Battle of the Bands: Baker Street

I’ve got some exciting news for you!

You’ve seen my “Who Sang It Best” or the "Got You Covered" posts in the past, and they’ve been a big hit.

Well, I have stumbled across a group of bloggers who have similar posts, and they have officially let me join them in the fun!






Here’s how it works: I’ll be posting two versions of the same song and after you give a listen to each, place your vote for your favorite and reason for the way you voted in the comments section. I’ll tally the votes and post the results in another post 6 days later. The Battles take place on the 1st and 15th of each month, and the results will be posted on the 7th and 21st.  The other blogs participating in the Battle of the Bands are posting different battles (different songs), So once you’re done voting and commenting on my battle, take a moment to visit the other participants and vote & comment on their battles.  There are some really good battles going on!

And now for my first official BOTB!


The Song:  “Baker Street”

Wikipedia tells us this:

“Baker Street” is a song written and first recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. Released as a single in 1978, it reached #1 in Cash Box and #2 in Billboard – where it held for six weeks. Additionally, it hit #1 in Canada, #3 in the United Kingdom, #1 in Australia and top 10 in the Netherlands. The arrangement is known for its haunting saxophone solo. Rafferty received the 1978 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

Named after the London street of the same name, the song was included on Rafferty's second solo album, City to City, which was Rafferty's first release after the resolution of legal problems surrounding the formal break-up of his old band, Stealers Wheel, in 1975. In the intervening three years, Rafferty had been unable to release any material because of disputes about the band's remaining contractual recording obligations.

Rafferty wrote the song during a period when he was trying to extricate himself from his Stealers Wheel contracts; he was regularly traveling between his family home near Glasgow and London, where he often stayed at a friend's flat in Baker Street. As Rafferty put it, "everybody was suing each other, so I spent a lot of time on the overnight train from Glasgow to London for meetings with lawyers. I knew a guy who lived in a little flat off Baker Street. We'd sit and chat or play guitar there through the night."

The resolution of Rafferty's legal and financial frustrations accounted for the exhilaration of the song's last verse: "When you wake up it's a new morning/ The sun is shining, it's a new morning/ You're going, you're going home." Rafferty's daughter Martha has said that the book that inspired the song more than any other was Colin Wilson's The Outsider. Rafferty was reading the book, which explores ideas of alienation and of creativity, born out of a longing to be connected, at this time of traveling between Glasgow and London.

For comparison sake here is Gerry Rafferty’s song:
NOTE: This version is not part of the battle, therefore, no votes will be counted for Gerry Rafferty.



Let's begin the battle!

The First Contender: Waylon Jennings





The Second Contender: Game Theory




Side note: I so wanted to have the Foo Fighters as a contender, but I was unable to find a video that wasn’t blocked in my country.

Alright now, it’s time to cast your vote! In the comments, please enter who you are voting for and why you chose them.  Stay tuned, results will be announced on the 7th!

And don’t forget to visit these other battles going on today:

StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

FAR AWAY SERIES

TOSSING IT OUT

YOUR DAILY DOSE

BOOK LOVER

MIKE'S RAMBLINGS

CURIOUS AS A CATHY

THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING

DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS

THIS BELLE ROCKS

SHADY DELL MUSIC & MEMORIES

THE DOGLADY'S DEN

CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE

ANGELS BARK

WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME



What does tomorrow bring?


Tune in to find out! 




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