Battle of the Bands

Another Way To Die BOTB Showdown

October 1, 2022 /

In this James Bond Theme song BOTB edition, Alicia Keys recorded Another Way To Die written by Jack White, for the 007 spy flick, Quantum of Solace (2008).  This was the year our youngest daughter (DD#2) graduated high school.  I remember the movie and we eventually saw it but the theme song nope and after playing the track still nothing! WOW, what does that tell me?  For starters, the song wasn’t impressive and it certainly has no resemblance of a James Bond theme song other than the title but I’m not here to criticize the poor decision making of the filmmakers.  Although, I could rant on I won’t.  This isn’t a movie review, but a sing off between two cover artists doing the same song.  I will put my views aside to do my best to bring you an interesting Battle of the Bands. 

The first contestant is YouTuber Colour the Atlas with their 2015 upload of today’s James Bond Theme song. 

Staying with my YouTube search because let’s face it, there are few covers of this song and with good reason but I’ll say this much for contender #1 and the next group coming up in my opinion, both covers are better than the original.  Please listen to The Wheel Turns’ 2016 rendition.

I considered throwing in a third contender, The Hit Co.,  but with attendance in Blogosphere running slow and low, not that I am pointing any fingers because I’m absent a lot lately in cyberspace, I decided against it feeling it would only complicate things.  

In comments, don’t forget to name your favorite artist in this battle round.

Polls close noon (EST) on October 6th

Next week, I will reveal the winner in this showdown. Jot down that date to see if your favorite artist won. One more thing on Wednesday, I shared my first batch of Maine Vacation photos, if you’d like to take a peek. Up next, I’ll open the 4M dance floor linky party tomorrow for the early birds and this will give all co-hosts the chance to add his/her direct link to the party. My actual music post won’t go live until Monday morning. This is CAAC signing off, have a bandtastic day! X💋X💋, Cathy

BoTB roll call…

*Unless noted, all other participants will present two battles per month on the 1st & 15th



30 Comments

  • Mary B

    October 4, 2022 at 12:01 am

    I’m not much of a Bond fan, so the tune was unfamiliar to me. But I gave them a listen and I’m casting my vote for The Wheel Turns.

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 4, 2022 at 8:23 am

      Mary,

      I haven’t been a fan of the new Bond films since Daniel Craig was appointed the new 007. He’s a fine actor. It’s the bone heads behind the scene who went a different direction from James Bond character in earlier films. Signs of the time? Partly, but truly it boils down to poor decision making. I better stop or I’ll get to ranting. 🙂 Thanks for taking time to cast your vote for THE WHEEL TURNS, my friend!

  • Debbie D.

    October 3, 2022 at 11:57 am

    Hi Cathy, I watched the original to refresh my memory, since I don’t recall the song either. In hindsight, it was pretty good, but not a typical Bond theme vibe. I also liked both of the covers, but IMO, The Wheel Turns’ version was a bit more slick. Please give my vote to them.

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 3, 2022 at 6:29 pm

      Debbie,

      I am too fond of the original, so I was happy to find two cover artist I actually liked listening to. Your vote broke for THE WHEEL TURNS now puts them ahead by one. It’s still early in the showdown so this is sure to change but I think everyone who usually plays along has already done so. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone else hops in on the action. Thanks for stopping by, dearie!

  • Birgit

    October 2, 2022 at 10:20 pm

    I don’t mind this song but it is not a memorable one. To be honest the Billy Eilish one is meh for me as was the Ed Sheeren one…He did one right? I like these 2 better than the original too..hahaha. I prefer the Wheels one over Color because I like the rawness of it more. The first sounded a little refined.

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 3, 2022 at 9:18 am

      Birgit,

      Billy Eilish has recorded a James Bond theme song but Ed Sheeran hasn’t yet anyhow. I’m like you in that regard. I’m not a huge fan of either of these artists. I think they have some good songs but I usually prefer when someone covers them better. Thanks for dropping by to vote for THE WHEEL TURNS, my friend.

  • Stephen T. McCarthy

    October 1, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    CAThy, It’s This McMe! It’s That You, Too?

    How are you and yourn, my friend?

    I never saw this movie and never heard the song before. And therefore, I was quite pleasantly surprised to find how much I dug the first version of the theme song by Colour the Atlas.

    I preferred their more low-key approach to the song. And aside from that, there was just something about it that appealed to me. I could imagine how much I would have (over)played that song when I was 17 or 18. Usually, I know precisely why I like or dislike a song and I am able to explain it in (non-musician) terms. But in the case, there’s something enigmatic about that first rendition that I like and I am at a loss for words in saying why, exactly.

    If I listened to it several times, I think I could narrow down, to at least some extent, it’s appeal for me. But for now, it’s enough to simply say…

    My BOTB bote goes to: Colour the Atlas

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 3, 2022 at 9:11 am

      Hey Stephen,

      We’re doing fine, my friend. Just recuperating from vacation. I’m glad you enjoyed COLOUR THE ATLAS enough to vote for them and that this is the kind of song that would get repeat play when you were younger. Thanks for dropping by, my friend!

  • Arlee Bird

    October 1, 2022 at 12:42 pm

    Oops! I’ve got to remember not to put a link in my comments on your site. I’m in such a habit that I just do it automatically. Anyway, I guess you’ll have to save my vote comment out of your spam folder.

    Lee

  • Arlee Bird

    October 1, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    I actually kind of like this song. Not love it, but it’s not too bad and probably could grow on me. I can’t recall ever having heard this before and not sure I even saw the film.

    Both versions you chose sound pretty good to me. It’s really a tough choice for me because they are similar with certain attributes of each that appeal to me. I went back and forth on this one, but I think in the end I’m going to give my vote to your second offering Wheel Turns because I prefer the arrangement of the instrumental background and the whole thing just sounds tighter and more professional than the first (which is also really good).

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

  • Thomas Anderson

    October 1, 2022 at 12:39 pm

    Hi, Cathy!

    I’m back with a more secure patch that enabled me to listen to both videos w/o freeze-ups. I applaud you for finding two versions of this Bond theme (unknown to me) that are absolutely terrific, making it hard for me to decide which act gets my vote.

    When I visited earlier today and listened to half of video #1, the version by the female-fronted band Colour the Atlas, I was convinced that nothing could top it. Now that I have been able to listen to the covers of both contestants, my vote needs to go to act #2, The Wheel Turns. Another superb female-fronted group, Wheel Turns renders the song in a somewhat harder and heavier fashion that is reminiscent of the great prog rock and sludgy doom/stoner rock bands of the past. I’m completely sold on version #2 and cast my vote for The Wheel Turns!

    Thank you very much, dear friend Cathy, for this double dose of excellent vocal work and musicianship. Please keep in mind that my internet service will likely be spotty in the days ahead. I will do my best to be here with you as this ordeal continues hour by hour and day by day. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 3, 2022 at 9:07 am

      Tom,

      I’m glad you were able to come back to vote for your favorite cover artist, THE WHEEL TURNS. This gives each contender a vote now. It’ll be fun to see how this battle round unfolds. Stay safe and don’t worry about things. I understand your circumstances, dear friend and thanks again for joining in on the fun!

  • Thomas Anderson

    October 1, 2022 at 10:29 am

    Cathy, I am so sorry. Flood waters or work crews trying to restore electricity to households without it have apparently cut off our cable and internet. It went down Thursday nite and is still off. I am using device borrowed from stepson and have very limited capacity. I tried to listen to vid no. 1 and it froze up and won’t play. I will return to listen and vote asap, cable company’s Recorded message states that it is not safe for their repair crew to get to the origin of the problem. Your guess is as good as mine on what that means or how long this could drag on. Thank you for understanding, dear friend.

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 1, 2022 at 12:28 pm

      Tom,

      I do understand, my friend. Don’t worry about it. I hope your electricity is on. It’s terribly frustrating when services you depend on go out. Try to use the no Internet time to relax if you can. I’m just glad you all are okay. That’s the most important thing.

  • Sandee

    October 1, 2022 at 9:28 am

    My vote goes to Colour the Atlas.

    Hope all is well in your world. I’ve been trying to help Marie, but I don’t think I’m helping at all. Frustrating because we all miss her.

    Have a fabulous weekend, Cathy. Love and hugs. ♥

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 1, 2022 at 12:31 pm

      Sandee,

      You’re right, Marie is missed in Blogosphere and I know you’re doing your best to help. It’s really difficult to do stuff like this through email or over the phone. She’s still having issues with her email and is unable to access it. Oh well…if she feels well enough perhaps things will come to her more clearly and she get back to doing what she enjoys.

    • Cathy Kennedy

      October 3, 2022 at 8:46 am

      Sandee,

      All is indeed well with us. I’ve been busy washing vacation laundry and unpacking mostly. This weekend was spent doing some unexpected things but it was all fun stuff with son and his finance. This coming Saturday they are getting married so we’ll be excited about the upcoming event and will be busy yet again. It’s gonna be nice to have all the family together.

      Yes, we all miss Marie terribly. I know she’s wrestling with email and health issues. I wish that I could help her more, as well. I know she really wants to get back to the party. I did get a text from her that she will try to leave blog comments in the afternoons since her mornings are tied up with therapy.

      Thanks for dropping by, my friend.

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