Do YOU record acoustic cover songs? Submit your YouTube link and a blog post about your performance, why you chose the song, etc. to the “Fridays: The Guest Sessions” link in the weekly calendar above!
By Jeremy Hammond:
This is my cover of “Mother” by Pink Floyd from the album The Wall. I first recorded the rhythm and vocals, then overlaid another track for the guitar solo.
I had two versions of this up previously. On the first, a commenter suggested I add the solo, so I did. But then watching that second one, and then going back and listening to the original for the first time in ages, I realized I had the timing wrong in two parts. So I redid it yet again. This, my third “Mother” effort for YouTube, is one I am finally happy with.
** EDITOR’S NOTE: **
Jeremy’s session technically breaks the golden rule of “one live take” established since the first Laptop Session over two years ago. That being said, his version of “Mother” is an excellent performance, and as he explained above, the solo was overdubbed and handled nicely in the video with a fade in and out. We simply couldn’t deny you the opportunity to hear and see this great version.
Now if only he could clone himself, that would make for quite the duo…
Laptop Sessions contributor Jeff Copperthite first recorded this song in August 2008, and it quickly became one of his most popular and highest rated performances. Click HERE to watch his version.
Thanks again, Jeremy, for contributing to the Guest Sessions!
For Death Cab for Cutie chords & lyrics, CLICK HERE!
By Chris Moore:
This one gave me blisters on me fingers and numbness in me thumb (thanks to all the sliding up and down the guitar neck, the barre chords in the progression, and the fact that I didn’t really know the lyrics to the verses before playing it tonight), but it was all worth it, for all two minutes of it.
And, quite a number of takes of this simple little song later, I know the lyrics by heart!
“The Sound of Settling” is the second single from Death Cab for Cutie’s fourth album, Transatlanticism. This is the album that my sister, Jaime, strongly recommended I hear if I hear nothing else from the band. Seeing as how this is one of those “I’ve heard of them, but I haven’t heard any of their songs” bands for me, I picked it up on sale and enjoyed it. Apparently, it was the first album that frontman Ben Gibbard felt was a truly serious, well put together record.
While I like several of the songs on this album very much, I haven’t found myself very interested in picking up their other material, as they seem to have a penchant for EPs and other non-album releases. Those sorts of releases seem nice if you’re a fan and have new material to look forward to, but they’re really quite expensive over the long run. Consider Ben Folds’ EPs Speed Graphic, Sunny 16, and Super D; those added up to a combined total of about $24.00 for 15 songs, about 7 or maybe 8 of which were any good. This is not a slight to the good songs on these EPs; some were tremendous and among his best ever released.
Then there were the covers and outtakes from previous albums that he re-recorded. And, as any music fan knows, some songs were never meant to see official release outside of designated bonus track status on another album or collection.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this cover song music video, as it is the first Death Cab for Cutie song to be debuted at the Laptop Sessions blog. There was so little new music of interest this week as well as last week that even I don’t feel a need to visit Newbury Comics today. And THAT’S saying something! So, instead, I went back to my iPod to find a band that we had missed along the way. There are still a lot of bands that have gone uncovered, as well as classic and/or great songs from artists that we have, so don’t even think about taking us out of your “Favorites” menu.
Instead, be sure to stop by later tonight when our founder makes his triumphant return to the second day of the week as it should be: Jim Fusco Tuesday!
See you next session!
(The text of my original Monday night post follows below the video…)
Well, my cover song music video for tonight is recorded, rendered, and ready to go…
…and if I actually had Internet (thanks for nothing, Cox!) or even a wireless signal from an unsuspecting, password-phobic neighbor, you’d be reading my post and watching my video. Instead, I’ll be posting both my session and the accompanying chords tomorrow after I get a visit from the cable guy (lower case for any of you Jim Carrey fans thinking the worst!) some time between 10:30 and 12:30.
Until then, I’ll leave you with the following clues about the song I’m playing:
1) The song is from one of my favorite albums to listen to at night in a dark room, sometimes to fall asleep to.
2) The aforementioned album is NOT “Pet Sounds.”
3) My sister recommended this band and album.
4) The band is named for the song performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band in the 1967 Beatles movie, “Magical Mystery Tour.”
5) The band’s name is comprised of four words – an adjective, a noun, a preposition, and an object of the prep. -in that order.
As a special treat for all you Fusco-Moore music blog faithfuls, this post is in honor of Laptop Sessions founder Jim Fusco’s wedding to Becky Daly over the weekend. That’s right; as of July 25th, 2009, Jim is no longer a single man.
Sorry, ladies…
As part of my wedding gift to them, I sifted through the 10,000 plus songs on my iTunes and created a playlist to commemorate their marriage. As you skim through the bands and titles below, you’ll find that the theme is pretty obvious — two people getting together in a relationship (1, 2), getting married (5, 7, 11), and the new life that follows (8, 10, 12, 14). Of course, there’s some mention of Saturday night (4) and the bonus tracks are all about the honeymoon — can you guess where that’s going to be taking place?
I hope you enjoy the playlist rundown, and I encourage you to leave comments for the newlyweds here on this post!
TRACK LISTING:
1 ) “Got to Get You Into My Life” – The Beatles
2 ) “Better Together” – Jack Johnson
3 ) “Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do” – Huey Lewis & The News
4 ) “Almost Saturday Night” – Gene Clark & Carla Olson
5 ) “Chapel of Love” – The Beach Boys
6 ) “I’ll Always Love You (Day After Day)” – Dean Martin
7 ) “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck” – Elvis Presley
8 ) “What Love Has Joined Together” – The Temptations
9 ) “Really Love You” – Paul McCartney
10) “Ideal Woman” – William Shatner
11) “Wedding Song” – Bob Dylan
12) “A New Life For Us” – The Now People
13) “Satisfied” – Ringo Starr
14) “Believe In Life” – Eric Clapton
15) “This is Love” – George Harrison
16) “One True Vine” – Wilco
BONUS TRACKS:
17) “The Honeymoon Song” – The Beatles
18) “The Hula Hula Boys” – Warren Zevon
19) “Rocking Chair in Hawaii” – George Harrison
20) “Rock-A-Hula Baby” – Elvis Presley
21) “Hawaii” – The Beach Boys
Bm
Well, I’ve got a fever,
A non-believer.
I’m in a state of grace,
For I am the caesar.
Bm F#
I’m gonna seize the day.
Well, call of the banshee… Hey, hey.
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
As God as my witness,
F# Bm
The infidels are gonna pay.
Well, call the assassin
The orgasm,
A spasm of love and hate
For what will divide us?
The righteous and the meek…
Well, call of the wild… Hey, hey.
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
Death to the girl
At the end of the serenade.
F#
Vendetta, sweet vendetta,
F# Bm
This beretta of the night,
Bm Em Bm
This fire and the desire.
F# Bm
Shots ringing out on a holy parasite.
I’m a killjoy from Detroit
I drink from a well of rage.
I feed off the weakness
With all my love.
Call up the captain… Hey, hey.
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
Death to the lover that you were
Dreaming of.
This is a standoff,
A molotov cocktail is on the house.
You thought I was a write off;
You better think again.
Call the peacemaker… Hey, hey.
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
I’m gonna send you back to the place
Where it all began.
Vendetta, sweet vendetta,
This beretta of the night,
This fire and the desire.
Shots ringing out on a holy parasite.
Instrumental: Bm – F# – Bm – F# Bm Em Bm F# Bm
Well, now the caretaker’s
The undertaker.
Now, I’m gonna go out
And get the peacemaker.
This is the neo
St. Valentine’s Massacre.
Well, call up the Gaza… Hey, hey.
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)
Death to the ones
At the end of the serenade. (x4)
** 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. **
