This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

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.
Showing posts with label Owl City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Owl City. Show all posts

Friday, June 5, 2015

This Ain't No Disco!


    "...this ain't no disco, this ain't no fooling around."   No, this is some serious stuff, my friends!

Disco ball in blue
Disco ball in blue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        Remember the saying "Disco Sucks"?   Back in the day you could find T-shirts with the slogan and there was even a special night at a White Sox baseball game when a special anti-disco promotion was held.  The "Disco Sucks" movement has been credited to Detroit rock DJ Steve Dahl who would "blow up" disco records on the air to the delight of his hardcore rock and roll fan base.   

         Some have made the claim that the Disco Sucks movement had undertones of hate toward certain groups of society.  Maybe that was true for some people.  For me I like music because I enjoy the listening experience or I dislike some music because it isn't pleasant for me to hear.  As with any creation I don't necessarily reject it because of who made it or what that creative person believes or believed.  If that were my criteria for accepting things or creations then I would be very limited in what I owned or liked.

        As I've been discussing in recent posts my preferences in music are dependent on what I like to hear in music--what I look for in a musical work.   So if I heard a song that was lyrically superb, expressing ideas with which I was in total agreement, and that song had one of the most beautiful melodies that I had ever heard and I had absolutely enjoyed this song for years and then suddenly one day I learned that the song had been composed by some horrible person--say like Adolph Hitler--would the sound of the song be any different?   

       Sure, it's possible that now with my new knowledge I might start to convince myself to dislike the song or just stop listening to it, but if the work had some endearing quality once, then how is that quality lost by learning something bad about the person who wrote it?   

         Again I'm rambling a bit, but there is a point in there somewhere and maybe you'll want to share your thoughts in the comments.  Actually I started this line of thought because I just wanted to use that line "This ain't no disco" from the Talking Heads song "Life During Wartime".   And I'm not using the line because that's going to be my next Battle of the Bands song choice, but because in my recent song choice "This is a party!".  

         That's what Battle of the Bands should be like--a fun party.  Yes, we might get a bit snide to hopefully only a slight degree and we might poke some good-natured fun at one another or the song choices that are picked.  We all don't have to like the same things and that should be expected.   Let's just have a good time!

So now on with the winning version of "Garden Party"





          I was not overly surprised by the results though I didn't expect Owl City to do quite as well as they did in this match up.   Yes, I expected Johnny Lee to win this, not by a shut-out, but with a resounding victory.  I was right cause that's what happened.  My vote for Johnny Lee doesn't even matter all that much.

Final Tally:

Owl City                15   Votes

Johnny Lee             27  Votes

Coming Soon!
     A new Battle of the Bands will be here on Monday June 15th.   I don't think we'll have the kind of trouncing we had in this most recent Battle.   In fact, due to the nature of the song I don't know whether I'll get anywhere near the votes I got on this contest.   I hope the next song doesn't scare away too many of you because it's a darn good one with versions by two excellent artists.  If you don't like my next song pick then you must be a commie or something.   For that matter you might even like it if you are a commie.   My next song pick has been around for nearly 80 years with the more recent versions that I'll be featuring by a new wave prog rock band that turned it into a mega hit and a singer who was in his nineties when he made his own hit recording of this song that he had recorded decades prior.  Those are the versions you'll be voting on.

            Do you enjoy disco music?   Did you ever "blow up" or destroy disco records?   Any idea what song or artists I'll be coming up with next?

Monday, June 1, 2015

Garden Party (BOTB) & Question of the Month



        Is it really time for another Battle of the Bands?  Seeing how it's June 1st I guess it is time since this event happens on the 1st and 15th of each month.   As I mentioned in my May 22nd post, this event has become a favorite of mine.   We have Far Away Eyes at Far Away Series  to thank for conceiving this homage to music.  Stephan T McCarthy acts as the list steward and Battle of the Bands host--you can find his blog with the list of participants at  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   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 Battles to vote on

        If you're here for the Question of the Month, you'll find that below the Battle of the Bands entries.  Please take time to vote in the Battle of the Bands contest before you read my answer to this month's question posed by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined.  So now let the music begin!

"Garden Party"

       A good many of you probably know the story of the song "Garden Party" but I'll briefly recap for those who don't know the story or may have forgotten.   This song was written and originally recorded by Rick Nelson who was a teen idol rock star in the late 50's and early 60's.  He first came to fame playing himself in his parents' popular television sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet which is where as a teenager he made his debut as a rock'n'roll singer.

      Ricky Nelson went on to make a number of hit records as well appear in many movies and television shows.  By 1966 Ricky, or Rick as he now called himself, was a fading star as music trends started changing.   He was becoming a has-been relegated to playing his old hits for his now aging fans.

      Not wanting to become musically stagnant, Rick Nelson formed the Stone Canyon Band which became precursors of the country tinged "California Sound" that influenced acts like Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Poco, and The Eagles.  It was an innovative sound that was still rock, but with steel guitar and country style rhythms.  Nelson was playing what he wanted to play.

       In 1971 Nelson and his Stone Canyon Band played a rock and roll oldies show along with a few other early rock stars at Madison Square Garden.  Many of the music elite were in attendance as well as an audience filled with fans wanting to hear Nelson's old hits. Dressed in modern garb and with shoulder length hair, Rick Nelson delivered some of his older songs to the appreciation of the audience.  But when he started playing his newer material the audience began to boo and he left the stage in dismay.

       In the song "Garden Party" which was inspired by that oldies revival show, there are many references made to the bill of performers as well as some of the greats who were in attendance on that night.  "Garden Party" was released in 1972 hitting number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  The song also made the Billboard Easy Listening and Country charts.  The song would be Nelson's last top 40 hit on the pop charts.

      This Battle of the Bands contest is somewhat of a lightweight musically speaking--more fun than substance--but this is more in keeping with my theme over the past week concerning taste or preference.  This is also my statement that on these Battle of the Bands posts I please myself first and hope in turn that the readers will find something of interest value and perhaps even entertainment value in what I present.  I like the songs in the Battles I present, or there is something about them that I find interesting in some way.

      We can't always please everyone, but if we stay true to ourselves then hopefully others will accept what we're doing and maybe even find some positive aspect about it.  If you're not familiar with how Rick Nelson expressed this philosophy in his song, you might want to listen to his original version of "Garden Party".    Don't vote on his version though--it's not in the running!

   Here are your versions to vote on:

Owl City "Garden Party"  (2012)
        
      An electronica-pop version in a more modern vein than Nelson's original country style take. Considered more of a project than a band, Owl City is under the helm of producer Adam Young.






Johnny Lee "Country Party"  (1977)

       To make the decision tough, here's a version to vex the anti-twang non-country fans.   The song is somewhat like a parody of Rick Nelson's version though it's given a serious country take.  This recording made in 1977 reached #15 on the country charts.






Time to Vote!

          Come along and play!  Please don't back out on this pairing with the excuse that you don't like the music.  You don't have to like the music.  You're being placed in the role of judge.  Which version do you prefer?    It's up to you to determine the winner.   

        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 (or which one was the least bad to your ears).  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'

DC Relief Battle of the Bands

Shady Dell Music and Memories   

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Cherdo on the Flipside  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle (a new participant!)

Women:  We Shall Overcome  (another new participant!)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (returning for more Battle action!)

Book Lover (she's back!)


Results on Friday June 5th

        I'm going to cut the lead time to the winner announcement short this time around.  You'll get the final vote tally for this Battle on my post of Friday June 5th.   You can vote on today's Battle of the Bands post until Thursday June 4th which will be when I make my final vote count. Please vote!


Question of the Month





       The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined.  The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael prior to event day.  Click on the link to his blog for more participants.   

      Here is this month's question:

If your house caught on fire, what's the one thing you'd grab before running out?

       Assuming that my wife can make it on her own and will be grabbing her own stuff, the thing I'd grab is my pants so I'd have my ID's and credit cards.  It's such a hassle to replace a driver's license and since my house might be burned down or at least uninhabitable for a while, I'd probably need my credit cards so I could eat and stay in a motel and I'd have my keys so I could move my van out of the driveway.   If I could I might even put my pants on before leaving the house.

        To what extent do you go to please others?   How do you tend to feel when others criticize your taste in music or something else that you enjoy?   What would you save from your burning house other than people or pets?