Hey, hi! Glad you stopped
by ;-)
The Battle of The Bands (BOTB) is your basic Which-do-you-like-best
contest where the one that gets the most votes wins. All you have to do is show
up (the 1st and/or 15th of every month) give a listen and
cast your vote in the comment section. Votes will be tallied and the winner
revealed on or about 8 days later.
Hoping you’re all not too weary of my “For The Birds” theme, I’ve got just a couple more (bird battles) I’d like to share before moving on
to a more interesting theme like, say, earthworms. Just kidding, of course, but
wait till you read the fun fact I dug up (ha!)
The song for the battle involves Seagulls, and I’ve certainly
seen my share of them without ever knowing how intelligent the feathered kleptomaniacs
are! Did you know they not only recognize human faces and mannerisms (fun fact alert) Seagulls do an impressive tap dance that replicates the sound of raindrops on the ground, thereby enticing earthworms to the surface where they become unwitting breakfast treats?
On to the Battle:
Song to a Seagull from legendary Canadian-American Folksinger/songwriter
Joni
Mitchell’s debut album by the
same name was recorded by Reprise Records and produced by David Crosby (a
founding member of the Byrds) in 1968.
English rock supergroup Bad Company released
Seagull
(considered one of Bad Company’s ten greatest songs) in November 1973
But wait, there’s more:
*On this day (March 1st) in music history, Gene
Clark of the Byrds
announced his resignation from the band due to a fear of flying.
There you
have it, folks! Which do you like best? And how come? Let me know in the
comment section below. Oh! And, before you go, hop around and see the rest of
today’s battles (participating sites are located in the top right sidebar of
this page)
Have a wonderful month!
It's Bad Company all the way! Their version is more soothing to the ear. Joni sort of wore on my nerves after a few seconds.
ReplyDeleteBad Company was my very first favorite rock band! I'm glad we're off to a good start - thanks, my dear ;-)
DeleteWho knew seagulls were that smart? ☺ I don't remember that Joni Mitchell song, but it has a beautiful, haunting quality. Still, I prefer Bad Company's Seagull, which triggers a more intense emotional response.
ReplyDeleteI sure didn't know a lot of the things I've learned about seagulls. I used to regard them as a form of sea pigeon ;-) Not any more.
DeleteJoni is such a legendary lyricist. I can visualize an entire room going silent just to hear what she says, how she words something.
Nonetheless, a vote for Bad Company - thank you Ma'am ;-)
We must have watched the same program! It was cool seeing what the seagulls were doing. I like both but I am going with Canadian, Jon Mitchell, it held my interest whereas the 2nd s9ng made me drift away.
ReplyDeleteYou might say I went down a Seagull hole last week, Birgit ;-) I probably did see the program you mention and found it fascinating!
DeleteAnd Joni Mitchell steps into the race - thank you, dear!
I can't recall the Bad Company song. It's likely that I have it on one of my Bad Company CDs. It's nice to listen to, but not particularly outstanding. It's more my style than Joni Mitchell, but in this case Joni's song grabbed me more. I vote for her-- and David Crosby.
ReplyDeleteLee
Hi Lee!
DeleteI had a feeling you might vote this way ;-) I don't blame you a bit. Thanks, Lee!
dEAR dIEDRE ~
ReplyDeleteAn earthworm theme? I can dig it. Now *that* would be deep!
Interesting Fun Fact about tap-dancin' seagulls. So, the gulls tap-dance to bring up worms and then, later, the gulls poop the worms back down... on us. Is that what is meant by "the circle of life"?
I didn't know either of these songs prior to clicking 'Play'. Neither did Judge Al Bondigas, who also happened to be listening in the listening room.
After the Joni song ended, Judge Al said this:
So, if you ask someone if they know the Joni Mitchell song 'Song To A Seagull' and they say, "I don't think so. How does it go?", how would you answer?
ZACTLY! I'd give a hundred pazuzas and eleventy gold grickles to anyone who can whistle that tune!
I'll say this for Joni's song: It meanders around just like a seagull does in the sky. Joni must have spent a lot of time watching seagulls before writing that... melody.
I preferred the BAD COMPANY recording. And so did Judge Al. Why? "Because it wasn't Joni Mitchell", said he.
~ D-FensDogG
Hi, Stephen T.
DeleteYou really hadn't heard Seagull by Bad Company?! I thought everyone had. But I bet that's what they say about Joni Mitchell's song too :-)
Thank you - and Brother Al, for your votes!
dIEDRE ~
DeleteNo, I definitely hadn't heard 'Seagull' before. I always liked Bad Company pretty well but I'm fairly sure the only album I ever owned by them during the era of Licorice Pizza was 'Burnin' Sky'.
Trivial Fact:
Back before 'The Bible' became my bible, 'ILLUSIONS: The Adventures Of A Reluctant Messiah' was my bible, and I would read it at least once a year. It was written by Richard Bach, who also gave us 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'.
Lots of great quotes in 'Illusions', but my favorite was always:
Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours.
Now that new BOTB chap has got me curious to check out the soundtrack to J.L. Seagull. (I did read the book after falling in love with 'Illusions', but I never saw the movie, so I dersn't know the music.)
~ D-FensDogG
I like Joni Mitchell, but I like Bad Company better. This selection of songs Bad Company gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteI like Bad Company better, too ;-) Thanks, Mike!
DeleteI can fully appreciate Joni Mitchell's technique on the guitar with her system of alternate tunings and whatnot, but her voice (particularly on her earlier recordings) is a little too shrill, not quite as bad as Mariah Carey, but still.... yeesh... I'll go with Bad Company here.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, John. Joni's talent for lyrics and strings far outweighs the voice. She is truly unique. I appreciate your vote for Bad Company!
DeleteVOTE = Bad Company
ReplyDeleteI found the vocals and the lyrics themselves more soothing and uplifting. I will admit that I am a bigger fan of Bad Company's rock sounds more than this acoustic ballad. But compared to Joni Mitchell's song, Bad Company takes the battle for me. Most times I really need to be in a certain mood to enjoy Joni's voice. ~Ed.
PS: If you have not listened to the soundtrack of the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull, you should give it a listen!
Hi, Ed!
DeleteYou are the third person to suggest Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I am now convinced and will probably check it out later today ;-) Thanks, and thank you for your vote!
Bad Company all the way for me!
ReplyDeleteAnd Bad Company is in good standing for the win! Thank you, Ma'am ;-)
Delete