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“Brian Wilson” (Barenaked Ladies cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Welcome to your Friday edition of The Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog! After two strong Sessions from Chris and Jeff, I’m glad I can follow up with a song that I’ve been playing for a long time now, Barenaked Ladies’ “Brian Wilson”.

This song is very important to me, as it was the song that initially got me into BNL because a friend played it for me thinking I would like the Brian Wilson references. Of course, I did. But, I loved the song, too.

I now own all of BNL’s albums, have met them and got them to sign their latest (and greatest) album, and they are now my second favorite band of all time behind the Beach Boys at a permanent #1 spot.

I love the way Masters of the Universe did this song- I had the privilege of singing lead on their version. We did five part harmonies on the chorus. There’s a live version of it here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0rBfLk70vU

So, you have a song by my second favorite band ABOUT my favorite ever songwriter! Doesn’t get much better than that.

So, here’s my solo acoustic version- I could play this one with my eyes closed, so the performance is very smooth and comfortable, if I do say so myself! 😉

Let me tell you why I love Barenaked Ladies (the band, of course), the Beach Boys, the Moody Blues, the Byrds, and bands like that so much more than I like the Wallflowers, Ben Folds, and Dylan. I love all of their music, but I gravitate towards the first set of bands. You see, I love bands where every band member gets a chance to contribute.  Many bands only have one front man and the rest are just background guys.  Take “Matchbox Twenty” for example.  Rob Thomas is the lead.  Now, someone name another band member.  That’s right- Thomas IS the band!  Sure, there are other guys that play his music, but he’s the guy who writes the songs and sings them, too.  If you take a band like the Beach Boys, you might think the same thing: “Oh yeah, it’s just Brian Wilson and a bunch of other guys.”  Sure, that was kind of true before 1967.  But after that, Brian faded into the background and the other band members (his brothers, his cousin, and a friend) had to take over.  They all began writing songs.  The best example was the album “Sunflower”.  Every member had a hand in writing and singing on that album- it’s one of my favorites as a result.  That way, you get such a great variety.

Enjoy “Brian Wilson” by Barenaked Ladies.  It’s such a great song.  And even though I couldn’t get the Jim Creegan bass solo in there, I still think this live acoustic version does the song justice.  Stay tuned for more great acoustic cover songs from the Laptop Sessions music blog!

“Question” (Moody Blues Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Okay, request time here at the Laptop Sessions. This one’s going out to my longtime friend Drew Kingsley.

“Question” is a great tune by the Moody Blues off of their (you guessed it) “Question Of Balance” album.

I hope you’ll all like my acoustic-ized version of the song. Of course the strumming isn’t as insane as Justin Hayward’s is- I can actually play it at that speed, but have a bit of trouble keeping time when I do. So, I chose the safe route for this version. I think the effect is still there because of the dynamics used.

There will be many more Moodies songs to come, as well as many request fulfillments in the coming weeks- I’m loving this every third day schedule, as it really allows me to pick some tougher songs and practice them until they’re perfect for internet posting!

“Looking To You” (Indie Music – by songwriter Jim Fusco)

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By Jim Fusco:

Thanks again to Jeff for coming up with “Original Wednesday”, as I think it’s a great way to work some of our own material in here!

Today, I’m doing one of my songs from an album I made back in late 2003 called “That’s All…”. I couldn’t stop listening to this song (yes, I listen to my own music quite a bit- I think I should be making music I actually like listening to!) so I decided to make it my first non-Christmas original here on the Laptop Sessions.

I like the way the verse isn’t very “standard”. I don’t exactly know what prompted my creation of it, but it’s always stuck out as both unique and meaningful.

Problem is that I don’t really remember the meaning, either! Actually, I can take a pretty educated guess: Basically, the song says, “I gave you everything. You could’ve had anything. But when I ask for a little something in return, you tell me I’m greedy and hold it against me.”

I must’ve felt this way, as most people do in a relationship at one time or another. I think it made for great song material!

Well, as they say, a Laptop Session a day keeps the doctor away! They don’t? Well, anyway, here’s your daily dose of great music from Jim, Chris, and Jeff!

“Surfer Girl” (Beach Boys Cover)

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Welcome to another edition of the Laptop Sessions!

Tonight, I give you one of the Beach Boys’ greatest and most famous songs, “Surfer Girl”!

Of course, the Boys’ version has those great harmonies, but imagine this version as if Brian Wilson was the only one singing. Plus, it’s fun to sing the harmony parts while listening back to it.

I love the chords- those old-fashioned chords that rock music just doesn’t have anymore. It was fun to learn and Chris and I have been playing this for months.

Actually, I love playing this on Chris’ Fender electric, but I think it translates well on the nylon strings.

Hopefully I do this song justice because playing a huge hit like this always means there’s pretty big expectations. Enjoy and stay tuned as the “Laptop Session a day” in 2008 rolls on!