Friday, June 1, 2018

Battle of the Bands: Imagine there is no shutouts!


Well I am starting the quest to end the shutout streak or extended by picking a classic song. "Imagine" by John Lennon I am surprised I haven't used this one yet.

Contender One: Neil Young


   Contender Two: Elton John



Two emotional live covers. Two great artists. You know the drill vote in the comments!

8 comments:

Debbie D. said...

Shutouts are a drag! Hope you break the "curse" with this one. Interesting match-up here. I'm a huge Neil Young fan, despite his vocals, which don't thrill me. There's just something about him....Elton is a better singer, however, he doesn't touch me emotionally as much as Neil does. That holds true for this battle as well. Please give my vote to Neil.

Arlee Bird said...

Not only do I think Neil's version is better than Elton's, I prefer it to John Lennon's original version. Somehow Neil makes it sound like his own song. His voice fits better than Elton's.

My vote is Neil Young.


Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Michele at Angels Bark said...

Hey there Mike,
Great song and one of my favorite John Lennon songs.
I like both of your contenders very much. Been a long time fan of both. And I enjoyed listening to both of their covers but let me be the first to cast a vote that will ensure your battle isn't a shutout: My vote goes for Elton John.
I like him doing this song better than Neil Young, although it was close. Neil's version is very "Neil" and he's so original in style and spirit.
But Elton's version is the one I prefer.

Do you know when Elton performed this song in the video, what year it was? He looks so young! And John Lennon is still very much alive at the time of that performance so it has to be before 1980. I also really dig Elton's hat...and it's rare to see him without glasses! So glad that's the video you showcased here. A real treat.

Have a good weekend,
Michele at Angels Bark

Michele at Angels Bark said...

PS: Curiosity got the best of me and I went to YouTube to see if I could find the year that video was shot of Elton John's performance; it turns out it was just THREE MONTHS prior to John Lennon's death. Wow. It was in New York's Central Park in September of 1980...

Mary B said...

Two strong contenders here. While I enjoyed Neil Young's version, I felt a stronger emotional connection with Elton John.

My vote: Elton John

~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle

Stephen T. McCarthy said...

MIKE ~
Michele got here before I did and was able to insure it wasn't a shutout before I got the chance to do that for you. Oh, well. Now, instead of a shutout, you have a TIE on your hands. At least for now, anyway.

The less I say about John Lennon and his "Communist Manifesto" (as he once referred to 'Imagine'), the better. So I'll keep this short and simple: My vote goes to ELTON JOHN.

~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'

Cathy Kennedy said...

Mike,

Excellent battle song and excellent choice in cover artists.

I'm giving my vote to Neil Young. I loved the violin backing in his arrangement plus I felt his rendition moved me more.

Thanks for stopping by to vote in my latest BoTB!

John Holton said...

I've never been a fan of Neil Young for that matter, I've never been a fan of the song, either) so I vote for Elton John just on principle.