“Roundabout” (Yes cover) – The Guest Sessions

Do I have a Guest Sessions cover song post for you today…

I don’t think anyone out there would’ve guessed that someone (yes a single person) could cover “Roundabout” by Yes. But, Víctor Santafé submitted his cover song version to me and I couldn’t help but be intrigued.

Now, I love this video, but I have to tell you upfront- this video is in no way “perfect”. This man is playing an extremely difficult song with a ton of very specific keyboard parts while singing (which is in a very difficult register). The magic, for me, in this video is that this man figured out all of those layered keyboard parts and managed to play the whole song and sing at the same time. The song is over 9 minutes long- how impressive is that?

Now, I know this video isn’t in the standard single-camera style I require all Laptop Sessions cover song videos to be in. But, I couldn’t help it on this one- I just was floored when I heard such a solid version of “Roundabout” played by one person that I couldn’t pass-up the opportunity to feature it on the music blog.

For fans of Yes, it’s about time we got one of their songs here on the blog, right? And for those that may not think they know this song, if you know any classic rock, you almost certainly do! Just fast-forward a couple minutes into the song and you’ll recognize it.

So, thanks to Víctor Santafé for his submission to the Guest Sessions here on The Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog. Stay tuned for more- who knows what incredible one-man-band videos we’ll present next!



How to Destroy Angels’ “How to Destroy Angels” EP (2010) – YES, NO, or MAYBE SO

How to Destroy Angels’ How to Destroy Angels EP (2010) – MAYBE

"How To Destroy Angels" (How To Destroy Angels, 2010)

"How To Destroy Angels" (How To Destroy Angels, 2010)

(June 1, 2010)

Review:

I don’t know that I’ll ever “get” the finer points of such experimental/industrial rock as How to Destroy Angels creates, yet even I can register the passive-aggressive patterns laid out across these six tracks, accented by volleys of bass, carefully constructed drum tracks, and — not to be overlooked — (Trent Reznor’s wife and bandmate) Mariqueen Maandig’s deep, rich vocals.

Top Two Tracks:

“Fur Lined” & “Parasite”

“Chinese Sleep Chant” (Coldplay Cover)

By Jeff Copperthite:

Assistant Editor’s note (that’s Jeff): I am in the process of re-embedding some Laptop Sessions videos that I still have.  This post was originally from 2009, but for history’s sake I have not edited the post.

And continuing from last week’s post is the song that is followed by the one I covered last week.

Now, I know that i’ve covered a bunch of Coldplay songs, and quite a few from Viva La Vida, but there’s a good reason.  Everybody loves this band.  They write catchy songs, and enjoy performing and love their fans.  How can I not want to cover this band?

This song is more of an instrumental than a lyrical song, but the lyrics are present and sung.  I initially wanted to perform this with my electric guitar hooked up to my bass amp.  However, I hit a few snags.  1) My electric strings are kind of old.  2) The bridge of the guitar sticks out of the base of the guitar a bit, making the strings a bit further from the fretboard, and therefore more difficult to play.  3) The amp is meant for bass, and I could not find a good combination of settings that made my guitar sound like a guitar.

However, practicing the song on the electric proved helpful, as it made it a lot easier to play on the acoustic.  Funny how that works sometimes.

This video came out great.  I’m very proud of this cover.

I have reached my first milestone post 100K views and hit 110K views.  I’m nearing 500 views per day on my videos, and I can’t wait to tell you when I am averaging 1K views per day.  It could happen before the year is out!

Goo Goo Dolls’ “Hold Me Up” (1990) – Yes, No, or Maybe So

Goo Goo Dolls’ Hold Me Up (1990) – MAYBE

Hold Me Up (Goo Goo Dolls, 1990)

Hold Me Up (Goo Goo Dolls, 1990)

(October 16, 1990)

Review:

The epitome of a three star album: not a masterpiece, but a solid collection of raw yet concise, grungy rock tracks that are energetic and enjoyable — Takac and Rzeznik splitting lead vocal duties and even sharing a duet is a dynamic arrangement.

Top Two Tracks:

“Two Days in February” & “Laughing”