Summertime hearkens back to memories of a childhood roaming barefoot, exploring caves and woods, and floating on a raft downriver. Those aren't my memories of anything I did, but I saw it in movies and read about it in books. My summer memories are of going to an air-conditioned theater to watch movies. Yeah, I guess that sounds bad and it's not totally true either...
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| Drawing of Huckleberry finn with a rabbit and a gun, by EW Kemble from the original 1884 edition of the book.。 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Battle of the Bands
Tom Sawyer
I've always liked the Rush song epic "Tom Sawyer" (click to be reminded, but please don't vote on this version). For years I'd heard this song and others by the Canadian band, but I never jumped on the Rush fan-wagon until I saw a concert video of them on television back around 2003 I'm guessing. After that I was sold on the band and went and bought a large part of their library on CD.
For this Battle I've chosen two interesting acoustic covers of the Rush song. To some extent I think these covers are equal to the original. I have no doubt that some of you might say they are even better. Take a listen and you be the judge...
Montreal Guitar Trio "Tom Sawyer" (2014)
The Bad Plus "Tom Sawyer" (2007)
Time to Vote!
What d'ya think? 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
Winner of this Battle Announced on Friday June 8th
On Wednesday the 6th I'll have my post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, so be here for that. And by all means see who won this Battle on June 8th. It's been busy for me of late and it looks like things might get busier. I'll try to keep the pace.
What are some of your favorite childhood summer memories? Do you ever look back with some wonder that you survived intact? What was your biggest summer adventure in your adult years?
Great post Lee. I vote for The Montreal Guitar Trio. That's the one for me.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
Yvonne.
Yvonne, you have a wonderful weekend ahead as well.
DeleteFirst vote goes to Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
Lee,
ReplyDeleteThis was an easy pick for me in today's battle. The Montreal Guitar Trio gets my vote without a second thought needed. :)
Now to answer your questions...
1. What are some of your favorite childhood summer memories? We didn't have AC. My childhood was spent mostly outdoors tromping through the mountains, wading barefoot in icy cold creeks, playing freeze tag or dodge ball, catching fire flies, and occasionally roasting marshmallow. I remember coming in after it got dark hot and filthy. I'd soak in our old ball & claw bathtub until the water got cold or Mom hollered for me to get out.
2 Do you ever look back with some wonder that you survived intact? Not really because I usually played things safe. I either had too much sense or too scared to tempt fate. I'm pretty sure it was the later.
3.What was your biggest summer adventure in your adult years? The first thing to come to mind was our one year anniversary. We decided to take an overnight backpacking trip with some friends to Fall Creek Falls State Park. I had done some camping as a kid but backpacking? Hiking through the woods in early June with 20 pound pack on my pack was a challenge. I remember the last mile before we stopped to pit our tent was up a very steep hill. It was so steep they built steps in the side of the mountain for hikers to climb. By this point I was so exhausted the only way I got up it was from DH's constant push, literally. When we got to the camp site I couldn't do a single thing. I collapsed. DH did every thing, set the tent up and made dinner. While he helped make the camp fire I fell asleep. I remember waiting up to the sound of telephone ringing. There were no phones ringing in the woods in 1980. :) I tried to eat dinner but the extreme heat and exercise got the better of me. I couldn't touch the expensive freeze-dried camping entree. It smelled good but all I wanted was a hotdog. lol In retrospect that was a lot of fun even though I was sure I was going to die before it was over. We never did anything like that again. I kinda wished we had and now I'd definitely couldn't do something like that.
Have a good day and thanks for stopping by to vote in my June 1st BoTB! ~Cathy
Cathy, it's unlikely that I could do a trek like you did nor would I likely try at my age. But I had some camping adventures in my younger days. We never had AC when I was growing up. In fact my mother didn't install central air in our TN home until the 1990s--well after I had moved away.
DeleteA second vote goes to Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
Lee,
DeleteI couldn't survive without an AC today. Isn't it funny what you get used to because you just don't know anything better? I recall keeping my window open at night and sleeping with my head at the bottom of my bed just so I could catch the summer night's cool breeze. It was really nice. The early mornings sometimes felt a bit chilly which always seemed strange to me but ever so grateful for. :)
My favorite band! I've seen them in concert over twenty-five times. Glad you fell in love with their music.
ReplyDeleteBoth versions are good, but I like the simplicity of the guitars in the first one best. Montreal Guitar Trio gets my vote.
Alex, I know you're a big Rush fan. That's a lot of concerts for the same band.
DeleteA vote for Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
Sorry that I never vote on these but I'm a purist for the most part.
ReplyDeleteJoJo, you used to vote sometimes. It's ironic that you say you are a "purist" when Grateful Dead was so derivative of other music and played so many covers. But I'm not necessarily sure what you mean by "purist". I'm assuming that you mean that you like the original versions?
DeleteLee
I like the second one.
ReplyDeleteIt's rare we take any kind of vacation in summer. We prefer the off months when everything is less crowded. Exploring New Mexico when we lived there was great anytime though. I remember hiking across Sandia Peak several times during the summer.
L.Diane, thank goodness someone finally liked the second one. I thought I might be heading toward a shut-out.
DeleteFinally a vote for Bad Plus.
Lee
Although I'm not a fan of Rush, they have certainly earned their place in rock history. My vote goes to Montreal Guitar Trio. Love the Mandolin! The Bad Plus version sounded too "busy" and cacophonous. I just published a favourite summer vacation memory from 1967. Thanks for checking it out, Lee. ☺ We usually vacation in Sept. and my favourite adult memory was our 40th anniversary trip in 2013: Italy (hubby's birthplace), Germany (my birthplace) and a fabulous two-week tour of Greece. ♥
ReplyDeleteDebbie D, you might want to listen to Bad Plus again--there is some busyness, but it's a wonderfully intricate arrangement.
DeleteA vote for Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
One of my favorite Rush songs! I didn't get excited about Rush until their 'Roll The Bones' album came out. Their music is a bit cerebral for me, but I do enjoy them from time to time.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Bad Plus put a bit of 'extra' into their version, and I quite liked the piano work, I was mostly drawn to the Montreal Guitar Trio. Such intricate guitar work!
My vote: Montreal Guitar Trio
~Mary
Battle of the Bands - Feral Cat Edition
Mary, Rush does some pretty intense music--partly why I like it so much.
DeleteMontreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
I love this battle. I like Rush a lot, and I like the song.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed both versions presented here. I know the "closer to original" Guitar Trio version is going to win this, but The Bad Plus is one of my very favorite jazz groups. I fact, I went to see them last year at Jazz Alley in Seattle. One voting factor should be that this song needs a drummer... tapping on your mandolin (not a guitar, BTW) does not quite get it done. The Bad Plus has a FABULOUS drummer.
They get my vote.
Here is a link to The Bad Plus playing a cover of Flim (that song ends at about 3:45, but the whole thing is great), that shows just how good this drummer David King is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iECeetxtm0g
(Gotta skip your other questions today. Running late, packing to leave SOCAL. GREAT visit yesterday!!)
6-Gun, great visit yesterday. I look forward to our next visit.
DeleteI was impressed that you had seen Bad Plus in concert. I discovered them a couple years ago after seeing them on a concert show on PBS. After checking further on YouTube, I noticed they do a lot of covers so I immediately thought of BOTB. Now finally after sitting in my queue for a long time I'm using this Battle.
That drumming in the video is outstanding. The musicians in this band are so tight.
A needed vote for Bad Plus.
Lee
Montreal Guitar Trio has my vote. I love the mandolin.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I think the mandolin has such a wonderful sound. It has the same tuning as a violin.
DeleteMontreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
From my cousin Tom on Facebook comes another vote for...
ReplyDeleteMontreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
I've always been pretty lukewarm about Rush overall but there are a few songs of theirs that I really like and Tom Sawyer is one of them.
ReplyDeleteThe Bad Plus started out for me on the right track: i was digging the piano but then about midway through, they took on a frantic frenetic jazzy sound, which has always hurt my ears. I don't know much at all about jazz and have no idea what that frenetic style is called but I can't stand it. Drive me nuts. So that contender lost me at that mid-point.
I so enjoyed the Montreal Guitar Trio! I'd say their version is right up there as good as the original. And that mandolin! Fabulous!
Obviously my vote goes to Montreal Guitar Trio.
I'd like to check out more of their works...
Michele at Angels Bark
Michele, not sure what that "frenetic" sound is called exactly, but I do like it. It gets better for me as I listen more.
DeleteAgain a vote for Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
LEE, here I am (still trying to recover from a 12-hour shift yesterday at a place we in the company call "The Dark Side").
ReplyDelete>>... I have no doubt that some of you might say they are even better.
Yeah, definitely. Not sure if you may have had me in mind when you wrote that (remembering that I can't stand Rush) but it certainly applies to me.
Remove the vocalist, Geddy Lee (aka Donald Duck on Helium), and Rush instantly improves!! IMO, Geddy Lee made even Bob Dylan sound good, and that's no easy task!
'Tom Sawyer' is the one Rush song I could always almost tolerate. ..."Almost" being the operative word in that sentence.
This was actually pretty good -- BOTH groups! No Geddy = Not Bad.
Like most others, I'm voting for MONTREAL GUITAR TRIO. Very nice playing. I listened to both recordings twice.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'
STMcC, you indeed are one whom I had in mind in my statement about Rush vs these groups. I actually thought you might go for the jazzier Bad Plus, but the Quartet is no slouch group by any means.
DeleteAnother vote for Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
Summer always brings happy memories. If it makes you feel any better, I don't have memories of exploring caves and woods or floating on a raft down a river. Oh well. Maybe my next childhood. :)
ReplyDeleteM&J, I have plenty of great summer of adventure memories without having experienced the aforementioned.
DeleteLee
Both are really different from the original, and like Stephen, I don't think that's a bad thing. Of the two versions, I prefer the one by The Bad Plus. This is one of those songs that you need that loudness, and they weren't getting it with the guitars and mandolin.
ReplyDeleteJohn, so glad you made it this time! I'd agree with your analysis.
DeleteA vote for Bad Plus.
Lee
Hi Lee!
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific choice of songs! But having to choose between these two contenders was so difficult I had to flip a coin - Montreal Guitar Trio won!
Diedre, the coin seems to favor the majority thus far...
DeleteA vote for Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee
Both recordings were wonderful covers, my vote goes for the Montreal Guitar Trio. The melody shined thru with them while the other was a fuller sound that kinda of washed some of the melody away.
ReplyDeleteMike, thank you for the last minute vote though it doesn't change the vote trending...
DeleteAnother vote for Montreal Guitar Trio.
Lee