Battle of the Bands


Now that the big tournament has come to an end, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do for my battle today.  I keep a list of ‘potentials’ for times such as this, but it seemed that nothing was jumping out at me begging for attention.


I haven’t been feeling well all week. I’ve managed to sleep weird and my neck feels like it is out. I’ve been dealing with computer issues as well. Maybe it’s that stress that is causing me to not feel well.

I decided to take a nap, and when I woke up, I thought I should give the list another look.  I had a song written down, but no contenders. Hmmm. I wonder where that train of thought went. Perhaps it was because at the time I just wasn’t able to find viable contenders. Today, I think I have found some contenders for the song.

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album has been one of my all-time favorites since it was released in 1977. Sure, I was only 12, but I knew good music when I heard it.  In case you are wondering, ‘Dreams’ is my all-time favorite song from that album.

Today’s song is another song from that album. 

Wikipedia tells us this about today’s song:

"The Chain" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their best-selling album Rumours. It is the only song from the album credited to all five members (Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood).

"The Chain" was created from combinations of several previously rejected materials, including solo work by Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie. It was assembled, often manually by splicing tapes with a razor blade, at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California, with hired engineers Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut.

Following the critical and commercial success of Rumours, "The Chain" has become a staple of the band's live shows, typically the opening song. It was featured as the opening track on The Dance, a 1997 live concert CD/DVD release, as well as several greatest hits compilations. It has attained particular fame in the United Kingdom, where the instrumental section is used as the theme tune for the BBC and Channel 4's television coverage of Formula One. Marvel Studios utilized "The Chain" in two trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, including one that aired during Super Bowl LI. It is heard twice in the film itself, and appears in the movie's soundtrack, Awesome Mix Vol. 2.


Now that you know about the song, let’s get this battle going!


As a reminder for you seasoned readers and to help out those of you who may be new here

Here is how a battle works:

Step One - Listen to each of the contenders. TRY not to be persuaded by the videos (unless specifically requested - in the case of today’s battle, listening is more important than watching) 

StepTwo - Pick the contender that you prefer the most


Step Three - Comment with your selection. Today’s contenders are Harry Styles, The Show Ponies and Taking Dawn. These are the only contenders that will receive votes today. I know some of you get excited about the graphics when you see a name or song you recognize - but please, for the love of all things good,  ONLY VOTE FOR HARRY STYLES, THE SHOW PONIES, OR TAKING DAWN..


Step Four - Visit Stephen’s blog to check out his battle and for a list of other bloggers that have have battles going on. We each have different battles, so please be sure to visit everyone. I'll provide a link below the videos to Stephen's blog for your convenience.



Contender #1 - Harry Styles



Contender #2 - The Show Ponies



Contender #3 - Taking Dawn




YOU DON’T NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH AN ARTIST OR A SONG TO KNOW WHICH ONE YOU PREFER. You only need to listen to the videos and choose which one sounds better to you.  There are no right or wrong votes, unless you vote for someone not listed as a contender or don’t vote at all.


For those of you who may be interested in joining in our fun - The battles take place twice a month. Once on the 1st, and again on the 15th. Some participants have chosen to participate only once a month - and that’s okay - we’re just happy to have you join us! Your battle can consist of covers of the same song, different songs with the same title, or even a themed type battle. We just want you to join in the fun!  Catch the link to Stephen’s blog to join in - all you need to do is drop him a comment on his blog stating you’d like to participate and he’ll add you to the roster of participants.

I’d like to encourage you to visit the other bloggers participating in the battle of the bands blog hop as well.  We’ve all put a lot of time and effort into putting together these battles and they are a lot of fun. Each blogger has a different battle taking place. You can find a current list of participants on Stephen’s blog (don't forget you can also request to join the battle of the bands blog hop by simply commenting on his blog that you'd like to join us).










Comments

  1. Darn it! These are all really good. They essentially follow the original arrangement but with a unique sound.

    I guess I'll be swayed by the violin. A vote for Show Ponies. I like their name too.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Thanks, Lee!

      I really like how each artist brought their own brand to the song as well.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  2. Can’t go wrong with Fleetwood Mac. Love their music. Hope you start sleeping better.

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    1. Thanks Candy.

      I really enjoy FM as well. Thanks for stopping by!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  3. Howdy, MMQE ~
    I've never been much of a Fleetwood Mac fan, but THIS does happen to be one of their tunes that I dig. It's better'n some of those sappy love songs they got famous for. (You know the ones I mean, right?)

    I stopped Harry at 1:57. Not that it was terrible, but it just wasn't doing it for me. And I knew that with two more options to choose from, I'd find something else to vote for.

    The Show Dogs-- er... Ponies -- that was definitely better, and I liked the intensity of it at the very end.

    Hold on, and I'll listen to the last one right now...

    You still there? OK, good.

    I'm voting for TINY TIM.

    1:17 into the third one and I knew THE SHOW PONIES had my vote, but I listened that third one all the way through just to be fair.

    I'd go back and let Harry play all the way through to the end, also, just to be fair, but... I don't like his hat. And he looks too much like a young version of David Johansen to suit me.

    Do you like how I never let subjective judgments get in the way of my objective listening experiences?

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'

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    1. No worries McStephen

      I'm pretty sure it was just the one album of theirs that I really dug. I don't and won't hold it against you if'n FM isn't your jam (or jelly)

      I know someone out there is going to like Harry, that's why I added him into the mix. Late into the game, I ran across a 4th contender but decided three was plenty. And the fourth sounded quite a bit like the third, so I feel justified leaving them out.

      I do appreciate you stopping by to cast your vote, even though the song makes you want to cleanse your listening ear with acid afterward.

      And what's wrong with sappy love songs? Yer such a..... boy!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  4. Taking Dawn gets my vote they rock the song

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    1. Thanks Mike!

      You've given them their first vote. Hopefully they will garner more votes as the week goes on...

      ~Mary

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  5. I was only 4 when the album came out but so many of the songs are classics. I will try and find this or other Fleetwood Mac in my collection today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's great.

      Are you sure you don't want to vote for a contender today?

      Delete
  6. Good grief, this is a TOUGH battle!!

    Going into it, I looked at the participants and thought, "yeah...I like Harry Styles lately..." But...no. Not compared to the other two choices. First surprise for me.

    I listen to Show Ponies and thought, "Yep! That's it! Intense, love the vibe of this version!"

    Then I listened to Taking Dawn...oh, criminy, I may have to draw a name out of a hat to vote, I love them, too.

    In the end, I'm voting for Show Ponies, but a slight breeze could make me choose Taking Dawn. They are sooo close. Can't discuss it anymore or I'll change my mind again (which I've done two or three times before I posted).

    I'm back for the Battles, too!

    Hugs, Cherdo

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cherdo!

      And welcome back to the battles! Not bad for just pulling this one out of the thin air, eh?

      ~Mary

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  7. I think I like the The Show Ponies the best but Taking Dawn is pretty good too! I love the battles! So much fun and a great way to learn more about music.

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    1. Thanks, Ave!

      Poor Harry isn't getting love. Guess that's what happens when you split off from the boy band :)

      Thanks for stopping in with your vote!

      ~Mary

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  8. Well I'm not a big fan of any of these, but I have a daughter that listens to Harry. I guess I would vote for him.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks, Jenn!

      Harry thanks you as well - he was looking at a shutout :) I do appreciate you taking the time to stop in with a vote.

      ~Mary

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  9. Well, that was very difficult choice because I liked both The Show Ponies and Taking Dawn. This is such a great battle! Loved it!

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    Replies
    1. Were you able to decide which of those two that you preferred? Glad you liked this one. I'll have another one on the 1st.

      ~Mary

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  10. I'm going with Taking Dawn. That raspy rock edge does it for me, always.

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    1. Hi Shannan!

      I do like that raspy rock sound! Thanks for stopping in with a vote :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  11. Harry Styles is the only one I know and it's because of my daughter. I'm not really a music person

    ReplyDelete
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    1. No worries. This is just a fun way to introduce you to other musicians. I've got you down for a vote for Harry Styles.

      Thanks for dropping by!

      ~Mary

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  12. Fleetwood Mac is definitely one of my favorites. This would be such a toughie though. Such great picks!

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    1. So tough that you aren't able to choose one of the contenders? I feel as though you aren't even trying...

      ~Mary

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  13. Definitely Harry Styles for my pick! I may be a bit biased because of my tween daughter. What a fun post!

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    1. Thanks, Heather!

      Looks like Harry is doing pretty well for himself in this battle. For a quick minute I was a bit worried he was going to be left in the cold. Just goes to show how important a vote is :)

      Thanks for stopping by!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  14. Mary,

    I'm finally here! I didn't recognize this Fleetwood Mac song with Harry's cover. I was totally clueless but as soon as I hit play with Contender #2 I knew the song. I'm awful at placing song titles with the mewsic. Anywho, I like The Show Ponies for many of the same reasons mentioned but...,there is always a but, Taking Dawn 70s style harmonizing, rock vibe did it for me the best this morning. Excellent battle! Now, let me hit the dance floor with you. :)

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    1. Thanks Cathy!

      Whew! I was just looking over the numbers of votes and this is a tight race! Too soon to declare a winner - that's how close it is.

      ~Mary

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  15. I love Fleetwood Mac and I have that album too. I hope you're feeling so much better now.

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    1. Thank you Jocelyn

      I'm feeling a little bit better. I think I slept wrong and my neck is out causing pain in my shoulder and arm.

      Would you like to cast a vote for the best cover?

      ~Mary

      Delete
  16. I love The Show Ponies with her great voice that just calls for a woman and man duet and they nail it in my book. Harry Styles is ok but he doesn't carry the oomph one needs for this song. my last one is #3 which didn't do much for me.

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    1. Thanks, Birgit!

      Sorry I didn't respond sooner. For some reason Google doesn't tell me when you comment. Glad that I did see your vote :)

      ~Mary

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  17. Damn Girl, now this is my kind of battle! I started to check out your battle earlier today but I was in the lobby of the garage waiting to hear about my truck: yep, in the shop again this week, this time because no cold air in the AC. Anyway, the service manager interrupted my eval of Harry Styles only to tell me that it would need to spend the night and I had to Uber home. It was my first time using Uber! So there’s that... haha

    Back to your battle: First of all, your song choice is one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. And second, your choice of contenders was like being at a pepper bar, with mild, hot & blazin’! (I might have spicy on the brain because my friend met me at the garage when I dropped my truck off and we went to lunch. Had some Indian cuisine and what I ordered was sooo hot I couldn’t even eat it — and I’m a spice girl!) Anyway...

    This song must be a band’s dream to play. It’s like a musical instrument and vocals orgy. All facets of this song get to rise to intensity and I just love it!

    Although I enjoyed Harry Styles, his mild treatment of the song didn’t do it for me. So it came down to Show Ponies and Talking Dawn. I think both bands did the song justice, both really dig playing it and that is clearly apparent, which makes it all the better, and both scored high points in my evaluation.

    When I heard (and watched) Show Ponies I thought “Oh yeah, this is it.” But then Talking Dawn impressed me from the jump and I was like “Whoa, this might be a tough choice!”

    Musically I liked both very much. What sold me most was the violin in the Show Ponies version. I’m a sucker for the electric violin!
    (And I was impressed with Talking Dawn’s version and their unique signature with it but the hair-swinging was a bit much. And the guitarist lying on his back, arching his hips, was just a little too “I wanna be a rock star” showy for me. Not that I am voting on the videos because it is the musical sound that is behind my vote, I’m just sayin’...)

    Excellent battle! Sorry it took me so long to get over here but, well, you know...
    And can I just say: what the hell is with these people who take the time to comment but don’t vote??? What the shit?! (Note: I commented at Cathy K’s the other day but forgot to leave my vote in the comment...the key word being FORGOT. I thought I had voted (as I did in my head), but I just forgot to include it in my comment. She let me know and I promptly went back and took care of it.)
    I can completely feel your frustration. It makes me suspect that, well, I’ll keep my mouth shut here...
    But C’mon People: frickin’ vote!!
    Okay, I’m going to bed now...

    Terrific battle Mary! Well played!

    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. Hey Michele!

      Glad that you were able to make it over here. Sorry to hear about your truck troubles. I've got you down for Show Ponies (that's your choice, right?)

      About to head to bed. The earliest all week! Let's just hope I don't oversleep again. SMH.

      ~Mary

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