In a Persian Market (#BOTB)

Life is a magic show.  And since I toured on a number of magic shows over the years I think I know a thing or two about magic shows.  I tell you--life is definitely a damn magic show...

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 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.

In a Persian Market 

     The tone poem by Albert Ketelby is a musical piece that you've undoubtedly heard many times over the years.   It often will be used as background for magic or circus shows or scenes of mystery. During the years of 1975 to 1980 when I toured off and on with them, I frequently heard it during the levitation sequence of the Ken Griffin Magic Show.  In this part of the show, Ken Griffin the magician would put his lovely wife and assistant Roberta into a trance and then raise her into the air from a prone position.  The levitation was one of the highlights of the show.  I won't say where I was or what I was doing during this sequence of the show, but I will say that I had little else to do but listen to Ketelby's "In a Persian Market" which wasn't all that bad since I did enjoy that piece of music.

       The recording we used was in a more classical vein like originally intended.  For this Battle I'm using a couple of updated jazzy versions that I find quite entertaining.  I hope that you will too.





Wilbur de Paris  "In a Persian Market"  (1959)






Acker Bilk  "In a Persian Market"  (1959)

Time to Vote!

           Now that you're all jazzed up how's about voting for one or the other.   Either way you might or might not like them.  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

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Next Battle on December 1

  

       And results of this current Battle will be Friday November 22nd.  Did I get that right?  What ever...

Time for Dreams ( #BOTB Results )

       The voting has decided!  Read on to get my perspectives on why I voted as I did and what the final results amounted to.  Did you vote?  Whether or not you did vote, you can still read about what I'm talking about...

Battle of the Bands Results

Fun and Folly in Lee's Basement

      Back in the first years of the seventies, I was in college as well as working summers.  During this time my friends and I began discovering psychedelics and other mind-altering substances. Add to that a frequent abundance of alcohol and it was party time whenever or wherever we gathered.

      Music was such a huge part of any event as well as in our times of solitude.  My range of musical interest was very eclectic as it is today so any visitor to my basement might be exposed to some very different music than they normally listened to.  When one's mind is "expanded" that can be a good thing.

      My recent Battle matched a group of those times, Autosalvage, against a more sunshiny pop song by the group Wichita Fall.  This was a tough choice for me since I love the sounds of both groups and both albums.  I listened to both often back in those days and still enjoy hearing the albums. So what to pick in this Battle?

      When my basement was my escape, my domain, and place to entertain friends, I would be more apt to put on the Autosalvage album.  It rocked more and probably would have been better received by a bunch of partying guys.  This was an interesting album to be in party mode with.  

      After everyone had gone home and I was still coming down from wherever I had gone, that was the time that I'd usually put on my Wichita Fall album.  It was a calming aural experience for me.  I also enjoyed listening to this album on quiet afternoons when I was alone.  Wichita Fall's Life Is But  A Dream is a delightful extravaganza of pretty decent songs with dazzling orchestration and harmonies reminiscent of groups like The Association, another of my favorite groups.

       That being said, for this Battle my vote goes to Autosalvage and their song "Land of Their Dreams".  Love the crazy sound of that group and love that song.

       But just for the pleasure of listening to music these days I'd still likely gravitate more to the Wichita Fall album.  

Final Vote Tally

Autosalvage      7 votes

Wichita Fall       3 votes

Another Battle on November 15th

      Probably

I Must Confess ( #IWSG )

      Ever since I retired, sometimes it seems like I work more than I ever did when it comes to stuff around the house.  What I want to know is who did all this stuff back when I was actually working a paying  job.  Idle time can be a lot of work!

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for the November 6 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Lisa Buie Collard , Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose.

November 6 question - What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

     This is a fun question that I could go in so many ways with.  But I might as well go with the truth.  I haven't been writing other than on my blog or just jotting down ideas now and then.  Lately--and I mean the last few years I guess--I just haven't been feeling the motivation to write.  I've got plenty of ideas with no writing after they appear.

    Bottom line is that I watch way more television than I used to.  Hey, I guess I'm entitled to wind down in my later years.   Watching television might not sound so creative but when I'm doing this I often come up with some of my most creative ideas.  I always keep a pen and notebook nearby so that I can jot down whatever pops into my mind.  Someday--you know.

      Otherwise, I could think of creative things I might be doing, but I'm not doing any of them so what's the point of suggesting that I've been doing creative things.

       I'll be writing soon.  I think.  At least I've been planning to.  I've come up with some pretty nifty ideas.

       How about you?  Are you as lazy as I've been lately?