“Tonight I’ll Be Stayin’ Here With You” (Bob Dylan Covers – Triple Threat Tuesday!!)

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to not only another Laptop Session music video, but also a special treat from the three songwriters who bring you an acoustic cover a day EVERY day in 2008…

This is a little something we like to call Triple Threat Tuesday. What this means is today you will receive not one, not two, not four, but THREE video blog entries. Each video will be a cover version of Bob Dylan’s 1969 song “Tonight I’ll Be Stayin’ Here With You.” It’s such a great track that we couldn’t agree on just one person to record an acoustic cover of it… so all three of us will take a stab at it! This song originally appeared on the first fully country-rock Dylan album, appropriately titled Nashville Skyline. This album is filled with very simple, upbeat, and brief (under 3 minutes each) songs, not to mention they’re all sung in his “Lay, Lady, Lay” voice and Johnny Cash himself makes a special guest appearance on the opening track. I’ve heard better duets, but there are few things better than hearing two giants like Cash and Dylan harmonize (however loosely) on such a great song as “Girl from the North Country.” Dylan actually originally released that song on his 1962 acoustic album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

Personally, my favorite version of this song is Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue version, recorded in 1975 and released in the Bootleg series. He changes the words around and, although they’re a bit more blunt than the original, I love them and think they work well for this acoustic cover rendition. But that’s the beauty of cover songs — they give songwriters like us endless opportunities to perfect our own skills and to end some of our own style to the track. For instance, I can bet that Jim’s version will be faithful to the original, as he loves that album. He could have bet money that I would go for the obscure live lyrics, since I love Bob Dylan and have probably heard more live versions of this song than the average person should.

As Jim explained yesterday, I must follow up — it’s great to be back online. This music blog has been a lot of work for us and I can’t imagine losing the session – a – day promise this far into the game! We’re building more and more each day, and now that I’m on summer break from teaching, I’ll be able to devote all my attention toward my creative pursuits.

See you next session!


Jeff’s version is no longer on YouTube, but here’s…

Jim’s version: Recorded the night of, using my new video filters and amazing USB microphone- just listen to the audio quality of this acoustic cover song!



“Will It Grow” by Jakob Dylan – Chords, Lyrics, & How to Play

“Will It Grow”
Jakob Dylan

Intro:  C#m

C#m                         A         E
I made a promise to not let go;
E              C#m                              B             A
Our tug of war has only made me want you more.
A               B                     E                 A
Steeped in hard luck and doomed to roam;
A               B                       C#m
My love is braver than you know.

My forefathers, they worked this land,
And I was schooled in the tyranny of nature’s plans.
Dressed in thunder, a cloud came round;
A                          B        E                C#m
In the shape of a lion, a hand came down.

A               E         A              E
Damn this valley, damn this cold.
E             B         A        C#m
Takes so long to let me know…
A                   E             A             E
It’s plant and reap and plow and sow,
E                        C#m
But tell me will it grow?

Dig my ditches in the golden sun;
I’d be robbing these trains if I could catch me one.
Sunday, Monday, now Tuesday’s gone…
Got me stone cold sober in a drought so long.

Boarded mansions and ghost filled yards;
There’s a boy in a water tower counting cars.
Steel traps open and empty stalls;
There’s a well-worn saddle, but the horse is gone.

Damn this valley, damn this cold.
Takes so long to let me know…
It’s plant and reap and plow and sow,
But tell me will it grow?

Jet black starlit midnight rolls;
I am down in the garden where I let you go.
Here on the surface, the earth looks round,
But it’s a Godless city of cold flat ground.

Damn this valley, damn this cold.
Takes so long to let me know…
It’s plant and reap and plow and sow,
But tell me will it grow?

C#m  C#m – B – E – B – A
Will it grow?…
A       C#m – B – E – B – A
Will it grow?…
A       C#m – B – E – B – A
Will it grow?…

Outro:  C#m

“One More Cup of Coffee” (Classic Dylan, New Cover!)

By Chris Moore:

Here’s a simple but great 70’s Dylan song, off the “Desire” album. I’ve always loved the words to this one.

As a brief sidenote, my essay book was supposed to be released tomorrow, but I’m still trying to figure out how to convert it into an eBook without paying a big fee. I would release it next Tuesday, but I don’t want to overshadow the MoU release (lol…), so I’ll probably just wait until later this month. :-)

As always, thanks for listening. Keeping with my New Year’s resolution to post at least one new Laptop Session every day this year, Jim and/or I and/or Jeff will see you tomorrow!


“Getcha Back” (Beach Boys Cover)

For chords & lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome, one and all, to my favorite type of acoustic cover song — a collaboration with fellow Fusco-Moore Productions artist Jim Fusco. (I’ll be posting another one soon with Jim and his girlfriend — fiance, to be more precise! — Becky Daly.) Tonight, I’m happy to present our rendition of the Beach Boys’ “Getcha Back” from their 1985 self-titled release.

This is probably their last great record, as such. After this, Dennis’ absence is all the more profound and the overall quality of involvement and projects seems to decline. But this album should not be ignored, even taking into account how much it sounds like “eighties music.”

“Getcha Back” is the first track and sets the tone for the album as a whole. I used to turn this on, set it to repeat, turn off the lights in my room, and lay on the floor listening to it again and again. There’s so much running through Mike Love’s vocal and the instrumental accompaniment is both rocking and sad. It made me want to write and record a song that could be that simple, and yet that good!

Years later, I still love the track, and I feel privileged that Jim would relinquish his claim on a Beach Boys cover — one of my favorites — so that I could record it for the acoustic cover songs music blog. Not only did he let me record it, but he joined in to make it probably one of my favorite Laptop Sessions thus far. I hope you enjoy it too!

Don’t forget to hurry back tomorrow for a new acoustic rock cover by Jeff…

See you next session!