* This American mid-western artist was the subject of a compilation album that Sony Music executives thought was long overdue and needed to be created. It turned out to be the very best of his first 3 albums with music that leaned toward his softer and more country-oriented side. This great artist was taken from us in 2007 at 56 years of age. Name the artist...
*When this artist was 44 years old in 1994 he released his second and greatest solo album. Largely considered a crucial entry into his overall catalog, the songwriting is personal and intuitive. A combination of blues, country, folk and pop are connected by roads, both literal and figurative, that led him to where he found himself: lonely, middle-aged and digging through his consciousness trying to find what was lost. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album... *After his debut album in 1970, this prolific artist released an album a year from 1973 to 1977, culminating with his commercial and artistic breakthrough album that sealed his persona for the balance of a career and lifetime. We'll dig into the next album (his 7th) as he teamed with a new high-profile manager who is uniquely dressed and spread across the gatefold of the LP.. Name the artist and real kudos should you know the name of his new manager... *This artist's epic career is nothing short of legendary, with a discography that spans decades and genres. His 1989 release would be a true departure from much of his 80's output and one that would ultimately return him to the top of the charts. The focus of the album? The R & B sounds of the 60's and 70's as he paid homage to a bygone era that he desired to bring to a new audience. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Legend In My Living Room by Annie Lennox vs Constant Craving by k. d. lang ANSWERS 1. Dan Fogelberg 2. Tom Petty, Wildflowers 3. Jimmy Buffett, Irving Azoff 4. Elton John, Sleeping With The Past Battle of the Bands : k. d. lang won the Battle with 53% of the votes
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*We'll enjoy a great song written by a trio of folks that included Phil Spector. It was actually written for a most popular group at the time, The Ronettes who first recorded it in 1966. But another group latched on to it and had even greater success with it. Name the group, one that idolized the talents of Phil Spector and extra credit for the name of the song, the most popular version recorded and released in 1969...
*If one goes to the Pacific Ocean, how can one not stare out over the vastness of it all and be somewhat mesmerized? Not many folks however think about doing a '180' and creating an entire album of music inspired by that move. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album.... *From 1981-1993, this artist successfully juggled a solo career and membership in a famous, quite successful band. 1993 was the year of the complete transition to a solo career, one that found the artist taking a fairly rootsy approach and avoiding the type of high-tech production gloss one typically heard in the 90's music scene. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the former group... *Inspiration for this classic hit from the late 60's came from the Boys Town community formed in 1917 by Catholic priest, Father Edward Flanagan in Omaha, Nebraska. How this ended up being a huge hit for a group of the British Invasion is even more intriguing. Name the band that recorded and released it in 1969 and extra credit for the name of the track... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Tell Me Why by Neil Young vs Love The One You’re With by Steven Stills ANSWERS 1 Beach Boys, I Can Hear Music 2. Jackson Browne, Looking East 3. Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac 4. The Hollies, He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother Battle of the Bands : Steven Stills won the Battle with 55% of the votes *We'll dip into an album from 1970 that was not initially considered a concept album, but became one. The track we'll play is a singsong celebration of small-town life down by the creek, with vivid characters, including an 84-year old grandma, some excellent piano and steel guitar. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album and the song...
*We'll play the first song ever recorded by this band in 1971 although it didn't actually show up until a couple of albums in.1975. Backing vocals came from outside the group by Flo and Eddie of the band, Turtles fame. It would have been easy to misinterpret the track as a playful kids;s song, but it actually was far from that. Name the band and extra credit for the name of the song... *The main songwriter of this British band who made their initial splash on the music scene in the 70's, actually wrote this song when he was a teenager, but did not record it until much later. He brought it to the band 5 years later. The track is a call to share your love with your fellow man. A favorite track to play at this band's concerts as the band noticed all the smiles and hugs in the audience whenever they did play it. Name the band and extra credit for the name of the song... *A double album by this duo (who came from a trio when they initially started back in 1968) came 28 years after their first album as a duo. It was also the final album of original material by any grouping of the original band. Name the artists...... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Dream Weaver by Gary Wright vs Guitar Man by Bread ANSWERS 1 Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, Country Comfort 2. Steely Dan, Everyone’s Gone To The Movies 3. Supertramp, Give A Little Bit 4. Crosby and Nash Battle of the Bands : Bread won the Battle By a single vote *A great song from 1974 showcased how this band incorporated elements of jazz into pop songs. The keyboard riff of this track was taken from 1964's Song For My Father, by jazz composer Horace Silver. In fact, the opening of both songs are nearly identical. The subject of this particular song is an acquaintance of the group's frontman from college. Name the band and extra credit for the name of the track...
*This artist's first single was a cover of a Ray Price country song in 1956 which went absolutely nowhere. That said, the artist was signed to Elvis Presley's label, Sun Records and produced his second single that became a rather large hit. His career was short-lived due to a 1958 situation. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of his 2nd single hit... *This artist was a British rail fitter until Beatles manager, Brian Epstein signed him in 1963, who quickly paired him with a band from Manchester. Epstein got them to record some songs written by Lennon and McCartney, one of the first that scored them a #2 U.K. hit. Name the band... *This unique British artist recorded a 1976 album despite a drug addiction and flirtation with fascism and black magic. The song we'll play was penned as a prayer to see him through this hard period in his life. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the track... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Goodbye Stranger by Supertramp vs Who Can It Be Now? by Men At Work ANSWERS 1 Steely Dan. Rickie Don’t Lose That Number 2. Jerry Lee Lewis. Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On 3. Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas 4. David Bowie. Word On A Wing Battle of the Bands : Supertramp won the Battle with 51% of the votes *With her expressive soprano voice employing sudden alterations of volume and force combined with her lyrical focus on Los Angeles street life, this artist came on like the love child of Laura Nyro and Tom Waits on her debut album in 1979. Crossing genres from folk, to rock to jazz I invite you to name the artist...
*The keyboard player of this Los Angeles group wrote this 1979 hit that was inspired by a 1971 movie, the first full-length film directed by George Lucas of Star Wars fame. The song became the first single and biggest hit from the band's 2nd album. Name the band and extra credit for the name of the track... *This American artist's concept for his 3rd solo album in 2006 was laid bare in its very title...more than hinting the record was made with the road in mind. The album down-shifts to a bit of bittersweet acoustic, but the opening track we'll enjoy inspires one to contemplate an upbeat road trip. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album and song... *An album also released in 2006 is very much a solo affair, fitting comfortably next to this fantastic artist's first two solo albums as a conclusion to what he considered a trilogy, the first of which concerned the past, the second concentrating on the future. This album...the present! Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream vs The Song is Over by The Who ANSWERS 1. Rickie Lee Jones 2. Toto, 99 3. Tom Petty, Highway Companion, Saving Grace 4. Donald Fagen, Morph The Cat Battle of the Bands : The Who won the Battle with 54% of the votes *In 1968, we got a concept album from this great band that contained a track exploring knowledge in a changing world. Written by the band's bass player, it was 1 of 2 singles released from the album and is actually so popular, it is played regularly as the final song during live performances. Oh and this British band add a lengthy keyboard and drum duet to it each time. Name the band and extra credit for the name of the song...
*This group produced a big hit in 1967 but did not write it. It was written and recorded by a member of the group, the New Vaudeville Band earlier that same year. While the original had very limited success, the next band's release became a WW hit, holding a #1 slot for 4 weeks. The song was also a mild hit for The Carpenters. Name the British band that made it #1 and extra credit for the name of the track... *This great artist's 23rd album released in 2016, found him reuniting with producer Glyn Johns who produced and guided his 1977 album. The album seemed to provide the same degree of weathered warmth as previous albums while blending covers of well-worn blues standards, some J.J. Cale and old pop standards and even a Bob Dylan chestnut. There were only 2 original tracks on the album. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album... *This U.S. artist created a mid-70's typhoon of classic albums and this follow-on album to his arguably most exceptional concept album was released in 1980. It found the artist in a different musical climate than the one that savored his every move from 1972 to 1977 as dance and new wave had slowly crept their way into the mainstream. Undaunted, he stayed true to what he did best. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the album... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Amanda by Boston vs Faithfully by Journey ANSWERS 1. The Moody Blues. Ride My See-Saw 2. Hermin’s Hermits There’s a Kind of Hush 3. Eric Clapton. I Still Do. Album 4. Stevie Wonder, Hotter Than July Battle of the Bands : Journey won the Battle by a single vote *With a rarely used Hammond B-3 organ (by this band) providing a key component to this excellent 1976 song, the message is inspirational and introspective, reminding us that time is always ticking away, so we'd better make the most of it. This California band formed in 1966 which centered the frontman and the band in the counterculture as America was ramping up the Vietnam war. Name the band and extra credit for the name of the song...
*We'll play a track designed to be the blockbuster that it was in 1973. This being the 3rd album by this artist, he had top ten hits from the previously released albums, but this album was truly a statement of purpose spilling out as a double LP. This release marked the artist as much an entertainer as a musician. Name the artist... *This long-term artist posed a question in her 2018 release...What if questions are the answers? She was and is a truly versatile singer with a clear, pure voice capable of tackling rock, pop, R&B, country and folk. Born in 1945 just outside of Nashville, she is part Cherokee Indian and first sang in the church where her father was a minister. Name the artist... *Riding high on back-to-back top 5 platinum hits, this artist quickly returned to the studio to record album #5. And in the eyes of any number of music critics (who agrees with them?) this 1982 album sounded like a tired band. While I'm not sure how that shows, well let's agree to disagree. At a time when MTV videos were becoming the rage, this video was pioneering. The song didn't start until over a minute into the clip. The video opening, inspired by the Mad Max films. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the track. BATTLE OF THE BANDS Tired of Waiting for You by Kinks vs You Showed Me by Turtles ANSWERS 1. Steve Miller Band, Fly Like An Eagle 2. Elton John 3. Rita Coolidge 4. Tom Petty, You Got Lucky Battle of the Bands : Turtles won the Battle with 51% of votes *We'll enjoy a track by a somewhat underappreciated rock & roll hero who has been living in New York's Greenwich Village since the early 1970's. Now in his mid-70's, he hasn't stopped rocking as he and his music have aged like fine wine. He, of all rockers, is most qualified to sing about the city that never sleeps. Name the artist...
*A song that was released in 1965 came from a band that had just toured the U.S. The tour did not go well and the band and frontman needed some recovery time. Back to the U.K and a vacation at the English resort town of Torquay, Devon the frontman went. Being recognized by another guest, he was invited to a round of golf...something he refused with great offense. He would not lend his celebrity identity to just anyone. Name the artist and band he fronted... *Following on the heels of an album where this artist repudiated his past with his greatest backing band, his 1975 album found himl, in a way, retreating to the past, recording a largely quiet, acoustic-based album. Forget nostalgia...this is the sound of an artist returning to his strengths, something familiar, accepting the human situation that included the breakdown of his marriage. Name the artist and extra credit for the title of the album... *This artist who gained much notoriety primarily in the 70's-80's loved the process of songwriting, something he did constantly. He never thought in terms of album cycles, preferring to continuously write songs and then record when he had enough of them ready. Born in Peoria, IL, this artist gained much inspiration in his teen years.in the solitude of the surrounding forests. Clive Davis then of Columbia Records signed the artist to a record deal in 1971. Name the artist... BATTLE OF THE BANDS If You Could read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot vs I Just Wanna Stop by Gino Vanelli ANSWERS 1. Willie Nile 2. Ray Davies, Kinks 3. Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks 4. Dan Fogelberg Battle of the Bands : Gordon Lightfoot won the Battle with 51% of votes *A generation-spanning guitar hero, this artist wasn't out of grade school when some of his best-known collaborators were at the peak of their fame, but he has earned a powerful reputation for his fiery guitar work steeped in blues and Southern rock traditions. In 1988, he joined a band that would absolutely fortify his Southern rock sway. Name the artist...
*Back in the early stages of Eagles, this artist would often hang around with the band, but also spent a great deal of time writing songs. But when he went off the radar, he all but disappeared. 24 years later the artist came out with an album showcasing his lifelong love of jazz and pop standards. Name the artist... *In the early 70's, this artist was just sitting at home in his cheap apartment, sitting at the table when he came up with a verse, chorus and lyrics. A sort of trance feeling of paradise prompted him to pace his apartment, repeating the chorus and he thought...this is really cool! The song became a huge hit on his eponymous-named 1970 album. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the song... *In 1966, this most excellent songwriter and leader of his band began work on a new LP which was intended as the ultimate pop/progressive/psychedelic record. Many of the vocal and instrumental tracks were recorded, but the project was abandoned in 1967 due to accumulated pressures. It was accorded the status as the most legendary unreleased album of all time. Many finally heard the songs on a bootlegged 1980 release. Name the artist and the band. Extra credit for the name of the album... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Make Me Smile by Chicago vs Jesus Is Just Alright by Doobie Brothers ANSWERS 1. Warren Haynes 2. J.D. Souther 3. Christopher Cross. Sailing 4. Brian Wilson. The Beach Boys Album…SMILE Battle of the Bands : Chicago won the Battle with 54% of votes *With a rhythmic salsa beat and distinctive horns, this artist's song quickly became a fan favorite. It describes a dream sequence that the artist had as a teenager of being a rock star. A quite late listen to his radio as he fell asleep led to a dream about walking down the street and then playing lead guitar in a band. The artist was a teen in his 60's and he did what many teens did back then with this 1981 song citing marijuana use. Name the artist and extra credit for the name of the song...
*This popular duo back in the 70's both hailed from Texas. They were both members of a kind of 1-hit wonder band in the late 50's, early 60's, but when that group dissolved in 1965, they worked with various other artists until they decided to go on as a duo, releasing their first album together in 1969. Their first hit single appeared on their 4th album in 1972. That started a string of rather large hits. Name the duo and extra credit for the name of their first hit... *After a great, but very brief run with a band this artist founded, he kicked around doing session collaboration work prior to starting a solo career. His 1994 album is a mostly instrumental collection of tracks on which the artist played organ, piano and the occasional guitar. This album, largely held as his best, in many ways conjured up distant relations to his old band's excellent album back in the late 60's. Name the artist. Extra credit for the name of the band he started back in the day... *A band who expertly mixed sweet and satisfying melodies with potent guitar crunch back in the late 60's were one of the best and most celebrated precursors to the power pop movement of the 70's. After the band broke up due to any number of problems, two of the members continued playing together in another band. Elektra records eventually approached that band and told them they'd sign them for a record deal, but they had to change their name back to their old band name. Name the band... BATTLE OF THE BANDS Old Time Rock & Roll by Bob Seger vs Centerfield by John Fogerty ANSWERS 1. Paul Simon Late In The Evening 2. Seals And Crofts Summer Breeze 3. Al Kooper Blood, Sweat & Tears 4. Badfinger Battle of the Bands : Bob Seger won the Battle with 54% of votes |
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