More March Marches ( #BOTB & #AtoZChallenge Theme Reveal)

        My Battle of marches for the month of March is in the latter half of this post.  But first, as we march toward our 2023 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, it's time for me to reveal my theme for this year's blogging march through the alphabet.  Ready!  March!

My 2023 A to Z Theme

      Books, books, books!  Many bloggers will relate to my love and obsession with books.  I've got thousands of books scattered throughout our home.  Nearly every room has books of some kind on shelves, in closets, or tucked away in unseen places.  Books on shelves, books on furniture. books in boxes.  Books and more books.   My wife would love to get rid of nearly all of our books, but I hang on to them tenaciously. One might say my interest in books is resilient (the theme of this year's A to Z). 

        Looking though our home you would be hard pressed to be in a place where you can't see a book or be within a few feet of a book.  Here are some of the places where you might find books in our house:

                                    The living room...

Spare bedroom/home office

                             

                                         My home office

      

The upstairs hallway

And in the garage, maybe a thousand or more books on bookshelves or packed away in boxes

         I started my book collection when I was a child and have amassed a respectable library over six decades of accumulation.   When I married my wife over 25 years ago, she brought with her nearly as many books as I had.  Her books had belonged to her late husband and many are in Spanish.  Those I don't mind getting rid of, but the books in English that he passed on to her are worth keeping.  His reading tastes seemed to be similar to my own.   I am never at a loss for something to read.   So many books and so little time!

        For my 2022 A to Z theme I shared my collection of vinyl records with readers.  This year I will do something similar with my print library.   Considering the overwhelming amount of books that I have, I will share highlights of my collection.  At times I will feature specific books or authors, while at other times I will take a look at genres or particular types of books.

         If you enjoy looking on other people's bookshelves (like I do) then you might enjoy my 2023 theme.   I think it will be somewhat of an extra challenge for me since I will still be dealing with limited computer availability and access.    But, hey, I've gotten this post out there, so I think I can manage this April Challenge okay.   Are you ready to look through my book collection?  I hope you'll join me throughout the month of April.

          RESILIENCE  is a word that I'd used to describe my book collection.   It's not going anywhere as long as I can manage to hang on to it.     

...and now for some resilient sounding music...

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.

Marches from TV Shows

        My first March Battle was received better than I had thought it would so I've decided to continue with the march theme.  After all, it is the month of March so why not?  

         You might not associate marches with television show themes, but for certain shows it not only makes sense, it seems obvious.  Take a listen to these marches from well known TV shows that first aired in the fifties and you will likely recognize both immediately.  The question is:  Which do you like best?

Dragnet   

Mickey Mouse Club March

Time to Vote!

           Forward march!  Or should I say Vote!  Just listen and appreciate.  Which song do you prefer?   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.


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 

Streampebbles (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Battle Results on Wednesday March 22

           Be sure to see who came out ahead in this Battle.   Was your pick the favorite of most voters?  In the meantime, I'll be marching toward April as I whip up another torrent of A to Z blog posts.  Hope you'll join us!

My Vinyl Collection & More (#AtoZChallenge Theme Reveal )

       It's that time of year!  April is almost here!  Inklings of spring are in the air as alphabet letters are appearing everywhere!

Yes, of course--it's time as the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge comes our way once again.   Here's what I'll be doing this April 2022...

        This upcoming Blogging from A to Z April Challenge will be my 13th go at the event that I first began in 2010.  Over the years I've had themes about marketing, Manhattan, movies, and myself.  One year my theme was all about blogging (why not?).  Last year's theme about rivers was one of my favorites since I learned so much as I researched it.  One thing we've seen over the course of hundreds of bloggers doing the Challenge for over a decade now is that there are a myriad of topics than can be blogged about.  That's what makes blogging so intriguing and informational.

        For my 2022 theme I will return to a favorite topic:  Music.  Or more specifically:  My music in the form of my music collection.  This theme was inspired by G.B. Miller in a post he put up in 2016 where he came up with the idea of exploring his CD collection.  That was an idea that immediately struck me as a good idea for me to pursue one year.  And this is the year!

About 300 of my remaining vinyl albums

      My music collection consists of thousands of vinyls, cassettes, and CDs with a sprinkling of a few 8 track cartridges.  My focus in my Challenge theme will be mostly my vinyl LP collection.  Over the years I've gotten rid of over half of the LPs I've accumulated in over a fifty year period.  For many years I haven't had a turntable on which to play them, but I've still kept many records that were meaningful to me in hopes that someday I might be listening to them again.  For now my remaining records reside in the top of my bedroom closet.  Waiting.

        Embarking on this Vinyl Collection theme gave me an opportunity to organize the records into alphabetical order (like I used to have them back when I listened to them regularly).  I was also reminded about what records still remained and how many of my treasured old albums I had gotten rid of.   In the early nineties I began my first purge when I began selling off my albums individually at fairly decent collector prices.  That's when albums like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and many of the more marketable albums flew out of my possession  The money was helpful at the time, but now I kind of wish I had those albums back.

        Later--about ten years ago--I sold off four boxes of 200 albums to a guy that had a used record shop.  I made a firm offer of $200 for the lot. That was far more than I would have gotten at a yard sale or otherwise.  The dealer offered far less, but I didn't budge.  He climbed in his truck as if to leave then stepped out again with $200 cash in hand and walked away with the records.  He knew he had gotten a decent deal as there were some real gems in the collection and all in quite good condition.  I ended up with cash that was nice to have, but once again I do wish I had those records back.

        During the course of April I am going to do give you an overview of some highlights of my album collection from the standpoints of my personal favorites as well as the more quirky anomalies of my musical recordings.  Some entries will have personal stories about how I obtained the albums as well as why I chose to purchase some of them.  I've taken lots of photos that will be interspersed throughout the April posts so you can see what the albums look like.

        Most of the collection dates back forty years and more, weathering storage in not always the best of environments as well as a half dozen or so moves from one place to another.  Time has taken a toll on this collection, but still I'm somewhat proud of it.  Not that it's particularly valuable, but the collection contains a lot of fond memories as well as countless hours of listening pleasure for me.

         I hope readers will enjoy exploring the albums in this collection.  Maybe you will find some that you too have owned or have been curious to know more about.  I'll forewarn you that much of the collection is pretty weird and seemingly random, but for those who have an inkling of my musical tastes that might not be new knowledge.  Still, hopefully there will be something to interest many readers.

          This is all part of my life soundtrack--dear to me and possibly entertaining to the readers of Tossing It Out.  I do hope that you will join me on this musical journey in April.

What delights are to be found in this collection?

This Is Me ( #BOTB ) ( #AtoZ Theme Reveal )

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me

                                        ---Songwriters: Justin Paul / Benj Pasek





The official A to Z Theme Reveal begins on March 18-28--that's when the sign up list opens.  

My Theme:  This Is Me

         Since this will be the 10th annual Blogging from A to Z April Challenge I thought it might be appropriate to do a retrospective look at my life especially as it is related to my blogging.  Also it will be a time to consider my dreams and my hopes for the next few years. There will be some memoir material as well as ruminations about what's been on my mind of late as well as whatever might pop into my mind as I write.

          Over my years of blogging I've accumulated a number of ideas for the April Challenge, but those have been again put on hold in favor of the theme I have chosen for 2019--This Is Me.  Some of you might recognize this title as the Oscar nominated song from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman.  And that is exactly where my inspiration came from.

           I first saw The Greatest Showman this past September after renting it from Netflix.  The film blew me away to the extent that I purchased a copy for my home video library--something that I rarely do these days.  Since that purchase I have watched the film numerous times--again something that I rarely do--and touted the merits of the film to anyone who lent me their ears.  You might say that I've become Greatest Showman obsessed.

           This movie has literally become a life-changing experience for me.  Every time I watch it I feel exhilarated and uplifted.  The film speaks to me in its message as well as its stylistic approach. The musical score has become ingrained in my mind not in an earworm way, but as a touchstone for my hopes and dreams for my future.

           If you haven't seen the film yet, I urge you to see it.  However, seeing the film is not a prerequisite to reading my A to Z posts.  The movie is merely my personal inspiration and what I write will not specifically have anything to do with the movie.  My April posts will not be the story of my life, but hopefully they will create an impression of who I am and where I am at this point of my life.

         This is me...   



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.


This Is Me

         Just one of many great songs in The Greatest Showman "This Is Me" received an Oscar nomination for Best Song in 2018, but lost to the pretty ditty from Coco "Remember Me".  That song is a nice tune to listen to, but I found it rather insipid and not particularly inspiring whereas I believe that "This Is Me" is one of the best movie songs of recent years.  It's a powerful anthem of self-acceptance that would seem to be the type of song that Hollywood would embrace.  I suspect there was something behind the Hollywood snub of Greatest Showman as a Best Picture nominee as well as not giving "This Is Me" the Best Song award.

           Using "This Is Me" as my song for Battle this round is an obvious tie-in to my A to Z theme so it makes a lot of sense for me to use it.   Perusing through YouTube I found so many fantastic versions of the song, but decided to go with a couple of contrasting interpretations that are different from the original movie version which you can hear HERE.  Just don't vote on that one!  Here are your voting choices...


Haley Klinkhammer  "This Is Me"  (2019)

        This artist comes out of Wisconsin, but her name might have told us that.  Looking at her tour schedule on her website her shows are mostly concentrated in the Wisconsin area so I guess I'll have to catch her performances on YouTube.  I like her style.  What do you think?









Mylou   "This Is Me"   (2018)

        I didn't find much specific information about this band.  Their Twitter account says they're from Jakarta Indonesia.  My assessment is maybe they could use some better marketing or maybe they are staying low for a reason.  Whatever the case, I listened to two of their YouTube videos--both to my liking--and this is one of them...








Time to Vote!

     Though both very different, I think both are quite good.  But I'm going to vote for one of these as my favorite.  What about you?--Vote for your favorite version!   Have some fun with us.   What's your favorite between these two choices?   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 Friday March 22nd
          
            There will be no posts before then because of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Oh, wait, that's the way I've been doing it, but seriously I'd better rest up and get ready for April. No matter what though, definitely come back to see who won this Battle.  And be sure to vote in the comment section! 

          Have you ever seen a movie that you would consider to have been "life-changing" for you?  Do you enjoy uplifting songs with a positive message?   What song almost always makes you feel better when you hear it?

Comfortably Numb (#BOTB & #AtoZChallenge Theme Reveal)

Cleaning the Clutter

        A few years ago I was corresponding with a blogger who has since deleted her blogs.  We were discussing the different types of blog topics and at some point she related:

When I was blogging about the stuff we were dealing with because of the clutter we had to get rid of as a result of living in hubby's parents'' home I wasn't tired of the blog posts, just tired of the clutter :)

        That concept inspired my thinking to reply:

Cleaning Clutter would be a great blog theme. You could get rid of something every post and write about it.

         Now, three years after that exchange, I decided to run with this theme.  I may not write everyday about getting rid of various items, but I intend to record my musings about the "clutter" around my house.  Don't get me wrong--I don't live in a hoarder environment like in some of those television shows you may have seen.  And I am at no risk of being buried for days under toppled stacks of newspapers and boxes.  Things mostly look pretty normal around here, but there is still stuff we don't need anymore.

        As I grow older, I see...

         But wait!   Let me not get ahead of my theme.  You'll have to come back on April 1st to see where I will go with this.  The official title of my theme is "Cleaning the Clutter"--but it might not totally be what you think.  Not always.  There hopefully will be some interesting--and even helpful observations, but I will also be "tossing it out" figuratively as well as literally.

        It's business as usual.  Just the way I like it.

        And now for another matter of regular business...

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.

Comfortably Numb

      This Pink Floyd song comes from the album The Wall as well as the film of the same name.  Like much Pink Floyd music, "Comfortably Numb" is dreamy and atmospheric, lending itself well to New Age sounding instrumental interpretations.  With the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge coming soon, along with all of my other life challenges and concerns, I've been needing some laid back music to relax me.  Comfortably numb sounds like a reasonable state of being when things come rushing down on us, while at the same time remaining vigilant with a sense of rational clarity in order to properly process it all.

       How about we get on with the music.  In this Battle I've matched two somewhat similar presentations of the same song.   Each artist has his own unique approach to interpreting the song so the question for you is: Which version do you like best?    Listen and tell us in the comments.

Jamie Dupuis  "Comfortably Numb" (2016)

       Canadian musician Jamie Dupuis displays his virtuosity on acoustic harp guitar and electric guitar with Pink Floyd's tune.  You might want to just put this on a few times in the background for relaxation.  I'm loving this version.







Thomas Leeb  "Comfortably Numb"  (2013)

         Now calling L.A. his home base, Austrian guitar virtuoso Thomas Leeb has developed some nifty technique to play with a dazzling flair.  Watching this video is hypnotic, but the mesmerizing effect is definitely enhanced by the music as well as the GoPro cameras on his guitar.  I haven't gotten tired of this video yet.  What do you think?





Time to Vote!

        It's now time to snap out of your reverie and cast a vote in this contest.  Please vote. What's your preference 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 favorites 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  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Cherdo on the Flipside 


Winner of this Battle Announced on Wednesday March 

           Don't forget to come back next Wednesday March 21st to see which song version wins this Battle.  I've got to get busy preparing my posts for April.   And maybe I can get rid of some stuff.


            Do you have any books about getting organized?   What kinds of stuff is easy for you to toss out?  What are the things you'd have a difficult time getting rid of?  

Theme Reveal #AtoZChallenge: It's About Time

       Once again it's time for the official A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal.   This is the time when those participating in the upcoming 2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge will reveal their themes for the month or, if there is no theme, provide us with a preview of what to expect next month on their blog.   What follows is my story and my plan...

A Theme Evolving

       Prior to last years 2016 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge I already had a few themes considered for that year.   But as plans often go, those old ideas got pushed to future years and I came up with my 2016 theme of Manhattan in January of that year. Then later, after the April Challenge had ended, not only did I still have those old ideas in my queue, I had come up with a couple more along the way during April.  I've found that in blogging I'm often inspired by posts by other bloggers that will give me ideas for posts for my own.  Which, incidentally, is a good thing for any of you to keep in mind if you sometimes find yourself lacking in inspiration for ideas to write about.

        During the course of the year that followed the 2016 Challenge, I wavered between this idea or that, all the while writing down particularly good ideas to be stored in my blogging queue.  Come January of 2017 I was pretty well settled on an idea, but within a matter of weeks changed my mind.  As the approach to each of my Aprils has been since first beginning to do the A to Z Challenge, my mind becomes focused on thematic concepts and the words that might alphabetically fit those themes.  A to Z has become a way of conceptualization when I think in context of blogging or writing ideas.  A bit of a fixation one might presume, but I'd prefer to see this thinking as inspiration with organization of thought.

          I guess I've developed a bit of an A to Z brain!

My 2017 A to Z Theme

        My theme is a natural since it is something that we all think about and thereby to which we can all easily relate.  It's About Time--my theme that is.  I'm officially calling my April theme "It's About Time" which also is my own declaration of having come to that decision.   So many themes from which to choose and this one comes to me will having lunch one day.  You can read that story in my recent Battle of the Bands post, which I'd encourage you to read and vote on if you haven't done so already.

        Just think about all the times you yourself speculate or worry about time.  Our lives revolve around time scheduling.  We often keep an eye on our watches when something goes on longer than we'd like or revel how quickly time flew when we've been having a great time.  Without time, especially in our often rapid-paced and highly scheduled society, our lives would be in near chaos. Communal activities would never get organized and we would continuously be late. Of course without time the concept of lateness would not particularly be relevant, but neither would the idea of being on schedule.

        Our world and each of our lives thrives according to time.  We have days of births as well as all of the other special days of our lives.  Why, heck, we have days period!  Without the definition and management of time we wouldn't have days, weeks, months, or years.  Aside from the essentials of existence like air to breathe, liquids to drink, and food to eat, time is one of the primary forces that gives us our humanity--our ability to reason and plan for our futures.  Or for that matter remember our past in more than just random images.  Time is a reality of this world and time is the measurement that helps up organize the realities we encounter in life.

          There's so much to write about the topic of time and it would take a lot of time to write about everything regarding time.  I will barely touch upon all that time is, but in 26 days during April I'll try to cover a few thoughts that interest me most.  Though time can serve us, time will always be our master.  In April of 2017, "Time" will be the master of my A to Z Theme.

            If you've decided to participate in the 2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge and would like to reveal your theme or, if you don't necessarily have a theme, you can tell us about your plans, goals, or impressions about April by putting up your own Theme Reveal post.  You can link to your post on Twitter using hashtag #atozchallenge, or you can post on the A to Z Facebook page, or leave your link in my comment section today, or visit the A to Z Blog to leave your link.   Or you can do all of these things and whatever else you can think of to promote your post.  Today will be essentially a test run for the social media linking we'll be doing in April and this will perhaps give us some idea of the success of the method as well was provide some indicators of strengths and weakness.   

           Give it a try to see how it works for you.   And check all the aforementioned sites to see who else is posting their own Theme Reveals.  This can work, but it is up to you bloggers to make it work!

           Have you found any other Theme Reveals so far and if so how did you find them?   What have been some favorite 2017 A to Z themes that you've found so far?  Are there any particular aspects of "Time" that you think I should cover during April? 

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Changing Horses in Midstream

         Changing horses is not the same as changing a diaper.  One might be more a matter of avoiding a mess while the other is a necessity to get rid of a mess.  And if one does change horses midstream they can always get back on that same horse later on.  Which brings me to the question:  Does anyone not use disposable diapers these days?

 example for camera tossing foto technique, done by Nadja (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Have you voted on my most recent Battle of the Bands?   I've gotten a number of votes so far but as always I could use more.   In my highly biased opinion it's an outstanding Battle related to an interesting topic.  So if you have not voted on this Battle I'd appreciate it if you'd do so now.  After all, Battle of the Bands is really my main focus on Tossing It Out despite of what things might have appeared in recent months.  I try to revolve all of my posts around those music battles and not politics.  Maybe hard to believe, but it's true.

       Back in November I started my series about Donald Trump in response to some encouragement of sorts from other bloggers.  Originally my intent was to blog about the negativity concerning President Trump and related issues until the Inauguration.  But the lies and hate spewing continued after that day and since I still had more to say I kept presenting what I felt were calm reasonable posts in response to the nasty mentally unhinged ranting from the liberal left and others who didn't like our new president.  The dishonest negativity continues in the mainstream media as well as social media.  My series could continue for months, maybe years.   Still there are other considerations for me to heed.

        Looks like it's time to end my President Trump Acclimation Series, not because I'm giving it up, but because I want to "sanitize" Tossing It Out from contentious politics as we head toward A to Z April.  For those who are not aware, there is this little blogging event coming next month and I have participated in this event for the past seven years.  This next one will be my eighth year of involvement.  If you want to know more you can visit the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge blog to get more details.

         My April theme will not be politics (unless I change horses again) so that's why I need to step back from my intelligent countering to anti-Trump absurdity.  On Monday March 20th I'll tell you what my theme will be as this will be A to Z Theme Reveal day--the day when many participants will jointly tell the world what they will be blogging about in April.

        As for the posts on President Trump and politics in general there will likely be more to come unless the world suddenly gains sanity and the United States has begun to progress in the direction of becoming greater.  And even if I don't blog politically, I will continue to Toss It Out with controversy now and then.  I might make some readers angry, annoyed, amused, or just contemplative.  It's what I've usually aimed for on this site in one way or another.

        So stay tuned.   My Wednesday post will be my announcement of the winner of my current Battle of the Bands match.   Will your favorite version be the winner?   My Friday post will likely upset a few readers--it's not meant to be political, but since so many celebrities insist on sharing their opinions then some might construe my post to be a revenge based on politics.

         Hope you'll stay with me in whatever I discuss in my posts.  And most of all, I hope you'll keep contributing to the comment section.   The comments are the best part of the blog.

          When do you have a tendency to "change horses in midstream"?   Do you think it's best for me to avoid politics during A to Z April?   Do you think the topic of President Trump is worth coming back to later?

#atozchallenge Theme Reveal: The Manhattan Project (#BOTB)

        The seventh annual Blogging from A to Z April Challenge will be here in a couple of weeks.  One of the popular traditions of the Challenge has been the A to Z Theme Reveal in which participants can tell what their theme for April will be.   A theme is not required, but many have decided that a theme makes their posts more cohesive for the month as well as easier to write. Once again I'll be using a theme for my Challenge posts.   I'm revealing my theme a bit early because the theme is tied in with Battle of the Bands as I am about to explain.  The official Theme Reveal will be on Monday March 21st.

The Manhattan Project

       My theme of The Manhattan Project is not about the development of the atomic bomb during World War 2, though I will include something about the atomic bomb story at sometime during the month.  The theme title is in reference to the name "Manhattan" and what it might make us think of when we hear it.  I will be using ideas that readers suggested in my post What Does "Manhattan" Say to You? as well as some of my own observations.  

        This theme came about after I had noticed that a number of songs that I was considering for future Battle of the Bands match-ups had to do with Manhattan.  Suddenly it came to me that I could do a series of Battle posts with this theme and it might be interesting to center my entire A to Z theme on the topic of Manhattan and some of the things that come to mind when we think of the word.

        During April I'll be presenting posts related to travel, people, history, food, and more.  Then of course there will be two Battle of the Band posts with songs related to Manhattan.  This theme reveal post is coming earlier than the official Theme Reveal day because I'm tying it in with my March 15th Battle of the Bands post.  I hope you'll enjoy this post as a preview of some things to come--and I hope you'll be with me throughout the month of April for The Manhattan Project.

Battle of the Bands

       Battle of the Bands is the blogging event hosted by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th.   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.

Clinton Cerejo & Bianca Gomes  "Manhattan"  (2012)

      Many songs can be found that are called "Manhattan" or that have the word "Manhattan" somewhere in the title.  This one comes from the award-winning and highly popular Bollywood film English Vinglish.   At times sounding almost like a litany of product placement, the song depicts the exuberance and wonderment of Indian visitors to the world famous city--a place of such diversity that even those from faraway places can feel like they belong.  The video below provides a short version of the song with a clip from the film.   If you'd like, you can hear the complete longer version of the song by clicking here.  I think this upbeat techno song is a lot of fun and somewhat revealing in how visitors from other cultures see the city.






Prefab Sprout "Hey Manhattan!"  (1988)

        This song presents another view of a foreigner's first visit to the big city of Manhattan.  "Hey Manhattan!" is based on British songwriter Paddy McAloon's initial visit to the Big Apple.   Having received acclaim for his music and his band's recordings in Europe, McAloon came to Manhattan with big expectations of fame and fortune.  At first, filled with hope and dreams, he is dazzled by the myth of Manhattan--the famous people who have walked the streets and the stories he has heard about the city.   After a few days the glitter fades as he realizes the darker side of U.S. history and sees city streets where the rich, the poor, and everybody are all mingled in a complexity of dreams and reality.   The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend plays acoustic guitar on this cut.         





Time to Vote!

        The vote is in your hands for this Battle.  Let us know what you think about these versions. There must be one that you prefer over the other.  Come on and play along!   If you're visiting a Battle of the Bands post for the first time then let me briefly explain.  Give each song version a fair listen to decide which one you prefer over the other.  If you don't like either then at least tell us which recording was least innocuous to you. This comes down to your preference and it's as easy as that.

     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:

‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ 

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

 ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ 

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

DC Relief Battle of the Bands

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Cherdo on the Flipside  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Janie Junebug Righting & Editing.
  
J. A. Scott  

Quiet Laughter

Holli's Hoots and Hollers

NovelBrews

Be ReInVintaged

eViL pOp TaRt



Results on Monday March 21st
      
      Vote today and then come back on Monday March 21st to see if your favorite won.  Watch this blog between then and now to see if anything else is happening.   I have a lot to say, but I am undecided whether or not to say it here.  Many people get offended or upset if they hear something with which they disagree and I don't want to upset any snowflakes.

         Do you have your A to Z Theme ready?   Have you been to Manhattan?   If so what were your expectations and were those expectations fulfilled?