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I blogged about as well as expected last week. My brother and sister-in-law flew down from Ohio to Orlando for the week. Mom and I drove down and met them there. We hadn't seen them since last year (about this time). Even though we did NOT go to Disney, it felt like we never stopped. I'm not used to the stress of being scheduled up so hard, and my migraines crashed in with a vengeance about mid-vacation. (Just for the record, I find it horribly depressing that vacation is so stressful as to be migraine-inducing.) All and still, it was very enjoyable (migraines aside).
I totally missed the Insecure Writer's Support Group posting for Wednesday. I didn't have time to write one or to visit the other participants. So, if you noticed my absence... bless you. I'll be back at it in the New Year!
Battle of the Bands. I'm always a bit surprised by how these things turn out. Usually about mid-way through the battle, I think, "I really should have chosen this instead of that." I think the problem lies in that I tend to choose two versions that I like (the vote is usually difficult for ME), but not so much for you guys. I wonder if I should start picking something I don't like so much to give you more variety with your choice??? My mother's favorite version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is Mannheim Steamroller. I listened to about two minutes (or less) of that before deciding I didn't like it all that much. I bet Stephen T. McCarthy could have given me an excellent Jazz interpretation of the song had I but asked (I didn't). Maybe I should start???? It's funny (to me) that I've been participating in Battle of the Bands for over a year, and I still don't have it figured out all that well.
Anyway, I tend to post the results (unlike some others who expect you to count up the vote yourself... or remember to come back and read the results in the comments... gasp!). ;) If you voted later in the battle, and read the comments, then it's no surprise that Enya won this battle handily with her haunting version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. She garnered 17 votes, while The Civil Wars only took 5. However, several said that you (surprisingly) liked the version by The Civil Wars, and one of you actually thanked me for posting it, even though you voted for Enya (Hi Liza!). I really liked both versions, and would listen to them both regularly, given the opportunity. I do think Enya's version was just so beautiful that it gets my vote (too). However, there was no wrong vote here!
Remember when I posted video footage of our first Ladies Trio song? Well... we worked up something for the Christmas season, and we sang it yesterday. It was dicey, though. I woke up with a migraine and my mom woke up with a strained back. Not sure that we made one good person added together. Despite that, the song came off pretty well, I think. This time, I wore pants. No more blinding white legs!!! Mom and I will also sing a duet at our Christmas Eve service. I will try to remember to post that on Christmas day....
Without further ado... Here is the Ladies Trio singing Tiny King.
Hope you feel better and sorry that your vacation was full of migraine pain. I've had the unfortunate chance of suffering from a couple of migraines in my life, and they were absolutely debilitating!
ReplyDeleteI've lived with migraines for a very long time now. They range from mild to completely debilitating. I think the hardest thing for me in this last month has been the increase in severity (which is riding in tandem to my increased stress). It has made me fall back on pain meds, which I got off of back in early 2013, just to push through it. The better I get, the more I incorporate into my life... and the more I cannot function at all when migraines come along, requiring that I take pain medication to get by. I vividly remember when pain medication became my way of powering through until I hit the wall and it didn't help any longer. Of course, going off wasn't an option, either. I really don't want to end up back there again.
DeleteGIRL WONDER ~
ReplyDelete>>... Battle of the Bands. I'm always a bit surprised by how these things turn out. ... I think the problem lies in that I tend to choose two versions that I like (the vote is usually difficult for ME), but not so much for you guys. ... I bet Stephen T. McCarthy could have given me an excellent Jazz interpretation of the song had I but asked (I didn't). Maybe I should start? It's funny (to me) that I've been participating in Battle of the Bands for over a year, and I still don't have it figured out all that well.
I think I have a pretty good handle on the BOTB - perhaps as good as one can grasp - but even so, occasionally the results really surprise the heck outta me, too. (My second BOTB ever, when I was the only person who voted for The Rockets over Fleetwood Mac on 'OH WELL' was probably the biggest BOTB mind-blower for me, because I was sure The Rockets would kick booty in that one. Also, the one where Dusty Springfield clobbered the Atlanta Rhythm Section on 'SPOOKY' was so surprising it was... spooky! ...I thought it would be a very close contest, regardless of which one won.)
But the majority of the time, I can usually predict who will win and how the voting will basically go (even often guessing right about who the regulars will vote for in any given BOTB at my blog).
Also, I almost always use two versions of the song that I like, however 98.5% of the time I already know which rendition I will be voting for. I know I have NEVER used a version I actively disliked, and only a couple times (The Zombies and The Kinks) used versions that I just felt so-so about.
Good thing you DIDN'T BET, because actually, off the top of my head, I can't think of a Jazzy version of 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel'. The one recording that DOES come to mind is the brief Intro that Richard Carpenter sings before going into an Overture that gets a wee bit o' Jazzy later.
And by the way, I have always liked Richard's too-rare singing. Naturally, when your sister sings like Karen Carpenter did, you let her do almost all the singing - and I do not second-guess that decision in the least. But Richard's voice, although lightweight, was very clear and pleasant and I really enjoy all the (few) songs he took the lead vocals on.
Here he is with the brief vocal of 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel'. See what you think, Robin:
Richard Carpenter: '...O Come, Emmanuel'
He sang lead on 'I KEPT ON LOVING YOU' from the 'Close To You' album, and I really like it a lot.
I liked YOUR singing a lot, too, Robin. Except for the Vocal Acrobatics part. Ha! And here I was all ready to put on my sunglasses to watch your video only to find I didn't need them, thanks to the pants. (Like I should talk with my Gomer Pyle-white legs!)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteWhen are you gonna have someone film you while singing Karaoke solo and post that?
~ Dogg-2
I do have a couple of karaoke things on my phone. I just never like how my voice sounds when I listen to it!!!! Maybe I'll put the least of the evils on here soon. But, if I don't like it, how can I be upset when you guys say, "Well, that was a nice try." You know, because saying, "That sucked!" is really mean.
DeleteOkay, now I have time to respond in larger part to your comment. I just listened to the R Carpenter intro. He has a smooth voice. Are there songs in which he and Karen sing together???? If not, that seems like a waste. I bet they would have blended nicely together.
DeleteExcept for the vocal acrobatics. Hahahaha.
Yes, ROBIN, there are songs where they sang together. Usually Richard was just doing background harmonizing but there are also a few songs where they performed dual or co-lead vocals, however, Karen pretty much always took the most verses, as it should have been. (I'm still in love with Karen's unique voice, and I admitted to loving The Carpenters when being a Carpenters fan was about the height of uncoolness. Come to think of it, that might still be the case according to some folks.)
Delete~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I got bad news, Stephen T....being a Carpenters fan is still the height of uncoolness...
DeleteWe're just at an age where there's nothing we can do to join the ranks of the cool!
The three of you did well despite not feeling well.
ReplyDeleteSometimes vacations are stressful. Maybe because we're trying to cram in so much?
Lovely song. I'm not sure I ever heard it before.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had fun on vacation despite the stress.
I love your huge cringe when the mic starts giving that deafening feedback. I could feel that from here. The song sounded great, regardless.
ReplyDeleteAnd as I mentioned in the battle, I like The Civil Wars, and I like their version. But it just couldn't stack up to Enya. I actually wasn't sure a lot of people would vote for her. It seems people either love her music or hate it. So I was pleasantly surprised to see her take this by a landslide.
Migraines are awful. My family suffers from them, fortunately, I was spared.
ReplyDeleteI'm giving the nod to Tiny King. Both were awesome, but this was a new song for me and I think it's just sweet.
You sing good together.
ReplyDeleteMigraines, family, and vacation isn't a good mix.
Ah, well, the first time I ever voted in BoB and I picked the one that lost miserably. This is why I don't usually participate. I have terrible taste in music.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have recovered from your migraines.
Alex ~ Yes, I think that is it exactly. I require a lot of "down time" and I just don't get enough on vacation. But... I don't want to waste a minute, either.... ::sigh::
ReplyDeleteSusan ~ It was a bit of a rocky start. Our soprano was really challenged with this song because she was singing against me (second soprano) and the alto parts. She, and she alone, carried the melody line (and words) while we were mostly singing "tiny king" over and over. Once she got through that first phrase or two it all got better:)
ABFTS ~ Funny thing... even as I cringed, I thought, "Oh crap. This is being taped. That's going to look awful." And it was. And it did.
Elizabeth ~ I appreciate you voting for our version of Tiny King, but it wasn't part of the battle. hahahahaha. That was just me sharing my Sunday morning with ya'll.
Diane ~ You got that right!
Dianne ~ Don't NOT vote because your band didn't win. In my own battles, I usually vote for the loser. hahahaha. It doesn't stop me, though!
So sorry you had migraines on your vacation! I agree, that's monumentally unfair.
ReplyDeleteNot sure that we made one good person added together.~ This made me laugh!
And you ladies sound beautiful! Loved it.
Not the least little bit surprised that Enya won this BOTB. But, after saying that, I guess with Enya most people either love her or hate her, not a lot of in-between.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, you're one brave woman!
If you went to Disney I understand the stress. I know someone who just went there and one has to go by schedule which I hate. I hope you are feeling better. My friend goes for botox and she says it has helped. You all sounded great singing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry migraines plagued you on your vacation and then again while you were singing. Blasted things. I'm glad you still had a blast doing both. I have family in Orlando but haven't visited them there in years. We always meet up in NY instead.
ReplyDeleteLovely harmony in church. Hope your head is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the video, Robin! Your voices blended well. I also cringed with you at the opening feedback, lol. :)
ReplyDeleteBut um... I missed seeing your legs. :)
I hope and pray your migraines are doing better! I'm so sorry they interfered with the fun of a vacation.
I do like Civil Wars (even featured them doing "Billy Jean" on an earlier BOTB), and generally give Enya a "meh..." and a shrug, but I liked her version better in your BOTB. I like it when a BOTB shakes up my expectations. :)
And BTW -- I could point you to some 'unofficial' videos of me playing with our worship team in church, but they're not for general consumption (copyright issues and stuff). You can email me if you're interested.
Ava ~ I was more concerned that the stress of "vacation" brought about migraines. But, yeah, it sucked.
ReplyDeleteFAE ~ There are all manner of things that scare me. By and large, singing in public is not one of them....
Birgit ~ And that is the thing... we DIDN'T go to Disney. I can't imagine the migraine pain if Disney had been involved....
Elsie ~ I KNOW you understand, fellow migraine sufferer....
Liza ~ Honestly, I'm still struggling. There is just a lot of stress right now and my migraines feed on it.
Chris ~ Your comment about my legs made me laugh. I remember you said some funny things last time (even if I didn't comment on it!). I wonder if I'm infringing on copyright with my YouTube postings. Huh. Never even thought about it until now.... I can't imagine that it will get enough hits that anyone would even care.... But, yes, I'd love to hear your stuff. I shall look for your email address!!!
I'm sorry your vacation was plagued by migraines. I hope they are gone now.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful singing and yay for Ena! ;)
Sorry about your vacation...but the good news is, you may have a hit on your hands!
ReplyDeleteYou ladies did a great job singing! I'm glad you got to visit your brother and his wife. Sorry to hear you got migraines mid-way through. :(
ReplyDeleteLove the mockingbird! Cinnamon and honey are supposed to be good for migraines - not sure the dose. BOTB was great - though Enya did it for me as well.
ReplyDeleteLoved your singing - such a nice harmonic blend! And 'tis the season(smile).
You sang beautifully with The Ladies Trio! I agree with Stephen that it would be fun to hear some of your karaoke performances! I'd also like to hear your Christmas Eve duet with your mom. Hope you're feeling better, Robin.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Thanks all for the lovely comments. I'm behind (again) on blogging and blog reading. Where does the time go????
ReplyDelete