Tag Archives: hammond

“City of New Orleans” (Steve Goodman Cover)

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By Jeremy Hammond:

My cover of “City of New Orleans” by Steve Goodman is influenced by Willie Nelson’s version of the song. The rhythm fittingly drives on like the wheels on a locomotive, and it has a fun chord progression.

** EDITOR’S NOTE **

This is one of those songs I feel like I’ve known forever.  The more likely time frame is since I was about ten or twelve, listening to my father’s seventies music cassette tapes.  Of course, I know the 1972 Arlo Guthrie version from his album, Hobo’s Lullaby.  It turns out Steve Goodman played it for Guthrie at a bar called the Quiet Knight in Chicago, after which Guthrie recorded his cover.

If the quality of a song can be judged by the caliber of people who have recorded it, then this is an outstanding tune.  It has been recorded by Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, John Denver, Judy Collins, and Jerry Reed, and has been performed most recently by Jimmy Buffett in 2005 and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante in 2006.

And now I’m thrilled to add Jeremy Hammond’s name to that long and prestigious list of cover song artists.  Jeremy’s music video performance is an excellent, entertaining, faithful rendition that anyone who knows this song will enjoy.  If this is your first time hearing the song, perhaps you’ll go out to a CD store (or at least YouTube) and check out the other versions.  Jeremy continues to select songs that fit perfectly into the acoustic cover song format, so hurry back soon for another installment of the Guest Sessions at the Laptop Sessions music video blog!

“Back on the Train” (Phish Cover)

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By Jeremy Hammond:

My acoustic cover of “Back on the Train” by Phish, from the Farmhouse album. I intend to go back and overlay another track for the solos, but here’s the “single take” version with just rhythm and vocals.

** EDITOR’S NOTE: **

For Jeremy’s third Guest Session contribution, he has brought yet another new band to the Laptop Sessions cover song music video blog.  Somehow, Phish have slipped by these past couple years without ever being acknowledged by the Laptop Sessions crew.

No longer!

As per usual, this is a great video of an upbeat performance — Jeremy’s vocals are beautifully authentic to Trey Anastasio’s original lead.  And, of course, the chords sound quirky and, again, perfectly authentic to the Farmhouse track.  Farmhouse was their final record before they announced a hiatus, even if they have gone on to release new discs at a steady pace since then, including this year’s most recent Phish album, Joy.

“Redemption Song” (Bob Marley Cover)

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By Jeremy Hammond:

My cover of “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley.

**  EDITOR’S NOTE: **

Originally released on the 1980 Bob Marley & the Wailers album Uprising, “Redemption Song” is the final track on the final studio album release before Marley’s death in 1981.  It is also significant for having been hailed as an acoustic folk classic by many fans and critics.

Jeremy Hammond, continuing to bring great new bands to the Laptop Sessions blog, plays a heartfelt version for you in this post, complete with a nice fingerpicking section on the intro to the song.  And, please don’t adjust your screen or worry about what you’ve been inhaling… that’s a purposeful visual effect on Jeremy’s video!  🙂

We hope you enjoy this latest installment of the Guest Sessions with our favorite contributor, Jeremy Hammond.  May it help to bring hope and peace to your holidays!

“Promises” (Eric Clapton Cover)

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By Jeremy Hammond:

My cover of “Promises” by Eric Clapton. A bit of my own interpretation, I end it with an improvised solo. The video consists of two tracks. For the first track, I recorded the rhythm and vocals in a single take. Then I laid down a second track over the first for the solo.

** EDITOR’S NOTE: **

Eric Clapton is arguably one of the greatest electric guitar players of all time.  Over the first ten years or so of his career, he played in a number of influential rock bands, not the least of which was Cream.  Once he formed Derek and the Dominoes, he went on to release perhaps his most famous song, “Layla.”  As he proved with his famous acoustic rendition of “Layla” during an MTV Unplugged performance, he also has a knack for acoustic performances.

“Promises,” a track from the 1978 Eric Clapton album Backless, is an excellent choice for an acoustic cover.  As you’ll hear, Jeremy has brought another great addition to the Laptop Sessions storehouse of cover song music videos, adding to the woefully meager portion of Clapton that we currently offer.  Admittedly, the solo at the end strays from the Laptop Sessions format, but for those of you purists out there, simply hit stop at the three minute mark.  Otherwise, sit back and enjoy a great improv at the end to top off this excellent performance!