BattleOfTheBands : The Guitar Man



Hello February!

Time again for the first installment of the month for Battle of the Bands.

The song I chose today is a song that I had previously suggested to my good friend Michele at Angels Bark. She’s got a lot going on right now and taking a bit of a hiatus, so with her permission I am going ahead and using the song today.


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) 

Step Two - Pick the contender that you prefer the most (not just the one who’s name you are familiar with)

Step Three - Comment with your selection/vote. The comment section has been set up so that anyone can leave a comment. I do ask that you please include your name, should you use the anonymous feature. Today’s contenders are Cake and Starflyer 59. These are the only contenders that will receive votes today in this battle.

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.



Today’s song is not to be confused with Jerry Reed’s “Guitar Man”. That is a completely different song.

Bloggerpedia™ tells us this about our tune today:
"The Guitar Man" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by the rock group Bread, of which Gates was a member. It first appeared on Bread's 1972 album, Guitar Man. The song is a mixture of the sounds of soft rock, including strings and acoustic guitar, and the addition of a wah-wah effect electric guitar, played by Larry Knechtel. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and their third number-one hit on the easy listening chart, (following "If" and "Baby I'm-a Want You").


Today’s battle is between two bands that got their start in the early 1990’s and are still performing.  They are both from California - with Cake being from Sacramento and Starflyer 59 being from Riverside. Another coincidence about these two bands is that they both recorded their covers of this song in the early 2000’s.  Both bands main genre is alternative rock, but both have dabbled a bit into indie rock. 

Let’s see how these two bands have done covering this soft-rock song from the 70’s.  Be sure to give each of them a listen and then comment with which cover you prefer.

Contender #1 - Cake





Contender #2 - Starflyer 59





Now, to repeat myself again:

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). 


Alright now… Cast your votes for either Cake or Starflyer 59!
Voting will end on Thursday, February 7 with results being posted on Friday, February 8.








Comments

  1. Howdy, MMQE ~
    Seems like it's been a long time since we've yakked in the blog-o-square. How come that? (I've gotten tired of calling it the blogosphere, so I'm changing its shape. Because... I... can.)

    It's 2019, and my New Year's resolution was to try being "the kinder, gentler Stephen", but I give up already. It's just too ha-aaa-rd!

    I'm voting for Starflyer because... they're not Cake. I know this song - the original - by $$$$$ (aka Bread). I like Bread pretty well. This song, well, eh. It's OK. But it's certainly no 'Make It With You'.

    But here's the thing... I'd never heard of Cake until Larry C. (aka DiscConnected) used them in a BOTB installment a million years ago. And I gotta be honest, that singer can't sing for beans! He makes Bob Dylan sound good. Hell, he even makes Neil Young sound like Sinatra. How come no one has ever had the guts to tell him that he's [Link> flatter'n Teri Garr?

    My Brother, Nappy, is the worst singer I've ever heard. The guy who's the so-called "singer" for Cake is barely half a degree better'n Nappy. But like a car wreck on the Reno freeway, I find him fascinating! I don't *WANT* to listen to him, but that morbid part of me keeps listening to see just how bad he can get and yet still make a living doing this.

    There's a cat in heat that yowls around my backdoor some nights, and she's a better singer than the girlie-man Cakeboy is.

    I'd vote for Nappy before I'd vote for Cakeboy. At least Nappy *KNOWS* he can't sing fer shhhh.....

    Oh, wait. I remember now... the kinder, gentler STMcC!

    MMQE, I vote for Starflyer 86. Both versions be grate, but I think Starflyer 86 is greater.

    [;-)}

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Howdy Stephen!

      So you don't like Cake? Haven't you heard - it's the best thing since sliced 'Bread'! See what I did there?

      The vocals are an acquired taste, much like the various flavors of other cakes. Some flavors are a hit, while others are a miss. I chose these guys as a contender because they brought something a little different to the sound of the song. (Not that I feel the need to defend my choice of contestants.. LOL)

      Good thing you chose THIS year to be kinder and gentler. We all know the older one gets, the more surly they become :)

      And I bet Nappy CAN sing. You're probably just a little bit jealous. How about you? Do you need a bucket to carry a tune?

      Hope the move is going smooth! When you said you were moving to a nearby 'city', I thought you meant the one named after a state - not the one named after the late night television host.

      Appreciate you taking the time to stop in during your 'work break'. It's awful good to see you here.

      ~Mary

      Delete
    2. Hi again, MARY. (Or, High Again, Mary?) ~

      >>... When you said you were moving to a nearby 'city', I thought you meant the one named after a state

      I'm drawing a blank on that. ('California City' maybe??? Hmmm....)

      I can't stay long, but figured I'd respond as I still have AlGoreNet for another day or two.

      >>... And I bet Nappy CAN sing.

      And I bet you'd lose every penny you bet. Nappy really IS terrible. Seriously, he can't even sing 'Happy Birthday'. I know it sounds like I'm making a joke but it's not. Not only can he not maintain the simple melody of 'Happy Birthday', but he drags everyone down with his super-slow tempo. Nappy's a really good athlete, and he could kick the crap outta guys three times his size... but he sings about as well as Barney Fife.

      I can't really sing either (even though I was in Boys Chorus in junior high school), but I can still sing better'n Nappy AND better'n Cakeboy. Damn! That guy's B-A-D-! I'm not going to name any names (because they've all outed themselves in their comments below), but I'd be willing to bet that everyone who thinks Cakeboy can sing and was worthy of their BOTB vote also still thinks that American astro"nuts" walked on the Moon and returned to yak about it. I mean, seriously, you really gotta be willing to pull the wool down over YOUR OWN eyes to fall for either of those things (Cakeboy as a singer and Moonwalks, I mean).

      But, hey, never a need to justify a BOTB contestant. Heck, even I have used the B-52s and Pete Seeger in BOTBs in the past. Sometimes it's fun to throw the dogs against the wall and see if they stick. Ha!-Ha!

      Yak Later, MMQE.

      ~ Stephen
      STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

      Delete
    3. >>...Sometimes it's fun to throw the dogs against the wall and see if they stick.

      Oh... you mean like your past battle with Stevie Nicks and Tiny Tim?

      >>... Yak Later

      Hopefully it will be more like RAMS later. I'd hate for the Cheatriots to win this game.

      ~Mary

      Delete
    4. >>... Oh... you mean like your past battle with Stevie Nicks and Tiny Tim?

      Yep! Eggzackly like that one! And as that particular Battle proved, not only does the dog sometimes stick, but sometimes she even WINS!
      ;-)

      ~ Stephen

      Delete
  2. I've always liked this song and still do. Something about it reminds me of something that Neil Young would have written. I'd love to hear Neil do a version as I think it would fit his style well.

    This is an easy vote for me. Starflyer was well done, but I'm definitely a Cake fan. They give this song a more legitimate feel in my view.

    A vote for Cake (the food and the band).

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lee!

      I agree, it does sound like something Neil Young would have written. I did find a video that I thought was rather interesting - I'll be sharing that one in the results post.

      Thanks for stopping in!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  3. I am not into Cake at all nor that voice. I give it to Starflyer with that faraway voice and the dreamlike music that goes with it...I enjoyed that 2nd one a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Birgit!

      No cake at all? Well, to be fair, I prefer brownies myself - so I get it. Oh, you mean the band! Silly me.

      Thanks for stopping by with your vote!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  4. I liked Starflyer 59's version better than Cake's but both were good. I like the slide guitar in Starflyer's cover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, John!

      Starflyer does offer up a good version. Thanks for coming by.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  5. Mary,

    I'm not crazy about either band. My first thought about Cake is, 'Oh wow, this is flat!" Of course, I'm thinking about Bread's original with David Gates heart felt vocals pouring out the words. Starflyer made me feel like I was having halluications of the hearing variety instead of with my head. I'm not sure I can explain it but it's a bit pscyhodelic but not like the 60s and 70s mewsic. Does that make sense? I'm not very good conveying exactly what I mean since feelings are harder to express. Anywho, I think you're right Cake's style grows on you. It might not be something you wanna listen to all the time and I'm not even sure I'd buy any of their mewsic but for this BoTB round Cake gets my vote. I might have been tempted with the mental suggestion of having cake which swayed my vote but I can't say for sure. :D Interesting battle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cathy!

      The power of mental persuasion is in full effect. It might have been that auditory hallucination that made you crave cake afterward. Who knows. This is certainly an interesting battle.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  6. Interesting contenders. They both made the song their own, but vocals win out. Please give my vote to Starflyers. Great tone! Nobody does it like David Gates, though. ☺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, David Gates is the best. This has been an interesting competition.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  7. Hi Mary,
    That poor guy from Cake sounds like a river toad, but the band maintains that soothing post-rain tranquility I think the song was meant to impart. Starflyers are good, though a tad jarring for this song. I'll listen to Bread 3 times in a row to redeem myself and give my vote to Cake ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha Ha! is that like saying Hail Mary three times? I promise not to hold it over your head. Cake appreciates your vote :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  8. I am going to take Cake's version. This song isn't my cup of tea but Cake's version reminds of 70s rock and it was more pleasant to my ears.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Amy!

      Considering that the original was released in 1972, the 70s Rock sound seems appropriate :)

      Delete
  9. I used to love David Gates...nothing says "seventies" like Bread. Everybody hum 'Aubrey" on the count of 3...

    Starflyer gets my vote today. Cake crumbles. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cherdo!

      Fly high with the stars, and perhaps take those crumbles and make a cake pop or have a cookie instead :)

      Delete

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