The Laptop Sessions Cover Songs & Original Music Video Blog

The TOP TWENTY ALBUMS of 2011 (The Year-End Awards)

Jim Fusco — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:00:04 +0000

By Chris Moore:

It is the best and truest mark of artistry in the music industry, and sales are no indication of significance. Sequencing and thematic continuity, sonic experimentation within a basic set of familiar parameters, a healthy range of types and topics: these are the standards by which to judge an album.

The album.

It ascended into an art form in the mid-sixties under the careful work of artists like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Beach Boys. It was taken to new heights with the experimentation of later bands, from the concept albums of the Moody Blues to the spin-off success of artists like Bruce Springsteen. The album – and rock in general – saw a rebirth in the nineties, with the work of those like Weezer, the Wallflowers, the Barenaked Ladies, and a slew of others who led a surge of excellent rock music.

These days, the album has faced a crossroads. Specifically, with the advent and surge of digital sales, the physical formats of music are on the chopping block. Still, with the rise of vinyl sales even as CD sales continue to decline, there is hope yet. And, contrary to an army of naysayers, there are still excellent albums being made. This year, as with the past several years that I have been tuned into a vast array of albums, I would say there are about five albums that will undoubtedly stand the test of time and compete for top spots when I eventually get around to my Best Albums of All Time list. Which, at this point, might have to wait until I hit retirement.

But, for the moment, you have my Best Albums of 2011 list, and if you’re interested in reading more about any of these albums, you can access my Weekend Review report (including star rating, production info, and a full review) by simply searching the album title and band name in the search bar above. And, of course, if you see reason for disagreement or any gaps in my list, it’s up to you to leave comments below.

1) The Whole Love (Wilco)

2) The King is Dead (The Decemberists)

3) Last Night on Earth (Noah & the Whale)

4) Wasting Light (Foo Fighters)

5) Bad As Me (Tom Waits)

6) Unfortunate Casino (Gerry Beckley)

7) The King of Limbs (Radiohead)

8) Yuck (Yuck)

9) Lasers (Lupe Fiasco)

10) W H O K I L L (The Tune-Yards)

11) The Graduation Ceremony (Joseph Arthur)

12) Vol. 2: High and Inside (The Baseball Project)

13) Collapse Into Now (R.E.M.)

14) Move Like This (The Cars)

15) The Valley (Eisley)

16) Cloud Maintenance (Kevin Hearn)

17) I’m With You (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

18) Alpocalypse (Weird Al Yankovic)

19) No Color (The Dodos)

20) Nighty Night (8in8)

Honorable Mention:

The Way It Was (Parachute)

The Dreamer, The Believer (Common)

Ranking every Beach Boys song/album: “Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!!)” (by Songwriter Jim Fusco)

Jim Fusco — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:46 +0000

Originally posted 2008-04-06 22:19:27.

By Jim Fusco:

Hi Mike and hello to all other participators. Here is my weigh-in for the “Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!!)” album- a true classic.

SUMMER DAYS (AND SUMMER NIGHTS!!)

California Girls – 10 (An American classic- especially for a Beach Boys fan, it just simply doesn’t get much better than this. I have to rank this a 10, even though I believe God Only Knows deserves the undisputed highest spot.)
Salt Lake City – 7
*The Little Girl I Once Knew – 10 (A long-standing choice for my favorite Beach Boys song of all-time. It’s still gotta be in my Top 3)
The Girl from New York City – 6 (It’s okay, but very much under-produced compared to the rest of the album and they seem to be a bit more sloppy. I do like Mike’s overly-low backing vocals, though!)
Help Me, Rhonda – 10 (You know, it’s kind of expected that people will give songs like this a 10, but if you just sit back and LISTEN to this version of “Help Me Rhonda”, you have to realize it’s an incredible song. It’s catchy, but still has substance. It truly is that “Beach Boys” sound. I love Mike’s low part in this tune, as well.)
Let Him Run Wild – 10 (This is one of the best songs EVER- it’s unique and has that incredible chord progression. I think the bass line and the sound of the bass in this song is the best of any song I’ve ever heard. Brian’s vocals are perfect and the emotion is heartbreaking. I can’t believe I’m putting so many 10′s on this album!)
*Let Him Run Wild (alternate) – 8 (Brian’s vocals don’t have that edge like the final version)
You’re So Good to Me – 6.5 (Still a great song, but its simplicity just doesn’t match up with the rest of the classics. Also, those “la’s” in the background get annoying to anyone but true Beach Boys fans)
And Your Dream Comes True – 5
Then I Kissed Her – 6.5 (One of their best covers- a great lead by Al!)
Girl Don’t Tell Me – 8 (Catchy and a great little jab to the Beatles style of the period. Carl gives a great vocal performance, as well.)
Amusement Parks USA – 3 (All I can say is: eh)
Summer Means New Love – 3 (I like the tune and the production, but it’s kind of elevator-music sounding)
I’m Bugged at My Ol’ Man – 5 (This is a really cute song with great vocals by Brian, bad vocals by the others, and a truer-than-it’s-supposed-to-sound lyrics)

** This album IS the Beach Boys on record, as far as the 60s are concerned. This album is what “Sunflower” is to the 70′s Beach Boys. “Summer Days” defines the Beach Boys sound, especially on cuts like “California Girls”. I would challenge anyone to give this album a bad review. It still has that innocence I love so dearly, but pushes the musical envelope as far as it can go without getting too serious. This album is really the farthest Brian could go before getting into the emotions and themes he did on “Pet Sounds” and “Smile”. For me, this album marks the end of an era and the Beach Boys just wouldn’t be the same after this. That early-60s summer fun, teenager, innocence just evaporated when “Pet Sounds” arrived. Of course, I’m not saying that the music to come wasn’t some of the greatest ever, but looking back, I wish they could’ve stayed innocent for just a couple more years… **

The TOP FIFTY SONGS of 2011 (The Year-End Awards)

Jim Fusco — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:45 +0000

By Chris Moore:

At last, we arrive at the second most important list of the year: the top fifty songs. This is the list that takes me the longest every time, even more time than the albums list. This might be helped in part because I start writing my best albums list as early as summertime, but it’s also because I find albums easier to evaluate and rate than individual songs; oftentimes, songs shift and flux up and down over the year.

This year, my greatest challenge was finding a place for two of my former (mOu) and current (the DKBH) bandmate Mike Fusco’s new releases. I typically avoid having one artist hog the top spots, but the truth was that I couldn’t honestly deny “Modern-Day Pocahontas” the top spot, and I tried but couldn’t come to terms with placing “Chasing Pigeons” any lower than second, even below such outstanding tracks as Brett Dennen’s “Sydney” or Wilco’s “Born Alone.” If this reduces the authenticity of my list, then so be it: this is my honest assessment of the best fifty songs of 2011.

1) “Modern-Day Pocahontas” – Mike Fusco

2) “Chasing Pigeons” – Mike Fusco

3) “Sydney (I’ll Come Running)” – Brett Dennen

4) “Born Alone” – Wilco

5) “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.” – Noah and the Whale

6) “Arlandria” – Foo Fighters

7) “Give It All Back” – Noah and the Whale

8) “Rox in the Box” – The Decemberists

9) “Hello” – Gerry Beckley

10) “Buckner’s Bolero” – The Baseball Project

11) “All That You Are” – Goo Goo Dolls

12) “Lost All My Ambition” – Mike Fusco

13) “Suicide Policeman” – Yuck

14) “Jejune Stars” – Bright Eyes

15) “Uberlin” – R.E.M.

16) “New Year’s Eve” – Tom Waits

17) “Codex” – Radiohead

18) “Comeback Kid (That’s My Dog) – Brett Dennen

19) “Black and Yellow” – Wiz Khalifa

20) “Lonely Boy” – Black Keys

21) “Two Against One” – Danger Mouse, Danielle Luppi, and Jack White

22) “Rope” – Foo Fighters

23) “Ambulance” – Eisley

24) “Face in the Crowd” – Joseph Arthur

25) “Feel” – Gerry Beckley

26) “This is Why We Fight” – The Decemberists

27) “Jardin Du Luxembourg” – The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger

28) “Till I Get There” – Lupe Fiasco

29) “Dawned on Me” – Wilco

30) “Fire Fly” – Childish Gambino

31) “Release Me” – Jack’s Mannequin

32) “Tangie and Ray” – The Fruit Bats

33) “Season’s Trees” – Danger Mouse, Danielle Luppi, and Norah Jones

34) “Us Against the World” – Coldplay

35) “Surprise, Surprise” – Brett Dennen

36) “Triple Spiral” – Bright Eyes

37) “Someone’s Gonna Break Your Heart” – Fountains of Wayne

38) “Wonder Why” – Vetiver

39) “Art of Almost” – Wilco

40) “Don’t Carry It All” – The Decemberists

41) “Don’t Call Them Twinkies” – The Baseball Project

42) “You and Me” – Parachute

43) “Police Station” – Red Hot Chili Peppers

44) “Titty’s Beer” – Colt Ford (feat. Trent Tomlinson)

45) “Don’t Try and Hide It” – The Dodos

46) “I Don’t Want to Be a Bride” – Vanessa Carlton

47) “Ruined” – Hannah Fair

48) “Because the Origami” – 8in8

49) “Bad As Me” – Tom Waits

50) “Fly Solo” – Wiz Khalifa

Honorable Mention:

“Factory of Faith” – Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Raw (How You Like It)” – Common [late entry]

“Keep On Knocking” – The Cars

“Damn These Vampires” – The Mountain Goats

“Fur Peace Rag” (Jorma Kaukonen Instrumental Acoustic Cover Song) – The Guest Sessions

Jim Fusco — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:40:10 +0000

Originally posted 2009-02-07 00:01:04.

Hello and welcome to the unveiling of our most recent addition to the Guest Sessions, a new segment on the Laptop Sessions music blog that opens up the blog to YOUR cover song music videos! Tonight, we have the pleasure of bringing you a change from the norm for us. This is one of the few instrumental acoustic covers we have presented over the years.

Tonight’s video was recorded by Paul Karp. He writes,

“I recorded an instrumental tune by Jorma Kaukonen titled ‘Fur Peace Rag.’

I started playing guitar when I was 16 years old after listening to the first Hot Tuna album. Jorma has been an inspiration over the years and his style of playing continues to amaze me even after being a fan for over 30 years.”

A quick Wikipedia search will explain that Kaukonen was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane, which he helped score two top ten hits in 1967. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and although he is known for being a folk singer/musician, he was struck by the power of electric music early on, continuing to be fascinated by the technological advancements. Kaukonen continues to be active musically to this day.

So thank you, Paul, for submitting this video. Now we hope all of you will enjoy listening to it!

No related posts.

“Those Around Us” by Jim Fusco is now available on iTunes & CD!

Jim Fusco — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:40:09 +0000

By Jim Fusco:

Hello everyone to another special edition of the Laptop Sessions music video blog! I’m happy to officially announce that my new album, “Those Around Us” is now available on iTunes and on CD! If you’d like the album on CD, you can purchase it on my website at http://jimfusco.com/albums/those-around-us.html. If you’d prefer to download the album on iTunes, you can get that by clicking here!

“Those Around Us” features twelve new original songs. I hope you’ll go and check out my website for the full write-up on the new album. I honestly believe it’s my best effort to date and I’m proud to bring this new album to you.

As you see from the album cover above (which looks AMAZING, by the way), I was able to secure Ben Quesnel (at http://bqartstudio.com) to paint the cover for me. As you may know, Ben painted the “Halfway There” cover. I couldn’t be happier with the results of both album covers!

On January 13th, 2012, I had a big CD Release Party with my closest friends, family, and co-workers. Words cannot describe how honored and humbled I was by the great turnout. The crowd loved the seven new songs I played acoustically for them and everyone had a great time. I even got to play a special encore cover song of “Two of Us” by the Beatles with my fellow Traveling Acai Berries member, Steve.

I recorded the entire show in multi-track audio and mixed and mastered it for all to hear. You can listen to the entire CD Release Party concert for free on my website! That’s right, just go to http://jimfusco.com/albums/those-around-us.html and click on the music player in the middle of the screen. I’m really happy I had the opportunity to record it with my multi-track recorder because I was able to mix and tweak it after the fact. I tried to record the show on video, as well. But, something went wrong with the tape and I was only able to salvage the last song I played, “Good Enough”. But, I made the most of that short video and put it on YouTube to show (even for just a few minutes) what a good time we all had at the CD Release Party. I’m presenting that video for you here on the Laptop Sessions music blog, too.

I sincerely hope you’ll go and at least listen to “Those Around Us” on my website and on iTunes. I know you’ll love the album, especially if you’re a fan of the cover songs I play here on the Laptop Sessions cover songs blog. I think you’ll notice the influence of the bands I love and the music that inspires me. As always, I’d love to hear what you think! Write a comment here on the blog, tweet me @jimfuscomusic, or visit my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/jimfuscomusic!

No related posts.

“Lightnin’ Strikes” (Lou Christie acoustic rock cover song) – The Laptop Sessions

Jim Fusco — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:35 +0000

Originally posted 2010-04-02 01:32:33.

By Jim Fusco:

Boy, this doesn’t feel like a Thursday. Having tomorrow off (plus Monday, as well) is AWESOME and it feels like a weekend night! I’ve had a chance to relax and get some stuff done tonight, so I’m looking forward to a long weekend with some great weather here in Connecticut.

Let’s get right to tonight’s acoustic cover song music video!

I was reacquainted with “Lightnin’ Strikes” by Lou Christie last month when I heard it on my favorite Thursday radio show, “Rockin’ With Wayne” on WHUS UCONN Radio. Of course, I knew it from years passed listening to the local oldies station, too. Turns out this song was a Number One hit for Lou Christie in the mid-sixties and I can see why. It’s catchy and features Lou’s great falsetto. Of course, I wasn’t the only one who always thought it was Frankie Valli, but let me tell you- there’s a big difference. Lou Christie was actually a songwriter! He wrote “Lightnin’ Strikes” and that’s pretty cool, in my book. Plus, I’m excited to add Lou Christie as yet another new artist to the vast array here on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog!

One thing I never noticed was the lyrics in this song. Go ahead- name some other lyrics besides, “Lightning is striking again.” Well, when you listen to the words, this song is incredibly chauvinistic! Basically, he’s saying: I found you and you’re the best. I’m going to marry you someday. But, until I do, I’m gonna be with a whole bunch of other people- basically anyone that asks. And, that’s gotta be okay because you, “know the nature of a man”. Wow, not sure I agree with that one! Talk about subject matter that really wouldn’t fly 45 years later. And, on top of it, I think he co-wrote the song with…get this…a woman! Heh, I knew it- he’s Italian!

I love singing these songs with the high parts. This one is fun because you can really belt it out. So much so, in fact, that I woke Becky up while recording this video. Oops. I can’t really take a lot of the blame, though, as there are very few moments I have to record other than when she’s already asleep. If I record while she’s just going to bed, she can’t fall asleep. And then I can’t get the take right because I’m always so nervous that I’m keeping her awake. This is one of the reasons why I can’t wait to get our basement finished.

I guess I’ll cut things short tonight at that- I won’t make a very “personal” post tonight and hope to kind of move-away from that format now. There’s just some people out there that you don’t want knowing everything about your life and feelings anymore. Until next Thursday night, I hope you have a great Easter weekend and opening week of baseball!