The Creative Outlet of StratPlayer: August 2014

Friday, August 29, 2014

Loose Ends: BOTB Results, Seven-Tag, Newsday, and More

Hey all!

Due to my always-hectic schedule, it was again looking like I was not going to get a new post made between my last Battle of the Bands (BOTB) post and the next one coming up in just a few days (September 1st), but I managed to squeeze in some time.

And there are several quick things I want to offer you:

Battle of the Bands Results

First is to summarize the results from my last BOTB post:

I admit I was at least a little bit surprised. I really like the Red Hot Chili Peppers' version of "Higher Ground" and I was expecting a halfway decent showing for them in the voting. But this ended up being a battle where the original by Stevie Wonder ran away with it.

I guess this is a case where the cover version is good, but not quite good enough. But that's what I get for picking a Stevie Wonder song. I mean, I love the RHCP's vibe, all the fun guitar parts added, and Flea does fabulous on the bass, but in the end, I have to agree with the vast majority: Stevie Wonder's version is THE version of "Higher Ground." There are very few artists who can top Stevie Wonder, and that's evident in this song: Every note, every phrase, and every beat come together to make a fabulous recording, and with my vote Stevie ends up winning this battle by a dominant 9 votes to 1.

Come back on Labor Day Monday for my next BOTB post (it's already written and queued up) -- I'll reveal "the secret guitarist" in one of my favorite songs and ask you to choose what version is better. I'm interested to see if this next battle also ends up being a one-sided run-away.

Tagged to Give Seven

I was tagged on Facebook by my buddy DL Hammons as one of seven writers. The task is to:

Go to the seventh page of your current WIP

Go to the seventh line on that page

Take the seven lines beginning with that line and share them

Well, OK... I have several WIPs at the moment, but the most recent thing I've worked on is a science-fiction short story that seems to think it wants to become a novel. Here are the required seven lines:

=====
     "I realize you consider these negotiations as crucial," he said, "but you have to understand that you're gaining nothing with your impatience. You've just made a huge tactical error by presenting your offer too soon. Now it will take even longer for them to eventually accept it."
     She glared at him. "But you don't understand. I don't have time for these games. I need these negotiations finished as soon as possible. You need to help me get this done. That is why you are here."
     Corvan snorted. "No, Ambassador. I am here because my ship is in your cruiser's cargo bay and you're holding my crew prisoner."
=====

So there you go. I was also asked to tag seven other writers, but I'm respectfully going to decline. It's fun to take part, but this is one ripple I'm not sending downstream. But if you're a writer and have an interest in taking part, you're free to consider this a blanket tag.

WRiTE Club

Speaking of DL Hammons, let me remind you all that his WRiTE Club 2014 is still underway and is nearing the point where the third-round winners are chosen. If you have not voted in this contest of awesome anonymous writers, please do so! You have until Noon on Sunday August 31st to do so -- you can visit the nine bouts currently open for voting at DL's web site. Nothing is required for you to vote other than to add a comment, and every vote counts!

New Newsday Twist

Finally -- since this supposed to be a blog about my creative output -- let me offer you a short writing snippet.

Over the course of this blog, I've done several "Newsday Two-Hundred" postings where I take an item in the news and generate a 200-word piece of writing about it. They're fun to do, and I'll probably do more in the future, but today, I decided to add a twist.

I still start with a recent news item, but I'll limit myself not to 200 hundred words, but to a word-count determined by the headline. For instance, if the headline has ten words, I'll write ten lines of ten words each; if the headline has six words, I'll only write six lines of six words each. Also, the headline words will still be in each line, in the correct position.

Get it? Well, if not, maybe it will make more sense once I show you one.

HERE's the link to the news item I'm using for today's inspiration, which has the following headline:

"Human skull donated to Goodwill store in Texas"

Okay. That's eight words, so I'll write eight lines of eight words, using those headline words in the proper order. Oh -- and why not make it rhyme? See what you think:

=====

Human beings can be very odd at times:
A skull discovered, but not left from crimes.

It was donated by someone no longer living;
Using another person to do the actual giving.

Not a product that Goodwill tends to carry,
although what's sold in each store does vary.

'Tis a sad case of charity in excess:
Someone was dying to be generous in Texas.
=====

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Friday, August 15, 2014

Battle of the Bands: "Higher Ground"

Today is August 15th -- that means it's time for the "Battle of the Bands (BOTB)." This is a fun blogging event that allows people to discover, discuss, and dissect music. It was originally started by Stephen T. McCarthy and FarAwayEyes back in August of 2013, and occurs twice every month -- on the 1st and the 15th. Each of the bloggers taking part offers their readers a choice of two (or occasionally more) versions of the same song, performed by different recording artists. And then the readers get to vote for their favorite rendition.

But -- as has been known to happen -- I haven't been able to post in a while, so before I go on to today's battle, I still have to give the results from my LAST Battle of the Bands post.

8/1/2014 BOTB Results

The last battle featured two versions of "Sensitive Kind" -- by Santana and by the original composer, JJ Cale. It started out looking like it was going to be a run-away by Santana, but eventually enough JJ Cale votes trickled in to make it competitive. I understand the appeal of Santana's version -- it's got a lot going for it, and I do enjoy it. It's a great rendition with powerful singing and Santana's powerful guitar playing.

But here's the thing -- in my opinion, this song isn't meant to be powerful. It's a song about sensitivity, compassion, and gently making a sensual connection with a woman who's been burned before. There's no call for screaming guitars or vocals in this song. I just think the song works so much better when it's soft and understated, and JJ's version delivers that.

So I vote for JJ, not that it matters. In the end, Santana's power overcomes, and he wins by a narrow majority, with 7 votes to JJ's 6.

However, if you're interested, HERE's a video of JJ Cale performing the song live at Carnegie Hall, during the band's tour in 1996. The video production is a little distracting, but this gives a great example of how sensual this song can be, and just how well JJ did it without all the studio orchestration.

Now Let the NEW Battle Begin!

Today again, I have another song that I like BOTH versions of -- I think these make for the best battles. And this is another bout where I'm eager to see what YOU think!

In 1973, Stevie Wonder released his 16th studio album, Innervisions, three days before he was nearly killed while riding in a car that collided with a log-carrying truck. The album had several hits, including "Living for the City", "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing", and the first song released, "Higher Ground."

"Higher Ground" was preformed entirely by Stevie -- he sang and played all the instruments including drums, with a bass line done on an early Moog synthesizer. The beat is infectious and funky; the groove smooth and steady; the playing impeccable; and the lyrics spiritual and optimistic, seeking growth even amid lines of war and lying politicians. It is a song that gets you moving -- both dancing AND thinking.

Here's the original, as recorded by Stevie Wonder:

In 1989, The Red Hot Chili Peppers recovered from singer Anthony Kledis's rehab, the departure of drummer Jack Irons, and the overdose death of guitarist Hillel Slovak to record their fourth album, "Mother's Milk." With new drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante, the album had much more commercial success than their previous ones, lifted in part by MTV's heavy rotation of their cover of "Higher Ground."

Where the Stevie Wonder version was smooth keyboard-driven funk, the Peppers took that funk, kicked it in the ass, and merged it with Punk attitude, Rock drums, hard-edged distorted guitars, and Flea's throbbing, pulsating bass playing. The Chili Peppers were no strangers to funk -- George Clinton had produced the band's second album, "Freaky Styley" in 1985. But while Stevie Wonder's funk tickled your heart, the Peppers punched you in the gut with it.

Here's the RHCP version of "Higher Ground:"

Your Vote

So which appeals to you more? Smooth and funky, or hard-edged and funky? Do you like your funk groove straight, or do you want it mixed with equal parts punk and rock?

I invite you to listen to each version and give them a chance. And try not to focus on the video images (close your eyes if you must) -- the battle is about the music, not the video production.

After listening, please vote in the comments as to which version you think is best, or which speaks to you the deepest. Feel free to also share as much as you would like about how any of the above recordings strike you, even if it's less than positive.

Then -- be sure to check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

Thank you very much for listening and for voting -- come back and visit again the end of next week to find out how the voting has gone. I'll make a post then with my own vote and also announce the winner.

And in the meantime -- be sure to keep on reachin' for that higher ground!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Battle of the Bands: "Sensitive Kind"

I'm Back...

During the end of last year and the first part of 2014, I took part in several posts for the blogging event known as the "Battle of the Bands (BOTB)." This is a fun way to discover, discuss, and dissect music, and was originally started by Stephen T. McCarthy and FarAwayEyes back in August of 2013. The event occurs twice every month -- on the 1st and the 15th -- and each of the bloggers taking part offers their readers a choice of two (or occasionally more) versions of the same song, performed by different recording artists. And then the readers get to vote for their favorite rendition.

I really enjoyed putting together the few BOTB posts I did, but as 2014 started, I had less and less time to blog, and so I stepped aside from it after only a short while. But today, I would like to once again take part. I can't guarantee that I will be able to do this on a consistent basis, but I had so much fun voting on the last BOTB posts from July 15th, I wanted to join in on this one.

One of the things that lured me back to taking part in the BOTB posts is that last time two of the BOTB posters, Stephen T, McCarthy and DiscConnected, both featured Santana songs in their battles. Well, I immediately thought of another Santana song that I wanted to do, and it inspired me to come back and take part in this BOTB to highlight it before anyone else took it. ;)

Let the Battle Begin

Santana, with singer Alex Ligertwood, released the album Zebob in 1981. It had a hit -- "Winning." It's a great song, although it always sounded to me like Santana's doing something that could be a Steve Winwood song. Carlos Santana's guitar has a single-coil, treble-y Strat sound -- nothing like his normal screaming tone -- and the tune sounds like it would be perfectly at home on Arc of a Diver.

But the song that always grabbed me from Zebob was "Sensitive Kind". Wonderful groove, fabulous singing, touching lyrics. and there's that expected screamin' Santana-tone guitar, including a scorchin' lead break.

Here's the video of Santana's Zebob album cut of "Sensitive Kind:"

Great song, isn't it? But here's the deal -- Santana didn't write this song. It's a cover.

The original composer was a guy named J.J. Cale. If you've ever heard Eric Clapton do the songs "After Midnight" or "Cocaine," you've heard songs written and performed originally by J.J. Cale. Also "Call Me the Breeze," covered by Lynyrd Skinner; "Clyde," covered by Waylon Jennings; and "Travelin' Light," covered by Widespread Panic (and others).

J.J. Cale had a career of over 50 years and 15 albums well outside the spotlight of commercial success. The highest-charting song he had with him actually recording it was "Crazy Mama" in 1972 -- it peaked at #22. But he was greatly admired and appreciated by countless musicians.

He released his fifth album in 1979, appropriately but minimally entitled 5. It was a wonderful collection of short, smooth songs of the Okie and rootsy blend of jazz, blues, rockabilly, country, and soul JJ Cale is famous for, and it remains my favorite J.J. Cale album. This album also had his song "Sensitive Kind." It's a very different vibe in J.J.'s version. Slower, intimate, and much more sensitive. It's also kind of a unusual song for J.J. in that it features strings and horns on top of his usual mellow, soulful singing and sensual guitar playing. But see what you think.

Here's the original version of "Sensitive Kind" as done by J.J. Cale:

Your Vote

So which appeals to you more?

I invite you to listen to each version and give them a chance. After listening, please vote in the comments as to which version you think is best, or which speaks to you the deepest. Feel free to also share as much as you would like about how any of the above recordings strike you, even if it's less than positive.

Then -- be sure to check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

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