Monthly Archives: October 2008

“This Wheel’s on Fire” (Bob Dylan/Byrds Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

I’ve been so excited recently to see what new bands Jim is going to introduce to the blog — I mean, you really have no idea from one day to the next which band he’ll tap in to.  At this point, he’s done so many different bands that it would actually be just as much a surprise to see him break out a classic standby, such as the Beach Boys.  And, to prove how excited I am about these new bands…

…I’m going to contribute a Bob Dylan song!

Big surprise, I realize.  (For those of you who don’t watch regularly, I’m a big Dylan fan and have recorded more Dylan covers than any other band!)  But I have my reasons, I promise.  First and foremost, today is the official release date of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Rare and Unreleased: 1989-2006.  I’ve only had time to listen to the first two thirds of the first disc, but already I’m really enjoying it.  I’ve been concentrating so much on the new Ben Folds album, Way to Normal, that I was loath to take it out of my CD player.  But I’ve already fallen in love with Dylan’s work, even after hearing the first four tracks.  The version of “Mississippi,” one of my favorite songs of all time, is entirely different.  Then, the version of “Most of the Time” sounds less like the 1989 track I know and love and more like a track out of 1963; it’s entirely different, and yet in typical Dylan fashion, it’s entirely amazing.  Following an interesting little piano demo of “Dignity,” Dylan’s first take of “Born in Time” is — as the liner notes suggest — really the definitive version.

To be honest, I think the set might be worth the purchase if only for the “Born in Time” take and the new single “Dreamin’ of You,” an unreleased song from the Time Out of Mind sessions.  When I got home from a meeting late tonight, my first inclination was to record a song that was (a) comfortable for me to play, so I could get to bed on time, and (b) a Dylan song.

This fits both criteria!

That’s all for me for now.

See you next session!

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“Behind Blue Eyes” (The Who Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Isn’t it about time?  Tonight, I bring you- finally- a cover song of The Who, one of the world’s greatest all-time rock bands.  This band defines the term “classic rock” and even though they’re only down to two members left in the band, they’re still rocking and making music today.

In our quest to cover every great band of all time, it pains me to think of some of the ones we still haven’t done yet.  Can you believe we haven’t done Creedence Clearwater Revival or the Marshall Tucker Band yet, either?  I hope Chris and Jeff will hop on the bandwagon and help me with some of these famous bands we haven’t done yet, including Simon and Garfunkel, the Rolling Stones, and Queen.  I, of course, always have a few tricks up my sleeve…53 at last count, that is…

Onto tonight’s Laptop Session cover song video.  The Who are an electric band for the most part, with roots from their “garage” band days in the mid-60s.  Everyone, I think, kind of thinks of them as a 70s band, and maybe that’s why they’ve maintained their “cool” stature (kids today don’t feel nerdy walking around with a Who t-shirt on, but you NEVER see someone with, say, a Bobby Darin t-shirt on!).  But, you can’t forget about their earlier songs, before the concept albums and the rock operas.  I do respect them for that, but I wish the other band members did more than just write lyrics and an occasional song (“Boris the Spider”, anyone?).

“Behind Blue Eyes” was a perfect choice because it combines a soft acoustic part with a rocking section that translated well on Chris’ steel-string acoustic guitar.  Sorry, the Italian nylon-string guitar had to take a break tonight!  The only problem with doing this cover song video was the fact that I practiced it first, making the softer parts MUCH harder to sing.  You see, while singing, you have two modes: the sweet mode and the rock-out mode.  This song has both, but once you rock out, it’s hard to revert back to the sweet singing style.  I think I made it by just fine, as I just played the guitar a bit softer to balance out the lack of power in my voice in those sections, ESPECIALLY after my throat-grinding middle section.  This video may be even more rocking and voice-ruining than my video for Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right”!  Click here to view the video and make the judgement for yourself!

Lastly, I’m glad that I recorded this cover song music video after I’d recorded two more, because there was no way I was singing anything after THAT vocal performance!  I’ve been practicing these songs for a couple of MONTHS now and making sure they’re perfect.  Especially when I introduce a new band to the Laptop Sessions acoustic rock cover songs series, I want to make sure that I’m going to please all the new fans of that band we’re going to usher in.  So, I think my full-hearted performance of The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes” should satisfy fans and have them coming back to the Laptop Sessions music video series for more!  Enjoy!

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“Not Myself” (John Mayer Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome — one and all — to an all-new acoustic rock cover song music video!  Yes, it’s a mouthful, but it’s the best way to describe this music blog that you’re viewing.  Whether you’re a regular visitor or this is your first time, I hope you’ll see how much work we’ve put into the design, the variety of bands represented, and the quality of content for each post.  We don’t just record a video; instead, we write substantive text posts to give you something interesting (we hope!) to read as you listen to the session of the day.  Whenever possible, we share information about the band or our individual processes for recording the videos — and we hope that you find the reading worthwhile.  We certainly have found these songs worthwhile and devote a lot of time to learning, practicing, recording, and writing about them.

Which brings me to my video for this Saturday session.  Today, I picked John Mayer’s “Not Myself,” a great track from his great album Room For Squares.  Yes, it may be an over-publicized album (having won many awards and much notoriety when it first came out) and it may be better known for such hits as “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” but it is so much more than these aspects would suggest.  I still think this is John Mayer’s best album to date, as it combines great songwriting with great sounds, blending acoustic and electric elements nicely.  Possibly my favorite John Mayer song, “Why Georgia,” is on this album, not to mention another close runner up, “Love Song for No One.”

And I’ll always have an odd memory of this album.  When I first bought it and started listening to it, I was hooked and couldn’t get enough of it.  It gradually became the album that I would listen to in the shower and sing along to, practicing and enjoying singing.  Now, this was before I had a portable set of speakers for my iPod, so I would put the CD in my stereo and blast it loud enough to be heard down the hall, in the bathroom, with the water running for the shower.  (I obviously only did this when no one else was home.)

So, I was thinking about songs that I really would like to learn and record, and “Not Myself” immediately came to mind.  I’ve always liked the structure of the song and the overall mood of the studio recording.  I hope I’ve done it justice and that you’ll enjoy listening to it!

Jim Fusco — the man, the myth, the legend — gave me the best birthday present a man like myself could ever hope for — an all-expenses paid set of recording sessions at Fusco-Moore Studios and his creative input as producer on my new album!  I’m more excited than I can quite explain in words right now to think about what my songs will sound like with his expertise and creative input, especially based on what his new unreleased music sounds like.

See you next session!

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More people than ever before visit Laptop Sessions — daily view record is broken after more than a month!

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By Chris Moore:

I am thrilled to report that today, only two days after my birthday, I was graced with another surprise present…

…more people visited the blog today than ever before!  Our daily view record, which has been the same since mid-August, was broken today.  Jim and I were out at a party, and when we checked our iPhones, we were ecstatic.  I only hope that we continue to have many more record-breaking days.

Tell your friends!  Tell your families!  Tell your lovers, neighbors, third cousins twice removed, or even that stranger you see every morning at your local coffee shop…  Laptop Sessions is the best acoustic cover music blog in the universe and we’re committed to bringing you a session-a-day EVERY DAY of 2008.

And, as a brief side note, we’re already making plans for next year’s recording schedule.  As it stands now, even after session-a-day is over, there may be as many as five videos a week or more.  So, stay tuned for more great acoustic stuff from the Fusco-Moore blog, home of the Laptop Sessions!

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