Blind Beer Taste Test between the champion (Big Sky IPA) and the challenger (SUCKS).
Mucho gratitude-o for whatever you sent me! Friday is good, because I will be home to receive it at the door. Friday is also bad because I might not make it to work at 8 PM.
[:-)}
Hey, your Email... first of all, I will be home here for the next three days, so this is the place to E me. Also... you may also be having a problem receiving as well as sending. Unless you received the E I sent you last night (or very early this morning) from work, and the E I sent you from work three nights ago. I'm seriously wondering if you're getting what I send from the work Email system. R U?
~ Stephen
jimmy durante hands down
ReplyDeleteThanks for your vote, LUMA13.
ReplyDeleteHappy to see you here again!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
MY VOTE ON 'BOTB' #10 AND THE FINAL TALLY:
ReplyDeleteWell, I like Jimmy Durante's version pretty well - I've been hearing it every Christmas since I was young - but, frankly, 'FROSTY' and 'RUDOLPH' are songs that I have grown tired of.
I don't know why I'd never heard The Ray Conniff Singers' version of 'FROSTY' until last year, but a Phoenix radio station started playing it and I took notice. For me, The Conniff Singers breathed new life into a very tired, old song.
In fact, The Conniff Singers' version is so fun to listen to - with the bells jingling; the corks popping; and that odd but interesting, almost discordant piano playing - that I even purchased the group's compact disc this year, primarily to get 'Frosty'.
'Frosty The Snowman' by The Ray Conniff Singers is the best new old song I've heard in a long time! So... obviously I voted against “The Schnoz”. But that didn't prevent "The Schnoz" from winning this Battle.
Here's the outcome:
JIMMY DURANTE = 9 votes.
THE CONNIFF SINGERS = 6 votes.
What at first appeared to be a very one-sided affair, with Durante charging out in front, ended up being a fairly close contest.
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to vote and comment. See ya again on New Years Day for 'BOTB' #11.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Champagne over nostalgia, not bad although I personally think champagne plus nostalgia makes for a pleasant evening.
ReplyDeleteSeeing as how I often think of you at 'the jazz man', I should have guessed you would vote this way. Of course, like you said, there really wasn't a wrong choice. Your Christmas BOTB proved to a fun ride, at least for me.
Not only am I "The Jazz Man", but I'm the best Jazz man you know!
Delete[:-)}
Woo-Hoo!
"Winter" song!
See ya again at the "Margarita Day" BOTB.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'