Pick a Paul on a Bland Song (#BOTB)

        We sometimes hear someone say how much they love this city or that.  Well, that feeling ain't mutual.  The city is a heartless place that doesn't play favorites...

 
The Mean Streets of Los Angeles
 
        Here I am on a rainy Monday morning in Los Angeles.  It's colder than I care for these days and that rain doesn't look very inviting.  The forecasters say that the rain will be here for the next four days.  Not common for L.A.  It might be the end of this world as we know it.  Or maybe just more flash floods in Malibu.  Oh well, I guess I'm okay where I live.  I'm just not going to go outside if I can avoid it.

          This morning, aside from watching the rain, I wasted another 45 minutes of my life watching a police pursuit through the streets around the Compton area.  These car chases are not particularly unusual in L.A. except when it's pouring rain like today.  The rain is unusual. The driver was navigating the streets cautiously under the circumstances, with emergency flashers on and stopping at most red lights while pursuers stayed at a distance so as not to provoke the driver.  Fortunately there were no mishaps during the pursuit.

           At the end of the chase, the driver compliantly exited the vehicle and began stripping down to underwear, something I had not seen in previous pursuits.  As the cameras zoomed closer it became obvious that the driver was a woman and a rather heavy woman at that.  The lady was put into a police vehicle as the television stations resumed with regular programming.

           Just another day in Los Angeles, albeit an unusual one because of so much rain.  Three more days of predicted rain. Might be interesting--or maybe not.  Hopefully you'll find this Battle of the Bands to be interesting...


Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month.   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.

Bobby Blue Bland

    A couple of years ago, Stephen T. McCarthy (our BOTB host) offered a Battle that featured Bobby Blue Bland.  In my comment I had mentioned that I wanted to find something by Bland with covers by other artists.  The best song choice that came to my attention was "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" of which many excellent covers can be found on YouTube.  You might be most familiar with the cover as done by Whitesnake on their first album.

      I had a tough time narrowing this Battle down to just two so I went the gimmick route:  Two male artists from the UK who have been concurrently on the popular music scene for many years and both named Paul.  You might know their names and past affiliations so I won't delve into this.  You can always look them up if you want more info.  And if you want to hear the original version as done by Bobby Blue Bland then you can find that here.  Don't vote on it--I'm just offering this link to those who are curious.

      So, let us continue with the Battle combatants...


Paul Weller  "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City"  (1997)

         Injecting a lot of rock into some blue-eyed soul sound, Weller puts a rugged edge on things with his version.






Paul Carrack  "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City"  (2009)

          More in keeping with the original version, this big brassy performance was recorded live at St. Albans, UK.






Time to Vote!

     Show some love and please vote in this Battle.  What's your favorite between these two choices?   Which song version do you like best? 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.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Angel's Bark  

Debbie Doglady's Den

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Cherdo on the Flipside

A I Love Music


Winner of this Battle Announced on Monday January 21st

     By the way, things have been stirring over the A to Z Blog so you might want to drop in to check things out.  Once again Jeremy Hawkins has come up with some neat graphics.  At the helm of things is the ever amazing J Lenni Dorner and again the team is rounded out by Jayden R Vincente, John Holton, and Zalka Csenge Virág.  Keep in mind that this will be the 10th annual Challenge so you might want to join us in the milestone year.   Watch the Challenge blog for updates.

        Do you ever get caught up in watching police pursuits on television?  Do you prefer country life or city living?   Does the future belong to the city or the rusticity?