Tag Archives: Jim Fusco Songs

“I’d Have You Anytime” (George Harrison cover)

Posted on by
Reply

By Jim Fusco:

Welcome, everyone, to another Thursday edition of the Laptop Sessions with me, Jim Fusco!  I’m back for my bi-weekly video and I’m in a great mood tonight.  I have tomorrow off (going to a Mets game with my good friend, John) and tonight, I had a great dinner over the in-laws house, where I was fed all of my favorite dishes!  I also got a cool new gadget for the guitar called the Voice Capo and basically, it allows you to pick any chord and then all you need to do is strum.  At that point, you can experiment with other notes and “voicings” that let you expand on your guitar playing!  Pair that with my new Martin guitar and you’ve got some major creativity happening over here!

Speaking of creativity, this past weekend, I had my first writing session with a new collaborator.  He helped me try some new things and we worked on two songs.  One of them, I’m still working out, but the first one we did is AWESOME!  If I finish the lyrics to it, I’ll make sure to do an Original Wednesday Laptop Session for you!

Regarding the Laptop Sessions, I’m sure by now that you’ve noticed some changes.  Well, I got to thinking- why did I do over 200 cover song music videos here on the blog just to have them get “old” and fall off the face of the Earth?  So, I found a great way to refresh the old posts and bring them back to the front page again.  The best part is that, according to the search engines, these posts seem “new” and thus get back in the search engine results!  I have to say- this site has more traffic than New York City on a weekday morning now!  Honestly, on my birthday, April 29th, the Laptop Sessions music video blog had close to 10,000 views!  Now that’s what I call progress!

And, speaking of my birthday, boy, did I make out good.  I got more than I could’ve hoped for, mostly due to my father’s incredible bargain-hunting skills.  I’m now enjoying a new TV for our kitchen, a surround-sound bar for the living room, and even a new lawnmower!  Now, all I need is the lawn…  Anyway, my brother Mike got me Hulk Hogan’s autograph and MLB 2010 for PS3, which I’m really enjoying playing online with my new friend Mike from work.  Add to that the gifts that my wife got me (Dumb and Dumber on Blu-Ray, a George Harrison record set- see below), my new extended family (on Becky’s side), and my cousin, I’d say it was a great 26th!  We also went out to two great dinners- one on my actual birthday with my family, and the other the next night to my favorite restaurant, Jimmie’s in West Haven with my friends from college.

Now, back to that George Harrison album…  Well, as you might have read previously here on the music blog, I’ve been buying record albums (LPs) lately.  I love them- they’re collectible and are fun to find in stores and flea markets.  I just completed my Moody Blues collection last weekend!  Anyway, Becky went on eBay and got me an original copy of George Harrison’s 3-record set of his first solo album, “All Things Must Pass”.  It’s such a cool collector’s item and I’m proud to own a copy.  Becky’s always very perceptive on stuff like that.  She saw me drooling over a new vinyl copy of the remastered version and thought it would be cool to get a vintage one for me.  What a girl! 🙂

So, I decided to record my first Laptop Session acoustic cover song music video using my new Martin MMV acoustic guitar tonight!  The vocals are a bit muted in this version, but that’s because I wanted to focus on the sound of this new guitar.  The harmonics are just great- they sing themselves!  The guitar is bright and loud, but maintains such a clear bass that I can’t stop playing once I pick it up!  It just looks like a normal guitar, but you can see the logo on the headstock- it’s a Martin for sure.  I’d love to hear what you think of the new sound!

George Harrison, like most famous guitar players, owned a Martin acoustic, and I wanted to play “I’d Have You Anytime”, which is the first cut off of “All Things Must Pass”.  He co-wrote “I’d Have You Anytime” with Bob Dylan, too.  It’s a short song, but has such a cool sound.  George was so laid-back and made everything sound effortless.  “I’d Have You Anytime” is a perfect example of a fairly simple song that’s stood the test of time because of its sound and its style.

Okay, that’s enough from me tonight- I hope you all have a great week and I’ll catch you next time for another update. Make sure to check back for another cover song music video from yours-truly!

More Laptop Sessions covers

“The Long and Winding Road” (The Beatles piano cover song)

Posted on by
1

By Jim Fusco:

Welcome to another episode of The Laptop Sessions with me, Jim Fusco!  I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since my last video- the time is flying lately.  Now that things are coming along nicely with the new house (driveway is in and the grass is looking better), I hope to start enjoying everything a bit more soon.

Today is a record-breaking day here on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog.  Today, the site got it’s highest view count EVER: over 5,600 hits and still counting!  Yes, most of these hits were to the homepage, which is great.  But, the part I’m very excited about is the fact that close to 200 of those hits have been to “deep” pages on the site (past posts, etc.)!  That’s a pretty big deal, especially considering that just a couple months ago, the site was getting only about 200 views a day- total!  So, the promotion I’ve been doing seems to be working nicely.

Now, you would think that, after last week’s article, I would be playing on my new Martin MMV guitar tonight.  But, some sad circumstances lead me to this new video- the first in a long time on the piano.

“The Long and Winding Road” is a song by the Beatles that everyone knows.  It’s one of those songs that you hear in a restaurant, a department store, and the radio from time to time.  It’s a great Paul McCartney song that appeared on the “Let It Be” LP, but I personally like the one on “Let It Be…Naked” better.  Even though I found the chords with the words “Capo on 1st fret” above them, I transposed the chords to piano on the fly and let this one rip.  As with most Laptop Sessions cover songs I do, it’s SO much easier when I already know the words by heart.  Chords are easy to remember because they’re logical- for instance, if the sound goes up (in pitch), then chances are the chord goes up (in pitch).  So, I almost always instantly remember the chords.  But, when you have to think about lyrics, things get difficult.

Tonight, I dedicate this cover song music video to my good friend and colleague, Diane.  For the past year and a half, she’s been my SAVIOR at work.  She works down at the warehouse our company uses and is always so helpful.  She’ll get anything done instantly- she’s truly the best.  She’s made my life so much easier over the time I’ve been with the company.  Plus, we’ve come to have countless conversations over the phone and we’ve always had a great relationship.  It’s even possible that we’re distantly related!  We’ve been out for drinks after work on a few occasions, as well, and we always have a great time.

But, unfortunately, the higher-ups at my company decided to move to a different warehouse.  I understand- business is business.  But, I know I’m not the only one that’s going to miss Diane terribly- she’s that valuable to my working life.  Hey, maybe she’ll want to move to Florida and work at the new place! 🙂

Anyway, months ago, she requested “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles as a Laptop Session after she began watching my videos.  She waited patiently for a long time.  But, Steve (of the Traveling Acai Berries) was very, very busy and we couldn’t find the time to get-together and play this song on camera.  The goal was to bring Steve’s electric piano in, too.

So, when I heard the news about Diane no longer working with me, I knew I had to record “The Long and Winding Road” for her.  Now that I have Becky’s piano in the house, it was easy to set everything up and record one of my more unique videos.  I think it came out great (especially the way I got the audio to record) and I hope it will make Diane realize how much I’ll miss her.  Plus, what a perfect song (subject matter) for the occasion.

Thanks for stopping-by for this edition of the Laptop Sessions in HD with Jim Fusco.  Have a great week and enjoy “The Long and Winding Road”, one of our many Beatles cover songs!

More Laptop Sessions covers

“Palisades Park” (Freddy Cannon Cover)

Posted on by
3

Welcome to another all-new Jim Fusco Thursday and another video in our series of Beach Boys cover songs here on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog!  Well, that’s a technicality because the Beach Boys just covered this song on their 1976 album, “15 Big Ones”.  It’s actually from Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon!

I believe this will be my last “weekly” cover song music video, as I’m going to switch to a bi-weekly schedule like I mentioned before.  This will allow me to be more creative with my videos and will also give me a chance to promote the videos I already made.  I mean, this is video #212 already!  And I’ve noticed that my views per day are pretty stagnant, even though I have more and more each week.  That means my older videos aren’t getting views anymore, and that’s just a shame!  I will make a point to post every Thursday night, however, with some interesting pieces on music, guitars, and rock’n’roll, so you’ll still get your weekly “Jim Fusco Fix”!

Before tonight’s video, I have two things to mention:

First, for my brother Mike’s birthday, I made him a long overdue iPhone website!  That means it’s specifically formatted for the iPhone (but will work on any mobile phone, too).  It’s SOOOO cool- you’d never know it was a website- it looks like an iPhone App!  Plus, if you bookmark http://mikefusco.com on your iPhone to your Home screen, you’ll see a cool logo button of Mike and the website will open up in “full screen” mode, so it’ll look like an authentic iPhone app!  You can watch Mike’s YouTube videos, listen to his music, and stay updated with him on his live Twitter feed!  CLICK HERE TO VIEW MIKE’S SITE!

The second thing is that in two weeks, you’ll be hearing a much nicer sound in my acoustic cover song music videos.  I won’t give anything away just yet, but trust me, it’ll put my videos into the Major Leagues.

Okay, onto “Palisades Park” by Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon.  I love the personas they gave 50’s and early 60’s stars.  Everyone had to be bigger than life.  They had to be icons of their days.  And songs like “Palisades Park”, though not very complex or difficult, will always be remembered as the roots of rock’n’roll, and therefore classics.

“Palisades Park”, written after an amusement park in New Jersey, was actually not an “A” side.  For those of you born in the 80’s and later, an “A” side was the side of a vinyl record that was officially released as a single.  Yes, before iTunes, you could buy individual songs!  🙂  Well, actually, the flip-side of the record had another song on it, known as (big surprise) the “B” side.  Usually, these were throw-away songs, especially early-on.  There were a few double-sided hit singles, namely “Come Together” and “Something” from the Beatles, so it was possible to have two hits on one vinyl single.

Anyway, “Palisades Park” wasn’t meant to be the hit, but apparently a DJ played the “B” side of the record by accident and the song caught on in a big way- all the way up to Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts!  And, in 1962, there was some pretty fierce competition.

I actually knew this song more intimately because of the Beach Boys cover version on their 1976 album, “15 Big Ones”, where they played covers of early rock’n’roll songs, mixed with originals that sounded similarly.  The Beach Boys version isn’t great, but I still like Carl Wilson’s lead vocals- you’ll probably hear some phrases sung like Carl here because that’s the way I’m used to singing the song.  I knew Freddy Cannon’s version first, but listened to the Beach Boys version many, many more times.

Well, that’s all for me tonight- so happy it’s Spring now and I’m looking forward to some great times in the next few months.  I’m a little sad about going to a 26 episodes a year schedule, but I’ve already got a dozen songs lined up and ready to record, so don’t think I’m losing my inspiration!  In fact, my new “sound” is meant to boost my inspiration and get me to write and record again.  So, I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy “Palisades Park” by Freddy Cannon (and covered by me, Jim Fusco!).

More Laptop Sessions covers

“Lightnin’ Strikes” (Lou Christie cover)

Posted on by
1

By Jim Fusco:

Boy, this doesn’t feel like a Thursday.  Having tomorrow off (plus Monday, as well) is AWESOME and it feels like a weekend night!  I’ve had a chance to relax and get some stuff done tonight, so I’m looking forward to a long weekend with some great weather here in Connecticut.

Let’s get right to tonight’s acoustic cover song music video!

I was reacquainted with “Lightnin’ Strikes” by Lou Christie last month when I heard it on my favorite Thursday radio show, “Rockin’ With Wayne” on WHUS UCONN Radio.  Of course, I knew it from years passed listening to the local oldies station, too.  Turns out this song was a Number One hit for Lou Christie in the mid-sixties and I can see why.  It’s catchy and features Lou’s great falsetto.  Of course, I wasn’t the only one who always thought it was Frankie Valli, but let me tell you- there’s a big difference.  Lou Christie was actually a songwriter!  He wrote “Lightnin’ Strikes” and that’s pretty cool, in my book.  Plus, I’m excited to add Lou Christie as yet another new artist to the vast array here on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog!

One thing I never noticed was the lyrics in this song.  Go ahead- name some other lyrics besides, “Lightning is striking again.”  Well, when you listen to the words, this song is incredibly chauvinistic!  Basically, he’s saying: I found you and you’re the best.  I’m going to marry you someday.  But, until I do, I’m gonna be with a whole bunch of other people- basically anyone that asks.  And, that’s gotta be okay because you, “know the nature of a man”.  Wow, not sure I agree with that one!  Talk about subject matter that really wouldn’t fly 45 years later.  And, on top of it, I think he co-wrote the song with…get this…a woman!  Heh, I knew it- he’s Italian! 🙂

I love singing these songs with the high parts.  This one is fun because you can really belt it out.  So much so, in fact, that I woke Becky up while recording this video.  Oops.  I can’t really take a lot of the blame, though, as there are very few moments I have to record other than when she’s already asleep.  If I record while she’s just going to bed, she can’t fall asleep.  And then I can’t get the take right because I’m always so nervous that I’m keeping her awake.  This is one of the reasons why I can’t wait to get our basement finished.

Until next Thursday night, I hope you have a great Easter weekend and opening week of baseball!

More Laptop Sessions covers