Tag Archives: borluzzi

“Sister Morphine” (Rolling Stones Cover)

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By Federico Borluzzi:

Acoustic cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Sister Morphine,” from their 1971 Sticky Fingers album.

** EDITOR’S NOTE: **

As Federico referenced above — and as you can see at the beginning of the video when he holds up the album cover — “Sister Morphine” is a deep track from 1971’s Sticky Fingers.  The album has received very positive news, so this, along with the fact that “Wild Horses” hails from this record and Federico saw fit to pick from it, has made me believe I should make this my next Rolling Stones purchase.

I hesitate to admit this, but I’ve never listened to a Rolling Stones album…

Perhaps it’s time.

“Sister Morphine” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards along with Marianne Faithfull, who released the track as a B-side in 1969.  It apparently took some legal intervention to get Jagger and Richards to include her name in the credits on the album.

Regardless of who had what part in writing it, Federico has brought his A-game as per usual, and has extended the great Laptop Sessions tradition of presenting an acoustic cover song that gets others interested in the original recording.

For now, enjoy his version and hurry back for more new material on the blog this weekend!

“Beat It” (Michael Jackson Cover)

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By Federico Borluzzi:

Acoustic cover of Michael Jackson’s song “Beat It,” from the 1982 Thriller album.  I changed the guitar parts, creating an alternative version of this song which is okay for my acoustic version.

** EDITOR’S NOTE **

This is a moment I didn’t see coming…

Introducing the first Michael Jackson acoustic cover song to the Laptop Sessions, care of Guest Sessions regular Federico Borluzzi!  For tonight’s installment, he’s come up with quite an interesting arrangement for this early eighties hit.  On his YouTube page, Federico writes, “This cover is intended to be a tribute to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, who’s gone too soon and whose death shocked me and the whole world. He left us a legacy of great songs, such as this one… I did an alternative, quiet and acoustic cover…”

I think you’ll agree as you listen that this is a fitting tribute, and it’s done in the Laptop Sessions tradition of stripping a fully produced (and sometimes over-produced) song down to its core elements.  From the opening moments of the video, Federico sets a mesmerizing fingerpicking pattern that will guide the whole song, and is indeed one of the highlights of his performance.

I hope you enjoy this video — I know I did, and I couldn’t be happier to present this week’s Guest Session.  Hurry back for new articles and announcements throughout the weekend!

“Ziggy Stardust” (David Bowie electric cover)

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By Federico Borluzzi:

This isn’t an acoustic cover as the previous ones that I used to submit here…

I played this song with my electric guitar with a light distorsion and I hope it does sound good! This is a great song from The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie (1972).

** EDITOR’S NOTE: **

I have a reason to be personally excited about this song — a while back, I recorded my first David Bowie cover, of “Hang on to Yourself.”  That song is the one that precedes “Ziggy Stardust” on the aforementioned 1972 album.

Now, thanks to Federico, we’re happy to present the title track of the album, a song that ranked in the middle of Rolling Stone‘s 500 Best Rock Songs list recently.  As usual, Federico has done an excellent job of stripping a song down to its basic elements, and electric guitar was a great choice for this one.

As a final note, I’m very happy to be able to promise you some great Federico Borluzzi sessions in the coming weeks and months, as I’ve recently built up several songs in reserve.

So, without further ado, enjoy this one and be sure to hurry back for more!

“Eleanor Rigby” (Beatles Cover)

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By Federico Borluzzi:

Acoustic cover of “Eleanor Rigby” from the Revolver album (1966).  I didn’t have any orchestra, so I find my way to play this song with my acoustic guitar only.

** EDITOR’S NOTE: **

Go ahead and check out this stellar solo version of the Beatles classic “Eleanor Rigby.”  I, for one, wish I could fingerpick and sing at the same time like Federico can — I would have gotten a lot less comments on my “Just Breathe” (Pearl Jam) video, I can tell you that much!

The Laptop Sessions all began with Jim’s first Beatles cover song music video of “Here, There, and Everywhere,” and it’s always exciting to be able to induct a new, interesting cover into the Beatles category.  Thanks, Federico, for another great contribution to the Guest Sessions!