Tag Archives: four tops

“Baby I Need Your Loving” (Four Tops and Johnny Rivers Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Wow, finally I get to post my video.  I hate when this happens- now it’s going to feel like such a short time until my next video!  Anyway, I’m very proud to bring you tonight’s acoustic cover song music video of a classic song in, “Baby I Need Your Loving”.

Written by three of the Motown Records songwriters, “Baby I Need Your Loving” was the first big hit for the Four Tops back in 1964.  And let me tell you, this falls into my category of “perfect recordings”.  It clocks in under two minutes, but the vocals and instrumentation are just perfect.  The song gives me chills.  The Tops had such a unique vocal blend.  The lead vocalist recently passed away, as I heard.  When I saw them in concert a few years ago, there were only two original Tops left, but I still enjoyed the concert very much.  Hey, there’s only two original Beach Boys left in the band…and one isn’t even technically an original!

Anyway, you may also know this song from the Johnny Rivers version in the late 60’s.  His voice fit well with this classic tune, as well.  But, there’s one big difference between his version and the one done by the Four Tops: the title!  Johnny decided to title the song after what the chorus really says: Baby I Need Your Lovin’.  Note that apostrophe?  The Four Tops had the more grammatically correct version for theirs.

I had so much fun recording this- in one take, mind you.  And now for my slightly melodramatic “personal” update for the week:

I really hope I can find more time to post on the blog, as I have a lot of ambition, but it keeps getting thrown to the side.  Work, both during the day and at night, has helped my wife and I accomplish so much more than anyone else our age I know.  But, that does come at a cost- we’re both tired and the time we do have off becomes “necessary” rather than leisurely.  What do I mean by that?  Well, when you don’t do anything for yourself during the week, you feel like you need to cram in a TON of fun on the weekend.  Most times, that ends up in disappointment because it’s so much pressure!

But, the good news is that we’re managing things a lot better now than we were.  Personally, I’m still working on the whole “friends” issue.  I’ve recently realized that all my friends are gone, either taken away by disagreements, girlfriends, wives, rifts, or even just a marred past.  But, it’s tough finding new friends when everyone you work with is twice your age and doesn’t have time for friends.  Also, it’s tough when you don’t have time for friends yourself!  Thankfully, I still have Dana to get breakfast with me each week, and I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family (both my immediate family and my in-laws).  But, it would be nice to find someone that wants to hang around with me that doesn’t feel obligated because of their relation to me! 🙂 

In closing- I hope the friend train stops at my station soon, for where there are friends, there is fun.  Enjoy tonight’s video and make sure to come back for more, y’all! 🙂

“Walk Away Renee” (The Left Banke and/or Four Tops Cover)

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Welcome, everyone to yet another Laptop Session with me, Jim Fusco.

I”m back with a real video tonight (not a swerve like my genius move last week!) in a classic song: “Walk Away Renee”.  Plus, I bring you not one, but TWO new artists in one video, in one night!!!  Tell me, has that ever been done before?

You know this tune: “Just walk away, Renee, you won’t see me follow you back home.”

Now, think of who sings it.  I thought about it myself and remembered that the version I have is from the Four Tops.  And it sounds right- I know I’ve heard it on the radio before.

Except there’s something wrong.  Two things, in fact.

The version I remember had strings in the background (violins, etc.) and the chorus was sung differently.  In the Four Tops version, the background singers sing the “you won’t see me follow you back home” in a very “on the beat” manner.

The version I remember sang it the way I do in this video- with a little more relaxed style.  You’ll hear what I mean.

So, I began searching- what version did I know?  I found a couple of promising ones, but none that were exactly what I remembered.

Finally, a search in the iTunes store brought me to a group called The Left Banke.  They were a one (or possibly two) hit wonder back in the late 60s.  Their hit?  “Walk Away Renee”- the version I’ve always known!!

But, over the years, I seem to have merged the Left Banke version and the Four Tops version in my head.  The Left Banke version doesn’t have drums or that classic Motown backing band, but has the strings.  And I hear the Left Banke singer’s lead vocal on the verses in my head, but the Four Tops lead singer on the choruses…but he’s singing in the STYLE of the Left Banke guy!

AHH!

Anyway, tonight’s video turned out great- probably one of my most solid overall performances.  It’s a great song I’ve always known by just hearing it on the radio, but it only took me one take on video tonight.  When that happens, you know you “got it.”

It’s been some busy times lately, but Dana and I are getting more and more determined each night.  We’re trying to lose a little weight, eat better, exercise, and get a lot of work done.  It’s nice to have someone here that helps me achieve these goals, because Lord knows I couldn’t motivate myself all the time.

So, until next week, enjoy my video tonight and Jeff’s video on Thursday.  I hope Chris will take a more prominent role in the Laptop Sessions promotions work now that he’s out of school for the summer.  Also, he’s going to be away and then he’s moving out (and on) after that.  Hopefully he’ll channel some of his new found “not around Jim” time towards promoting the cover songs music video blog that we affectionately call The Laptop Sessions.  Until next Tuesday!!

Jim Fusco’s 100th Laptop Session: “A Simple Game” (Moody Blues Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Welcome to my 100th Laptop Session! I cant believe I’ve actually done 100 already, but the thing I’m happiest about is that the blog is finally starting to pull the visitors we’ve always thought we deserved from all this hard work over the past few months. So, I hope you’ll click on the “Share This” button under the title of all of our music video blog posts and share our videos on Facebook, MySpace, and Digg. We keep coming out with the content- free acoustic covers and original songs every day of the year- and now we need your help to make this spread. Because, I’ll admit- after doing 100 videos, it was almost a necessity to get more visitors to keep the spirits high here at the Laptop Sessions. And, I can honestly say, these spirits have never been higher. So, expect higher and higher video and sound quality every single day!

Tonight, I bring you a song I find fitting for my 100th Laptop Sessions song. Out of all the cover songs I’ve done, “A Simple Game” by the Moody Blues (and made a big hit by the Four Tops) stands as one of my original “favorite” songs. Back on the “Best Song EVER” show on WCJM free internet radio, I chose this as one of my top three favorite songs of all time, along with “The Little Girl I Once Knew” by the Beach Boys and “Hey Jude” by the Beatles. Of course, this show was recorded in 2000 when I was only 15 or 16 and my favorite songs list has changed a little bit. I’d have to say “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” by the Byrds and “You Just May Be The One” by the Monkees are my top two right now. But, “A Simple Game” is still up there for me, especially because it WON the “Best Song EVER” contest on WCJM!

A few years later, we did another “Best of” show called the “Song for the New Millennium Show”, and another one of my picks won: “All The Things” by the Byrds, which Jeff stole as a Laptop Session from me a few days ago. But, he did the cover song justice (as he does with all of his acoustic cover songs), so you should really check it out here on the Laptop Sessions Music Video Blog.

This song, “A Simple Game”, was never on a Moody Blues album- only a single. Mike Pinder wrote the song and the Four Tops took it and made it a huge hit, especially in England. But, I’ve always known the Moody Blues version, being such a big fan, so that’s the version I’ve stayed true to here.

I hope you enjoy my 100th Laptop Session- an expansive collection of acoustic cover songs and my own original music. Please stay tuned every single day here on the music video blog and we’ll continue to hit milestones, break records, and record great music!