GOT DRUM? (Or, THE GREATEST DRUM SOLO EVER RECORDED?)

“On ‘IT’S A RAGGY WALTZ’, particularly, I feel all of us achieved the goal of playing polyrhythmically and polytonally in a swinging groove that was as natural as if we were in 4/4. ... I play best when Gene is happy, when Desmond is determined – and,” [he smiled] “Morello is recovering from the flu!”

~ Dave Brubeck

Joe Morello may have been just one pocket protector short of being classified as an A-list nerd, but NO ONE played the drums better!

I was raised on three things: Rock music, and the shouted demands, “Turn it down!” and “Comb your hair!”

In my day, in my musical era, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin was considered a beast when it came to drumming. A little later, Neil Peart of the band Rush came to be thought of as Rock music’s premier drummer. ...*YAWN*

I usually drop right off to sleep, but I have trouble staying asleep. Maybe I should keep a tape loop of John Bonham’s drumming playing next to my bed. That just might keep me asleep.

I’ve only owned one Rush album in my life. As a teenager, I purchased their 1977 release ‘A Farewell To Kings’ but I really couldn’t stand Donald Duck’s vocals, so I never bought another Rush record. I’ve heard some of their later songs on radio and I kept hearing how great Neil Peart was on drums, but... I just couldn’t hear it.

So one night, several years ago, I asked my buddy LC to loan me a compact disc with what he considered to be Neil Peart’s best drumming. He gave me (I think) a ‘Live’ recording and told me which track to play. I played it. It was OK – better than I expected, but it still wasn’t enough to convince me that Neil Peart was all that great.

The problem was that in 1981, I discovered Jazz and began to realize how weak and underdeveloped most of the Rock music I’d been raised on really was.

I had already been exposed to Jazz from my childhood because my parents liked some of it: From Pa I got Louis Prima; from Ma I got Cannonball Adderley. But it didn’t really stick, because there were no electric guitars.

So what happened in 1981? I went to see the movie ‘AMERICAN POP’ with my buddy Marty. We both dug it, and shortly afterwards I bought the movie soundtrack LP:

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Included on that album was an instrumental titled ‘TAKE FIVE’ by The Dave Brubeck Quartet. The more I played that album, the more I began to notice the peculiar drum solo in ‘Take Five’. After awhile it became my favorite cut on that album because the drum solo was so unique. In fact, there was one particular place in it that always made me laugh out loud... for real! I could scarcely believe it, as this was the first time I’d ever found “humor” in an instrumental music piece!

Even though I had heard some fairly decent drum solos up to that point (most notably on a Santana album I’d owned for a number of years), I always felt the drums were meant to keep time and add a little texture to a song, but I had never fully embraced the idea that drums could or should be considered solo instruments. That was until I discovered JOE MORELLO and his legendary solo in The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s hit ‘Take Five’.

It was ‘Take Five’ on the ‘American Pop’ soundtrack album that really opened my ears to Jazz and drums. As I began to explore more types of Jazz and the master musicians of that form, I came to truly appreciate drumming that went well beyond the rather boring hammering-away-at-the-skins that I had previously encountered in the Rock genre.

I discovered Buddy Rich, Shelly Manne, Billy Cobham, Jimmy Cobb, Wynton Kelly*, Steve Gadd, Art Blakey, and Gene Krupa. But ultra-quirky Joe Morello has remained my all-time favorite.

The other day, my friend LC and I were discussing some favorite record albums recorded “Live”. You’ll find that commentary HERE. 

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Earlier today, I listened to both discs from ‘THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET AT CARNEGIE HALL’, and I can say that without a shred of doubt, this album would HAVE to make any list of ‘Favorite Live Albums’ that I composed.

It’s not entertaining in the way a Todd Snider album is because Todd says a lot of funny things between songs. And it’s not high-octane electric like Thin Lizzy’s ‘Live And Dangerous’ is.

But speaking strictly about the music the album contains... nothing is better! I mean, we are talking about some of the most accomplished, creative, and gifted musicians on the planet. They improvise so creatively that even the band’s frontman, Dave Brubeck, listening to the recording years later, is mystified about how he and his 3 band companions managed to transcend the tunes, the esteemed forum, and Joe Morello’s flu bug, and took these tunes, and the audience that heard them that night, to some new, undiscovered territory of the mind. It’s not loud, it’s not flashy and colorful; there are no smoke bombs and strobe lights but, in my opinion, ‘THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET AT CARNEGIE HALL’ is as good and complex as instrumental music can get! It also includes what I consider the best drum solo I’ve ever heard.

Take it away, Joe!...

‘CASTILIAN DRUMS’ (Disc 2; Track 4)

Album: ‘THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET AT CARNEGIE HALL’ (1963)

Drummer: JOE MORELLO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LBZJk5Kfgw

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
Doggtor of Jazzological Studies, 
Bourbon Street University

POSTSCRIPT: In my opinion, Rock music’s most underrated drummer is probably TONY BROCK of ‘The Babys’. Brock never overplayed, but he hit hard, had a great beat, and always used the perfect amount of cowbell!

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.

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #20’ (Or, ‘TOM WAITS VS. THE EAGLES’)

GOOD NEWS, BOYS AND GIRLS! FarAwayEyes and I have a new ‘Battle Of The Bands’ contest running through May, and one lucky cuss is going to win the compact disc of their choice. No jumping through hoops necessary; no coupons to clip, no cereal box tops to collect, and nothing to buy. All you gotta do is vote and comment on our ‘Battle Of The Bands’ posts. And, hell, you were gonna do that ANYWAY, right? Be sure to check out FAE’s ‘Far Away Series’ blog for rules ‘n’ regulations (which ain’t many). Alright, let’s get this party started...

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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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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER

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This is Part 2 of my 2-Part ‘BOTB’ look at American Automobiles. In the last installment I used the song ‘Mercury Blues’ and put Steve Miller up against David Lindley. This time, it’s a song about a 1955 automobile – the make is undeclared, but I’m going to call it a Chevy.

In my youth, I had a great friend named Kelly “Andy” Anderson. Sadly, he killed himself in 1986.

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There was almost nuttin’ Kelly couldn’t do. He was a professional animator, he was a locksmith, he was a mechanic (rebuilt the engine in his Chevy pickup truck by himself), he was a firearms expert who handloaded his own ammunition, and he was the photographer who took and developed all of my publicity photos during the years I was attempting to put an acting career together (I paid him in beer).

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GRADE  A  QUALITY  PHOTOGRAPHS  FOR  12  CANS  O'  COORS.  WHAT  A  STEAL  DEAL!

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As mentioned, Kelly owned a Chevy pickup truck, and we had numerous adventures in it. With the help of Sheboyganboy Six, I narrowed it down to a 1953 to 1955 or ’57. I eventually decided that it was most likely a ’53.

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STMcC  &  KELLY:  DRINKIN'  LONE  STAR  BEER  &  SMOKIN'  CHEROOTS

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Kelly had his issues, but he was as good a friend as I’ve ever had, and a better friend than most people ever have in an entire lifetime. On any given day, I could have called Kelly at 3 AM and said, “Andy, I’m stuck in Wyoming with no way back to L.A. Can you come and get me?” By 3:15 AM (or the time it would take to brew a cup of coffee), Kelly would have been in his Chevy pickup and on his way to Wyoming to pick me up. SERIOUSLY!!!

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So, every time I have ever heard the song OL’ ‘55, I have always thought of Kelly (even if his Chevy pickup truck was really a ’53). It’s a song I would love even without the Kelly “Andy” Anderson association.

It was written by Tom Waits and was the opening track on his 1973 debut album ‘Closing Time’. Here’s the original:

TOM WAITS – OL’ ‘55 (album: ‘Closing Time’, 1973)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXunos4IXDU

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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

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OL’ ‘55 was covered by The Eagles the following year and included on their 1974 album ‘On The Border’. I heard this song (and owned it) many years before I ever knew of the Tom Waits original. In Los Angeles, OL’ ’55 got a lot of airplay. In fact, I was sure it had been a Billboard Top 40 hit because I’d heard it so often, but in checking my copy of ‘The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Hits, 1955-1995’ I was stunned to discover that it had NOT cracked the Top 40; apparently it was just a big FM radio hit.

Here’s what an Eagle had to say about the song...

Liner Notes from ‘THE VERY BEST OF THE EAGLES’:

OL' ‘55

GLENN FREY: David Geffen played me a tape of Tom Waits in his office. "Ol’ ‘55" was the first song on a demo that had maybe three songs on it. I loved the song, got Tom Waits' version, and took it to the band. I played it for Don and said, "I think we should do this. We can split the vocals, it could be really cool, and we could do oooohs in this section here." I really liked the song. Still do. It's such a car thing. Your first car is like your first apartment. You had a mobile studio apartment! "Ol’ ‘55" was so Southern California, and yet there was some Detroit in it as well. It was that car thing, and I loved the idea of driving home at sunrise, thinking about what had happened the night before.

I agree with every word of that!

The Eagles had more radio success with this Tom Waits song than Tom did, so let’s hear how The Eagles interpreted this great song.

THE EAGLES – OL’ ‘55 (album: ‘On The Border’, 1974)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv-fjv1bbXI

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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN

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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.)

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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’, and LC’s ‘DiscConnected’ 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 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. (And check out the rules to the new ‘BOTB’ Compact Disc contest!)

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 @ 'A WRITER'S LIFE IN PROGRESS' 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.

Links To Previous 'BOTB' Installments:

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #1’ (Or, ‘BEBEL VS. BEBEL’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #2’ (Or, ‘FLEETWOOD MAC VS. THE ROCKETS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #3’ (Or, ‘THE BEATLES VS. BRIAN AUGER AND TRINITY’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #4’ (Or, ‘BROADWAY HAIR VS. HOLLYWOOD HAIR’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #5’ (Or, ‘NAT VS. VAN VS. D'MODE’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #6’ (Or, ‘ZEVON VERSUS RONSTADT’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #7’ (Or, ‘FATS VS. SATCH VS. BOCEPHUS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #8’ (Or, ‘SATCHMO VERSUS DARIN’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #9’ (Or, ‘SINATRA VERSUS CARPENTER’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #10’ (Or, ‘DURANTE VERSUS CONNIFF’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #11’ (Or, ‘JULIE ANDREWS VS. DIANA ROSS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #12’ (Or, ‘THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS VS. THE BEACH BOYS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #13’ (Or, ‘ELLINGTON VS. VISCOUNTS VS. GATTON’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #14 – POST-SUPER BOWL BLOWOUT EDITION’ (Or, ‘BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND VS. EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #15’ (Or, ‘WILBERT HARRISON VERSUS BRENDA LEE’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #16’ (Or, ‘HEYWOOD AND WINTERHALTER VS. DANNY GATTON’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #17’ (Or, ‘JIM VERSUS TIM’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #18’ (Or, ‘JOHN AND JONES VERSUS JOHN, KRALL, AND COSTELLO’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #19’ (Or, ‘STEVE MILLER VS. DAVID LINDLEY’)

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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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.

OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE: WHO’S RESPONSIBLE? (Or, STEPHEN T. McCARTHY: “ONE OF THE 3 REMAINING KLANNERS [sic] IN AMERICA”?) Part 1 Of 3

[Me hopes you enjoy me final political blog bit... or at least, me final political blog bit for, most likely, a long time.]

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WHAT IS IT ABOUT LOTSA FAT ‘N’ FACIAL HAIR THAT TURNS A MAN INTO AN IDIOTIC PSEUDO-SOCIAL SCIENTIST?

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"Since I gave up hope

I feel much better."

~ Congressman Yoey O'Dogherty

[‘Constitution Party’]

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Before I even wrote my first review for ‘BigBitch.com’ (also known as ‘Amazon.com’) on May 6, 2004, I already had many debates with Liberals under my belt and a winning track record.

Having “cut my teeth” at an Atheistic/Liberal musician’s website (where conservatives were vastly outnumbered by Libs but NOT out-debated), at BigBitch.com I applied the debating techniques that I had acquired via experience. I had never been part of a debate team (although a woman at a spiritual center I used to attend thought I must have been), but I was good at arguing and my debates at the musician’s website prepared me for everything the Libs would throw at me during my time at BigBitch.com. (Eventually, Amazon.com banned me from commenting at their site. Why? Because I was just too damned effective at destroying Liberal arguments. If interested, you can read that whole story by clicking here: Amazon: Just Another Way To Say "Big Bitch" [Part 1 Of 3].)

Being a longtime ultra-avid reader, I learned a lotta stuffs about politics and spirituality. And having fought with so many emotional, empty-headed Liberals, I eventually came to know everything they would write long before they themselves even thought to write it. I was never a Black Boy Scout, but I... “Be Prepared”. [That was jus’ a joke, dudes and dudettes! I ain’t no racist... I hate all races, including my own, equally!]

Because I was such an addict of excellent (primarily nonfiction) books, I acquired a fairly decent vocabulary (which I could use when my opponents least expected it); furthermore, my many years of listening to classic Bob Dylan albums helped to instill in me a facility for wordplay and puns. And my INTJ personality type made me a natural for alliteration, which can be demoralizing and devastating in a debate! ("INTJs are ever perceiving inner pattern-forms and using real-world materials to operationalize them." [...] "INTJs apply [often ruthlessly] the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake. ... They may even be considered the most independent of all of the sixteen personality types.")

[My thanks to Sheboyganboy Six who, in 2008, turned me onto the concept of personality types and sent me the test to take. I took it twice, about 1.5 years apart, and got the same results both times. Reading the attributes of my INTJ type, I was pretty much blown away by the accuracy of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ and http://typelogic.com/intj.html. You’ll find a link to the same test at the very bottom of THIS POST, if you too are interested in discovering what your personality type is.]

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WHAT IS IT ABOUT LOTSA FAT ‘N’ FACIAL HAIR THAT TURNS A MAN INTO AN IDIOTIC PSEUDO-SCIENTIST?

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Don’t tell me, let me guess... Now you’re curious and wanna know how to beat Liberals in a debate. AmIright? Anybody can do it. You don’t need to be particularly intelligent (I’m a not particularly intelligent “C Average” high school graduate, with no other formal schooling). All you really need is a command of the facts (obtained by objectively examining the various sides of the question) and to apply some simple debating tactics, which I discerned and employed over the course of many debates with angel-headed Hipsters empty-headed Liberals.

Below are the 3 most important Rules you need to memorize in order to beat every Liberal in every debate:

1: I’ve had plenty enough debates with Liberals to have learned not to fall for “the ol’ red herring down the rabbit hole” trick (as Maxwell Smart might have put it). In other words, don’t let them lead you down some path that diverts the focus from the original argument into complex absurdities.

2: Liberals figure that if they throw enough bullshit at the ceiling and walls, some of it will stick. The trick is to control the debate so they can’t fling their poo. In other words, #2 is simply a slight variation on #1: Don’t follow the red herring down the rabbit hole but, rather, scrape the bullshit off the ceiling and walls and FORCE the Liberal to stay on the head of the pin!

3: And, unfortunately for many conservative would-be heroes, this is the single most important rule: There is no substitute for really KNOWING the facts. (And if you’ve got a cutting sense of humor, by all means cut with it; the devil HATES to be mocked!)

Can you beat a Liberal in a debate without #3? Yeah, sure, it’s very possible and it happens every day. After all, the ONLY thing the Liberal believes is what liberal “scientists”, the mainstream media and other Marxists dressed up like Democrats (and ‘Fox News’ Talking Heads) tell him.

However, you might also LOSE a debate to a Liberal without #3 because some of them are pretty sneaky and can buffalo you with B.S. Is it worth the risk and the mark against your reputation? No. That’s why you really need to know the FACTS about your subject matter. And that’s why you’ll need to diligently study, which unfortunately for you means that you’ll need to unhook yourself from the Boob Tube – less watching Reality TV shows like ‘Dancing With The Kardashians’ and ‘America’s Got Duck’ - and more reading of excellent nonfiction books and good websites.

(I have NEVER lost a debate to a Liberal, and believe me, folks, that’s a good feeling and something you should shoot for! But, we should NEVER become conceited, for remember this: “No man can receive anything of his own will, except it is given to him from Heaven.” ~John 3:27; “And what do you have which was not given to you? And if you did receive it, then why do you boast as if you had not received it?” 
~1 Corinthians 4:7)

When you really KNOW the facts, you will never feel threatened by the rude and baseless insults, the false bravado of pseudo-scientific babbling, and pseudo-intellectual bluffing like this...

In reply to an earlier post on Dec 16, 2011 7:21:39 PM PST 
Last edited by the author on Dec 16, 2011 7:49:40 PM PST 
Kent Imig: Permalink
17 of 38 people think this post adds to the discussion.

When you really KNOW the facts, you will be able to instantly respond with The Truth when maroons, whose very questions indicate an absolute absence of knowledge about the topic, challenge you to prove your point, like this...

In reply to an earlier post on May 7, 2014 4:57:03 AM PDT 
Last edited by the author on May 7, 2014 5:03:13 AM PDT 
Dr Walle: Permalink
1 of 3 people think this post adds to the discussion.

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UP-CHUCK  WAS  HERE.

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If everything I’ve said so far has seemed too abstract to you, don’t worry. Before this multi-part blog bit is concluded, I am going to give you an ideal illustration of what I mean by Rules 1, 2, and 3; I am going to link you to a “real life” example, where a Lib tried to debate me on this very blog, and where I applied Rules 1, 2, and 3 against him, and he threw in the towel when the bell rang for Round Three. You will get to see EXACTLY how these 3 Rules can defeat even the most cocky Libs in the Marxist-Americonned woild!

However, this multi-part blog bit is only tangentially about debating tactics, and is primarily about explaining to all y’all WHO is most responsible for the fact that we have a Marxist in the White House.

We’ll start delving into THAT topic in the next installment, but I think Part One is long enough already.
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For Part 2 click HERE.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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OBAMARX

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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.

‘FIVE STARS FOR THE GIRL IN WYOMING!’ (Or, ‘WALDEN’ SUCKS; McDONALD’S ROCKS!)

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While I work on my final(?) and multi-part political post, here’s a blast from the past to tide y’all over. This is a little sumpin’ from my years at BigBitch.com:

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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

***** FIVE STARS FOR THE GIRL IN WYOMING! - September 12, 2005

By STEPHEN T. McCARTHY

I have no intention of reviewing the writings of Thoreau. The way I figure it is this: If you don't "get it" (and the world around us clearly testifies that few do), I'm not about to explain it. Besides, several other reviewers here have already done a very admirable job of excavating and cataloging the rich treasures that constitute the thoughts of Concord's timeless, self-professed "mystic, Transcendentalist, and natural philosopher."

I included this book in one of my Listmania Lists a while back, and was surprised to suddenly notice its low average grade today. I came to read the reviews and find out what's gone wrong here, and in doing so, I happened upon the review by the young lady from Rock Springs, Wyoming. Back in the year 2000, she gave 'WALDEN AND OTHER WRITINGS' one Star; titled her review, “Dumb!”; stated that she "hated this book entirely"; and called for the start of an "anti-Thoreau campaign for students."

But it was her opening sentence that literally caused me to burst out laughing. Unquestionably, and by a good margin, this is the funniest thing that I've ever encountered on the Amazon website. Actually, it's almost too perfect to be true, and yet, there it is. It provided me with the best laugh I have had in some time. If you don't appreciate the writings of Henry David Thoreau, then surely you will not appreciate the irony of her statement, but for those of us whose lives have been enriched by the New England SAUNTERER and NONCONFORMIST, this is just too "delicious!" Our Wyoming friend began her diatribe on Thoreau with this classic sentence:

"I HAVE TO MAKE THIS SHORT SINCE I WILL BE GOING OUT WITH MY BOYFRIEND FOR A 4:00 DATE AT McDONALD'S."

“I went to the fast food establishment because I wished to eat inexpensively, to acquire only the essential promotional toys of a Happy Meal, and see if I could not keep down what they had to serve, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not removed the plastic wrap...

“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of Chicken McNuggets... to forgo the hot dog in favor of a Quarter Pound of greasy, round-molded meat and to put to rout all that was not delivered in under 60 seconds.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

'WALDEN' (21st Century edition); chapter II

For those who aren’t already very familiar with Thoreau’s ‘WALDEN’ (shame on you!), that was my updated version of this classic passage from the second chapter of Thoreau’s great book:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...

“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life,...”

See ya...

~ 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.

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #19’ (Or, ‘STEVE MILLER VS. DAVID LINDLEY’)

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GOOD NEWS, BOYS AND GIRLS! FarAwayEyes and I have a new ‘Battle Of The Bands’ contest running through May, and one lucky cuss is going to win the compact disc of their choice. No jumping through hoops necessary; no coupons to clip, no cereal box tops to collect, and nothing to buy. All you gotta do is vote and comment on our ‘Battle Of The Bands’ posts. And, hell, you were gonna do that ANYWAY, right? Be sure to check out FAE’s ‘Far Away Series’ blog for rules ‘n’ regulations (which ain’t many). Alright, let’s get this party started...

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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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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER

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Today is May 1^st, a date that is celebrated by communists worldwide. There are some different theories about why commies revere this date. But we at F-FFF are going to commemorate the date by peeling out and doing a 180: we’re going to sing about a great old American automobile!

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REBEL  WITH  A  CAR:  JAMES  DEAN  IN  THAT  MERCURY  '49  (What  Could  Be  More  "American"?)

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According to Wackypedia: "Mercury Blues" is a song written by K.C. Douglas and Robert Geddins in 1949, and first recorded by Douglas. The song, originally titled "Mercury Boogie," pays homage to the American automobile, which ended production in 2010.

Bruce Springsteen mentions “James Dean in that Mercury '49” in his song ‘Cadillac Ranch’. It’s a reference to the movie ‘Rebel Without A Cause’. And the song ‘Mercury Blues’ also mentions the 1949 model – not surprising since that’s the year the song was written.

In 1976, the Steve Miller Band released the album ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ and it was a monster, scoring three major Billboard hits: ‘Take The Money And Run’, ‘Rock’n Me’, and the title track. The LP also contained a cover of ‘Mercury Blues’.

STEVE MILLER BAND – ‘MERCURY BLUES’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAXyMcUP6UU

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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

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In 1981, David Lindley released his debut solo album ‘El Rayo-X’. It was a truly eclectic affair including a song sung in French, several Reggae numbers (even a Reggae-ish version of ‘Twist And Shout’) and the title track with Spanish lyrics (you can almost smell the menudo!) Prior to that, Lindley was known as a busy session musician on the California Rock scene who could play the living hell out of just about anything with strings.

Wackypedia sez: As a teenager, Lindley took to playing the banjo and the fiddle. By his late teens he was acknowledged as an award winning player having won the Topanga Banjo-Fiddle Contest five times.

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Despite Lindley’s peculiar vocal sound, his cover of ‘Mercury Blues’ from ‘El Rayo-X’, with its in-your-face percussion effects, became an FM radio hit. It sounded so utterly different from Steve Miller’s version that it was years and years before I even realized that they were the same song!

DAVID LINDLEY – ‘MERCURY BLUES’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHY0YxdswyY

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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN

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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.)

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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’, and LC’s ‘DiscConnected’ 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 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. (And check out the rules to the new ‘BOTB’ Compact Disc contest!)

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 @ 'A WRITER'S LIFE IN PROGRESS' 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.

Links To Previous 'BOTB' Installments:

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #1’ (Or, ‘BEBEL VS. BEBEL’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #2’ (Or, ‘FLEETWOOD MAC VS. THE ROCKETS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #3’ (Or, ‘THE BEATLES VS. BRIAN AUGER AND TRINITY’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #4’ (Or, ‘BROADWAY HAIR VS. HOLLYWOOD HAIR’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #5’ (Or, ‘NAT VS. VAN VS. D'MODE’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #6’ (Or, ‘ZEVON VERSUS RONSTADT’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #7’ (Or, ‘FATS VS. SATCH VS. BOCEPHUS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #8’ (Or, ‘SATCHMO VERSUS DARIN’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #9’ (Or, ‘SINATRA VERSUS CARPENTER’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #10’ (Or, ‘DURANTE VERSUS CONNIFF’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #11’ (Or, ‘JULIE ANDREWS VS. DIANA ROSS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #12’ (Or, ‘THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS VS. THE BEACH BOYS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #13’ (Or, ‘ELLINGTON VS. VISCOUNTS VS. GATTON’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #14 – POST-SUPER BOWL BLOWOUT EDITION’ (Or, ‘BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND VS. EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #15’ (Or, ‘WILBERT HARRISON VERSUS BRENDA LEE’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #16’ (Or, ‘HEYWOOD AND WINTERHALTER VS. DANNY GATTON’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #17’ (Or, ‘JIM VERSUS TIM’)

‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS #18’ (Or, ‘JOHN AND JONES VERSUS JOHN, KRALL, AND COSTELLO’)

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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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.