Acoustic cover of “Not Fade Away,” a song written in 1957 by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and covered by the Stones in 1964. I had the Rolling Stones’ version in my mind while I was covering it. I play my acoustic guitar and my G-tuned harmonica.
** EDITOR’S NOTE: **
For his second Guest Session, Federico has chosen one of the all-time great cover songs. After all, Buddy Holly may have written “Not Fade Away,” but the Rolling Stones took it to the next rock’n’roll level as their first single.
A few other artists and bands have covered it since, like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen.
Although I enjoy the Rolling Stones version better, there really is an innocence to the Buddy Holly & the Crickets version from 1957. I’m listening to it as I type, and that guitar sound may be simple, but the Fifties band vibe is inimitable.
So thank you, Federico, for bringing your recording of this classic song to the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover song music video blog!
Happy Labor Day to one and all! I’ve always thought that it was interesting that there is very little “labor” accomplished on Labor day, but I suppose it’s more an appreciation and celebration of all the labor that is done on the other 364 days of the year. Regardless, I’m not complaining that I don’t have to work on this beautiful, sunny day — what a magnificent first day of September it is, at least here in good ole Connecticut, USA!
And September 1st is not only Labor Day, but it’s also the birthday of my girlfriend, Nicole. So, to help her celebrate it, I figured there’s no better way than choosing and recording a song for my music video today that she would love. This is actually a song that I just played her for the first time a couple of days ago, and she immediately loved it. “American Girls” is the second track on the Counting Crows’ Hard Candy album. It’s notable for being one of two songs from this album to make the greatest hits. Although it was a very mild hit, I think it’s a great song. And I can’t believe that it took me years to figure out that Sheryl Crow contributes the background vocals! I picked up this album used from FYE a couple weeks ago and figured that out as I read the liner notes. It was definitely a “Duh” moment…
The album is one of those that starts extremely strong — the first four tracks are simply amazing. “Hard Candy” starts off the album and the first couple lines are among my favorite that Duritz has ever written. Then comes “American Girls.” The third track, “Good Time,” is not anything special, I suppose, but I really like it. And I love “Richard Manuel is Dead.” Those first four tracks are a tour de force. Then, the next few tracks slow it down, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it never really picks back up to the quality of those first four tracks. So, while I like the album, I can’t really fall in love with it. It’s one of those albums that, by track eight, you’re fighting the temptation to skip back to track one.
But, if you buy this album, don’t flip back to the first track without hearing the last track, “Holiday in Spain”! It’s one of my favorite songs from the Counting Crows. It starts off with just piano and Duritz’s vocals, and gradually builds up to a triumphant final verse and chorus. For those of you who don’t know me, I just love it when a song begins with no drums or minimal drums, then really kicks into high gear! For instance, that’s probably why “Pretty (Ugly Before)” is my favorite Elliott Smith song on From a Basement on the Hill.
Well, that’s enough music commentary for one day. I’m off to have some lunch, celebrate Nicole’s birthday, celebrate Jim’s groundbreaking new purchase (I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it in his next post!), and try to get some work done amidst all the excitement…
Good evening, cover song music video fans. I’m coming at you this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a selection from a band that will be releasing a brand new studio album tomorrow. The band is Spoon, and the album coming out tomorrow is Transference. I’ve only heard the single “Written in Reverse,” but that one song was enough to capture my interest.
And I couldn’t be happier, since there is little that makes me as excited as having a reason to go to the music store on a Tuesday afternoon/evening.
So, to help bide my time until tomorrow, I learned and practiced a different Spoon song this weekend and finally recorded it earlier today. The song is “Jonathon Fisk” and it is from Spoon’s 2002 album Kill the Moonlight. I had this album recommended to me by a friend just after New Year’s Day, in anticipation of their upcoming new release. I listened to it a couple times, then put it aside. Out of nowhere last week, I had the urge to hear it again, and now I can’t get enough of it. Kill the Moonlight is quirky and upbeat and experimental — all the aspects of great alternative rock music that I love!
So, it is with great pleasure that I pass along “Jonathon Fisk” to you for your consideration. Apparently, the song was written about a bully that songwriter Britt Daniel had experience with in school. Later, according to Daniel, the real-life “Fisk” attended a significant number of the band’s shows.
Interesting how life turns out…
Speaking of the oddities of our modern lives, has anyone else seen Up in the Air? It was every bit as good as I hoped it would be, but what a downer! Let’s just say that one of the characters turns out to be a… Well, a big fat doo-doo head, for lack of a better euphemism. I literally sat through all of the credits just staring at the screen in disbelief. Really though, without saying too much, I would highly recommend this one, if for no other reason than the fact that George Clooney is awesome.
Some say that we have the same chin, which I take as the highest form of compliment. Go ahead, try not to stare dreamily at my chin while you’re watching my video tonight.
In unrelated news, I’m coming up on crunch time here, as the second marking period for my school ends tomorrow and midterms run until next Monday. What does this mean for me? Well, I have essentially a week to enter and finalize grades for all my classes. I’m currently in the middle of the pile I wanted to finish by this evening, so I naturally decided that I had plenty of time to kick back and watch a couple hours of television. Now that that’s over, it’s back to work for me.
Thankfully, I had this Laptop Session post to write, so I’ve been able to procrastinate just a little longer…
But, at long last, it’s back to gradin’ for me. I hope you enjoy tonight’s video and that you’ll come back soon for another week’s worth of new material at the greatest cover song music video blog on the web today.
Hello everyone- It’s been quite a while since I’ve gotten to sit down and record more Laptop Sessions cover song music videos for you. I have a bunch of great ideas saved-up, but my focus lately has been more on my original music. I have a newfound passion for guitar tone, so I’ve learned to rewire my collection of electric guitars and put new pickups in almost all of them. I want to get as many great sounds as possible for the recording of my next batch of songs.
I also realized that I have more than 250 videos on YouTube- mostly cover songs from bands like the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Moody Blues, the Monkees, and many, many more. Instead of increasing that number even more, I’ll be promoting all of my older videos to give them new life!
While I’m doing that, I’ll be driving around Connecticut playing at various Open Mic Nights. I have my great Seagull acoustic-electric Entourage Rustic guitar, and I’ll even bring my electric guitars (and future small tube-amps) around with me. My goal is to record videos of a different original song each time I go out. I’ve already done a few.
Sure, the quality is so-so (iPhone video), the crowds are small and/or non-existent, and some of the videos are only part of the song (for instance, when my phone ran out of storage space on “Halfway There” a couple weeks ago). But, I think these videos will be a valuable addition to the work I’ve done here for the Laptop Sessions music blog. After all, we recorded all of these cover song videos in an attempt to make people curious about our original music, too. So, now it’s finally time to implement phase two!
So, stay tuned in the coming weeks, as I’ll debut new videos as I record them. I’ll put them on the music blog on Wednesdays, like our old “Original Wednesday” posts from back in the cover-song-heyday. I hoe you enjoy the videos and will share them with your friends!
Cover Songs & Original Music Videos By Laptop Sessions Songwriters
The Laptop Sessions music video blog is a great combination of acoustic cover songs and original music. This website features cover songs from many of rock music's greatest bands, including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan. The blog is updated every day with another acoustic cover video, how-to video, or article about music. We only play the best cover songs from the best rock bands of all time.
Here at the Laptop Sessions, we don't just sit down and do a bunch of cover songs- we make them our own. Yes, each cover will sound like the original, but it will also have a new, fresh sound to it. One of our specialties is taking a song from say the eighties and stripping-away the production. Then, we're left with just the song- simple (and most times, much better). We then record an acoustic version of that song and put it on this music video blog for all music fans to watch.
But, Laptop Sessions Music Blog is much more than just videos. There are informative blog posts, including the chords and lyrics to your favorite songs, recording tips, and much more. Plus, you can buy Jim Fusco's original songs right here on the music blog!
Right from the start, the Laptop Sessions Acoustic Cover Songs & Music Video Blog set out to be different. We wanted to give the best music blog for the world to enjoy. We wanted to put an end to bad YouTube cover videos forever. We wanted to bring great rock music back to the forefront with our great cover songs and original music. And, we guarantee we'll keep it this way- free videos that are updated constantly for your musical enjoyment. If you're looking for the best cover songs, the most exciting new music, and the most informative music articles, look no further than right here: home of the world-famous Laptop Sessions.
