WELCOME BACK TO BATTLE OF BANDS!
BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB), hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. is where you listen to different recordings of the same song and vote for the one you like best.
Two “Battles” per month, on the 1st and 15th. Votes will be tallied and posted the following week. (Please note: Effective July 2017, some of us switched to once a month on the 15th. Others may opt to continue with twice a month.) See below for further details.
Here’s another old folk song that became something else:
HISTORY
“Misirlou” is a traditional song from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The earliest known recording of the song is a 1927 Greek rebetik/tsifteteli composition influenced by Middle Eastern music.
There are also traditional Arabic (belly dancing), Armenian, Persian, Indian, and Turkish versions of the song. It was a hit in 1946 for Jan August, an American pianist and xylophonist.
The song gained worldwide popularity through Dick Dale’s 1962 American surf rock version, originally titled “Miserlou”. Various interpretations have since been recorded, including other surf and rock versions by bands such as the Beach Boys, the Ventures, Consider the Source, and the Trashmen.
Dale’s surf rock version later gained renewed popularity when director Quentin Tarantino used it in his 1994 film Pulp Fiction, and again when it was sampled in the Black Eyed Peas song “Pump It” (2006).
The Martin Denny cover also helped the song re-surge in popularity, when it was sampled in the Season 2 episode of Mad Men, “The Jet Set”.
A cover of Dale’s surf rock version was included on the Guitar Hero II video game released in 2006. – WIKIPEDIA
Background info only. Now, on to the actual contest…
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SANTO & JOHNNY
Santo & Johnny were an American rock and roll duo from Brooklyn, New York, formed by brothers Santo and Johnny Farina. They are known best for their instrumental melody “Sleep Walk“, one of the biggest hits of the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll, which became a regional success and eventually scored the top of the Billboard pop chart when it was released nationally in 1959.
“Misirlou” is the B-side of a single, called “Tokyo Twilight”, released in 1963. Orchestration was by Hugo Montenegro, of Spaghetti Western music fame.
VS
WILLIAM JOSEPH, CAROLINE CAMPBELL, TINA GUO
In 2016, three musicians got together to record a stunning cover of “Misirlou”, and released it as a single in May of that year.
Classical crossover violinist Caroline Campbell and pop pianist/composer William Joseph give the exotic Miserlou a dare devilish twist, featuring rock cellist Tina Guo.
The trio exclusively debuts Yamaha’s newest electric violin, the YEV, and also features Yamaha’s legendary C7 grand piano and Tina’s custom Yamaha electric cello.
VOTE NOW!
Please state your preference in comments below and why you chose it.
Voting remains open until 11:59 pm EDT July 21st,
after which I will count the votes, add mine and publish the results.
These are the other BOTB regulars and semi-regulars.
Please cruise on by their sites and, if they have a post up, vote on their selections as well:
[Check back – there’s no set posting time]Angels Bark / Cherdo On The Flipside / Curious as a Cathy / Jingle Jangle Jungle / Mike’s Ramblings / Sound of One Hand Typing / HOST: StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands / Tossing it Out
As always, “Sharing is Caring”. Spread this musical joy all over your social networks.
Hashtags are #BOTB and #dogladysden
Battle of the Bands #BOTB: MISIRLOU - Who did it better? Cast your vote! #dogladysden Share on X
Next Battle on this site will be August 15th.
ROCK ON!
♫♪♫ Rockchick Rapture! ♫♪♫
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
17 thoughts on “MISIRLOU | BATTLE OF THE BANDS #BOTB”
This one was close I like the 60s vibe of the first one, but the classical one wa awesome and earned my vote!
Happy weekend Debbie! I’m just getting started this morning and I’m so looking forward to having a laid-back weekend. I have a little bit of a break. It’s been dog-crazy around here for several weeks…seemed like Christmas around here with so many dogs. But this weekend I only have two boarders so four total with my two guys. What a difference in the energy level: three lazy greyhounds and a senior Jack Russell Terrier, who is a new boarder here. She just arrived last night. She’s a cutie and pretty mellow for a Jack Russell, although still quick and lively, just not like a youngin’ 🙂 The first Jack Russell I ever sat was wild crazy, bouncing around and running along the top of the couches. Within a half hour of his owners leaving here, he had chewed holes in every single dog bed! This little one here now, Moxie, is nothing like Wishbone, God rest his sweet little soul…
Anyway, it’s so mellow. After everyone finishes their after-breakfast naps, I’m going to fill the pool up and see if any are interested in taking a dip. So ungodly hot here. Supposed to be 107 today!
Anyway, the mellow mood was a perfect setting to enjoy your battle. The music is awesome. I listened to all of the versions you presented. I can see why it was included in Pulp Fiction (which, ironically, I happened to catch the last 15 minutes of just the other day as I was channel surfing).
To me, this is a “transportational” song (not sure if that’s even a word). It kind of picks me up and takes me away, to another place, another time.
I liked Santo & Johnny’s version but the Caroline Campbell/William Joseph/Tina Guo trio blew me away. I’m on my fourth time listening to it. It’s incredibly powerful. And you may remember me sharing my love of the electric violin by way of Omar Lopez just recently (he was in the Red edition of my color series). Caroline’s masterful violin playing coupled with the exotic sound of Tina’s electric cello and William on that grand piano, well, it’s a masterpiece! LOVE IT!
Thanks for a fabulous musical experience this morning…
Have a great weekend,
Michele at Angels Bark
I love Santo and Johnny because it had more Oomph! I love this song and they designed the song where I could hear some Greek style. I love classical but William et al just didn’t do much for me so Santo it is!
Thanks for coming over to vote, Birgit. Happy to see Santo and Johnny get another vote. 🙂
Debbie,
What a great song to use in a battle! Both are fabulous covers but I really, really liked contender #2 in this round. I’m definitely going to visit YT to see what else I can find by this trio. Give my vote to WILLIAM JOSEPH, CAROLINE CAMPBELL, TINA GUO! 🙂
Thanks for coming by, Cathy. 🙂 Your vote for William, Caroline & Tina is duly noted.
I’ve heard this song probably my whole life, but I never knew the name until the song was used in Pulp Fiction.
The version by the trio is indeed stunning–even amazing. I like the instrumentation, arrangement–the whole package.
However the Santo and Johnny take is fantastic. There is a haunting sound to it. I’m voting old school for Santo and Johnny.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Oh yay! Thanks for breaking the shutout, Arlee! Santo & Johnny finally get a vote. 🙂
I’m a huge fan of Tina Guo, so that would be reason enough to go with Joseph and Campbell, but also their version seemed fuller. Santo & Johnny’s version was a little thin. That’s probably due to more primitive recording and production methods when S&J released their record (as I recall, the sound wasn’t too good on “Sleepwalk,” either), but it detracted from the listening experience,.
I really enjoyed hearing the Greek orginal of it!
Thanks for your vote. I guess it’s not a great idea to use recordings from different eras; the modern ones will always sound better. That’s another one for William, Caroline and Tina. She is good!
Sleepwalk was always a favorite of mine, and it was neat to hear Santo and Johnny do this. But you can tell when a song is closer to its roots, and I think the newer version hits that. Plus, old ELO fans will always tend towards the string section, lol! So the second version gets my vote.
ELO; there’s a connection I didn’t think of, here. Makes sense! 🙂 William, Caroline & Tina have a decisive lead, now. Thanks for voting!
This was a pretty close Battle for me, DEBBIE — I listened to both recordings twice. (Good idea not using Dick Dale, as I feel he pretty much owns this one.)
I like the percussion in the Santo & Johnny version. Unfortunately, it just sort of fades off into nothing at the end. It could have used some sort of “finish” or “conclusion”.
I’m going to cast my vote for the second recording, primarily on the strength of the piano. I felt the keyboards gave it a nice, extra texture that fleshed it out and made it sound more layered.
I enjoyed both of them, however. Good song choice!
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents ‘Battle Of The Bands’
Hi Stephen; I’m glad you enjoyed the battle; even better that it was tough to choose! 🙂 Dick Dale would have wiped the floor with any competitor, for sure. Who wants a shutout? 😛 Hahaha! This could be one, as well, though. Second vote for William and co. Thanks!
This is a fascinating battle, Debbie! I’m sorry I haven’t yet made it around to your other post from this week – it’s been crazy time for me. Am hoping to have some time to spare soon where I can make my rounds to everyone that I missed.
I felt a stronger connection with your second contender in this battle, so my vote today goes to WILLIAM JOSEPH, CAROLINE CAMPBELL, TINA GUO.
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Hi Mary; I’m glad you enjoyed the battle. 🙂 No worries about the other posts. The Blogosphere tends to slow down a lot in summer. First vote goes to William, Caroline & Tina. Thanks!