I used "Days Of Wine And Roses" on Song Lyric Sunday the other day, and thought it would might make a good Battle today. It was, of course, written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, as I mentioned then, and was the theme for the 1962 movie of the same name. We’re going to skip Mercer’s lyrics and see which of two instrumentals makes you happier.
Wes Montgomery
Wes performed his cover on his 1963 album Boss Guitar.
Vince Guaraldi with Bola Sete
Vince and Bola did their cover on their 1963 album Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete, And Friends.
Those are our contestants. Here’s what I’d like you to do.
- Listen to the two songs.
- Decide which song you like the best.
- Vote for your favorite by leaving me a comment with your choice. If you feel like telling us why, feel free.
- Then, visit the other participants and vote in their Battles:
- Stephen at STMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
- Arlee at Tossing It Out
- Mike at Mike’s Ramblings
- Cathy at Curious As A Cathy
- Mary B at Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Ai at Ai Love Music
I’ll tally the votes and announce the winner next Tuesday, February 8, at 12 noon Eastern time, so be sure and cast your vote by then.
The lines are now open. Good luck to Wes, Vince and Bola!
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
Wes gets my vote, liked his tone better.
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I love Wes Montgomery’s version. It’s so smooth and relaxing.
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Vince is the winner to my ears.
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I’ll vote for Wes.
Hope you had a good IWSG day! I was under the weather earlier this week (not the C👾vid, don’t worry), but I’m much improved now.
I’ve been scheduling debut author interviews at Operation Awesome. If you know one, please tell them to reach out to me.
Over at the a-to-z challenge, plans are hatching for April 2022, including a big event this month (starts Feb 4). You know all about that, of course. I hate the reason we have to do it, but it has to be done.
Plus, WEP has the “All You Need is Love” flash fiction challenge on February 16 – 18.
Quote for February: “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” -John Bunyan
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I still don’t do IWSG, though you never know, I might in the futore…
Your vote for Wes is noted…
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Both songs make for easy listening, John my preference is Vince Guaraldi …Thank you for following CarolCooks2 🙂 Heading over to check out the other battle of the bands 🙂
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Wes Montgomery. His version seemed more smooth, less mixed-up than VG’s rendition which got on my nerves a little bit.
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Well, hokey-smoke, JOHN!
Just this morning I watched a YouTube video biography on Wes Montgomery, who has been one of my favorite guitarists for many years.
And Vince Guaraldi, too? How does anybody NOT love Guaraldi, the guy who invented Christmas? (Er… well, maybe it was just Christmas MUSIC that Guaraldi invented. I’m not completely sure. But either way…)
Man, this is a tough (but good) call.
I think I’ll cast my two cents in Montgomery’s kitty. Mostly because of that unique…
No… no… damn it, man!!
That Bossa Nova style slays me every time. I’ll go with VINCE this time, but I owe Wes a vote in the future.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
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I liked Guaraldi though I certainly didn’t dislike Montgomery. I like to hear the songs sound more like I remember them. Montgomery did a lot of riffing or fooling around. Its an age thing I guess.
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I love Wes Montgomery I worked one of his last concerts, a few weeks before he died…way, way, too young.
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The guy worked himself to death. Not only was he doing the guitar thing, he was a welder working regular shifts. He and his wife had a bunch of kids, too, I remember. I guess he’d be in his 90’s now if he had lived, but man, 45? That’s way too young…
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I had to go to youtube to listen to Wes and, though, neither would be a choice for me to listen to, I would go with Vince Guaraldi for the uniqueness he brought to the song.
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If you’re asking “happier” then I’ve got to go with Vince Guaraldi & Co. I love Wes Montgomery’s style, but Vince’s version had more going for it in my opinion.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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I like Vince Guaraldi because it adds a new twist to the song. However, with that said, Wes Montgomery has a more fluid sound. My vote goes to Wes Montgomery.
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John,
I preferred WES MONTGOMERY in the showdown over the contender. It was warm, relaxing, and inviting to my ears. Vince & Bola sounded a bit confusing with the guitarist at the beginning leading up to the piano playing and it didn’t help things with the base guitars (I guess that’s what I’m hearing) strumming in the background. This version just wasn’t mixed well in my opinion for me to enjoy. Days of Wine and Roses is a beautiful arrangement, too. Nice battle. Whenever you get a moment, I hope you’ll hop over to cast your vote in my newest James Bond theme song BOTB showdown with A View To A Kill. Have a good day, my friend!
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I like Wes Montgomery. I think it’s more fluid.
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