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:
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.
Pick the contender that you prefer the most
Leave a comment with the name of the contender you have chosen. Feel free to expound upon your choice.
Visit the other bloggers that have battles taking place. Their battles are different from each other, so be sure to check them out.
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!
Hi Mary! I hope you are feeling well and enjoy your summer. ♥ Interesting battle here. I don't remember this song, but enjoyed both covers. I'm voting for Ray Price because I preferred his vocal tone, as well as the arrangement.
ReplyDeleteMy Chicago buddy Lou Rawls did his best Sinatra on his cover, but I really felt Ray Price gave it the best feeling, so I'm going with ray.
ReplyDeleteMMQE ~
ReplyDeleteI'm here. I ain't packed my bags yet because... I've got my priorities in order!
Very interesting background story on the song 'Scotch & Soda'. And interestingly, the trip I'll be packing my bags for in about an hour from now is taking me to Phoenix, Arizona. Maybe I'll hit the old lounges while I'm there and see if I can find the true writer of 'S&S'.
I remember that my Ma really liked this song (although she was not a Scotch & Soda drinker), and both of my folks liked Lou Rawls. They were pretty soulful for a couple o' White folk.
Although I'd never heard the Lou Rawls version before, I gotta say, I think it may have instantly become my favorite of his recordings. I was really diggin' it; so much so that even my White toes were tappin' right along with it. By comparison, I thought the Ray Price rendition - although far from bad - was kind of straight-laced, less groovy. Hmmm.... What's that word I'm looking for? ...Oh, yeah: mo' WHITE.
Eating pizza in the living room while I played these songs was my brother, Judge Al Bondigas. (Remember, he's the guy who loves The Archies and The Partridge Family music, right?) It may come as no surprise to you that he said he was "Rulin' for Ray Price".
There ya go: 1 Toe-Tappin' Vote for LOU RAWLS
and 1 Straight White Lace Rulin' for RAY PRICE.
~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
POSTSCRIPT:
>>... "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."
If that's a real rule or criteria, you'll be happy to know that I've already broken it. In fact, I broke it with my very first BOTB's Battle Of The Booze installment on January 1st. I used the Buddy Morrow version of the song 'Tequila', and his band didn't even yell the one-word lyric in the song, "Tequila!" It was 100% instrumental. Where every other musical artist would yell "Tequila!", Morrow's band just left a very brief pause in the music. The only "Tequila" in Buddy Morrow's rendition was strictly in the title. So, as far as I'm concerned, instrumentals are fair game, so long as they have some booze, brand of booze, or boozy cocktail mentioned in the music's title.
Didn't Vivaldi compose a suite titled Frangelico Waltz? ;-)
Great battle! I feel like I should know this song, but I can't say as I do. Anyway, I like it! And I really like the Lou Rawls sound - was that a xylophone for Pete's sake?! Cool beans, Lou gets my vote!
ReplyDeleteTwo great covers! What do I do? I like 'em both but I believe I slightly prefer Lou Rawls better and am casting my vote in for him! ;)
ReplyDeleteI am choosing Lou Rawls because I love his interpretation of this song.
ReplyDelete