By Jim Fusco:
Hello everyone and a Happy 2013 to you! I’m back with my first post of the New Year. This is another leftover relic from last year’s sessions, which I like to call my “fat” sessions. Why? Because I’ve lost like 40 pounds since then and I look so much different in these videos! I guess a 9-5 job and marriage got to me in the weight department a bit, but over the summer, I worked hard to get back down to a classic “Jim Fusco weight” and now I’m ready for the beach this year! Oh, well there’s still the issue of my incredibly pale skin…
Tonight, I present Ricky Nelson’s classic song, “Poor Little Fool”. I’ve always loved the music of Ricky Nelson. His songs always put a smile on my face- even if it’s a sad song. There’s such hope in his voice. Ricky was a good-looking man, we all know that. And some may write-off his music because of it. They probably used to think about him the way many people currently think about KeSha, Katy Perry, and others in that same pop genre. The difference between Ricky Nelson and the teen idols of today? The man could SING! I truly believe Rick Nelson had one of the best singing voices of all time. His voice filled the speakers- it was so laid-back and country sounding, but still had a flair for pop music. This was one immensely talented man. And, in later years, he wrote some great songs. Most notably, he wrote and performed “Garden Party”, which is also a favorite.
“Poor Little Fool” also features the great singing group The Jordanaires singing backup. Yes, that’s the same backup band Elvis Presley used. I wonder why Ricky decided to use that group to sing on his songs. I imagine he would want to stay out of Elvis’ shadow and not be compared so much to him. Don’t get me wrong- being compared to Elvis must’ve been an incredible honor. But, think of it like Julian Lennon not wanting to be compared to his legendary father John. After a while, you just want to be known for “you”, and not for some other person you sound like.
I was fortunate enough to record this Laptop Sessions acoustic cover song music video with my Martin MMV acoustic guitar. The sound of this guitar brought the video to a whole new level. Take away the HD video and the superb audio recording from my Zoom H2 microphone and you still have a good performance because of the sound of that guitar. I think, over time, it will prove to be the best purchase I’ve ever made. I hope I have that guitar forever! Of course, and I’m letting my wife know this 20 years in advance so she won’t be shocked then, I’ll HAVE to get a 200-year anniversary Martin guitar when that milestone comes around in 2033. I hope by then I can afford another one!
Enjoy tonight’s Laptop Session cover video- I hope to be back soon with more videos. I have plenty of ideas, it’s just sitting down and getting them on video I’m having trouble with! I’m also working on a bunch of new original songs, aided by my awesome “new” drum set (new sparkle green wraps, custom Pearl snare, and Sabian Pro hi-hats), vocal monitor, and tone pins for my Martin. I hope 2013 will be a musical year!