By Chris Moore:
This is an outtake from a recent recording for the Laptop Sessions. I just had to share it, and I hope you find it as enjoyable as I did. (Keep in mind that this is completely unscripted — this is exactly how it happened; this is precisely my natural reaction!) I think it speaks for itself…
Check back for a new Original Wednesday Laptop Session, to be posted in about an hour or so.
By Chris Moore:
Living for years with a friend who made it his business to know, love, and compile Christmas music, I’ve never really taken much ownership of the hundreds of holiday songs that are on my iPod, many of the older and/or more obscure selections having been discovered through him. Of course, there are certain albums that I look forward to hearing every year. These albums are collections of music that really help me get into the spirit of the season, ranging from classics like the Beach Boys’ sixties Christmas album to 2004’s Barenaked for the Holidays.
The problem I encountered last year was that the albums were easy to isolate in my iTunes, but the individual tracks from artists that I only listen to at Christmas time were more difficult to call up. Some of the more legendary singers are easy to remember, like Bing Crosby and Burl Ives, but it is still inconvenient to flip between artists after every song or two.
This year, I was struck by the desire to hear the songs I missed last season, so I woke up early this morning to sort out all the yuletide tracks. In the end, I had 340 songs in a playlist titled simply “Christmas Collection.” Now, this is an excellent list to play on random when friends or family come over, or when you’re simply looking to mix it up.
But it could also be a drag to suffer through all your least favorite versions of your favorite songs or to keep hoping a song you’re thinking of is coming up next.
Thus, I sorted out my favorite songs into a separate playlist. After I had picked through all 340 tunes, I found myself with 70 songs. Still too many, so I forced myself – forced! – to cut out ten more. With sixty remaining, I set about separating them into three more manageable lists of twenty each.
This is volume one of the creatively titled “Christmas” playlist series!
In this first playlist, I’ve included some of my absolute favorites, like the Beach Boys’ “Little Saint Nick” and the Moody Blues’ “Don’t Need a Reindeer.” I’ve also added some lesser known but equally excellent holiday themed tracks, like Clarence Carter’s “Back Door Santa” (a song I definitely did NOT fully understand when I first heard it at age 12) and Relient K’s “I Hate Christmas Parties.” One of the most difficult decisions for me here was whether to use the original and unarguably classic Band Aid version of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” In the end, I went with the BnL version, which is on the whole much more listenable, as it’s louder and clearer.
When they remaster the Band Aid version, I may need to revisit this playlist…
I’ll be back with more commentary on the tracks in specific and my process overall next Saturday, so be sure to check back for volume two!
1. “Little Saint Nick” (Single Version) – The Beach Boys
2. “Christmas Vacation” – Mavis Staples
3. “Don’t Need a Reindeer” – Moody Blues
4. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” – Barenaked Ladies (Band Aid cover)
5. “Back Door Santa” – Clarence Carter
6. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” – Darlene Love
7. “Holly Jolly Christmas” – Burl Ives
8. “The First Snow” – Mike Fusco
9. “Winter Wonderland” – America
10. “Come On Christmas, Christmas Come On” – Ringo Starr
11. “Blue Christmas” – Elvis Presley
12. “I Hate Christmas Parties” – Relient K
13. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” – John Lennon
14. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – Judy Garland
15. “Christmastime (Oh Yeah)” – Barenaked Ladies
16. “Christmas Time is Here Again” – The Beatles
17. “Christmas Don’t Be Late” – Alvin & the Chipmunks
18. “Run Rudolph Run” – Chuck Berry
19. “Here Comes Santa Claus” – Bob Dylan
20. “The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole
By Jim Fusco:
Welcome, everyone, to another new edition of the Laptop Sessions with me, Jim Fusco! I’m sorry the post is a bit later today- I was busy yesterday training for an upcoming 5k race with my Traveling Acai Berries member, Steve. It’s tough motivating myself to run every other day, but I know it’s healthy for me to do so, and I’m using that as extra motivation.
The other day, I was searching online for Beatles covers and Beatles cover songs, but The Laptop Sessions page didn’t come up in my searches! Well, that has to change. I’m going to make it a personal goal of mine to get the Beatles category page up in the search engine rankings!
Tonight, I bring you a Beatles song that Ringo got to sing. All the members of the Beatles (especially George and Ringo) were big Carl Perkins fans. So, they took this song, “Honey Don’t”, and gave it the Beatles treatment. I’m glad they let Ringo sing it, as his voice is perfectly suited for it. Something about the chords on the verses gets me every time. This song is pretty easy to play, but it’s got such a great tune. And hearing Ringo sing it in a way only Ringo Starr can, it makes for a great combination.
Apparently, Carl Perkin’s brother even initially refused to play the song, citing its odd chord progression (for a blues song) in the verses. I’m glad he finally came around! The song has such a driving beat, too- I’d love to play this live with a band someday. One of my favorite parts is the guitar solo. I actually got to play it pretty spot-on even though it’s a solo acoustic version. The guitar solo in the Beatles version is basically the E and C chords played as barre chords higher on the neck. I never get to solo during these videos- it was fun!
I’ve wanted to play this song for the Laptop Sessions ever since I heard Ringo singing the song during his concert at the Mohegan Sun this past June. He sounds exactly the same and they do such a good job of reproducing the energy and the sound of the recording live. Actually, if I had my way about it, this would be “The Ringo Sessions with Jim Fusco”- I can’t exactly explain it, but I LOVE Ringo’s music. I especially like his solo albums starting with 1992’s “Time Takes Time”, but there’s something about Ringo’s songs in general that really resonate with me. Heck, he even makes “Honey Don’t”, a sad song when you think about it, into a jolly good time. 🙂
I hope you enjoy tonight’s video! See you then!
By Chris Moore:
RATING: 2.5 / 5 stars
Although Ringo’s past several albums have been billed as solo records, they have actually been songwriting and performance collaborations with a core of talented singer/songwriters better known as the Roundheads. They have been musically and lyrically interesting and, at times, even ambitious.
Well, there is no question that Y Not is a true Ringo Starr solo release.
Whereas the collaborations on his past records could be traced through the liner notes and behind-the-scenes documentaries, it is clear that any collaborative efforts on this album are directed by Ringo himself. Ownership is the key word for Y Not, as his fifteenth studio album finds him producing his own material for the first time in his considerably decorated career.
The result? This is a fun record, one that Ringo and his assorted guests obviously enjoyed recording. As the title implies, there is a generally carefree attitude ringing forth from these tracks, an attitude which Ringo has carefully cultivated over a lifetime’s worth of recording and performing. As early as “Peace Dream,” his positive worldview is sung with as much emotion and sincerity as ever before, followed by the blunt honesty and autobiography of “The Other Side of Liverpool.” The latter is different from many of his previously autobiographical tracks — think: “Liverpool 8” — in that it covers some darker realms of his past, but it does so with that same air of confidence and cool attitude that we have come to know and expect from the famous drummer for the Beatles.
Ringo Starr's "Y Not" (2010)
There are many positive comments to be made about Y Not, to be certain, and yet the unfortunate flip side of the “ownership” coin is that this most recent Ringo release comes across as somewhat flat compared to his previous albums. Anyone who has heard his recent work — Ringo Rama (2003), Choose Love (2005), even as far back as Time Takes Time (1992) — will note the diminished effect of this record.
Even from the outside looking in, Y Not is a black and white, one-fold booklet release with a minimum of effort put into design and packaging. The advertisement label, never mind the album cover, looks like something I could have designed on Windows 98 and printed out on an inkjet printer manufactured a decade ago. The advertisement sticker itself seems like an afterthought, placed on the bottom rear of the CD case.
But these are only superficial observations; obviously, an album should be judged first and foremost on the quality of the material contained on the CD or downloaded from Internet.
And this is where the true inconsistencies of the album begin.
There are some truly outstanding songs — the funky, uplifting “Time” and the aforementioned “Peace Dream” to name two. Then there are some fun if mediocre tracks like the repetitive “Everyone Wins,” the somewhat phoned-in (pun intended) “Fill in the Blanks,” and the title track, which frankly borders on annoying, especially by the time the Indian-influenced middle section arrives. “Walk With You” narrowly avoids falling into this category by virtue of the fact that Ringo’s duet with Paul McCartney elevates it to “gem” status. There is a reason why these two men were members of what was arguably the best rock band of all time.
Finally, there is a track which will make you shake your head, and not in a good way. Consider the album closer “Who’s Your Daddy” which is every bit as embarrassing as it sounds. This is essentially a Joss Stone song with Ringo Starr guest-dueting on the chorus, laying down the anchor phrase “Who’s your daddy?” amidst her lead vocal.
The review essentially boils down to this: Y Not is a disappointment if you’re looking for material to compete with the best material of his career, or even his recent career. (If you think too long about the title, that’s an oddity and perhaps a disappointment in and of itself — IM shorthand? Really?)
If you’re simply looking for some fun rock and roll to kick off your 2010 soundtrack, then give this one a try. Even for all my criticism, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend an artist or band who can so consistently provide such fun, upbeat, positive rock music as Ringo always has and continues to produce. And, really, between the excellent and embarrassing songs, there are some wonderful tracks like the oh-so-obviously Richard Marx co-written song “Mystery of the Night” and the one Roundhead throw-back “Can’t Do It Wrong,” both of which are more than up to snuff, earning a place alongside some of Ringo’s best album tracks.
The final verdict is that I’m sad to see the Roundheads disband, but I’m happy to have Ringo carry on and take more personal responsibility for his music than ever before.
And yes, embarrassing as it may be, I’ll be singing along with Ringo on “Who’s Your Daddy” just about every time…