“A Horse With No Name” (America Cover)

By Jeff Copperthite:

Good evening to you. It’s Jeff Copperthite today with www.guitarbucketlist.com. Today I bring you my first tune from America, which is a band I have been slowly getting into the past 2 years or so.

After our live show at Testa’s Saturday night (which was GREAT! Look for some pictures and video soon on our site), we had a fan request an America song after our 2nd song, so we gave it to him. That made me want to play more, so yesterday I learned the song that I bring you today.

I also know this is one of the most well-known songs by America (and in the world for that matter). I love the strumming pattern and the chords that go with this song. When you hear the song you think it’s tough to play. I hope that this cover is appreciated by the die-hard America fans, as I am slowly joining your ranks the more I hear their music.

I also had the privilege of seeing them in concert this past year (w/ Jim Fusco and Chris Moore as well), and of course they closed their show with this song, and a 3 minute guitar solo by Gerry.

You can’t go wrong with this song. I hope you enjoy today’s edition and come back every day for a new song at https://guitarbucketlist.com/!

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Jeff’s acoustic cover song music videos are no longer on YouTube, but we decided to keep his cover song blog posts up.  We figured these music blog entries would be good for posterity’s sake and because Jeff always gave such insightful posts each Session.  We hope to see Jeff’s impressive catalog of acoustic rock songs here on the Laptop Sessions cover songs and origianal music blog again in the future.  But, for now, please make sure to check-out hundreds of other acoustic cover songs from all of your favorite bands here on the Laptop Sessions music blog!

“Long Long Time” (McGuinn, Clark, & Hillman Cover)

By Jeff Copperthite:

Happy fantastic Friday to you! It’s Jeff Copperthite with – yet again – another new band. That’s twice this week! It must be an unofficial “new bands” week here at guitarbucketlist.com.

While today the band isn’t “new” person-wise to the sessions, it still counts. The band is three members of the Byrds Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman. I am covering their song “Long Long Time” from their self-titled 1979 album. It is a short and sweet song. Very easy to play, very easy to bop your head too.

I first heard of this trio thanks to (who else) Jim Fusco. He played a song from this band on our very first show to our better halves called “BSYNHO”, which stands for “Best Show You’ve Never Heard of”. We even sound it out. I’ve been digging into these shows the past few months or so for songs I can cover. I’m at the point where i’ve covered most of my favorite songs, so now I have to dig a little deeper to make it through the final 5+ months of Laptop-Session-a-day. Glad I found this one, and I hope you are too.

Stay tuned this weekend for the next acoustic cover song by Jim Fusco. He never waits a long long time between his videos!

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Jeff’s acoustic cover song music videos are no longer on YouTube, but we decided to keep his cover song blog posts up.  We figured these music blog entries would be good for posterity’s sake and because Jeff always gave such insightful posts each Session.  We hope to see Jeff’s impressive catalog of acoustic rock songs here on the Laptop Sessions cover songs and origianal music blog again in the future.  But, for now, please make sure to check-out hundreds of other acoustic cover songs from all of your favorite bands here on the Laptop Sessions music blog!

“It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” (Cover by Chris Moore)

I just played “Like A Rolling Stone” the other day, so I figured I’d play my other, lesser-known favorite from the Highway 61 Revisited album. This is a simple chord progression, but I’ve always thought the song had an edgy tone and belied some interesting emotions.

And, by the way, welcome back Jim!

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The Best Covers of 2010

By Chris Moore:

For a guy who regularly posts cover song music videos, I am surprisingly unwelcoming as regards the inclusion of cover songs on studio albums.  That being said, there have been some excellent covers this year, and they’ve been handled in manners that I can respect.  For instance, Brian Wilson and Steven Page each released albums entirely composed of covers.  She & Him released their cover of “I Can Hear Music” as the “B-side” to their single, which was an intelligent decision that both allowed us to hear this excellent version yet also to preserve the continuity of Volume Two.  The Black Keys (on their very good album) and Sheryl Crow (on her forgettable album) each decided to include a cover near the end of the track listing, which blended well.  And Johnny Cash is, well… Johnny Cash.  He’s the man, and for the last decade of his career, it became a mark of distinction to have the man record a cover version of your song, artists lining up to present him with tracks for future consideration.

So, here they are: the top five cover songs of 2010.  Check back tomorrow for another list!

BEST COVER SONGS of 2010

1)  “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” – Brian Wilson (Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin)

2)  “I Can Hear Music” – She & Him (“In the Sun” single)

3)  “Paranoid Android” – Steven Page (A Singer Must Die)

4)  “Never Gonna Give You Up” – The Black Keys (Brothers)

5)  “Redemption Day” – Johnny Cash (American VI: Ain’t No Grave)

Honorable Mention: “I Want You Back” – Sheryl Crow (100 Miles from Memphis)