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“Just Breathe” (Pearl Jam Cover)

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For Pearl Jam chords & lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to an all-new week of cover songs at the best acoustic cover song music video blog in the universe — guaranteed, or your money back!

I guess the guilt falls to me for breaking the Beatles marathon…

It’s been a blast reviewing Beatles albums, recording Fab Four covers, and watching the Traveling Acai Berrys’ and Jeff’s renditions, but now it’s time for me to inject a little fresh music into the timeline of the Laptop Sessions.

“Just Breathe” is track five from the new Pearl Jam album Backspacer, and is truly a perfect fit for the Laptop Sessions format.  The studio version is primarily Eddie Vedder singing and playing acoustic guitar, so it only took memorizing the words and transcribing the chords.  As usual, I started online and found a site with chords and lyrics that were almost right.

Well, “almost right” doesn’t fly around here.

The middle is NOT comprised of C and F chords; that “C” simply didn’t sound quite right.  It should be Am instead of C.  In addition, there were some minor lyrical inaccuracies — “all” instead of “are,” “save” instead of “take,” etc.  The person who transcribed the song included a personal note about the song at the bottom, and he seemed like a really nice guy who truly loved this song.  And he made figuring out this song much easier than if I had simply started on my own.

But that’s what we at the Laptop Sessions pride ourselves about — our commitment to performing songs as faithfully as possible, cross-checking our facts to be certain what we write is accurate, and always knowing when a song has already been recorded as a session.

Oh, right.  About that last one…

I need to apologize to Jeff for recording “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” as though he had never recorded it.  The funny part is that, when I went back and read his post later, I clearly remembered reading it.  I recalled his mention of Eddie Vedder (whose music I barely knew and wasn’t enthusiastic about at the time), and I remembered being intrigued by his “Semaphore” reference.  Apparently, flag semaphore is a system of symbols for conveying information through waving flags or bare hands.  Although photographer Robert Freeman had the idea to have John, Paul, George, and Ringo spell out “HELP” in semaphore, they decided on a different arrangement — “NUJV”– that was more aesthetically pleasing as the cover art for Help!

Going back to the song of the day, I should acknowledge that I originally planned to record “The End,” and I practiced it a number of times with that intention in mind.  In fact, a former student of mine emailed me with the idea of recording it, so I was reluctant to admit to myself that the chorus is just too far out of my range.  I still posted the chords and lyrics, though, so others might be able to enjoy learning and playing it.  Guest session, anyone?

As I was preparing for my session last week, I had been listening back to some of my recent sessions and realized something.  Since I moved from the Fusco-Moore Experience to my current apartment, I have never worn the same shirt twice while recording a music video.  Here’s a quick retrospective:

July 13 – Bob Dylan Together Through Life t-shirt (thanks again, Fusc!)

July 20 – Vermont t-shirt (thanks, Mom & Dad!)

August 4 – plaid, western-looking collared shirt

August 4 (second video) – Dodge Charger t-shirt (thanks, Jim!)

August 11 – tan and blue striped collared shirt

August 17 – blue and white striped collared shirt

August 23 – 40th Anniversary 1969 Mets t-shirt (thank you, CitiField!)

August 31 – Abbey Road t-shirt from London (thanks, Nicole!)

September 28 -black Bass fishing t-shirt

Today marks my tenth video, and thus it is my tenth shirt.  My goal is to never wear the same shirt twice.  Even though I’m running out of t-shirts, we are heading into winter, so my long sleeve shirts will be featured soon.  When spring comes, it should get interesting.  I wonder if I can fit into Nicole’s shirts…

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my video.  This completes my recent Pearl Jam run, adding both a full album review and a one-sentence review of Backspacer, chords & lyrics to three songs, and now a full Laptop Sessions post.

Aside from an ever-increasing stack of grading on my desk at school, life has been hectic but good recently. I’ve been really excited about the music on my iPod and in my car this past month.  After going through quite the dry spell during the summer — Third Eye Blind and Sister Hazel, anyone? — the Arctic Monkeys and Pearl Jam have added some excitement to my “Albums- 2009” playlist.  In addition, my birthday weekend has been pretty laid back, but a lot of fun.  I heard from just about all my closest friends, and Jaime even came up from New York to visit on Sunday and give me the beautifully designed “Chris Moore Birthday Bash!” mix CD!  I’m itching to start tweeting about the FYE gift card that Mike got me, Nicole bought me (among other awesome items ranging from practical to academic to entertaining) a book of essays about Bob Dylan written by scholars, I got a text message from Alb that brought me back to our summer of video gaming, and I’m officially, finally having breakfast next week with one of my dearest friends who I haven’t seen for over a year.  Good stuff all around.

See you next session!

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“Thin Air” (Pearl Jam Cover)

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For Pearl Jam chords and lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to a special Saturday edition of the Laptop Sessions!  I finally passed the 90,000 mark on YouTube, so I figured, “What better way to celebrate than to post an all-new session?”  The answer to that question is the video you’re about to view.

So, why this song?  The truth is that I know very little about Pearl Jam.  Binaural is the first Pearl Jam album that I’ve bought, and there’s a funny story behind that.  I bought it along with two other discs that were marked down at Circuit City.  The other two albums were ones that I’ve been waiting and waiting for a decent price to buy.  I bought Binaural because it was $4.  Brand new!  Now, Circuit City going-out-of-business sale or not, that’s an outstanding price!  My first response was to check the packaging over for signs of a compilation album.  Was this all rarities and b-sides?  Was this an EP? It appeared to be a full album.  So, I did what anyone in my position would do…

I pulled out my iPhone and jumped onto the good ole World Wide Web!

Sure enough, Binaural was a full studio album.  With that in mind, as well as my interest in the upcoming remastered release of their debut album, Ten, I bought it.  At first, I wasn’t crazy about much of it.  Then, at some point during the second listen, songs began to click.  The booklet is really well done, so although Eddie Vedder’s lyrics are unclear at times, I was able to refer to the booklet.  One by one, I fell in love with the tracks and couldn’t stop listening to it.  Now, it turns out that this $4 CD has been my most worthwhile album purchase in a long time!

Before I say much more, I should stop and save my thoughts for the second installment in my “Deep Racks Report” series.  After the response to last week’s report on Wilco’s A.M., I’m pumped up to finish writing this one.  I was lucky last week that someone found my article and posted the link on an oft-frequented Jay Farrar message board.  If only I knew how I could get my articles seen each week…

So, without further ado, I bring you my first Pearl Jam cover song music video, joining Jeff, who is already six songs strong!  I hope that this holds up to Jeff’s standards for this 90’s alternative rock band that he knows far better than I do.  Or, at least, for now.  (I’m learning…)

See you next session!

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The Deep Racks Report: “Binaural”

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By Chris Moore:

I think we’ve all heard the term “deep track,” used to refer to songs that do not receive much (or any) commercial radio airplay.  This series is dedicated to brief but focused reports on ALBUMS that do not receive as much commercial or critical attention as they should.

RELATED LAPTOP SESSIONS: Chris – “Thin Air” (chords included!)

When Pearl Jam released Binaural in 2000, they were met with solid sales — #2 on Billboard in the first week of its release — and decent critical reception — Rolling Stone gave it the 3.5 out of 5 stars nod.  For any other band, this may have been exciting.  However, for Pearl Jam, #2 on the Billboard 200 could be considered a minimum expectation, as even their debut album had hit that position.  As for the critical reception, Rolling Stone had rated all of their previous albums (except their first two, which had not been rated) a full four stars.  This may seem a minor change from 4 to 3.5, but it is a significant one.  The subtext?  Binaural is somehow inferior to Pearl Jam’s previous releases.

Fast forward to 2009, and let’s talk dollar signs.  I’m not referring to album sales — although Binaural is infamously the first Pearl Jam album to fail to reach platinum status, never mind the 7x and 5x platinum statistics of Vs. and Vitalogy respectively or the 12x platinum(!) heights of Ten.  I’m referring to the sticker price.  The average retail value in stores like Best Buy and Circuit City — stores at which the average for CDs is largely in the $12.99 – $14.99 range — is $5.99.  Even on Amazon.com, the price is higher (albeit a measly $1) at $6.99.  What does that say about this album, a fully studio-produced main catalog Pearl Jam release, that its retail value is less than half of the average price one would expect?

While I can’t tell you why it is valued for so low, I can report that this is an excellent album!  Admittedly, I purchased it during Circuit City’s store closing sale for only $4.  I didn’t expect to like it.  Rather, I wanted to get my feet wet with a Pearl Jam record before listening to their debut Ten when it is remastered and re-released later this month.  After a couple listens — and contrary to my expectations — I’ve become hooked on this album.  Right out of the plastic, the packaging is a positive sign — a three-fold digipack with full lyrics reproduced as images of typewritten and handwritten notes.  From the breakneck pace of the first track “Breakerfall” to the sad, soothing sound of the final track “Parting Ways,” the sequence of this album is just right.  The first three tracks are among my favorites on the album (“Evacuation” is possibly the best, most rocking track on the album) and make me reconsider every time I want to take it out of my CD player after a full rotation.  “Light Years” slows it all down and (contrary to Rolling Stone‘s criticisms) unwinds into an excellent ballad of sorts.  The single “Nothing As It Seems” comes next, which I do like, although I couldn’t tell you why this particular track was chosen as the single when there were so many other excellent choices.

For three more tracks, the pace is heavy and slower, but these are some excellent tracks — “Thin Air” (see above for the link to the Laptop Session version), the show-stopping “Insignificance,” and “Of The Girl.”  Truth be told, the next trio of songs are the only sequence on the album that I could do without.  The energy of “Grievance” and “Rival” are undeniable — the latter won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance — and “Sleight of Hand” is a nice lead-up to the final two songs on the album, but I can see why one might have seen Pearl Jam treading water with these tracks.  Then again, taking the Grammy into consideration, perhaps my opinion is simply the opposite of all paid critics.

The album ends slowly with “Parting Ways,” but the final highlight of the album — the song that first made me perk up and pay attention lyrically — is the penultimate track “Soon Forget.”  It’s just Eddie Vedder and a ukulele, but it’s so much more.  The arrangement fits the song perfectly, as Vedder sings about a man who “trades his soul for a Corvette,” “trades his love for hi-rise rent,” and is ultimately “living a day he’ll soon forget.”  As the song concludes with his funeral scene, Vedder sings, “He’s stiffening.  We’re all whistling, a man we’ll soon forget…”

Granted this is my first Pearl Jam album experience, but if the other albums are so much better, then I can’t wait to hear them!  There’s nothing wrong with this album, and it certainly doesn’t deserve the drastically reduced retail price or ho-hum reviews (Rolling Stone was so distracted that the review is largely a commentary on late 90s pop music, framed by a comparison between Matchbox Twenty and Pearl Jam).  Based on the quality of individual tracks and on the thoughtful sequencing of the album as a whole, Binaural is more than worth your time!

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“Off He Goes” by Pearl Jam – Chords, Tabs, and How to Play

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“Off He Goes”
Pearl Jam

F – Am   F – Am   F – C   F – C

F – C                       F – C                                          Am
…     Know a man…        His face seems pulled and tense…
Am          F – C           F   –   C                 F      C      Am
Like he’s riding on a motorbike… in the strongest winds…
Am    F                     C      F                  C
So I approach with tact… suggest that he should relax…
C    F                  C         G             F
But he’s always moving much too fast…

F                                      Am         F                      Am
Said he’ll see me on the flipside… of this trip he’s taken for a ride.
Am            F – C     F      –     C      F   –   C
He’s been takin’… too much on… off he goes
C           F   –   C     F – C – Am           F            C
with his perfectly… unkept clothes… there he goes…

C       F – C – Am

Am   F                 C         F – C
He’s yet to come back…   but I see his picture…
F – C            F  –  C                      Am      F                 C
Doesn’t look the same up on the rack… We go way back…

C  F                     Am         F                                     Am
I wonder bout his insides… it’s like his thoughts are too big for his size…
Am           F – C      F                     C          F        C
He’s been taken… where?  I don’t know… off he goes
C           F   –   C     F – C – Am       F            C
with his perfectly… unkept hope… there he goes…

C              F          C        F         C
And now I rub my eyes… for he has returned
F – C                F – C                          F     –     C       –      Am
Seems my preconceptions are what should have been burned…
Am  F        C                   F           C
For he still smiles… and he’s still strong…
F              C                             F              C            F  –  C  –  Am
Nothing’s changed but the surrounding bullshit… that has grown…

Am  F             C        F             C
And now he’s home and we’re laughing…
F     –     C           F     –     C                F  –  C  –  Am
Like we always did… my same old… same old friend…

Am     F              C     F               C
Until a quarter to ten… I saw the strain creep in…
C   F            C                      F              C                       F  –  C  –  Am
He seemed distracted and I know just what is going to happen next…

Am      F    –    C         F   –   C
Before his first step… He is off again…

C                    F – C – Am
[F – C] x 4       F – C – Am
[F – C] x 3
F – C (strum; end on C)

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **

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