Welcome to Day 10 of Jim Fusco’s 14 Days of Rock’n’Roll Christmas! I can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as I’ve officially finished the album. And only four days ahead of time! I had to re-record some parts and mix down the last couple of songs, but I’m finally done. Now, I can give my friends and family high quality versions on CD so they can import into their iTunes libraries.
Tonight’s song is another you probably haven’t heard of (don’t worry- this is the last one!), but it’s a really great song. It’s called “On Christmas Day” and is written by Brian Wilson. he recorded it and included it as a bonus track on his Christmas album from the mid-2000’s. I love the video of the band making this song- it’s so cool seeing it come together in the studio.
An interesting thing to me is that this song really was done back in the 70’s and was called “Bells of Paris”. Of course, the tune was slightly different, but it’s really the same song. I’d be interested to find out what came first- Brian’s Christmas lyrics or the ones about Paris. I know the Beach Boys had a failed Christmas album in the mid-70s and there’s actually a version called “Bells of Christmas” that replaces the lyrics with holiday-themed ones. But, the version Brian re-tooled that eventually became “On Christmas Day” is by far my favorite and that’s why I had to make my own version!
I hope you like the song as much as I do. Come back tomorrow (for a song you’ve heard of!) for Day 11 as we roll-on!
Good evening, one and all. This is my first solo Christmas song of the season, and I’m happy to contribute to the holiday spirit we’ve been building not only at the Laptop Sessions but also at the Fusco-Moore Experience.
(For those unaquainted with it, the “Experience” is what the condo has been dubbed. Why it has, I’m not exactly sure, but if you’d like to find out then give us a call…)
Seriously, this song is a classic number originally performed by the one and only Burl Ives. I still picture him as a talking snowman/host of children’s Christmas specials. But, alas, I didn’t have my snowman costume with me tonight, so I just wore my festive green shirt. I think it sufficed for the video. 🙂
The song itself has undergone the Chris Moore treatment, a combination of steady strumming and lower vocals. The harmonica solo is just about as “me” as they get. And this was actually a two-take song for me — a truly rare and pleasant surprise for me! I actually recorded a second song tonight; it’s not a Christmas tune, so I may record a different one if I get a chance, but it’s always good to have at least one music video in reserve. I wish I had recorded a surplus a year ago when I got sick mid-winter. Being our first-ever (and ONLY, I’m sure!) “Session-a-Day” project, I hadn’t anticipated having to record songs with no voice.
As you may recall, I turned to Bob Dylan’s recent catalog for those times that my voice was gruff or worse…
I don’t think you can underestimate how much music plays a part in our lives here at the Laptop Sessions. Take me, for example. Just this morning, I kept hitting the snooze on my iPhone alarm just in time to hear only part of the chorus to Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns, and Money.” Being cut off where it was each time, it sounded like, “I was gambling in a van” (instead of “Havana”). I don’t know why that struck me as being so funny — it’s a lot less funny now that I’m fully awake and thinking about it — but I ended up staying in bed longer than initially planned just so I could keep trying to hit the snooze at the right time.
I don’t know what that says about me. Probably just that I didn’t want to get out of bed and would do anything to justify staying in it!
I hope you enjoy my rendition of this Christmas classic and take it for what it is — my sincere wish that you all have a “holly jolly Christmas.” It’s just over a week around the corner; can you believe it? I know I can’t. For once, I’m actually ahead on shopping!
Now, if I could only be ahead on wrapping…
This is why I would be a terrible Santa. I would be trying to wrap the presents in the sleigh, between houses. The wind would be kicking up and blowing the paper around, blowing presents out of the vehicle. It would be bad.
Okay, that’s it for me tonight. Don’t miss another great Jeff Copperthite session tomorrow — it’s gonna be “so amazing that you wouldn’t even mind if he changes the name of the day from ‘tremendous Tuesday’ to ‘tubular Tuesday'” good!!
Okay, it’s time for me to contribute to “Original Wednesday.” And for my first selection…
This is one of my original Christmas songs. I know it’s a bit sad for a Christmas song, but it was a clear and simple portrait of how I felt at the time that I wrote it. And it still takes me back. (I suppose the question is, why would I want to?…)
Hi all! It’s shaping up to be a busy Christmas season, but I wanted to come on and post a Christmas tune in preparation for the annual Fusco-Moore party, to be held this Sunday.
When the weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful, you know ‘tis the season that comes but once a year… Every Christmas, we love to listen to the classic seasonal tunes that we grew up listening to, and we love to invite new music for the Christmas season into our collections. For free videos of your favorite Christmas songs recorded as cover songs, you need look no farther than the music videos recorded for the Laptop Sessions. Each December, songwriters Jim and Chris look forward to recording covers of their favorite seasonal tunes and posting them online in their video blog entries for other fans to enjoy. Help spread the holiday cheer by visiting http://LaptopSessions.com!
