About Jim Fusco

Jim Fusco is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and all-around musician. Learn all about him and his creative works at http://jimfusco.com!

Seeburg V-200 Jukebox

Hello, Laptop Sessions fans! I thought it would be fun to post about our 1955 Seeburg V-200 jukebox that we got about a year ago. We’ve always wanted one and I’ve kept an eye out at fifties themed diners and such over the years. I went to a jukebox restoration company nearby a bunch of years ago, looking for options. But I didn’t realize how expensive these things were! Much like any other collectible, you can get less expensive versions that are still nice but there’s always one or two models that rise above the rest.

Take baseball cards, for instance. Everyone knows the Honus Wagner card that’s worth millions. Sure, you might have some good baseball cards but chance are you’ll never have the BEST one. Certain model years of cars (you can have a Corvette but likely ain’t gonna get a ‘55) and guitars (‘58 Les Paul, anyone?) follow the same trend.

So when it came to owning a jukebox, I was a bit disappointed to find out that the ones I thought I wanted were impractical (those Wurlitzer ones with the bubble lights? Most are from the 40s and only play 78 rpm records) or way too much money (the Seeburg V-200).

The owner of the jukebox repair shop told me of a jukebox he completely restored and that is was the most desirable Seeburg model ever made: the V200. He had the whole thing rebuilt from the ground-up. It cost the owner a ton of money. The best part? It was located right in my hometown, in a 50’s diner that I didn’t even know existed!

So, we went searching for it right away. It was BEAUTIFUL. I’d never seen a 200-play version before (this was the first model to ever have 100 records or 200 selections) and the features were out of sight. The rotating wheel to flip between banks of songs was so cool to look at and use.

We went to that diner almost weekly from there out, playing the jukebox every time. But, as many restaurants do, it went out of business. We didn’t know it was going out of business because there was a fire in an adjacent restaurant that forced the 50’s diner to close for a while. But it never opened back up again!

Out of desperation, I wrote a note to the owner and slipped it under the door of the vacant restaurant. I never heard back.

Fast-forward a few years to when I was about to complete graduate school and my MBA. I got cards from relatives with some money. While writing thank you notes, my default line was, “I’ll put it in the jukebox fund!” I never thought I’d actually pull the trigger and get one!

That night, while writing the thank you notes, I decided to look on eBay foe jukeboxes. I couldn’t believe it- there it was. THE Seeburg V-200 from the 50’s diner! It was still nearby and someone wanted a lot of money for it. Well, to cut to the chase, we worked out a deal and my friend and I stupidly went by ourselves to pick the 400 lb machine up. Thankfully we recruited a couple more guys to help us get it in the house where it will live forevermore.

This jukebox sounds amazing- the tube amp is powerful and high-fi. The machine has its quirks but I’ve gotten pretty good at cleaning, servicing and performing minor fixes. I can only hope it continues to provide our family and friends with years of good times. I hope you enjoy the photos of this beautiful beast below and thanks for reading!!

“Got My Mind Set On You” (George Harrison cover)

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the Laptop Sessions! Been a busy year, pandemic and all. I was happy the old radio show cast got together virtually a couple weeks ago- what a fun show and I’m glad the tradition is still alive.

Last night, I realized that I had recorded a bunch of cover song music videos for YouTube a while back but never posted them! So, I decided to start uploading them and will post from time to time until I can record some new ones. I have a new “set” here at home that I’m looking forward to debuting, so let’s see if I can actually get to that in 2021.

Tonight’s song is “Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison, a #1 hit back in 1987 and a great song, even though George didn’t write it. When I was just three years old this song came out and because we played it all the time in the car and such through the late 80’s, this album really sticks with me now. To me, it’s what music should sound like, so clearly what I heard at age 3 or so is what shaped my current taste in music. The fun part now is that this is my son’s favorite song, which he plays every night on our Seeburg V-200 jukebox! So, I guess things have come full-circle.

Translating this into an acoustic version was interesting, as it doesn’t have the horns or that sweet, sweet late-80’s production quality. But, as usual, the Martin MMV acoustic guitar was up to the task and I really like the way this one turned out. And, as you can tell, I’m a Mets fan, so please feel free to comment on that… 🙂

I hope you (and by “you”, I mean my kids) love my version of “Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison. It’s a great song and I hope the cover lives up to it! Take care and I’ll be back again with more acoustic cover song music videos from the Laptop Sessions!

“Heart And Soul” (Huey Lewis and The News cover)

Hello and welcome to yet another episode of “The Laptop Sessions” here on the best cover songs music video blog ever created. Yep, I still think that’s the case, but if anyone wants to challenge it, get back to me in 14 years and we’ll talk. 🙂

Today, I bring you a great song in “Heart And Soul” by Huey Lewis and the News. No, this isn’t that simple piano song that people learn on day one of piano lessons. This is a rock’n’roll song that I tried to give the acoustic treatment. The song is from the Sports album from the early 80’s and that album is simply a classic. Every song is good and there are some all-time greats including “I Want A New Drug” and “The Heart of Rock’n’Roll”.

“Heart And Soul” has always been a favorite, as my family would listen to this album quite a bit in the 80’s when I was very young. It came back to mind when my brother Mike and I would jam with a friends of ours, Steve and Matt. We would think of all our favorite songs and this one came to mind. I came up with this guitar arrangement, as there really isn’t a guitar part for the verses. I loved the way it sounded so I’m thinking this is actually a unique arrangement I’m debuting here! I suppose I should do that more often but I’m always so concerned with trying to stay true to a song that I don’t deviate. Because of the lack of guitar part in the original recording, I had no choice but to make one up!

We made a recording of our cover version of “Heart And Soul” back in the day. I’ll post it one of these days. Basically we recorded the music as a live band in the studio and then I added a couple of extra instruments and all the vocals. It came out great and we did that for a few other songs, including “Moondance” by Van Morrison and “No Time” by the Guess Who. Steve still plays them for friends in the car as a showcase of how good they came out. 🙂

Huey Lewis and the News are so underrated- it’s crazy to me who certain bands could be so good and so popular, yet they don’t really get their “due”. They should be revered as one of the best bands of the 80’s, in no small part because of the fact that they were a true rock’n’roll band in a time when there weren’t many at all (The Cars, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers come to mind). They managed to keep their sound relevant to the times while not deviating from the rock sounds that made them great. I guess that’s the message in their song, “The Heart of Rock And Roll”, but even then, I remember reading somewhere that song was voted as one of the worst songs of all time. Whoever voted that clearly never heard “Mind Garden” by The Byrds…

I hope you enjoy this original arrangement (and cover version) of Huey Lewis and The News’ “Heart and Soul” here on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog. I’ll be back soon with another video, so subscribe here and on YouTube and stay tuned!

New Music from Jim Fusco: “Nothing But Time”

My next new song for 2020 is “Nothing But Time”, a classic “Jim Fusco style” tune that encompasses a fleeting feeling I have from time to time about happiness. You see, when you’re younger you don’t have anything (like money) and all you really have is time. So, you work hard to get that money you lack, but then time starts to slip away. Take a normal day, minus 8 hours for sleep, 9 hours for work, two hours of cooking and cleaning, an hour for exercise and showering, and a couple hours of time with the kids, add-in some school work…and you’re left with nothing. You’ve successfully made your money, made those around you happy and kept up your end of the bargain as a spouse and a parent…but there’s no time for YOU! So, with that idea in mind, I ask the rhetorical question: am I happier now that I have all of these things or was I happier when I had nothing…but time? And I think I know the answer, but it still leaves me a bit nostalgic for those days when I could simply waste time. Of course, as I point out in the song, it’s a bit too soon for nostalgia, as those days when I had nothing but time were only a few years ago!

I don’t usually give the full background to a song when I post them, as I like the sentiment to speak for itself and not be tied to a specific event or feeling. But for this one I thought it might give the song a bit more context.

I’ve also implemented a new mastering technique for this track and I think I’ve finally found the settings I’ll go with from now on. I remastered the previous two songs (“You Don’t Know Me” and “Angelina Rose”) but you’ll have to wait to hear those when I finally compile all of these tracks into an album someday. I hope you enjoy my new song and I’d appreciate any comments and shares!

Personnel:

Jim Fusco: all instruments and vocals

Instruments:

  • Pearl Export EXL drums
  • Martin MMV acoustic guitar
  • Fender Deluxe Players Stratocaster slide electric guitar
  • Gibson Les Paul Traditional electric guitar
  • Epiphone Wildkat electric guitar
  • Fender Jazz bass
  • Electric guitars recorded through Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and Fender Excelsior Amplifier with Eminence speaker