My most recent Battle of the Bands, pitting the Velvet Underground with Nico’s "Sunday Morning" against Spanky & Our Gang’s "Sunday Mornin’", turned out to be an excellent battle. Here are the results.
Velvet Underground with Nico: 8
Spanky & Our Gang: 9
Congratulations to Spanky & Our Gang and a well-deserved round of applause for The Velvet Underground and Nico for being a worthy adversary. And thank all of you who voted. You were the difference here.
My next Battle of the Bands will be next Saturday, February 1. B sure and join us then!
Thanks to Stephen T McCarthy for yet another idea. Knowing I’ve been doing these "same name, different song" pairings, he suggested this one, between two songs named "Sunday Morning" (more or less).
The Velvet Underground with Nico
The Velvet Undergroung with Nico did "Sunday Morning" on their eponymous 1967 album.
Spanky & Our Gang
According to the notes that accompany the video, ""Sunday Mornin’" written by Margo Guryan, recorded by Spanky and Our Gang, and released as a single by Mercury Records reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #39 on the Billboard easy listening chart on February 10–17, 1968. It was included in The group’s second album, Like to Get to Know You, released in April 1968."
OK! Those are our contestants. Now, 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:
My last battle, as you might recall, was between two songs named "Operator," one by Brenda Holloway and the other by Gladys Knight & The Pips. Really wasn’t much of a contest…
Brenda Holloway: 8
Gladys Knight & The Pips: 3
Congratulations to Brenda Holloway and a hearty "well done!" to Glays Knight & The Pips.
Be with us once again next Wednesday, January 15, for another fun-filled and exciting Battle of the Bands!
Happy New Year, everybody! Hope 2020 is better than 2019 was for you.
Today we have two lovely R&B singers doing different songs called "Operator." So, without further ado…
Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway’s song "Operator" was written by Smokey Robinson and was recorded at pretty much the same time by Mary Wells, who used it as the B side for her single "Two Lovers." Brenda’s version reached #36 on the R&B chart and #78 on the Hot 100 in 1965.
Gladys Knight & The Pips
Gladys Knight’s version of "Operator" came out in 1962, before she was signed by Motown and her career took off. Recorded on the Fury label, it was from her debut album Letter Full of Tears. It only reached #97 on the Hot 100.
In case you’ve forgotten how this works…
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:
I’ll tally the votes next Wednesday, January 8 and announce the winner then, so be sure and vote before then. And remember, everyone is welcome to participate, no purchase necessary.
The lines are now open. Good luck to Brenda and Gladys!
So we’re up to the final battle of 2019, and I have three songs named "Games People Play" that I’d like to put up against each other. And here they are…
Joe South
Joe wrote and sang this, which was released on his 1968 album Introspection. It reached #12 on the Hot 100, #6 in the UK, and #4 in Ireland. It won Grammys in 1969 for Song of the Year and Best Contemporary Song.
The Spinners
The Spinners’ "Games People Play" was written by Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, and Charles Simmons. It was recorded at Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios, where the house band MFSB backed them. It spent a week at #1 on the R&B chart and peaked at #5 on the Hot 100.
The Alan Parsons Project
"Games People Play" appeared on The Alan Parsons Project’s 1980 album The Turn Of A Friendly Card. It was written by Parsons and Eric Woolfson, and reached #16 in the US and Canada in 1980.
Okay, you know the rules:
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:
I’ll announce the winner next Sunday, December 22, so be sure and cast your vote by then. This is a good battle between three excellent songs, so I’m hoping everyone reading this casts a vote.
The lines are now open. Good luck to Joe South, The Spinners, and The Alan Parsons Project!
