Band On The Run

I’ve been wanting to do this battle for some time, but have struggled to find the right contenders.  Today, I believe, I have finally found the right combination. 


That website we all rely on from time to time tells us this about today’s song:

"Band on the Run" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released as the title track to their 1973 album Band on the Run. The song was released as a single in April 1974 in the US and in June 1974 in the UK, following the success of "Jet", and became an international chart success. The song topped the charts in the United States, also reaching number 3 in the United Kingdom. The single sold over one million copies in 1974 in America. It has since become one of the band's most famous songs.

A medley of three distinct musical passages that vary in style from folk rock to funk, "Band on the Run" is one of McCartney's longest singles at 5:09. The song was partly inspired by a comment that George Harrison had made during a meeting of the Beatles' Apple record label. The song-wide theme is one of freedom and escape, and its creation coincided with Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr having parted with manager Allen Klein in March 1973, leading to improved relations between McCartney and his fellow ex-Beatles. The original demos for this and other tracks on Band on the Run were stolen shortly after Wings arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, to begin recording the album. With the band reduced to a trio consisting of McCartney, his wife Linda, and Denny Laine, "Band on the Run" was recorded at EMI's Lagos studio and completed at AIR Studios in London.


The first contender is REO Brothers (not to be confused with REO Speedwagon)




Second Contender: Foo Fighters




In the event that you are new here, or you have simply forgotten… Here’s a review of how a battle works:


  1. Listen to each of the contenders. Try not to be persuaded by the videos. I like to close my eyes and let the music transport me. 

  2. Pick the contender that you prefer the most

  3. Leave a comment with the name of the contender you have chosen. Feel free to expound upon your choice. 

  4. Visit the other bloggers that have battles taking place. Their battles are different from each other, so be sure to check them out.  *I think this is a recent list, if not, Cathy keeps a current list on her battle posts.  

    1. Stephen McCarthy (Our Ringmaster is back from the beyond!)

    2. Tossing It Out

    3. Mike’s Ramblings

    4. The Sound of One Hand Typing

    5. Curious As A Cathy

    6. Storms & Stardust



Alright now… Cast your votes in the comments!

Voting results will be posted on August 8!





Comments

  1. Both covers are good. And I know the host would likely give the tie breaker to contender #2. But I am continuously impressed with the talent from the Philippines. I wasn't aware of the REO brothers as a cover band, but they're good! Add to that, that Journey is currently lead by Arnel Pineda. It's only a matter of time before an international rock band emerges from the Philippines. Here's my vote for REO Brothers!

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  2. I love this song by Wings. Interesting how the 3 Beatles got back together once they dropped that manager...sounds like he was a bad influence on them and their relationship. I am going with Foo Fighters who had a bit more pep like the original song. The first one were good but they seem to drag a bit. Foo gets my vote

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  3. I'm going with the REO Brothers. I thought they did a real good cover of this song.

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  4. MMQE ~

    Hokey-Smoke, this song sure takes me back to a life long ago! Listening to this song now, it's hard to believe I'm still living the same lifetime from when this song was a huge hit on AM radio!
    Life is lo-oooo-ng!

    And you also mentioned 'JET'. Wow! When I had pimples, I used to love that song, too! I need to give 'Jet' another listen when I get done voting here; it's been ages since I heard that one. I used to own the Wings LP that had both of these songs on it.

    This was not an easy Battle for me to vote on because...

    A) REO Brothers did an exceptional job of recreating this song. I mean, it was nearly note-for-note perfect (if my memory serves me), and only the vocals would have clued me in that this wasn't really the studio original by Wings!

    B) I've always said that there's no point in doing note-for-note covers; if a band is going to do a cover version of a hit, they should do something to make the song their own (i.e., impart some of their own personality or style into the cover). And that's exactly what Foo Fighters did.

    So, on one hand, I feel like I should vote for F.F. due to my own rule about musical remakes. But on the other hand, REO B. did such a remarkably close, almost Xerox copy cover, that I like it better, in the same way that I like the Wings original version better than the Foo Fighters cover rendition.

    I guess it comes down to this question:
    Q: If, from now on, you could only hear 'Band On The Run' by REO Brothers OR by Foo Fighters, which would you choose to listen to?

    My A to the Q is: REO Brothers, because it's pert-dern like listening to Wings do it themselves.

    Any BOTB that forces me to think this much about how to vote is automatically a goot juan!

    My Brother was nearby when I was listening to your song selections here, so afterwards I asked him which of the two he preferred and he said, "The first one".

    So, if you're accepting Guest Votes in this Battle, then you can chalk up *TWO* for the REO Brothers, because both of the McCarthy Brothers backed 'em up.
    (Brothers gotta stick together!! ;^)

    ~ D-FensDogG

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  5. The Foo Fighters get my vote on this one

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  6. Mary,

    I apologize for missing your battle. I remember coming by on the 1st but didn't see your post and figured that you were sitting it out. *roll eyes* Had I voted, I think I would've gone with Foo Fighters. REO Brothers do a good job, though.

    ReplyDelete

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