My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2025 the theme is a random assemblage of things that are on my mind--or that just pop into my mind. Whatever! Let's just say I'll be "Tossing It Out" for your entertainment or however it is you perceive these things.
Just in case anyone wants to know, here is the final outcome of my most recent Battle of the Bands...
Battle of the Bands Results
My most recent Battle of the Bands was a showdown between song stylists Trini Lopez and Jane Olivor with their renditions of the song "Lalena" by Donovan. I think this is such a beautiful song, but not all agreed. However there was a predominate consensus that Trini had the better version.
After hearing Trini's version, which was new to me until putting this Battle together, I was blown away by his performance. He certainly puts a pop touch to the song that makes it very listenable. At first I thought I might be voting for his version, but after many more listens during the past few days I gravitated back to Jane Olivor's haunting version. I hadn't listened to Olivor in many years and it was nice to hear the sound of her beautiful voice. It's almost operatic--or classical--in sound and ultimately I prefer that.
My vote goes to Jane Olivor which puts me in the minority of some good company of voters. And I thank all those who voted for participating in this Battle. You are all good company.
Final Vote Tally
Trini Lopez 9 votes
Jane Olivor 4 votes
Next Battle on Tuesday June 1st
I think I'll do one more Battle before a summer break and at the same time I'll include my monthly contribution to the Insecure Writer's Support Group.
Right now I'm at a loss for anything to say. So I guess I'll just get down to the business of this post--music. Because it's time for another....
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC 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.
Lalena
The song is about a prostitute, but it's a tragic sad song about a woman who is essentially a victim of circumstance. It's an achingly beautiful song which has been recorded numerous times over the years since it was first released by its composer Donovan Leitch. I didn't want to pit the original version against any other since it is so good. Likewise is the case for my favorite cover version of the song by Deep Purple.
Instead I've opted to use two other versions that I also like a great deal by artists who I also like. It's probably more about the excellence of the song itself. Any competent artist would probably make this song sound good. See what you think about the following artists...
Trini Lopez "Lalena" (1969)
I was introduced to the music of Trini Lopez when I was still in elementary school by my fourth grade teacher Ms. Kingston who was responsible for introducing me to so much wonderful music. Later, after Trini's release of his hit "Lemon Tree", we used to sing the song in our middle school choir. Sadly Trini Lopez died last year at age 83 after complications of COVID. Here is his version of Donavan's song...
Jane Olivor "Lalena" (1977)
In the mid-eighties when I was touring extensively, I was visiting my cousin's friends on Bainbridge Island in Washington state, and while perusing their collection of cassette tapes noted a few by Jane Olivor, an artist of whom I had never heard. Later I saw the same looking cassettes in a music store cut out bin. They were inexpensive and the song selections were nice. I went ahead and bought each different album. The albums are very relaxing, but that's her style. Like this...
Time to Vote! Hey! I'm running out of blogging steam. Give me a recharge. Please join in and play along in this Battle of the Bands. I hope you'll at least give the versions a listen to discern your favorite. Which version 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'SRAMBLINGS' 'Curious as a Cathy' Sound of One Hand Typing Jingle, Jangle, Jungle Winner of this Battle Announced on Friday May 21
I guess a lot of folks look in on my results post and just don't comment. I feel like it's just something I have to do. And who knows...maybe I'll think of something I want to say.
They say that practice makes perfect. They also say that no one is perfect. I'm not sure who "they" are, but the contradiction between these statements is perfectly absurd...
Focusing on Music
Marley at a recent performance
(she's my granddaughter!)
This year I've become more focused on creating music, this mostly due to being inspired by my oldest granddaughter Marley. She won't be 10 until September so she's still mostly a kid, but she's become pretty serious about her music. When I was visiting her this summer she proudly showed off her very neatly organized room and her collection of musical instruments. She's been taking lessons in instruments and vocals. There's definitely talent in that girl.
My biggest inspiration came toward the end of April as the Blogging from A to Z Challenge was winding down. A song came to me and I recognized it as my song for Marley. Hopefully she'll be singing it soon as part of her repertoire. During my summer visit I watched her do a five song set at an open mike night in a New Jersey coffee bar. Though all the other performers were adults, Marley held her own and impressed the crowd. The young lady has some guts that I never had even at twice her age.
I've been rather preoccupied by my song (that is, Marley's song) of late so between that and the stuff of my life I've not been keeping up with blogging to the extent that I probably should. Consequently I may have not been visiting blogs like I've done in the past. Sorry, but for now my priority is working with my song--but more of that later in this post. First though, let's get to the results of my previous Battle of the Bands...
Battle of the Bands Results
My Battle between Jane Olivor and Alice Cooper was a somewhat odd pairing that I had no idea how it would turn out. For my part, I went into this favoring Jane Olivor's version and that's where my vote ended up. I've been a long time fan of Alice Cooper, but I was not overly thrilled with his rendition of "Always Chasing Rainbows."
Once again I was in a minority. Alice pretty well ran away with this contest, but all things considered, Jane Olivor did not do terribly.
Final Vote Tally
Jane Olivor 6 Alice Cooper 11
Next Battle on Saturday September 1st!!!
As for my song "Let's Run"--a song I've been mentioning since May--I now have two versions ready for Battle in my next round. This Battle will be a sort of West Coast versus East Coast--or more precisely East Tennessee Coast. I'll likely have another version by the end of the week which could give me a three-way. Better yet, I'd still like to get some more covers for future Battles.
I'm thinking big as usual--and chasing rainbows.
If I didn't dream big then I'd likely forget those dreams and try to just get through each day without accomplishing much. With that, I'm outta here.
How often have your dreams been accomplished as big as you first dreamed them? Have you ever been taken by surprise at the outcome of a dream? Does perfectionism sometimes hinder your progress?
It's often the little things that bring us the biggest joys in life. On the other hand, little things can sometimes turn into one big pain in the ass...
Update on My Song
Obviously the title of this post indicates that I won't be presenting a debut of the song I wrote earlier this year in this current post. My plan had been to use two different versions of my song "Let's Run" as a Battle of the Bands. So far I still have only one version and one "maybe, I'll see if I can come up with something."
This past week-end I came up with a wacky idea that just might work to create another "Let's Run" video to use in a future batte (September 1st?) It's going to be a variation on an old school idea I used many years ago to record some original songs. That experiment worked, but not so well.
This time I have more and better equipment to work with so maybe, just maybe, I can create something interesting. If it works I'll explain the process. I'll start working on it this week. It's somewhat labor intensive so I'll have to see where it all goes. I'm probably totally on my own in this next experiment.
In a way that's been the story of my life. Maybe yours too. Not everyone sees the urgency of my dreams to the extent that I do. But that makes sense. We are all dreamers pursuing sometimes elusive butterflies of our own. We just have to keep on chasing down our dreams. In fact, that's what my song is all about: Don't give up and just keep pressing onward. That's how things get done.
Still, I figure that I'm always chasing rainbows and I'll probably keep on doing it. I'd hate to think that I'd ever stop as long as I have breath. And that is my lead in to the song I've chosen for this post...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC 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.
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
This is one of those vaudevillian standards that I've heard all my life. Though I wouldn't rank this high on my list of favorite songs, it's still a pleasant enough tune that I enjoy hearing. You've most likely heard this song since it has appeared numerous times in movies, television, and recordings.
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" was published in 1917 and since then there has been no looking back. The song is about failure so it's somewhat surprising that a song with such a depressing message would gain so much popularity. However, since failure is something in which all of us have shared at some point in our lives then it is an idea to which we can all relate.
Like a number of popular songs of the past, this song has roots in classical music--Fantaisie-Impromptu by Frédéric Chopin. In the video embedded below you can go to the 1:07 mark to hear the melody that later became the hit song. Don't vote on this version--but I guarantee you that at least someone will ignore this instruction. If you're interested then please take a listen.
And now on to the first Battle contestant...
Jane Olivor "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (1977)
The first time I heard Olivor's version of this was somewhere around 1985. Our touring show had a brief layover in Seattle during which I visited a number of people's homes. In all of the homes I saw a copy of Jane Olivor's album Chasing Rainbows . Since I'd never heard of Jane Olivor I figured this was some kind of pop cult artist whom I'd missed. Still, I bought a few of her albums on cassette. It was nice music, but I didn't listen to them very much. The music is not good for driving. Good for bedtime, not for driving. Enjoy...
Alice Cooper "Chasing Rainbows" (1976)
Most anyone who was over 13 by 1969 probably saw an Alice Cooper show at some point in their lives. If you haven't then they are still on tour and perhaps playing in a town near you. I saw the show (I think of it all as more of a stage production than an actual band) in the early seventies. That concert was something like seven dollars to see Alice, The Hello People with Todd Rundgren, and Free (of "All Night Long" fame). Big concerts really were bargains back then.
I couldn't resist using Cooper's version of "Chasing Rainbows." Don't let the schmaltzy song intro fool you. This is Alice Cooper...
Time to Vote! Take a break from chasing rainbows and let's vote. 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.
Winner of this Battle Announced on Wednesday August 22
Maybe I'll have a song update for "Let's Run"--I'm shooting for September 1st now. In any case we should have a clear winner of this Battle next Wednesday. I have a feeling I'll get a lot of commenters saying they don't like either version. Then again maybe I'll be surprised this time. Have you gone to any Alice Cooper concerts? Do you have a tendency to pursue wild-seeming fantasies? Do you dwell on past failures more than the many small successes along the way?
