Happy 2016 and welcome to another edition of
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
It’s nice to be back. I’ve missed you all!
BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB), hosted by Far Away Series and 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. (See below for further details.)
#BOTB Battle of the Bands: ENTER SANDMAN. Who did it better? Come on over and cast your vote! #dogladysden Share on X
Here’s something a little different! 😀
To spice it up, we have three contenders from different genres: metal, jazz and bluegrass
ENTER SANDMAN
HISTORY:
“Enter Sandman” is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the first single from their fifth album, “Metallica” in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child’s nightmares.
The single achieved platinum certification for more than 1,000,000 copies shipped in the United States, spurring sales of over 30 million copies and propelling Metallica to worldwide popularity. Acclaimed by critics, the song is featured in all of Metallica’s live albums and DVDs released after 1991 and has been played live at award ceremonies and benefit concerts. – Wikipedia
For the first time, I’m including the original artist as part of the contest. Here we go!
METALLICA
METALLICA is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. So far, there have been nine studio albums, four live albums, five extended plays, 26 music videos, and 37 singles. The band has won eight Grammy Awards and five of its albums have consecutively debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The band’s eponymous 1991 album has sold over 16 million copies in the United States, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. “Enter Sandman” is the first track:
VS
PAT BOONE
Charles Eugene “PAT” BOONE (born in Jacksonville, Florida on June 1, 1934) is an American singer, composer, actor, writer, television personality, motivational speaker, and spokesman. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s, who sold over 45 million albums, had 38 Top 40 hits and appeared in more than 12 Hollywood films. In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of heavy metal covers, sung in a jazz/big band style. He succeeded in propelling the album onto the Billboard record charts (making it Boone’s first hit album in 35 years), but it did not please some of his longtime supporters who consider the heavy metal genre in bad taste, or worse. (!!Say what??! 😮 ) “Enter Sandman” is the seventh track:
VS
IRON HORSE
IRON HORSE is a Bluegrass band from Alabama. They are known for performing and recording bluegrass cover versions of rock songs, particularly their treatments of heavy metal songs popularized by Metallica. “Enter Sandman” is the third track from their 2001 album “Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica”.:
VOTE NOW!
Please state your preference in comments below and why you chose it.
Click on your preference here too:
▼
Voting remains open until midnight, Jan. 21st, ET,
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 / Book Lover / Cherdo On The Flipside / Curious as a Cathy / DC Relief BOTB / Far Away Series** / Holli’s Hoots & Hollers / J.A. Scott / Janie Junebug Righting & Editing / Jingle Jangle Jungle / Mike’s Ramblings / Novel Brews / Quiet Laughter / Sound of One Hand Typing / StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands** / Tossing It Out / / Your Daily Dose
**HOSTS
As always, “Sharing is Caring”. Spread this musical joy all over your social networks.
Hashtag is #BOTB
Until next time.
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!
47 thoughts on “ENTER SANDMAN – BATTLE OF THE BANDS #BOTB”
Debbie, what fun! I’d never realized how garbled the lyrics were in the original until I heard these two alternatives 😀 My vote goes to Metallica — of course — but I loved-loved-loved the bluegrass version (I’ll be looking these guys up!). Pat Boone’s… well, suffice it to say it’s what I’d expect to hear in a department store 😀 (And my mom would kill me if she knew I’d said this… She was a little bit in love with Mr. Boone 😉 )
Excellent, excellent battle!
Hi, Guilie; Who knew a metal song could sound so good as a bluegrass tune, yes? I was pleasantly surprised as well. Metallica gets the final vote. I think a lot of moms were in love with Pat Boone. He does have a nice smile. 🙂
I logged my vote for Iron Horse. I think you’ve already discerned I’m not much of a heavy metal fan. I find Pat Boone’s album very funny (in a good way). I think it’s wonderful that he’s taken all of those metal songs and put his own spin on them. Iron Horse was a delightful surprise. Never heard of them, but I enjoyed their arrangement very much!
Hi, Robin; Iron Horse was a pleasant surprise for many, it seems. 🙂 Thanks for your vote.
I vote for Metallica. Pat Boone sounds stupid. The bluegrass sounds dopey. If lots of people start using three songs, it’s going to take a lot of time to listen to everyone’s post. I don’t want to be critical, but I prefer it if we stick to two songs. My time is limited as it is.
Love,
Janie
Hi, Janie; I’ve never used three songs before and it was a one-time exception. Sorry, you’re unhappy about it. We are all in the same boat with other things to do, but there’s plenty of time until the 21st. I thought these battles were supposed to be fun, not a chore! 🙂 Thanks for your vote. Metallica gets another one. Have a good rest of the week!
Metallica get’s my vote but all three were fun! Pat Boone and Iron Horse take the song to new places and do an excellent job.
Hi, Mike; Rack up another one for Metallica! 🙂 You’re one of the few who liked Pat Boone’s version, but Iron Horse got a lot of votes as well. Cheers!
OK, I HAVE TO BE HONEST; I’M SO FAR BEHIND ON EVERYTHING AND THERE ARE SO MANY BOTB CONTESTANTS THAT THESE THREE-WAYS ARE BOGGING ME DOWN. TO BE FAIR i DECIDED i WOULD LISTEN TO A MINUTE AND A HALF OF EACH. iT TOOK EVERY OUNCE OF PATIENCE FOR ME TO MAKE IT THAT LONG WITH THE METALLICA AND PAT BOONE VERSIONS, BUT WHEN IT CAME TO IRON HORSE, i FOUND THE SONG HAD FINISHED BEFORE i KNEW IT. GUESS WHO I’M VOTING FOR. YEP, GIVE IT TO IRON HORSE.
I hadn’t noticed other three-ways, but in any case, there’s still three days left. This is the first time I’ve done one and it was an exception. Sorry you’re unhappy about it, but no need to yell. 😉 (Or, are the caps inadvertent?) These contests are supposed to be fun, not stressful. Thanks for persevering. Another vote for Iron Horse. Have a good week!
You are absolutely correct that this was the only three-way BATTLE this time. My comment was intended to discourage them from happening at all. In one recent BATTLE we had a four or five way. YIKES! But, no matter this is only my opinion and at the end of the day that only really matters to me.
What I really came back to say, was that the CAPS, was not an attempt to yell (I know that’s how it looks), but simply my being to lazy to go back and edit the comment, when I finally noticed the caps lock was on.
These BATTLES are intended to be fun (at least that was my intention when I started this whole thing), and everyone, of course, allowed to decide for themselves exactly what having fun should/does mean. Hope you are enjoying yourself.
Hi, FAE; Four or five would definitely be overkill and even three on a frequent basis might be unwieldy, given the number of participants. This was an exception for me and not the norm. As for the caps, I had a hunch they might have been inadvertent and was trying to make light of it. I think BOTB is lots of fun and, spread over a 7 day period, not too difficult to participate in. Thanks for starting it up and for coming back to reply. 🙂 Cheers!
I just have to give this one to Pat Boone. He’s made a career of singing songs no one would expect a clean-cut Evangelical in white bucks would sing.
Hi, John; Yours is the first vote for Pat and I’m sure he would thank you if he knew. 🙂 I’m truly surprised that anyone likes his rendition of this heavy metal classic, though. Thanks for dropping in.
I’ve always liked this song, so I have to go with Metalica. but if the contest were between Boone and Iron Horse, I would have chosen Iron Horse. The Pat Boone version belongs on Dr. Demento. :p
Hahaha! “Dr. Demento” sounds about right. Poor old Pat just isn’t cutting it, is he? 😀 Thanks for your vote, Jeffrey. Metallica, it is!
Hi Debbie,
Hearing Metallica do the Enter Sandman brought back so many memories for me of growing up. I went to their concert in my twenties and that was their big hit back then. Loved the concert. They got my vote.
Have a great week Debbie. Stay warm.
Irish
I’m SO jealous, Irish! Metallica is the one band on my concert bucket list that hasn’t been crossed off yet! Everybody else comes to Toronto, but not them. 🙁 It must have been a magical night. Thanks for your vote. Keeping warm will be challenging this week – major cold spell coming up. Oh well, spring will get here, eventually. You have a good week too.
DEBBIE ~
Myke Todd’s comment made me laugh:
“You LIght Up My Life” which was No. 1 on the Billboard Charts for 157 consecutive weeks… okay, more like 7 consecutive weeks, but it seemed longer.
I couldn’t agree more!
I got exactly 2:21 into the Metallica original when my mind finally said: Enough! This is noise and you KNOW it!
I’ve never really known what to make of that Pat Boone album. Was he being serious? Or was this supposed to be some odd joke? If the latter, well then it wasn’t funny if I had to ask whether or not it was a joke. And the sight of Pat Boone wearing an earring makes me want to urp!
I will say though that the featured sax player in the Pat Boone recording was damned good! That guy had some serious chops and played some interesting licks! It’s too bad it was wasted on a silly recording with a decent Big Band that sounded very “canned”. It was all just TOO stereotyped – except for that saxophone player! His noteworthy talent was sadly applied to this recording session.
The Bluegrass version by IRON HORSE was surprisingly good! Our dear friend Dixie Pigtail Polka nailed it when she wrote: “[M]y vote for Iron Horse – they rode that thing hard!”
I like Bluegrass exactly the way I like Reggae: Once in awhile and in small doses. I could never make it all the way through an entire Reggae or Bluegrass album, but to hear a good recording from either of those genres every so often, I do genuinely enjoy it.
An easy vote for those who rode hard: IRON HORSE.
~ D-FensDogG
‘Loyal American Underground’
Hi, Stephen; I think most of us agree that “You Light Up My Life” was flogged to death, but not soon enough. 😛
One person’s “noise” is another one’s “symphony” – all subjective. The song did sell 30 million copies.
I always thought Pat Boone’s album was meant as a joke, but apparently, he was serious. Forced myself to listen again and you’re right. The sax player was the best thing about that recording!
Iron Horse surprised a few people; especially those not into bluegrass. Your vote for them is duly noted. This is turning into a two-pony show. No love for poor old Pat, it seems. Oh Well!
Pat Boone: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Iron Horse: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Metallica: Got the vote!
Not a tought one this time, for sure! 😉
That’s one more emphatic vote for Metallica. Thanks, Cherdo. This could be a close one, except for poor old Pat Boone. Nobody likes him, so far. 🙂
Oh wow all 3 are so different. I am not a heavy metal fan (sorry Shady:)) but I can appreciate the way they created this song. I didn’t mind the big band style but NOOOOOOOOOO-Hahahaaa Pat Boone was ok at the beginning but I started to cringe more and more and when he started saying the prayer with the little kid it just felt creepy. I started having nightmares of the Lawrence Welk show all dressed up for some S & M. That leaves Blue Grass which I could listen to more than once. I liked the banjo and their style of this song so they get my vote
Hi, Birgit; S & M Lawrence Welk – there’s a mental image! 😀 I had a hunch you wouldn’t care for the original. Your vote for Iron Horse is duly noted. This could be a close battle, but so far, poor old Pat has been shut out.
Couldn’t even listen to Pat Boone past the first few notes. It was just a NOOOOOO! Iron Horse is a bit better, and I’d probably listen to them – I think I have – with other songs. Apocalyptica is the only group that could give Metallica a decent battle with this song. Metallica is the only vote here for me.
Now I have to go clean Pat out of my ears. Uck.
Thanks for stopping by to vote, Donna. Yes, Apocalyptica does a great instrumental version of Enter Sandman. 🙂 Your vote for Metallica is duly noted.
I guess Shady summed it up fairly well; saying that heavy metal just doesn’t transfer well, if at all. Cool battle, though.
It was interesting to hear the (vastly) different versions and my choice for Iron Horse is because someone played a mean joke telling Pat Boone he should sing it, and the first version was a bit disturbing. (Perhaps it was meant to be?)
Way to take on a double-dog dare! 🙂
Hi, Diedre; Metal is a tricky genre and I would agree it doesn’t often translate well. It’s a song about a child’s nightmares, so “disturbing” is probably what Metallica was going for. 🙂 I thought Pat Boone made that album as a joke, but apparently, he was serious. 😛 Your vote for Iron Horse gives them a good lead. Thanks and have a good weekend.
Debbie, Metallica didn’t get my vote (that comes as no surprise, eh?) nor did Pat Boone (I like Pat best doing soft rock or gospel music). But, I loved how Iron Horse pulled this typically heavy metal song off. They won me over instantly! Nice battle!
Hi, Cathy; I had a hunch Metallica wouldn’t get your vote. 😀 Iron Horse did a great job, for sure. Your vote is added to their growing lead. Thanks and have a good weekend.
This is an easy one… Iron Horse, without a doubt. Vance Henry is an above average singer and guitar player; the rest of the band is solid. This features a unique harmony blend.
A word about Pat Boone… Legend has it, when I was brought home from the hospital, after having been born, my Dad put me in his lap, and we watched The Ozark Jubilee, hosted by the great Red Foley. They say that had an impact on me being so much of a music fan, for life… Red Foley’s daughter, Shirley, married Pat Boone… Also, they had four daughters, one of whom was Debbie. She is well known for recording “You LIght Up My Life” which was No. 1 on the Billboard Charts for 157 consecutive weeks… okay, more like 7 consecutive weeks, but it seemed longer.
My favorite Metallica cover was “Fuel” by Avril Lavigne, but you probably already knew that.
Hi, Myke; Your vote for Iron Horse is duly noted. Thanks for sharing that interesting story; “Six degrees of Pat Boone”. 🙂 I remember Debby (different spelling) Boone’s treacly song and even liked it for awhile until they played it to death on the radio. 😛
As I’m not exactly an Avril Lavigne fan, I was unaware she did a Metallica cover, so I went searching for it. Wow! New respect! Nice job, Avril. 🙂
Wow! Metallica and I don’t engage on this song, though I do like some of their other stuff.
Take away Pat Boone, and leave the big band – I’d play it, at least, one more time.
Blue-grass sems to be my choice then > my vote for Ironhorse – they rode that thing hard! 🙂
Hi, Dixie; “Take away Pat Boone”. I’d like to! LOL Iron Horse gave it their all, didn’t they? Thanks for your vote. Iron Horse get another one! 🙂
Interesting battle. I sometimes like it when a song can be played across different genres. I’ve mentioned in the past that I didnt care for Metallica. Not because I don’t like their music, but because of the stance they took on Napster. That made me not so much a fan of the band. That being said, though… I do prefer the Metallica version of this song over the others. My vote goes to Metallica.
Hi, Mary; The cross-genre aspect was intriguing to me, too. 🙂 Must Google Metallica vs Napster as I’m not too familiar with the details. I’m glad that didn’t influence your vote, anyway. One more for Metallica! Thanks and have a good weekend.
First off, the Metallica (original) scared the living daylights out of me. It’s a good thing I listened to it in the morning, because I for sure would have stayed awake all night, whether the Sandman came or not.
Pat Boone’s version left me with the same feeling of high anxiety as Metallica’s.
I like banjo pickin’ and Iron Horse had a much smoother version that left me with the thought, “Orpheus, just come right in and take me with you.” Iron Horse gets my vote… “yawn, Is it midnight yet?”
Hi, Mary; Metallica’s version is a good morning waker-upper! LOL Interesting that Pat Boone’s version made you anxious too! 🙂 Iron Horse did a nice job, for sure. Glad you found them so soothing. Thanks for your vote. Have a good weekend.
I didn’t like the original Metallica version and I sure didn’t like Pat Boone’s strange version. What were they thinking trying to change his image like that? He’s bland like milk toast. That’s the way people expect Pat Boone to be. Putting him in leather and chains is just wrong!
So I guess that leaves Iron Horse for my vote. I’m not a super huge blue grass fan either but if I have to choose between the three, that’s the one I pick.
Hi, Cathy; Your comments about Pat Boone echo those of many of us. I thought he did that whole album as a joke, but apparently he was serious. 🙂 So, your vote is for Iron Horse, by default. Thanks for visiting. The next one should be more to your liking. It’s a love story. Have a good weekend.
I didn’t like Pat Boone’s version at all so that just leaves Metallica and Iron Horse, which is harder than I thought it would be. I love Metallica’s version — I always have liked this song. But surprisingly I also really enjoyed Iron Horse’s version. I’m not typically a big bluegrass fan but this song works for me. In the end though I have to go with the original. Please give my vote to Metallica.
Great battle Debbie!
Michele at Angels Bark
Hi, Michele; That’s another vote for Metallica; thanks. I think Iron Horse will win over a few people. 🙂
I have this song in my future queue and Iron Horse was one of my candidates. Still lots of versions I could use one day.
Anyway, this is one of those Metallica songs that I like hearing them do. Pat Boone’s band is dynamite and his vocal is nice, but it all sounds so phony and incongruous. I like it a lot, but the lyrics just don’t fit the arrangement–which is great.
I love the Iron Horse version. I think the song works very well for the style. And these guys are musically tight. I am a bluegrass fan.
This choice is a very tough one when you factor in the Metallica version. They rock and this is really the definitive version of the song.
Decisions, decisions–I guess I’m going to the virtuosity of those country boys.
My vote is for Iron Horse (which is the vote I would have cast in my own contest as well)
Good tough contest.
Lee
Sorry to cramp your BOTB style, Lee. You could still use Iron Horse and match them up with someone else. I would agree about the lyrics not suiting Pat Boone’s style. I often wondered if he did that whole album as a joke. 🙂 Iron Horse did a great job with it and your vote is duly noted. Thanks!
Well….I don’t like Pat Boone…or heavy metal… and I hate Blue Grass so if I have to make a choice, my vote would be for Metallica.
Metallica by default! 🙂 Hopefully, the next one will be more to your liking, Carol. It’s a love story.