Battle of the Booze

Welcome to June!  

Did you all survive May?  Full disclosure - It’s really April 30 - but I’m trying to get my posts pre-written and scheduled early so I can attempt to enjoy the summer, Plus, with my track record of health issues - I figured it best to be prepared in advance rather than scrambling at the last minute. 

When Stephen approached me with this battle series last year, I searched the interwebs for songs that would fit the criteria. Today, while going through this list, I ran across a song that I was unfamiliar with - but thought it might be fun to pair against a similarly titled song that many of us know. But after hitting up YouTube, I realized that would be a big mistake (Huge!)

I also discovered there were several covers of this song. That’s when the idea popped in my head to put two covers up against each other. 

Wikipedia tells us this about the song:

"Scotch and Soda" is a song recorded by The Kingston Trio in 1958 and first released on the album The Kingston Trio; it also appeared on the live album Once Upon a Time and on various compilations.

The Kingston Trio also released the song as a single in the United States in April 1962. It was also released in 1969 as the B-Side to the single "One Too Many Mornings".

"Scotch and Soda" was discovered by the Trio through the parents of the baseball player Tom Seaver, who had first heard it in a hotel piano lounge in 1932 when on their honeymoon in Phoenix, Arizona. They liked it so much that they had the piano player write it down for them so it would be "their song." One member of the trio (Dave Guard) was dating Seaver's older sister (Katie) at that time, and heard the song on a visit to the Seaver home. Although it is credited to Guard (he had it copyrighted in his name on March 30, 1959), the trio never discovered the real songwriter's name, though they searched for years.

Wikipedia also listed 37 covers of this song, stating it is a partial list. I’ve picked out two of these covers that I enjoyed.  Good luck in picking your winner 🙂 

Lou Rawls

Ray Price

For those of you that enjoy the big band sound - I did come across two instrumentals that you might like. I’m not using them in this battle series as I think instrumentals don't quite fit the criteria. Do a search for Charlie Barnet and Simon Coulter Quartet if you’re interested.

If you’re a blogger and want to join in the fun, please do so! There’s plenty of content for everyone to join in. 

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. Keep an open mind and don’t be persuaded by the artist name. 

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.  

1. Stephen McCarthy 

2. Tossing It Out

3. The Sound of One Hand Typing

4. Curious As A Cathy

5. dIEDRE

6. Debbie DogLady

7. Boromax aka Ed

8. Mike’s Ramblings

Alright now… Cast your votes in the comments! Voting Results will be posted on the 8th of this month.  

Don’t forget to also check out today’s Song of The Day!