Welcome back to Battle of the 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.
This one started out as a folk song and completely morphed into something else.
Let’s begin!
HISTORY
“Whiskey in the Jar“ is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry, as well as Fenit, a village in County Kerry.
The song is about a rapparee (highwayman), who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs. It has been recorded by numerous professional artists since the 1950s.
The song’s origins come from the traditional folk song “The Highwayman and the Captain” sung in the outskirts of the town of Edinburgh. In 1967, the Irish folk band The Beasley Brothers rewrote the song as Whiskey in a Jar and incorporated their own twist to the lyrics and melody.
It first gained wide exposure when the Irish folk band The Dubliners performed it internationally as a signature song and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s.
In the U.S., the song was popularized by The Highwaymen, of “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” fame. – WIKIPEDIA
Background info only. Now, on to the actual contest…
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THIN LIZZY
Thin Lizzy is a hard rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. The singles “Whiskey in the Jar”, “Jailbreak”, and “The Boys Are Back in Town” were major international hits.
In 1972, Decca Records released Thin Lizzy’s version of “Whiskey in the Jar” as a single. The band was angry at the release, feeling that the song did not represent their sound or their image.
It topped the Irish chart, and reached no. 6 in the UK in February 1973, resulting in an appearance on Top of the Pops. It also charted in many countries across Europe.
VS
METALLICA
Metallica is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. The band has released ten studio albums, four live albums, a cover album, five extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos.
The band has won nine Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, and its last six studio albums (beginning with Metallica) have consecutively debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018.
“Whiskey In The Jar” is the 9th track from Garage Inc., the cover album, released in 1998. It won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, in the year 2000.
VOTE NOW!
Please state your preference in comments below and why you chose it.
Voting remains open until 11:59 pm EDT June 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 / 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
WHISKEY IN THE JAR | BATTLE OF THE BANDS Click To TweetWHISKEY IN THE JAR | Battle of the Bands #BOTB. Who did it better? Cast your vote! #dogladysden[/tweetthis]
Next Battle on this site will be July 15th.
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COMING UP:
June 20 – Aug. 31
A new Summer #Blogfest!
Answer this question:
What four films define you?
Describe how and include a brief outline and trailer for each movie.
Date TBA
Greek Odyssey – Part IX
Aegean Cruise: Ephesus and Patmos
PLUS MORE…
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!
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31 thoughts on “WHISKEY IN THE JAR | BATTLE OF THE BANDS”
Thin Lizzy on this one
Thanks for voting! Looks like a slam dunk. 🙂
I’m going to voter for the Metallica version. The others are OK but I’ve always found Thin Lizzy a bit overrrted
Welcome to the Den, Jeremy. Happy to see Metallica get another vote! 😀 Thanks for coming by. We do these contests every month if you’re interested.
I can’t say as either resounded with me- but Metalica was IMHO far superior.
Great to see another vote for Metallica. Thanks, Chris! I’m so glad a shutout has been avoided.
I never knew the backstory to this song before, so thank you for sharing that. Lee is correct, this is a bit of a deja vu battle – but not to worry – the previous battle was in October 2015. Holli’s Hoots and Hollers used Celtic Thunder against The Kildares in her battle. Celtic Thunder took that battle 11-9.
My preference for this battle is Thin Lizzy. It felt much more authentic to me than Metallica’s version. (I may or may not have been persuaded by the fact that Thin Lizzy hails from Ireland)
Excellent battle!
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle – This blog has gone to the dogs
Thanks for sharing the details of the previous battle, Mary. I don’t remember that at all. Getting old! 😮 I guess Thin Lizzy is going to take this one by a mile. I should have known. Oh well!
Metallica for me, please, and thank you.
Oh yay! FINALLY, a vote for Metallica and we avoid a shutout. Thank you, Myke! 🙂
GOD INVENTED WHISKEY TO PREVENT THE IRISH FROM RULING THE WORLD.
DEBBIE ~
As you probably remember from my “Bad Reputation” BOTB installment, in my teen years, I was a huge Thin Lizzy fan. They were even my #1 favorite for a little while, and I saw them perform live at least 3 times.
I actually liked the Metallica version better’n I thought I might, but I don’t think I can vote against Phil and The Boys who, thanks to your Battle, Are Back In Town. I enjoy the electric guitar elegance that they introduce their version with.
This was a very good match-up and it should remain pretty competitive. But I gotta side with the genuine Irishmen on this Irish standard.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents ‘Battle Of The Bands’
Hi Stephen; Apparently, my memory isn’t all that great, because, I’m told someone else already used this song in a battle. And, like you, I thought it would be fairly competitive. HA! How wrong we are about that! With your vote, it’s a unanimous shutout for Thin Lizzy (so far). Where did I go wrong?! LOL I never learn. eh? This is NOT a heavy metal crowd. Oh well, I’m glad you at least liked Metallica’s version. Thanks for coming by!
DEBBIE, don’t feel too bad about this Battle, as I too am surprised that it’s as lopsided as it is. You’re right though, that BOTB is not really a “Heavy Metal” crowd.
Also, it’s true that this song was used in BOTB once before, but that was 3 years ago, utilizing two completely different artists. And, heck, that person has been gone from BOTB for a long time now.
This is one of those Battles that come along once in awhile and leave a person scratching their head in confusion. It happens to all of us sometimes.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents ‘Battle Of The Bands’
Thanks, Stephen. One never knows how these things will turn out! Maybe I’ll go full-on classical next time. 😀
Hey! You changed your avatar. Nice to see the real you, Stephen! 🙂
I vote for Thin Lizzy. I’m not a Metallica fan, and they sound especially weird on this song.
Love,
Janie
Hi Janie; Thanks for coming by to add your vote! 😀 So far, it looks like everyone else agrees with you and we’re well on the way to a shutout. 😮 Cést la vie!
Oh, I vote for Thin Lizzy which was less hard on the ears than metallica. metallic’s lead voice would end a verse with some strange vocal nuance which was very irritating. I can even picture him doing something with his tongue…iccckkk. I just saw the movie blogfest and will do this..obviously:)
Hi Birgit; I had a hunch you wouldn’t be a fan of Metallica’s version. 😀 But, I’m surprised nobody else is either. So far, it looks like a shutout. 😮 Thanks for your vote. Glad you’re interested in the Blogfest! It opens June 20, but there’s plenty of time to join in. 🙂
I’m a veteran of too many pints of Guinness at too many Irish bars. I don’t know what Thin Lizzy or Metallica were playing, but it wasn’t “Whiskey In The Jar.”
Having gotten that off my chest, It sounds as though Metallica is playing Thin Lizzy’s version of the song. I’ll go with Thin Lizzy.
Slainte, John! 😀 Another vote for Thin Lizzy. Sorry you didn’t like the battle. Maybe next time! Thanks and have a good weekend.
This seemed like a deja vu Battle, but it’s a good one.
For me in this match I definitely favor Thin Lizzie’s approach. I really like their dual guitar sound and their version is much more flowing and pleasant to my ears.
Lee
Tossing It Out
It wouldn’t surprise me if someone else had done this battle before. Wasn’t me, though. (I think. Memory fades with age! LOL) So far, it’s looking like a Thin Lizzy landslide! Thanks for your vote, Lee and have a good weekend. Happy Father’s Day!
Debbie,
I listened two both bands twice, maybe three times before deciding that I liked Thin Lizzy the best. I think between the two bands, TL sounded less heavy metal to my ear. I enjoyed Metallica and came a hair going with them, too. The covers sound very different from the original, both I liked more than The Dubliners version which seemed odd for me. 🙂 Good battle!
Curious as a Cathy
Hi Cathy; Thin Lizzy does it again! 🙂 Thanks for your vote. Metallica is all about Heavy Metal, so that makes perfect sense. 😉 I was surprised that you do like their version as well and better than the original, even. Cool! Wishing you and DH a great weekend and Happy Father’s Day.
Hey Debbie,
This is a very cool song. I wasn’t familiar with it at all and enjoyed reading about it. Funny, when I first read that the song gained popularity by the band the Dubliners, the first thing I thought about was cheese?! There’s a kind of cheese that I was turned on to recently, Dubliner cheese by the Kerrygold brand. It’s a “robust cow’s milk cheese” named after the city of Dublin, though it is made in Cork. Imagine that! So now I’m feeling like some cheese and crackers here at 5:30 in the morning! 🙂
As for your battle, I like this song and I much prefer Thin Lizzy’s version over Metallica’s. I’m on my third time listening to Thin Lizzy’s version. I like the vocals and the overall musical sound better so my vote goes to those “Boys are Back in Town” dudes.
Fun battle!
And I’m intrigued by your teaser for the upcoming Movie Lovers blogfest! What’s that all about? Is it a series you are featuring or a blog hop type thing?I LOVE movies. Interesting question, what movies “define” you. Wow, that will take some thought…
Have a great weekend,
Michele at Angels Bark
Hi Michele! I’m not familiar with Dubliner cheese, but it sounds good, especially for a late night snack. 😀 I have a feeling Thin Lizzy will run away with this one! Thanks for your vote. The summer #BlogFest (aka blog hop) is a single post, which you can write and link up to, anytime between June 20 and Aug. 31. Hope you’ll join in. 😀 Cheers!
I choose ‘Thin Lizzy.’ You can hear the story in the song. I love ‘Metallica’ but not for this song. – And totally off topic. Whatever happened to ‘The Irish Rovers?’ 😀
Starting off with a vote for Thin Lizzy! I fear this is going to be a blowout. 🙂 Thanks for voting, Mimi. The Irish Rovers did a version of this too, of course, but I didn’t care for the sped up tempo. Here it is:
When my daughters were small, they grew to detest The Irish Rovers for the awful way they treated those poor unicorns.