#BOTB: Reindeer Games Edition



Can you believe it’s December already?  This year has gone by so very quickly. I ALMOST didn’t put together a battle for you today, as I’m still a bit po’d about the way the last battle went down. But, I’m trying to work through it, and I hope that this battle will be better.

I’m doing a special Jingle All the Way series between now and Christmas.  Today’s song is also the song choice for the battle.   There are several covers of this song, but I have narrowed the selection down to just two.  You are to vote for only one of these two.  Should you vote for another artist, I wish you bad luck and your doorsteps and windows be surrounded by a thousand piles of hot steamy poo.   (See, I’m not quite in the holiday spirit yet)

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

Step Two - Pick  the contender that you prefer the most (not just the one with the name you are familiar with) Pick ONLY from the contenders provided in THIS battle.

Step Three - Comment  with your selection. 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.

Step Four - Visit Stephen’s blog to check out his battle and for a list of other bloggers that 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.



"Run, Rudolph, Run" is a Christmas song popularized by Chuck Berry, written by Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie and published by St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP). The song was first recorded by Berry in 1958 and released as a single on Chess Records.
It has since been covered by numerous other artists, sometimes with the title "Run, Run, Rudolph". The song is a 12-bar blues, musically similar to Berry's very popular and recognizable song "Johnny B. Goode" and melodically identical to his song "Little Queenie", released in 1959.  If you’d like to listen to the Chuck Berry version, you may do so HERE



Now that we’ve got the formalities out of the way, let’s get to it!


Contender #1 -  Train



Contender #2 - Brian Setzer Orchestra




Now, to repeat myself:

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 Train or Brian Setzer Orchestra!
Voting will end on Saturday, December 7 with results being posted on Sunday, December 8.









Comments

  1. I feel like I've never heard this song before, but maybe it just never made any impression on me. Both these versions are fairly equally well done. My stylistic preference of the totality of everything in the performances leans me more in the direction of Train so that's how I'm casting my vote.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out






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  2. No one can top Chuck Berry’s version. That being said, I did like both videos. Train’s played up the guitar parts nicely. But I give my vote to Brian Seltzer. The lyrics are important, and he articulates the lyrics so that they’re clearly understood.

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  3. Both versions are pretty similar and I don't think I've ever heard of Chuck Berry before . Nevertheless, I'm voting for 'JOHN B. Goode'.

    So, first of all (no, I guess I'm now on "second of all"), those blue reindeer look awful cold. Same here. I'm sitting in my house about 20 miles from the same "Tahoe" that Train is promoting on that album cover, and I'm watching the snow come down. It never seems to stop for longer than 8 to 12 hours. Damn snow!!

    I liked both of these recordings. In fact, I like them both better'n the original by Chuck Berry. (I'll protly go to hell for saying that.) I had to listen to both versions thrice each, individually, this morning, and I still don't know how to vote.

    Train does it a bit more straight-forward, like Berry's original, but a bit louder with a more hard-edged guitar sound. And I always dig what Brian Setzer does.

    Give my bote to TRAIN - but I could have happily voted for Setzer in this Battle, too. Excellent choices, MMQE!

    ~ Stephen
    DogGtor of Alcohology &
    King of Inebriation Nation

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  4. Don't forget, it's pretty much identical to "Roll Over Beethoven."

    These two versions stick pretty close to the formula, but I liked Train's a little better. They get the vote here.

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  5. Train does Christmas? Nice! But I liked Brian Seltzer better. He gets my vote.

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  6. This is Birgit here...This was tough because they both keep to the original but I will give it Train which sounds close to the original and like the guitar in the middle of it

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  7. Mary,

    I prefer Brian Seltzer in this battle hands down. His cover reminds me more of Chuck Berry's recording. Train's cover didn't have enough get to your feet personality where Brian's version did.

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  8. I love Brian Setzer and I knew I could count on a great version of this song from HIM. It's right up his alley, so to speak.

    But I did not expect to here such a great version from TRAIN - they get my vote!

    While we're on the subject, there's been several surprises this BOTB for me. Hopefully, I'm expanding my musical horizons with some of these great alternate versions of classics!

    Happy holidays!

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