Author Archives: Chris Moore

“(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” (Elvis Costello Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to another all-new Laptop Session, brought to you by the music blog devoted to great new rock music. My acoustic cover song tonight is not a new rock song, but it is a classic by an artist that did release an excellent album this year. That artist is Elvis Costello and the song is “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding.” I had actually planned on recording (and did, in fact) record a different song for my session tonight, but after I finished that one, I went on to this Elvis Costello tune and liked how it came out so much that I had to post it tonight. For whatever reason (the amount of time that I had been singing previously, the air conditioning taking all the moisture out of the air in the house, or my allergies), my voice was somewhat rough for this recording. Normally, that would be enough for me to put down the guitar and wait for another day. However, I think it worked for the emotion that is supposed to be conveyed by this track. Aside from the very end of this take when my voice is simply too shot to hit the notes I wanted to hit (please feel free to laugh at the ridiculous look on my face), I’m happy with how it came out.

This is one my favorite Elvis Costello songs of all time, and it’s a perfect track to bring to this music blog, as it has been recorded as a cover song previously by such bands as the Wallflowers. It’s a fairly simple song with simple chords, simple but great lyrics, and a simple message that I know Ringo Starr would love, and it translates very well to acoustic guitar. That being said, Jim and I did some research tonight and were shocked to find that although he is listed as #80 on the list of best rock artists ever, he has had very few songs chart well, especially on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s amazing that his most popular songs really aren’t as successful as you might expect for an artist of his standing. That either says something about him or, more likely, the system. (Especially considering that this is a system that barely recognizes the existence of such talented and influential acts as the Moody Blues…)

If you’re a regular viewer of the Laptop Sessions, you’ll get another dose of Elvis Costello very soon — his new rock music on this year’s Momofuku is some of my favorite from him and is easily in my personal top four or five albums of the year (and this is saying alot, as I’ve heard somewhere approaching fifteen new albums this year already!).

Whatever you do, don’t go too far; Jeff will be back tomorrow with an all-new acoustic cover song music video for your listening and viewing pleasure…

See you next session!



WCJM Free Internet Radio Station: “The Comedy Show” – 2000

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By WCJM Free Internet Radio:

What is the most comedy in a Moore Hits in the Morning Broadcast?  The Comedy Show, done on August 27th, has to take that honor.  That day the cast, short Alberto (no pun intended) and Dave, assembled at the Fusco household to do their first radio show since April.  Jim had been gone all summer at acing school, and when he came back, he found that Alberto had soccer practice, and Dave was on vacation!  But, as they say, “the show must go on,” and the original cast of Chris, Jim, and Mike, added Matt Griffiths, a writer for the show that wrote almost half the material for the Comedy Show, and Cody Scholnick, who has made appearances in a couple of shows already.

But it wouldn’t be a Moore 94.2 broadcast if Jim Fusco didn’t produce it.  So, after hours on end of typing up and organizing material, he ended up with an 11 page script!  (Not to mention the three page spreadsheet of the timing for the show)  But, as fate had it, the script was somehow erased from Jim’s computer!  Devastated, Jim was ready to give up.  But Chris had 5 pages of the script, and Matt resent his material by e-mail, and after another grueling day of work, Jim got back his precious script.  Now, all that was needed were the personalities that made this free Internet radio show work.

Cody, who was very apprehensive about talking too much on the air (the perfect replacement for Alberto) does not appear in much of the show.  But Matt Griffiths exceeded all expectations.  His hilarious promos, skits, and impressions made him an invaluable part of the show.  Another guest, who was present only on pre-recorded clips, was Jeff Copperthite, who made an appearance on the Homerun Derby Challenge.  Jeff did Ron Popeil on the Ronco promos, and wrote some great material in his “Jeff’s tips of the Day” clips.  Of course, Dr. K had to make an appearance, so he had a whole ten minutes for his great comedy routine on he fourth side.  Chris hosted the show, and for someone who doesn’t laugh a lot, he actually got a kick out of the show!

But there were recording problems too.  Dr. K’s segment ran long, and the show wouldn’t fit on the two designated 60 minute tapes!  So, the show now exists on three separate tapes!  But Jim Fusco spent another whole day transferring the show to two CDs, making it the first Moore Hits in the Morning program on CD!  But the quality is only tape quality, so the next show was actually the first CD QUALITY show of Moore Hits in the Morning.  But this show is a classic one, showing everyone that listens to the show that the cast of the morning show is the funniest free Internet radio show EVER!

“The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen – Chords, Tabs, and How to Play

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“The Wrestler”
Bruce Springsteen

(Capo III)

C                                                                          F
Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free?
C                                                                                              G
If you’ve ever seen a one trick pony, then you’ve seen me.
Have you ever seen a one-legged dog making its way down the street?
If you’ve ever seen a one-legged dog, then you’ve seen me.

F                              C
Then you’ve seen me…  I come and stand at every door.
F                                           C
Then you’ve seen me…  I always leave with less than I had before.
F                                                                      C                         Am7
Then you’ve seen me.  Bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor…
G                                        F                             Am7
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
G                            F                           C
Tell me, can you ask for anything more?

Have you ever seen a scarecrow filled with nothing but dust and wheat?
If you’ve ever seen that scarecrow, then you’ve seen me.
Have you ever seen a one-armed man punching at nothing but the breeze?
If you’ve ever seen a one-armed man, then you’ve seen me.

CHORUS

C                                                         F                    C
These things that have comforted me, I drive away.
C                                    F                         C
This place that is my home, I cannot stay.
C                                     F                                C                Am7
My only faith’s in the broken bones and bruises I display…

Have you ever seen a one-legged man trying to dance his way free?
If you’ve ever seen a one-legged man, then you’ve seen me…

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **

“Automatic” (Weezer Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Welcome to a fresh new Tuesday installment of the best acoustic cover song music blog series in the universe! That’s right — not just the country or the world, but the universe! Of course, I said the series is good, so that doesn’t guarantee that I’ll be any good, so you’ll just have to take your chances tonight…

Tonight’s music video is an acoustic cover from the new Weezer (Red Album). “Automatic” is track nine of ten — a powerhouse of an electric number with a great distortion guitar riff — and written by drummer Pat Wilson. I read that Wilson actually played the guitar for this one and frontman Rivers Cuomo sat at the drums. If you search YouTube videos like I did, you’ll find that there are some live versions of the songs from the Red Album already available and the one for “Automatic” is definitely worth checking out, if only for the alternative arrangement of the band.

I love to see when the bands I love switch it up a bit and allow other members to take the center stage, if only briefly. Some great bands that have done this on a regular basis are the Band, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Barenaked Ladies, the Moody Blues, and — now — Weezer! Still, many of my favorite musicians and bands are really one-man shows with a band to support them. Take Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) and Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) just for a couple examples. Dylan and Duritz are two of my favorite songwriters, and although I like their bands, it is really their songwriting and lead singing that makes me love the bands and continue to buy their albums.

Even as I’m writing this, I can only think of one real exception to this songwriter-over-band preference of mine. Namely, Matchbox Twenty. I love Matchbox Twenty, and I have since their first album. I have bought every album and even loved their recent EP. But I just didn’t understand why Rob Thomas had to go off separately and try a solo career. For all intents and purposes, he really IS Matchbox Twenty. I mean, up until the EP, he wrote literally every song on each of their releases!

Exception aside, I have thoroughly enjoyed the new Weezer album, and I hope you have too. If you haven’t, you should really check it out. I found that the first couple tracks threw me a bit at first, but I quickly fell in love with a number of the songs — such as “Though I Knew” (a previous Laptop Session I recorded) and “Miss Sweeney” (a bonus track on the special edition).

Well, I’m off to do some work to promote all the great things happening here at the music blog. If you haven’t already, you should really check out the past couple days’ worth of posts — there is some great stuff, and much of it is FREE! There are live concert tracks, TNA pictures, and of course, great acoustic cover songs!

And, guess what?… Jeff Copperthite will be back tomorrow to post yet another all-new awesome acoustic cover, so don’t miss it…

See you next session!