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Welcome Music Fans!
It's another special Saturday edition of Battle of the Bands, the feature started by the bloggers at Far Away Series and Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends. We each present two (and sometimes more) versions of one song and you vote for your favorite. There might be more participants as well. You can find the list at the end of this post.
My last Battle offering, "Gonna Get Close to You", didn't seem to go over so well with some of you. I liked the song, but a few of you ran away, hands over your ears, screaming in pain. Or maybe a few others just didn't care for music from that era (the 80's). Yer all just a bunch of ol' fogeys dagnabit! Well, I guess I know how you feel. If you've been reading my blog over the past few weeks you know I've been leaning in a bit of a geriatric direction of late.
So in deference to youse old folks still stuck in the first half of the last century I present an oldie that's really a goodie by my view of things. Like Faraway Eyes in the last contest, I've chosen another Hoagy Carmichael tune. I'm most familiar with the version of "Rockin' Chair" done by Louis Armstrong--that's the one I grew up listening to. So as not to take this match-up past two entries, I'm going to bypass Satchmo in favor of two other commendable versions.
Rockin' Chair by Eric Clapton (2010)
Since this song has such a bluesy feel to it, Eric Clapton is well suited to take it on. I think he does quite nicely in covering it. He gives the tune a laid back feel and his voice has a sort of tired old guy feel to it. It's a sweet version quite different that what Armstrong put into it. Some tasty guitar licks as well. Listen and see what you think.
Rockin' Chair by Hoagie Carmichael & His Orchestra (1930)
In this version the composer takes the song in a completely direction. It's a musical vignette that becomes more of a dialogue than a delivered song. And listen to that hot jazzy fiddle by Joe Venuti. This version is funny, yet poignant and so true. How do you like this version? Keep in mind when this was recorded.
Voting Is Now Open
It's your turn. Two versions of "Rockin' Chair" as different as they can be. Which one do you like the best? Go to the comments to tell us which version you prefer and tell us why. Then visit the other participants and vote there. Come on and play. Don't be a crappy old spoilsport.
Here are others who might be participating:
Faraway Series
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
Your Daily Dose
DiscConnected
The Creative Outlet of StratPlayer
