The Laptop Sessions: “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” [Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Song)

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

If it was an honor to bring you “Getcha Back” three days ago, it is even more of a pleasure (it that’s possible!) to welcome you to the best cover song video blog in the universe tonight with Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”! This cover song video has the added bonus of my collaboration with not only fellow songwriter Jim Fusco but also his girlfriend (fiancee to be more precise!) Becky Daly.

Several years ago, before the band Masters of the Universe was even an idea, we toured and recorded briefly as “Chris, Jim, and Becky.” This was probably my happiest musical collaboration, my first recording that I was really proud to be a part of (Click here to listen to Live in the Studio), and if we could have devoted more time and energy to the act or even just found a venue that appreciated what we were doing, I would have wanted Chris, Jim, and Becky to go on for a good long time!

But, alas, all good things come to an end. Now, years later, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” is such a comfortable classic to us that we sat down and tore through it in one full take. I think it comes across on the video just how comfortable we are and I can at least speak for myself when I say this acoustic cover was a ton of fun to record. I hope it is the first of many collaborations to come, and although I’m out of them for a while, I know Jim still has some from that night’s recording session in his back pocket. Now, that’s something to look forward to…

I have one more major announcement before I rush off to my favorite weekly television event — TNA Impact!, my favorite and simply the best wrestling program out there. I’ll be going to the Bob Dylan concert tomorrow night, and as with the Brian Wilson concert last month, I’ll be posting the set list online immediately after the show, if not actually updating it DURING the show! I don’t know if it will be that cool, but it will be up immediately with a review shortly after and I hope all you Bob Dylan fans will hurry back for both the set list and the review!

You can also look forward to an all-new acoustic cover song from Jeff tomorrow…

See you next session!

Bob Dylan FREE mp3! - “Dreamin’ of You” from his forthcoming Bootleg Series CD!

Monday, August 4th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Hi all! Just had to write today because there’s some exciting new rock music out there on the web for all you Bob Dylan fans — and the best news is that it is FREE new music!

For those that don’t know, Columbia will be releasing the eighth volume in the Bootleg Series, titled Tell Tale Signs. This multi-disc collection will include previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions of previously released songs, and some great packaging options. For the complete low-down, check out Bob Dylan’s official website…

…where you can download a free mp3 of “Dreamin’ of You,” an outtake from the Time Out of Mind sessions!

What I find most interesting and entertaining about the song is that it has echoes of other songs from the album; a fan of Time Out of Mind will notice the lines from other tracks that are in “Dreamin’ of You” in various forms. It’s almost as if he scrapped this song and yet salvaged some key lines from the wreckage. But why wouldn’t the song have been included? From the moment the drums kick in, this is an amazing track and gives me high hopes for the Bootleg Series release on October 7 — if the other tracks are anywhere near this type of quality, then it will certainly be another amazing addition to the series. (It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two decades since the first Bootleg album was released!)

I really can see why the song wouldn’t have made it to the album; it has a different feel to it than much of the other material on his 1997 release. But it is a PRIME candidate for this collection of Dylan tracks — a must-listen, to be sure!

Thank you, Bob Dylan, and thank you, Columbia, for this advance release!

The Laptop Sessions: “All Along the Watchtower” (A Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Song)

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Now, this is truly a day of firsts for me. Three firsts, if I count them accurately. In order of occurrence: (1) I woke up on my own, on a Saturday, at a decent hour, and got right out of bed. Anyone who knows me on any personal level to any degree knows how amazing that truly is. (2) Then, I recorded my Saturday cover video in one take, including rehearsals. When it comes to these cover song sessions, I am probably more of a perfectionist than I should be. Thus, I repeatedly practice and record the music videos until I’m satisfied I could not do any better. Suffice it to say that usually takes anywhere between five and twenty-five takes. Today, one!! And, finally (3) I came upstairs from FMP Studios to find Jim, having just woken up, in an excellent mood. This is nothing against Jim — and I’m admittedly a bear (not one of those friendly, cuddly ones you might see at a show with a trainer, but one of those angry, blood thirsty ones that attack campers and hikers without provocation ala the John Candy movie The Great Outdoors) if you try to wake me from nodding off during a movie, etc. — but Jim’s just not a morning person. We sat and talked about the music blog, brainstormed some new ways to improve our views and content, and then laughed quite heartily about bathroom humor, the details of which I’ll spare you.

All told, really not a bad way to start a beautiful, sunny summer day!

But let’s get down to business. My acoustic cover song for today is Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” Ironically, you are probably more familiar with the Jimi Henrix’s cover version than you are of Dylan’s original music. And, even as a HUGE Dylan fan, I have to admit that Hendrix’s cover song is the definitive version. Even Dylan admitted as much — his live performances of the song still reflect Hendrix’s arrangement. That being said, Dylan’s original is heavily acoustic, so I felt that would be a better version for this acoustic guitar music video. So, I grabbed my acoustic guitar, dusted off my harmonica rack, and gave it my all. One take. Could it have been better, more polished? Yes, I suppose. But this is what the Laptop Sessions are all about — this is a snapshot in time, as though you sat down with me in my living room and I just played it for you, on a whim. I hope you enjoy it!

And, of course, don’t miss the unveiling of an all-new acoustic cover song from Jeff Copperthite — his next quality cover video will be posted here tomorrow…

See you next session!

The Laptop Sessions: “Tonight I’ll Be Stayin’ Here With You” (Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Songs - Triple Threat Tuesday!!)

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to not only another Laptop Session music video, but also a special treat from the three songwriters who bring you an acoustic cover a day EVERY day in 2008…

This is a little something we like to call Triple Threat Tuesday. What this means is today you will receive not one, not two, not four, but THREE video blog entries. Each video will be a cover version of Bob Dylan’s 1969 song “Tonight I’ll Be Stayin’ Here With You.” It’s such a great track that we couldn’t agree on just one person to record an acoustic cover of it… so all three of us will take a stab at it! This song originally appeared on the first fully country-rock Dylan album, appropriately titled Nashville Skyline. This album is filled with very simple, upbeat, and brief (under 3 minutes each) songs, not to mention they’re all sung in his “Lay, Lady, Lay” voice and Johnny Cash himself makes a special guest appearance on the opening track. I’ve heard better duets, but there are few things better than hearing two giants like Cash and Dylan harmonize (however loosely) on such a great song as “Girl from the North Country.” Dylan actually originally released that song on his 1962 acoustic album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

Personally, my favorite version of this song is Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue version, recorded in 1975 and released in the Bootleg series. He changes the words around and, although they’re a bit more blunt than the original, I love them and think they work well for this acoustic cover rendition. But that’s the beauty of cover songs — they give songwriters like us endless opportunities to perfect our own skills and to end some of our own style to the track. For instance, I can bet that Jim’s version will be faithful to the original, as he loves that album. He could have bet money that I would go for the obscure live lyrics, since I love Bob Dylan and have probably heard more live versions of this song than the average person should.

As Jim explained yesterday, I must follow up — it’s great to be back online. This music blog has been a lot of work for us and I can’t imagine losing the session - a - day promise this far into the game! We’re building more and more each day, and now that I’m on summer break from teaching, I’ll be able to devote all my attention toward my creative pursuits.

See you next session!

Jeff’s version (sorry - this is my first Bob Dylan cover - be nice to me!)

Jim’s version: Recorded the night of, using my new video filters and amazing USB microphone- just listen to the audio quality of this acoustic cover song!

The Laptop Sessions: “I Shall Be Released” (Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Song)

Monday, June 9th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Thanks for getting your daily dose of acoustic guitar music at http://LaptopSessions.com today! It only seemed appropriate to start off the work week with a song titled “I Shall Be Released”… This is a cover song originally written by Bob Dylan. Although he never officially released his version on an album, it’s available on the Biograph boxset and on The Essential Bob Dylan. Probably the most polished version is on the Band’s superb 1968 album Music from Big Pink.

I haven’t recorded a Dylan song in a while, so I figured I could sneak yet another one into my list of Laptop Sessions. It was really fun to do and I would have kept my first take if I wasn’t such a perfectionist…

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for an all-new cover song and free music video from our very own Jeff Copperthite…

See you next session!

Happy Birthday to Bob Dylan, Songwriter Extraordinaire!

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Well, it’s not my day to post a video blog, but I couldn’t let it slip by without acknowledging my favorite songwriter’s 67th birthday. I’m referring to Bob Dylan, of course! We’ve recorded a good deal of acoustic covers of his songs already (just select “Bob Dylan” in the “categories” list to your left), and I look forward to playing many more. In fact, we’re planning a “Triple Threat Tuesday” soon for his Nashville Skyline tune “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You.”

So, as the day comes to a close, I hope you’ve had a chance to listen to your favorite Dylan song or, (for the die hard fans) read your favorite poem from Tarantula!

See you tomorrow for my video blog post — the first acoustic cover of a new theme-based week!