Welcome to your wonderful Monday edition of The Laptop Sessions!
Wait, did I use the words “wonderful” and “Monday” in the same sentence? Why, yes I did!
I woke up this morning to the awesome news of there being a 90 minute delay to the start of my school day. Always good news to wake up too. Then, all I had to do today was finish one lesson I started Thursday, and give a quiz to two classes (one of which was very adamant in not taking the quiz today, despite the multiple times I mentioned to them Thursday that the quiz would take place on the next school day).
Well, despite that, I close out today with a great new band to add to our session library. It’s a band that has been around for almost 20 years now. The band is Oasis, and today’s song is possibly their most popular song called “Wonderwall”.
Here’s a song that i’ve known how to play for some time. One thing that always bugged me is a person I used to know (was a boyfriend of a family member) who also played a cover of this song, but repeated the verse chords throughout the whole song, and couldn’t realize the fact he was doing it wrong! Ugh, it was hard sitting through that.
So i’m glad I can provide you with a solid version of the song tonight. It’s one of my better videos, despite my forgetting the 4th and 5th words of the final chorus. Oops.
But regardless, it’s here for you and I hope you enjoy it. I’ll be back for your holiday edition of The Laptop Sessions (my first one of the year ironically) on Thursday. Each of us has 3 videos to go for the year!
Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Jeff’s acoustic cover song music videos are no longer on YouTube, but we decided to keep his cover song blog posts up. We figured these music blog entries would be good for posterity’s sake and because Jeff always gave such insightful posts each Session. We hope to see Jeff’s impressive catalog of acoustic rock songs here on the Laptop Sessions cover songs and origianal music blog again in the future. But, for now, please make sure to check-out hundreds of other acoustic cover songs from all of your favorite bands here on the Laptop Sessions music blog!
Hello everyone and welcome to another new edition of the Laptop Sessions with Jim Fusco! I’m excited to bring you this new acoustic cover song music video tonight from a band I absolutely loved growing up.
You see, in my early years, CDs were just becoming popular. My father, being the music fan he is, was constantly buying music on CDs so he could have a pristine digital copy. Fortunately for me, I got to hear many “Best Of” albums when he got them. So, even though he probably had a couple Guess Who vinyl LPs, listening to these old hits on CD was like hearing them again for the first time. So, as a kid, I was really into bands like the Monkees, the Moody Blues, and The Guess Who- and my love for them lives on today!
I’ve wanted to play the Guess Who song “Laughing” for quite a while now. But, I could never really figure out the intricate opening section. The “chords” are actually just augmented versions of one chord (based around an “A” chord). So even though they all sound like different chords, it’s just a matter of moving one finger up or down one fret! That’s pretty easy to play, but not so easy to figure out. Songs like this, to me, raise a flag. Songs that have these funny, intricate chord progressions (like making interesting variations on one chord) are almost always done like this: the guitar part came first and the rest of the song came later. That is, Burton Cummings of the Guess Who was probably sitting down with his guitar, playing that opening section. From there, he added those variations and all of a sudden, a song came to him! That’s in contrast to the other form of songwriting (which I’ve been doing, but takes much longer to compile a full list of songs) where a tune pops into your head. Then, you head on over to your guitar or piano to figure out the chords that go to it.
Either way of writing a song is fine by me (though my brother Mike is very much a purist for the “pop into your head” method), and I think songs like “Laughing” prove that fooling around with a couple of chords on the guitar can result in a big hit song.
The vocals are also great on “Laughing”. That goes for both the soulful lead and the good backing vocals. This song is pretty dynamic, too- it has three distinct tempos. Plus, I think it’s the only song I’ve ever heard with in-tune laughing!
So, Christmastime is upon us. Personally, I had an incredibly busy Thanksgiving weekend. Between our two Thanksgiving get-togethers, the Jets game/TNA Wrestling night, midnight shopping at the outlets and other stores, another family get-together and sleepover Friday, a party and bar-hopping for my brother in law’s birthday on Saturday, I was POOPED by Sunday! We finally got to put all the Christmas stuff up in the house and I must say, it looks pretty great. I’m so excited for this Christmas- it promises to be (gift-wise, at least) one of the best yet. I’m holding out hope for getting a couple of different gifts. I’ll be posting on December 16th and the 30th, so I’ll be able to share the rundown of all my Christmas presents then!
I hope you enjoy tonight’s music video post of “Laughing” by the Guess Who. If you know it, then you know it’s a classic tune. If you don’t know it yet, then I think you’ll really dig it! Have fun shopping and I’d love to hear from everyone how their Christmas season is going so far! See you in a couple weeks for an all-new acoustic cover song music video!
Hello and welcome to a brand-new week of cover song music videos here at your source for the best of the best — the Laptop Sessions!
But, as much as we like to brag, we really are trying every day to fill this site with a ridiculous number of cover song material — our daily video posts, chords/tabs to your favorite songs, and much more. We even sneak in a Fusco, Moore, and/or Copperthite original every Wednesday or so…
For today, I’m skimming off the top of the new music / new album current events pool. Tomorrow is the official US release date of Bruce Springsteen’s 16th studio album. It’s been less than two years since number 15, so this is exciting news! I think his previous album, Magic, was one of the best albums of 2007 and certainly my favorite Springsteen album to date. Now, to be fair, I’ve only listened to his more recent albums, so I reserve my right to change my mind sometime down the line…
But, back to the present. His new album, Working on a Dream, is coming out amidst a whole lot of Springsteen mania. For one, there’s his upcoming appearance during the half time show of Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009. Following in the footsteps of such classic acts as Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones (who were also called out ostensibly to prevent any potential wardrobe malfunctions that may befall a younger, female act!), Springsteen’s album sales are expected to rise directly following the show. This is opportune timing, then. Also, two months ago, he released a greatest hits album exclusively at Wal-Mart. Now, I must admit that I was aggravated when I heard this in the news. After all, Springsteen is famous and much-respected for his disavowal of corporate sponsorships or endorsements.
Then, as I read some more of the article about this, I realized that it makes perfect sense. First of all, there’s the statistic that (reportedly) 15% of his recent CD sales have come from Wal-Mart. Also, there’s the whole Super Bowl business. I have to admit I can’t blame him and/or his people for pushing a greatest hits out now. I’m typically disgusted by these sorts of 12-track, almost-all-repeat-tracks-from-his-previous-greatest-hits sorts of releases. And yet, this is what people will be looking for! So, as Ben Folds might sing — “You’ve got to give the people what they want!”
Also, the disc is only $9.99, and it’s a limited release item (not part of his official catalog).
I find this stuff fascinating…
But, to come back to tonight’s video, let me explain why I’ve recorded “The Wrestler.” This is the title track to the film starring Mickey Rourke that has gained the spotlight during various recent award shows. I have yet to see the film, but I had heard that this track would be a bonus song on the new album. Thus, I set out to learn it, loved it, and had to record it. For those of you listening to this song now for the first time, I hope you’ll like my version and want to hear the real one.
I can’t actually vouch for the new album, as I have yet to hear anything other than the song titles from the track listing. However, I am ecstatic for this, the first new music release of 2009 that I’m really excited for. I’ll be out during lunchtime tomorrow or as soon as I get out of work to get it. And, who knows, I may just push myself to write a review tomorrow night.
Crazy? I know, but that’s what this whole Laptop Sessions thang is all about!
Oh, and before I forget, don’t miss the chords that I just posted a few hours ago here on the site. Now you can listen AND learn to play the song yourself!
Okay, I’m off to snuggle up with a couple of my dearest friends — one, the Fusco-Moore Experience copy of the latest Rolling Stone (complete with Bruce Springsteen, aka The Boss, on the cover — predictable? I know, but I couldn’t care less!) and my stack of midterm exams that are ripe for the grading…
Okay, better late than never! I just forgot to post this video and even though I kept reminding myself, I’ve been very burned-out lately, so I just couldn’t go through all the motions. Thankfully I recorded this video a few weeks ago when I was in slightly better spirits. Not that anything is particularly wrong- I just feel a tad bit overworked, in general. But, that feeling comes and goes. I hope that, after a day finishing up yard work and such outside on a beautiful day, that we’re entering a calmer time soon.
I tried making plans today to hang out with 0ne of my best friends, but when I looked at my calendar, it was all booked up every weekend until Thanksgiving. It’s all fun stuff- concerts, parties, get-togethers at our house- but, it was a pretty sad feeling to say to him, “Sorry, man, I’m booked.” It’s tough juggling a new marriage, new house, a website, three jobs, and the massive amount of projects and ambitions I have. When all these things are working at full-tilt, I feel great- like I can rule the world. But then, I slowly start to realize that I cannot rule the world and then everything gets overwhelming. So, it stinks for a few days and then I’m back to sorting things out again.
Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but I felt it necessary considering that I take this Laptop Sessions project very seriously and don’t want it to become a “whenever I get the chance” thing. I don’t work that way- when someone says, “I’ll get to it when I get a chance,” they really mean that it’s never going to get done. And for those that are currently enjoying the last Masters of the Universe album, “Homestead’s Revenge,” well then, you’re probably happy that I don’t for people to finish things “whenever they get a chance”.
Onto tonight’s video:
“I Dreamed Last Night” by Blue Jays is simply one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard. Other than a guitar solo and harmonies (two things I love, but aren’t necessary in this song), this is a PERFECT song. If you haven’t heard the original, do yourself a favor and download it. This is a great story for me because of the way I remembered this song:
I was in Northampton, MA for a day trip and went into this small record store. In the top section above the rest of the albums, they had a Moody Blues Starter Pack. There were four records for eight bucks and they were in amazing condition. In fact, the copy of “Long Distance Voyager” (one of my all-time favorite albums) was never played. To this day, I don’t have the heart to play it- it’s over 30 years old now and is brand new! Anyway, inside the set was a copy of “Blue Jays”, which was a one-off album for Justin Hayward and John Lodge of the Moody Blues. There’s a cool story behind that album, too:
Justin Hayward and Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues decided to work on a project together after the Moodies broke up after the “Seventh Sojourn” album. But, Mike Pinder (like Gene Clark of the Byrds) is a notorious homebody and backed out of the project after a while. So, Justin Hayward called in John Lodge to collaborate and to add a few of his own songs. The album was titled “Blue Jays” because they’re the two members of the Moody Blues with names that start with “J”- get it? Blue-J’s? 🙂
Well, I fired-up the turntable and put the album on. I instantly loved it. Here I had a brand-new (to me) “Moody Blues” album! I knew all the rest of their albums, but we never got this one on CD, so I never heard it growing-up. I knew “Remember Me, My Friend” from a Moody Blues compilation I got recently and loved that song. So I knew I’d love the rest of the album. There’s something about the sound on “Blue Jays”- it’s very “classic rock” sounding with great guitars and a wonderfully full production. The songs themselves, for the most part, are some of the best Hayward ever did. Lodge’s songs were good, too, but I liked some of his earlier work, including “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock’n’Roll Band)” and “Ride My See-saw”.
Then, as I was listening to the album, “I Dreamed Last Night” crackled onto my speakers. I instantly remembered it. It must’ve been on a compilation set my father played a lot. My brother remembered the song, too. And when I heard it, I instantly ran over and played it again. I called my wife upstairs and embarrassingly sang it to her at the top of my lungs. I couldn’t stop talking about it for days- this song has one of the best tunes I’ve ever heard. It has slow parts and fast parts. It’s sad and yet triumphant. In a word, it’s amazing.
So, when it came time to do the new season of the Laptop Sessions, this was near the top of the list. Even though I don’t play the song in the same guitar tuning as Justin Hayward does, it’s still in the same key and I think it gets the sentiment across very well. I hope you’ll love this song as much as I did and will check out this album- it’s a lost gem if I’ve ever found one.
Have a great one and I’ll be back on time for my video on Thursday, October 28th. Enjoy tonight’s cover song acoustic version of “I Dreamed Last Night” by Blue Jays!
