“Oh, George” – Foo Fighters Acoustic Cover by guitarbucketlist.com

By Jeff Copperthite

Can…it…be? A new Jeff Copperthite laptop sessions video?

Ok cool, I mean he’s got a lot to upload still from his files.

But wait, there’s something different.

He looks a lot older…and well, it must be his Irish blood that is causing him to age like a raisin.

But in all seriousness, yes this is a brand new video that I sat down and recorded today. It is a cover of one of my favorite bands the Foo Fighters and from their first album titled “Oh, George”. It is one of the later songs on the album. The album itself was always in my rotation in high school and it is so easy to just listen to it from start to finish.

Technical notes are as follows. I decided to try recording it on my tablet to see how the video quality is. I had to use a bit lower light than I wanted because if I had used more, the recording video would flicker. Further, once I uploaded the video, it is not a full frame video. The audio quality is solid, however. I think I will be going back to my Powershot for future recordings.

As I mentioned to Jim today, lately all I have wanted to learn as far as new songs go are Foo Fighters songs. I think I will be posting some this Fall and call it guitarbucketlist.com’s Fall of Foo”. The next song will be off their 2nd album “The Colour and the Shape”
I was at Jim’s release party last night for his new CD “The Easy Ways”. It is an amazing album per Jim’s usual standard. He has managed to top himself yet again. Pick it up now – best $10 ever!

The TOP TWENTY ALBUMS of 2011 (The Year-End Awards)

By Chris Moore:

It is the best and truest mark of artistry in the music industry, and sales are no indication of significance.  Sequencing and thematic continuity, sonic experimentation within a basic set of familiar parameters, a healthy range of types and topics: these are the standards by which to judge an album.

The album.

It ascended into an art form in the mid-sixties under the careful work of artists like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Beach Boys.  It was taken to new heights with the experimentation of later bands, from the concept albums of the Moody Blues to the spin-off success of artists like Bruce Springsteen.  The album – and rock in general – saw a rebirth in the nineties, with the work of those like Weezer, the Wallflowers, the Barenaked Ladies, and a slew of others who led a surge of excellent rock music.

These days, the album has faced a crossroads.  Specifically, with the advent and surge of digital sales, the physical formats of music are on the chopping block.  Still, with the rise of vinyl sales even as CD sales continue to decline, there is hope yet.  And, contrary to an army of naysayers, there are still excellent albums being made.  This year, as with the past several years that I have been tuned into a vast array of albums, I would say there are about five albums that will undoubtedly stand the test of time and compete for top spots when I eventually get around to my Best Albums of All Time list.  Which, at this point, might have to wait until I hit retirement.

But, for the moment, you have my Best Albums of 2011 list, and if you’re interested in reading more about any of these albums, you can access my Weekend Review report (including star rating, production info, and a full review) by simply searching the album title and band name in the search bar above.  And, of course, if you see reason for disagreement or any gaps in my list, it’s up to you to leave comments below.

1)  The Whole Love (Wilco)

2)  The King is Dead (The Decemberists)

3)  Last Night on Earth (Noah & the Whale)

4)  Wasting Light (Foo Fighters)

5)  Bad As Me (Tom Waits)

6)  Unfortunate Casino (Gerry Beckley)

7)  The King of Limbs (Radiohead)

8)  Yuck (Yuck)

9)  Lasers (Lupe Fiasco)

10) W H O K I L L (The Tune-Yards)

11) The Graduation Ceremony (Joseph Arthur)

12) Vol. 2: High and Inside (The Baseball Project)

13) Collapse Into Now (R.E.M.)

14) Move Like This (The Cars)

15) The Valley (Eisley)

16) Cloud Maintenance (Kevin Hearn)

17) I’m With You (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

18) Alpocalypse (Weird Al Yankovic)

19) No Color (The Dodos)

20) Nighty Night (8in8)

 

Honorable Mention:

The Way It Was (Parachute)

The Dreamer, The Believer (Common)

“Times Like These” (Foo Fighters Cover)

By Jeff Copperthite:

Welcome to your Thumpin’ Thursday edition of The Laptop Sessions. Today I bring you a song by request. It’s one of the Foo Fighters most well known songs, and most agree that the acoustic version of this song is better than the original, full-band version.

Well, the song is “Times Like These”, of which there is a terrific video of Dave Grohl playing the song on the acoustic, with piano and string accompaniment on Youtube.

I had just purchased new guitar strings and this is the 2nd video I recorded with them. I had recorded this song in the same session as my previous video, but the new strings make this song sound a heck of a lot better, so I did it again.

The song is off their great album “One By One”. I’ve always been a Foo Fighters fan since their original self-titled release.

I hope this translates well to the acoustic version, although you may notice that I do not do the “screaming” chorus, because my voice…well, it just isn’t suited for screaming.

I hope you enjoy today’s edition, and keep checking https://guitarbucketlist.com/ for more from FMP, and for pictures/video from our live performances!

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 original 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!

Foo Fighters’ “There is Nothing Left to Lose” (1999) – Yes, No, or Maybe So

Foo Fighters’ There is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) – MAYBE NOT

Foo Fighters' "There is Nothing Left to Lose" (1999)

Foo Fighters' "There is Nothing Left to Lose" (1999)

(November 2, 1999)

Review:

Although this album somehow managed to rake in better reviews than The Colour and the Shape (1997), these songs — for all their potential and positive aspects — generally fall flat (i.e. “Learn to Fly” is wonderfully catchy but irritatingly repetitive; the outstanding “Generator” is marred by perhaps the most annoying guitar effect on record).

Top Two Tracks:

“Next Year” & “Gimme Stitches”