Author Archives: Chris Moore

“Excitable Boy” (Warren Zevon Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

There’s lots of good stuff happening here at guitarbucketlist.com! I’ve been spurred on by Jim and Jeff’s recent plans for releases and by all of Jim’s tireless work designing the website, so I have a couple “extra’s” for you today.

First of all, I posted my review of Ringo’s Liverpool 8 album a half hour ago. (Another goal of mine this year is to write at least brief reviews of all the new albums I buy this year.) In the coming days and weeks, you can look for reviews of both Sheryl Crow’s and Jack Johnson’s new albums that came out today.

In addition to the CD review, I have also posted a second “Behind the Scenes” video. I had the idea to make this short film when I was recording the session for Warren Zevon’s “Excitable Boy.” It’s really cheesy, but it was easy and fun to make, and I wanted to share it with you all.

Finally, of course, I have posted my second song from one of my absolute favorite artists, Warren Zevon. You may know him for “Werewolves of London,” but he has written so much more! This is one of his more well-known songs and I hope you enjoy it. It’s somewhat disturbing, but if you think about the overall idea of the song, it’s actually an interesting statement from Zevon.

I hope you enjoy all the new posts to be found on the site today!


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“Wilted Rose” by the Vanity Project – Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

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To see how it’s played in the cover song music video, CLICK HERE!

“Wilted Rose”
The Vanity Project

Intro:  Am   F   G   C – G – Am   F   G   Em

Am        F                 G                       C  –  G  – Am           F          G        Em
I almost cried on the day my country died;          I almost tried to care.
They built a wall to protect them from us all; we should have left them there.

Am – G – C                Dm     G    Am – G   –   C            Dm      E
Rev   o   lution is the first to go;   the rest is forced to stay…

A                       D                     E        F#m             Bm       D          E
Shall I cast this out, this wilted rose?  Yeah, yeah, yeah — no, no, no.
Like Pierre Trudeau’s walk out in the snow, can it be time to leave?

I spent my youth thinking people spoke the truth; now it’s hard to think.
Was I naive to say I do believe that none of us should sink?

They sold us out, and they sold us short.  And we’re the ones who’ll have to pay…

Shall I cast this out, this wilted rose?  Yeah, yeah, yeah — no, no, no.
Like Pierre Trudeau’s walk out in the snow, can it be time to leave?

E       Am       F             G                      C              G        Am          F           G     Em
Don’t go; you know, it’s all the same to me these days, I swear it’s hard to care.

SOLO: over intro chords

Revolution is the first to go; the rest is forced to stay…

Shall I cast this out, this wilted rose?  Yeah, yeah, yeah — no, no, no.
Like Pierre Trudeau’s walk out in the snow, can it be time to leave?

Shall I cast this out, this wilted rose?  Yeah, yeah, yeah — no, no, no.
Like Pierre Trudeau’s walk out in the snow, can it be time to leave?

Don’t go; you know, it’s all the same to me these days, I swear it’s hard to care.

** 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. **

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“Canceled Check” by Beck – Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

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To see how it’s played in the cover song music video, CLICK HERE!

“Canceled Check”
Beck

B                               D       A  E     A       B
I hate to do this, but you’re a pain in the neck.
I thought you knew this; you handed me a canceled check.
You’re so helpless; your girlfriends think you’re a saint.
B                                      D       A  E     A                 D
I’ll give you a quarter; I’ll keep my judgments to myself…

D                                        F#
And I get caught up in the moonlight,
F#                          B                             B7
Reaching out for a rotten egg — I don’t wanna beg —
B7  G                         F#                  B
It’s crystal clear your time is nearly gone.

Count your blessings, and do the things that you should.
Oh, the has-beens that never had it so good…
Stormy weather, the kids are making a racket
In the wilderness, the wild lives are so mild…

And I get caught up in the moonlight,
Reaching out for a rotten egg — I don’t wanna beg —
It’s crystal clear your time is nearly gone.

SOLO (over verse chords)

And I get caught up in the moonlight,
Reaching out for a rotten egg — I don’t wanna beg —
It’s crystal clear your time is nearly gone.

** 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. **

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“(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…

See you next session!



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