My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!
I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats holding your breath to see the results of my most recent Battle of the Bands. Exhale and wait no longer!
Battle of the Bands Results
My most recent Battle of the Bands was a showdown between seventies band Captain Beyond and the nineties song crafter Duncan Sheik. I'm a big fan of both of these songs. I love the psychedelia of Captain Beyond. There was mention about the droning repetition of the instrumental break, but I see it as a stoner effect that is almost an emulation of Irish fiddle music or a Scottish bagpipe tune. I can almost hear bagpipes playing that break. "Sufficiently Breathless" has long been a favorite song of mine.
On the other hand, I think "Barely Breathing" is a masterwork of modern songwriting. I like everything about this song and appreciate the skill in writing such a pop friendly piece. My vote goes to Duncan Sheik.
There's so much happening that it's hard to keep up if you're not paying continuous attention. Wars, fires, floods--and that was just the movie I watched the other night. I should read a book maybe. Nah, I'll just listen to some music...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
Songs That Took My Breath
My previous Battle of the Bands featured two drifty dreamy songs that I enjoy a great deal. This round I'm going with a similar theme. Both songs were songs that captivated me from the first time I heard them and I still enjoy hearing them. I hope you will be willing to give them a listen and then tell which one you like best...
This song seemed to get a lot of radio airplay in Knoxville in 1974 or so. I liked it so much that I bought the album on vinyl which meant the whole album got a lot of play for me. There are some really fine musicians in this band which made for some excellent music. This song especially carries me away to a dreamy place...
I first heard this song playing on the radio in Los Angeles soon after it was released. I heard it played a lot but that was fine with me. I liked the song so much that I went and bought the album on CD. Great song that still sounds good to me. Do you like this one?
Time to Vote! Before you totally drift away into Dreamland, how about casting a vote? Hey, take time to relax a bit and enjoy music. Which of these songs do you prefer? Battles are no fun without you the reader participating. Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites. Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts: StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands 'Curious as a Cathy' Sound of One Hand Typing Jingle, Jangle, Jungle
Some days seem like Sunday while some Sundays seem like Monday. Of course, what's one day to another when you're retired like me. So I'm just gonna say it's Monday now and be done with it.
Besides there's some kind of football game going on today and I'm feeling a bit under the weather so despite what I said in my earlier post I'm going to give you my Battle of the Band results today Sunday. Everyone else is, so why not me?
Battle of the Bands Results
Drifting Dreamy Songs
My most recent Battle featured two dreamy songs that I like quite a lot. "What to Do" is a lovely violin driven song by progressive rock group Wally. This song was a big part of my life in my mid-twenties when this song posed the question that I was asking myself at the time. The Flaming Lips song "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" is a song that I've recently embraced as it sounds good to my ears and it expresses some of what I've been feeling recently.
Both songs are absolute winners in my mind, but I'm going to cast my vote for Flaming Lips. What a great song!
As you can see by the results, both songs were favored by voters. Nice outcome!
Final Vote Tally
Wally 5 votes
Flaming Lips 7 votes
Next Battle on Saturday February 15th
Happy Valentines Day to those who care. Happy Days to everyone as well. I may not be the Terminator, but I'll be back...