Friday, April 1, 2016

Let's Not Fool Around cause It's Time for BATTLE of the BANDS



Ah my friends, it’s All Fool’s Day, but I ain’t doin’ no foolin’ around cause it’s time for another BATTLE OF THE BANDS. I have something special planned for you today and I want to get right to it, so I’m gonna dispense with the normal yak.

I will tell you one thing about today’s BATTLE, first I likes it a lot. And, (OK, this is two things.) This is a BATTLE between two artists one of which I have been a big fan of for some time, even seen ‘em in person a time or two and truly enjoy their music and the show they put on. BUT, without giving my vote away just yet, I will say that in this BATTLE, although I think both versions are very, Very, VERY good; I’ll be casting my vote for the artist that I like well enough, but to whom I have not favored as I have the other. Confused, yet? I know I am. Let’s get to the music.

First up those blues, boogie, hard rockers from Texas, ZZ Top with their hit LaGrange:



Next up that ole country, southern, blues rocker of a country boy, Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus doing his cover of the same:



Now I sure do hope you guys know what to do (but, don’t worry, cause I’m gonna tell you anyway). Tell me who you vote for in the comment box and also give me some inkling as to why. When you finish up over here head on over to the home of Mr. BOTB hisself Stephen T. McCarthy. Stephen has a special BATTLE of his own going on (NO FOOLIN’) and he will also provide the list of all the other participants. Please try to vote at all of the sites.

I’ll be back on the 7th to reveal my vote and the winner of this here BATTLE. Until that time H-A-P-P-Y T-R-A-I-L-S!

Now that you’ve decided who to vote for, wanna give a guess as to which artist of the two I’ve been a fan of for some time?

47 comments:

  1. Wow, great battle Fae! At first I thought, How could I ever vote against ZZ Top?? But Wow, Hank Williams Jr really brings it home! As much as it pains me to vote against the ZZ boys, I'm going to give this one to Hank!

    Really good battle and a great song to start my day!

    Michele at Angels Bark

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  2. MY vote goes for the original ZZ Top!

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  3. I'm afraid Hank had me from "Hello." What? There was no hello? I guess I meant the Intro. That was freakin' hilarious. And then he sealed the deal with that awesome piano that kicked in at 3:10. Holy Moses. That kicked A$$.

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    1. Guess this means your vote goes to Hank. Ha,ha,ha! just kidding. I got that.

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  4. You and Stephen are in cahoots again. ☺ It was from his post that I learned Hank Williams Jr. dabbled in genres other than country. I voted for Hank there and am doing so here, as well. That was kick-ass!

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    1. Yeah, we do hat every so often. He's trying to keep my spirits up. I've been a little down about BOTB lately. No matter, this is a fun one, but I'm afraid it might be a little overlooked due to A to Z. Oh well, sometimes that happens. Got you down as a double for Hank.

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  5. FAE ~
    Wow! What a weird coincidence! I used ZZ Top against Bocephus in this BOTB round also. Have you been reading my mail?

    I'm glad Mike voted for ZeeZee on this one, because otherwise I'm a-skeered maybe you'd have a shutout. And there ain't nuttin' I could do to he'p ya, because I too gotta vote for MR. WILLIAMS. Dang! He just takes my favorite ZeeZee Tahhhp zong and steals it from the bearded boys!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Ha, ha, ha! No. I been reading your mind. Now that's a scary thought!!!

      No shut out going on here and as a matter o fact, if you scroll down it looks like the bearded boys are in the lead. Well it ain't over yet, so we shall see.

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  6. Holy smokes... What's a country girl to do? Can the choice get any harder? (Don't answer.)

    I saw ZZ live one time but never in my wildest dream did I expect Hank Williams Jr. to tear up this song!! Boogie 'til you drop, Hank. My vote goes to 'Bocephus Top'.

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    1. Now, that's what I like to hear; 'can the choice get any harder?' Best BATTLES are the close ones and the ones where folks have a hard time deciding. Thanks for renewing my faith.

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  7. For me, there is no doubt. It's ZZ Top all the way.
    Great song.

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  8. Hey Fae, Stephen said you guys were going to do something together, and I totally forgot about that until I hoped over. Both artists do a nice job with this song, but I think ZZ Top has a slight edge on this one with their bluesy feel and that's enough to win my vote.

    Curious as a Cathy
    All Things Vintage: Artists #AprilA2Z #BoTB

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    1. OK, ZZ for you, but are you sure it isn't just the familiarity vote? Well whatever, got you down for the bearded boys.

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  9. No hesitation here! Definitely giving it up for the Beard boys aka ZZ Top Woot Woot!

    Mary
    Twitter: @KnottyMarie
    Literary Gold
    Jingle Jangle Jungle

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  10. No contest for me...ZZ Top all the way. I love the guy singing it at the beginning and love the guitar in it moreso

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    1. Another clear and concise vote for the bearded boys from Texas as opposed to the bearded boy from Loosiana.

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  11. Bocephus and crew had an interesting take on the song, but no one can top the Top.

    ZZ all the way for me.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Well that's several in a row. Guess the boys from Texas are the favorites here or at least the more familiar.

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  12. FAE ~
    97.101% of the time I really don't care who wins a BOTB contest because it's all meaningless and just in the spirit of fun. BUT... this one is starting to make me mad.

    ~ D-FensDogG

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  13. You mad, Bro? (not, you FAE... McCarthy!)

    Sorry... another vote to put the Top on top. HWJR does a creditable job, but the ZZ Top version is better. In what way does Williams "steal" it from Gibbons and da beards?

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    1. A-Nah-Haw-Haw-Haw!
      I'm not really mad.
      What would be the point? You can't kill Lord Bias with mad.

      ~ D-FensDogG

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    2. Awww, I think you guys discussed this possible outcome beforehand, and my vote has been minimized by accusing it of being biased, and that I voted for ZZ Top because it is familiar. I am glad you guys have shown me the light. I had fooled myself into thinking I had some actual reasons for liking it better than Williams.

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    3. First let me say that YES we did discuss the possible outcome of this and the corresponding BATTLE beforehand, and we figured that the voting might be biased in favor of the 'originals' (ZZ Top) due to the fact that so many of the participants are busy with the A to Z Challenge and therefore it's an easy vote for the familiar. I believe that is what STMc was commenting about. I know that is what I was consenting to with my comment of 'True'.

      With respect to your vote, I don't feel that any preconceived bias was involved because; 1. It's my opinion that you show true musical integrity in your voting. 2. You are not a blogger and not involved in the A to Z frenzy, and therefore not any part of that 'beforehand discussion'.

      It's probably unfortunate that the comments by STMc and myself came after your comment when in fact they truly did not have reference to your particular vote; at lest from my point of view.

      I would never intentionally minimize anyone's vote as this is really only a matter of personal taste and my taste in music ranges from 'here listen to this, to please don't judge me'.

      My sincere apology for any misunderstanding or insult my insensitivity may have caused to you or anyone else. The opinions here at Far Away Eyes are only those of one dumb blonde

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    4. Far Away Mystery Smile -

      NO NO NO!! I was just jousting wid StMcC!! Now I feel really badly... I didn't mean to whack you!

      I suspect that there is a bias oft-times in these things, but I really try to avoid it. I already have such strong feelings about music that except on rare occasions I find that the way I want to vote is the way I suspected I'd vote when I first read the contest.

      Your apology is totally unnecessary.

      I am a rat, and you are a sweetheart.

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  14. HEY BLOGGER - WHERE'S MY COMMENT FROM SHEBOYGAN BOY VI. i SAW IT IN MY EMAIL. YES I'M SHOUTING. NOW WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT.

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    1. OOPS! Sorry Blogger, my mistake, it's there. I thought there were two separate comments one to me and one to STMc.

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  15. I feel like I've seen these competitors before, but I don't know where. Oh, right, I just voted on them minutes ago. Funnily enough, we both voted for ZZ Top over at Stephen's blog, no contest. But on this one, the Bocephus reigns supreme without question for both of us. His version is rip-roarin' redneck fun, and we say that with the utmost respect.

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    1. Respect for rip-roarin' rednecks, boy, would you like my family. Funny how this voting is panning out in the two contests. It's a rare thing when I put the original up against a contender, but sometimes you just gotta do it.

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  16. Al Bondigas here. Hmmmm. This one is tough. I listened to both versions twice, and finally, after deliberating in my chambers, I had to make a rulin' fer ZZ Top. I think the familiarity may have had a little sway. But, them thar pictures of them womens sure had some sway too. This judge needs a cold shower!! That's it!! That's my rulin'!!

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    1. I hope you enjoyed your shower. Your vote was a surprise to me as well as others I'm sure, but there you have it another vote putting ZZ over the Top.

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    2. Well, but then again, when was the last time a judge ruled correctly? It just don't happen in Amerika no mo'.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  17. ZZ Top gets my vote even though Hank Williams Jr did a great job on this one. I love a hard blues guitar and the tough thing was, they both had it. I kept hearing Hooker - another fave of mine. . .

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  18. Well, I've surprised myself. I thought for sure I'd be going with ZZ because, will because it's ZZ and I love Billy Gibbons...and I know this version of the song. BUT I'm giving it to Hank. Maybe it's because it's a version I haven't heard before and it was fresh to my ears. LOVE the guitar work. (I realize I'm probably in the minority...)

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    1. Well you might be in the minority, but it's by a small margin. You vote for Jr. brings this a lot closer to a tie than it was a little while ago. We shall see what happens by tomorrow.

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  19. What, you and Saint Mac been swapping stories again? On the same vibe? Dang GirlFriend, I'll tell you like I told him: how dare you make this so hard!! Ugh, so much good stuff going on. The bearded boys against the - bearded boy, lol. Gotta love them both/all.

    Here goes though; I've voting ZZ. Their sound is just so legendary. Hank can serenade me any other day, but this is just classic ZZ. I should be in bed but I'll give it another listen. Not changing my vote though.

    Hey Babe, shoot me an e-mail some time and tell me what you're up to lately. Miss you.

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    1. OK, first, I like the old profile picture better. Having seen you in person, it looked more like you than this one, or has it been that long and you have changed so much. Ha, ha, ha. all those long hours on the road, getting to ya.

      Go you down as a vote for ZZ. They are hard to beat and as of this point your vote puts them one vote ahead of Jr. Pretty close race when you consider putting an original up against a cover (vs. using two covers).

      I'll email you shortly. Lot's going on. I'm moving AGAIN on April 15th, just around to the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, but it will still be a major pain. Are you still making the run all the way to Idaho. I'll be in ID in June and at Tahoe the rest of the summer. Let's shoot for getting together again.

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    2. Moving is such a pain. Ugh. I'm hoping my 30 year mortgage means I'll never move again, lol. Good luck.

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  20. Wow, FAE... This is tough. I listened twice, and the Hank Williams Jr. version really blew me away. But—is it enough to beat ZZ? And on La Grange, no less? Ok... give me a minute to ponder.

    ...

    No. No, it's not. ZZ Top wins this one for me. (Sorry, Hank.)

    Glad I made it in before you posted results!
    Guilie @ Quiet Laughter

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