This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Now It's Over--At Least This Battle Is Over ( #BOTB Results )

      Another Battle bites the dust.  Now that it's over we can find out which song won in the Battle of the "It's Over" songs.  And then it will really be over.  At least for now....


Battle of the Bands Results


   

         This Results post is going up a bit earlier than I originally said it would.  After all, I see the other results posts going up so I might as well do mine now too.  

          My recent Battle was a three-way same title different songs match between three different groups.  With the same title of "It's Over" we had the groups Badfinger, Electric Light Orchestra, and Level 42 presenting similarly themed but rather different sounding songs.  

          My original intent was that I would be voting for Badfinger, a long time favorite group of mine.  When I decided to go with a song titled "It's Over" the first one that came into my mind was Badfinger's song.  This Battle was framed around that song which I assumed would be my pick.  So I went to YouTube to see what other songs had that title since I didn't expect any cover versions of the Badfinger song.

           First I found ELO's hit "It's Over" and figured that since it was a good song that was probably more known to most people that would be a good one to go up against Badfinger.  After all, both groups have a Beatle influenced sound that would make a good match.  I like ELO quite a bit--the strings, big orchestral arrangements, and a flashy pop sound with classical overtones--a package that seems to be in my area of musical preferences.  However, I can't say that ELO is among my favorite groups.  I appreciate what they do, but there is something about them that doesn't quite ring true with me--like it's all a musical gimmick.  That being said you can probably discern that ELO was not going to be my pick in this round and so it was still Badfinger.

        But then at the last moment, I saw the song by Level 42.  I had forgotten this one.  I went through a phase of listening to a lot of Level 42 back in the late eighties and always liked the cool jazzy feel of their music.  They are an outstanding pop/rock group with a style that I enjoy.  Over all I'd still place Badfinger as more of a favorite group of mine, but I've been listening to them far longer than Level 42.

       At this point I started listening repeatedly to all selections--they are all good to my ears.  Despite my preference of the group Badfinger I'll have to say that "It's Over" is not my favorite song by them. It's an excellent song and I love the slide guitar in it, but still it's not as strong of a song as most of their material.  So as I listened to the songs I started putting the Level 42 song on play more than the other two.  Then Level 42's song started playing in my head.  Damn! It's a good song!

         In the final analysis I decided that my favorite of the three songs is Level 42's "It's Over".  This is a group I should go back to refresh my memory. If you've not listened to their music I highly recommend going back to check it out.

         The end result was pretty even, but ELO was the decided favorite as you can see in the results below.

  

Final Vote Tally

Badfinger                            3 votes

Electric Light Orchestra    6 votes

Level 42                               3 votes



Next Battle on Wednesday June 1st

         Is it really going to be June already!  Summer will be here before we know it.  No more Battles for me in May.  I'm resting...





16 comments:

  1. Mark King with Level 42 is an incredible bass player...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John H, I like his funky style. He gives the music a nice punch.

      Lee

      Delete
  2. Sorry I missed it, but I would've voted for ELO anyway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alex, so you would have added to the win.

      Lee

      Delete
  3. I always try to post my BOTB Results on the 8th, but a lot of times I don't get to it until the 9th. I was on time for a change.

    That was a good and very competitive Battle, LEE. Two bands tied, and only a 3-vote differential between the top and bottom. I'd be pleased if ALL my Battles were always that tight.

    I enjoy doing themed Battles, even more so than the traditional form of BOTB (two different renditions of the same song). But I always like to mix it up, which keeps it interesting for me.

    My last two BOTB installments have ended in ties. So I'm thinking my June 1st contest needs to be a bit more lopsided -- but not too lopsided! I want a winner but not a blowout. (Creating BOTB match-ups is not a science but there's definitely an art to it.)

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. STMcC, not sure what I'll come up with for next Battle. I've got quite a number waiting in the wings. I rarely now what to expect with outcomes anymore. Then others are pretty obvious.

      Lee

      Delete
  4. Lee,

    Thanks for sharing the outcome. I wasn't sure how your battle would end. I didn't know any of the songs, even when I thought that I might with your BOTB winner and my pick but I didn't. It was a great battle and you had a good turn out for it, too.

    It's hard to believe to imagine when the next BOTB rolls around for both of us that it'll be June with summer drawing all the closer. This week's temperature is forecast to be sunny and warm. It's gonna feel like summer. Take care good friend and have a fantastic week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cathy, I'm surprised you didn't at least know ELO. That hit got a lot of play and probably still does on oldies stations and on piped in music in businesses.

      I wish we could go back East this year, but I don't think it's affordable for now.

      Lee

      Delete
    2. Yeah, I was really surprised I didn't recognize ELO's song. Somehow this one has eluded my ears until now. Gas is expensive. I'm sorry you won't be able to come east this year. We're hoping to go to New England late summer. This will be first 'real' vacation in 22-years. I'm excited!

      Delete
  5. Oh yeah, I forgot to pass on belated "Happy Mother's Day" wishes to your wife. I hope you both enjoyed the day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cathy, had a wonderful Mother's Day. Went to church, grabbed lunch at a drive through, and had a pleasant afternoon of rest and relaxaton.

      Lee

      Delete
  6. Cool battle, great ending! Glad I could help ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diedre, without your help these Battles wouldn't be the same. Please keep coming back!

      Lee

      Delete
  7. Hey Lee, Craig here.

    Can't win them all, but the band I picked couldn't even get a solid second place. Maybe next time, though I like my music rather obscure.

    Thanks again

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Craig, you know by now how I love obscure. ELO is the more mainstream band here, but I prefer the other two.

      Lee

      Delete
  8. I would have voted for ELO too. They are one of my favourite groups, and I especially enjoy the music they produced when Roy Wood was a member. I believe he's one of the most underrated musicians and songwriters of all time. Some of his solo music is very ELO-esque with its classical influences.

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee