Wednesday, February 15, 2017

My Anti-Valentine's Day BoTB... You're Welcome

Hey all. Once again, I dropped off the face of the blog. It's a bit like falling down in heels, but not quite.





Mich over at The Bastard Henry sent me some artwork that she painted:



I will post another photo once I find a frame. To that end, I really should post a picture of the card and bookmark that Birgit made me. Maybe it'll be a two for one photo once I get my rear in gear. That means I will also have to figure out how to download the pictures off my phone onto my computer. (Can we all say it together? NOT TECH SAVVY.) Thankfully, Mich sent me this photo or I'd be trying to describe the artwork. This also explains why Birgit's lovely card and bookmark are still not on this blog...

Let's move on to why you're actually here. I'm back for Battle of the Bands.



I debated how to proceed for this battle. I've come to not care so much for Valentine's Day. I think that probably has a great deal to do with spending the better part of my life single. However, I have come to appreciate February 15 a great deal. That's when all the Valentine's candy goes on sale. There really should be TWO holidays. The 14th lands in the maybe column of happiness, whereas the 15th is a slam dunk. Anyway, I thought about all manner of song styles to try and help me decide on this battle. I was afraid if I chose anything too anti-love you'd think I was also terminally depressed. Let's face it, I have an inexplicable love for horribly depressing songs.

I present to you with a great deal of fondness (drum roll, please) I Won't Dance. It's the perfect amount of upbeat paired with my anti-Valentine's Day sentiments. I think I've found two worthy contenders for this battle. Your comments (aka voting) will confirm or deny this theory.

First up is Ol' Blue Eyes with his rendition of this spicy song!



Another fabulous rendition comes from Jane Monheit and Michael Buble! This video is super fun, but if you think it might sway your vote close your eyes. You can watch it AFTER you vote. Totally worth it as they are ever so enjoyable to watch. But this is a LISTENING contest.




Please vote for the version of this song you prefer. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!

For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles. I've stopped trying to keep up with who is running a battle and who isn't. To see who is participating, go here: Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog.

18 comments:

  1. The second one had nice harmony.
    True, all the candy is on sale now. Get it before the stores send it all back and put Easter candy in its place.

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  2. Robin, the day after any big holiday is a nice treat for chocolate lovers everywhere. Who cares what kinda a wrapper it is in? Those sale prices make it all worth the while anyhow, right? :) Frank does it nice but I'm going with the Jane and Michael duet. Their version seemed lighter, happier, and put me in a good mood. Give my vote to Contender #2

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  3. Good to see you back. You really did seem to fall of the map for a while!

    I'm no Valentine's Day fan and with my retirement check I can't afford to be spending money on such commercially fabricated nonsense. I did fix my wife one of her favorite meals for the event day--Arroz con Pollo or Chicken with rice. She was thrilled and ate 3 helpings! I must have done it right. And I'll admit that it was pretty darn good. I probably won't buy any sale candy this year. Besides, her kindergarten students bring her plenty of goodies which she brings home. Not good for either of our diabetic conditions, but I'm sure I'll take the brunt of finishing it off.

    And now for the song battle. If you had used my favorite version of this song--the one by Fred Astaire--it would have been no contest for me. Love the way he sings and dances it.

    With that in mind, though the duet is really nicely done, I've got to go old school and cast my vote for Frank Sinatra.

    Please don't disappear again!.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  4. Oh my goodness, that's totally why I rarely wear high heels!

    Love the painting. That's so pretty.

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  5. My favorite version of this song is by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, so I think of it as a duet.

    While I like The Chairman's arrangement more, the duet gets my vote.

    Larry

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  6. Frankie's vocal powers sound as if they were at their height, but I vote for the duet. It's so sweet. Their voices are perfect together.

    Love,
    Janie

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  7. The second video was cute, but I didn't like her voice. Michael Buble sounds a lot like Sinatra, so I figured, go with the original. Ol' Blue Eyes takes this one.

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  8. I'm giving my vote to Jane Monheit & Michael Buble it was much more fun to listen to as a duet. Great song choice!

    ~Mary
    Jingle Jangle Jungle

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  9. Welcome back, Robin! ☺ Michael Bublé would have gotten my vote if he were singing alone, but Jane Monheit's voice was a turnoff. Fun video, though. Put me down for Frank Sinatra. P.S. I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day, either. It's a fake holiday, invented by the retail industry to fatten their coffers. I'm taking a break from BOTB to concentrate more on my writing. Hope you get a chance to check out my entry for the #WEPFF Challenge. Thanks!

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  10. The second band (you know the one I mean) was pleasant enough and he really has a grea voice but old Blue Eyes was my teen-age idol. I stood outside the Roxy theater stage entrance in 1942 wearing my poodle skirt and saddle shoes waiting for an autograph of Frankie with the adams apple and bow-tie. He was soooo cute and skinny and unknown at that time. Of course the musicality of the other one is more modern but Frankie has my vote..... always.

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    1. I don't think I was wearing a poodle skirt as I remember them coming out almost 10 years later. I probably wore a fairly short pleated skirt and a long pull-over sweater ....but fairly baggy. I love to think back on the clothes that were popular at certain periods in my life and then how the music fit into it too. LOL

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  11. The best version hands down is Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. But for this BOTB, I'll go with Frank.

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  12. GIRL WONDER ~
    This Battle has been super-tough on me. I've had to listen to both versions multiple times.

    First, a special nod to any song that contains the word "asbestos" in the lyrics. Dang! Who-da thunk it?

    And that Michael Buble -- I'd heard his name many times but had never heard him perform until the advent of BOTB. And I gotta say, that cat has a great voice and he knows how to use it!

    In the final analysis, I feel a lot like John Holton does in this one. In the duet, I liked the woman's voice well enough -- did NOT dislike it -- but I wasn't really wild about it either.

    The duet was fun (the video terrific!) but, yes, Buble does sound quite a bit like Sinatra. So, why not just go with SINATRA?

    Plus... "Ring-A-Ding-Ding!"
    How can one vote against Sinatra when he includes a "Ring-A-Ding-Ding!"? [;o)

    ~ D-FensDogG
    Check out my new blog @
    (Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

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  13. Okay, you got artwork from Mich AND a card from Birgit? Someone get me some peanut butter because I am jelly.

    (Sorry, I'll never speak like that again)

    The wife and I usually do something lame, like go out to eat, but I'm thankful that she doesn't make a big deal out of Valentine's Day. Cards, flowers, chocolates... save that for the anniversary, the day that matters.

    Oh, right, the Battle. I love ol' Blue Eyes, but I have to go with my wife's personal favorite, Buble.

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  14. I'll hope I avoid cement shoes and go against the Chairman of the Board this time. I thought #2 flowed smoother.

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  15. That is so sweet to mention me and the card and bookmark I made. I love what I see of the painting you got...loooks really good. I have to go with Buble and Monheit because their voices sound so strong and it felt right as a duet so they get my vote. Now dig into that chocolate:)

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  16. This was a great battle! It is not typical for a newcomer to redo a classic by a giant of music and put up a decent fight, but I think in Buble you have a contender.

    I agree with other of your readers here: if it were Buble by himself, he would earn the vote. But this time with this video, Frank gets it.

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  17. FRank gets my vote, he is hard to vote against

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