Smokey Robinson: Second That Emotion

Hope you all had a good holiday! I certainly enjoyed the time off. But now we're back!

Number .... 18? I hope.

Smokey Robinson: Second That Emotion

Current Knowledge: I'm 99% sure I know this one. But the one percent here is bugging me. My Uncle brought this song up over Thanksgiving break, and I totally doubted myself on whether or not I knew it. So now it's here on the list and we're about to find out for sure.

First Thoughts: Oh.. yeah, I absolutely know this song. Haha, whoops. I covered this with a band one time forever ago. I feel pretty dumb for not being able to remember. This is actually a great song. I love his voice, and I love the brass section. Motown will always be one of my favorites. How could it not be?!

Verdict: There's not much to say, now that I remember the song; I formulated opinions on this one ages ago! Nevertheless it's a cool tune.

Ted Nugent: Stranglehold

Number 17.

Ted Nugent - Stranglehold.

Current Knowledge: I don't know much about Ted Nugent's music. I do know that the first time I was on the radio, I played my segment and then the host interviewed Ted Nugent over the phone afterwards, so I basically opened for him. Also, a friend of mine plays bass with Derek St. Holmes all the time (he gets theses all expenses paid trips to Vegas and LA and Denver.... I hate him). I have a sneaking suspicion I know this song.... But I'm not 100% sure, and I know I've never heard the original, so here goes.


First Thoughts: Yep. I know this song. Dylan, the bass player referenced above, does this song all the time at bars. I had no idea this was a Ted Nugent song! And though Dylan is one of the best bassists I've ever met EVER, Nugent sings this waaaay better. He's actually got a cool voice. And I don't know who's playing guitar here (Nugent maybe?) but it's really, REALLY good. This is basically straight up rock 'n roll. Not surprisingly, the original version is far better than anything that's been done in any bar I've ever been to. The solos are way longer, more drawn out, and all around better. Yeah, this is awesome.


Verdict: I was pretty sure I knew this song, and I'm not surprised I liked this better than the bar covers I've grown used to. It's a badass rock and roll song with a ripping guitar solo that I will forever appreciate and never duplicate. I'm really diggin' it.


(And by the way, these headphones are making ALL the difference; best $25 I ever spent.)

Johnny Cash: Hurt

Number 16!

Johnny Cash - Hurt.

Current Knowledge: I know a few Johnny Cash songs; my grandpa is quite the fan (and, in fact, the only person in my extended family who plays guitar). Ring of Fire is probably his favorite, and I know that one like the back of my hand. However, I was at a party over the weekend, and on the TV/radio station that was playing, the Nine Inch Nails song Hurt came on. I genuinely didn't believe the person who told me that Johnny Cash had covered this, or how it possibly could have sounded. So, here I am, about to find out.


First Thoughts: Maybe it's my headphone upgrade, but the guitar in this sounds really awesome. It's really clear and bright and right on the top of the mix....yeah, this is probably thanks to the headphones, actually. In regards to the song itself: it's actually a really weird version of this, honestly. This song seems to be written with a really strong vocal melody, and Johnny Cash was by no means young when he recorded this; his voice is distinct but not particularly striking in this. I think it's actually the lack of emotion in his voice that is the issue for me. The lyrics say that the speaker is more or less dying, and Cash's vocal seems a bit apathetic. Though I think I can see why he chose to cover it, there's a good story and a nice acoustic guitar part, which are Johnny Cash staples.


Verdict: I'm not really sure what to make of this. It's a really weird convergence between two distinctly different types of music. I wouldn't say I'd put this on again, but I can certainly commend Johnny Cash for picking a song that is so far outside of his usual genre and making it his own. That's something I try to do a lot of the time, so I can definitely relate, at least.

A Reverse Lookup - Rod Stewart: Stay With Me

Number 15:

So, this is a little backwards. A friend of mine and an incredible musician used to cover this one song every time I saw him play, and I loved it. But I never got around to asking him what it was, and he's moved away recently. It's long past time for me to look up what the heck this song is. The internet is so cool.


After a tedious Google search, and about an hour of trying to remember any of the lyrics in the right order, I found it! It's Stay With Me, by Rod Stewart.

First Thoughts: I mean, I've known this song for years without knowing ever hearing the original, so that in itself is satisfying. It's sung so high! My friend always sang it an octave down, apparently. And he always did it just with an acoustic guitar, so to hear it with a full band, and all the harmony and everything is so awesome. And the slide guitar! That's awesome too. I've always wanted to learn to play like that. And this breakdown at the end with the guitar and bass solos is just so good.


Verdict: The original is great. I finally know who sings this awesome piece of music. I have about seven hundred memories associated with this song, so I'm excited to have a name for it. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I love it!

Jimi Hendrix: All Along the Watchtower

Number 14!


A revisit to All Along The Watchtower- this time, the Jimi Hendrix version.

Current Knowledge: It was suggested that I revisit this one and take a look at the Hendrix version. It's supposedly superior to Dylan's, which wouldn't surprise me, because Jimi Hendrix is kind of the man. I like the song and I know it quite well at this point, so I'm pretty excited to hear this from a totally different artist.


First Thoughts: Oh, there's no contest here. This is WAY better. I can't emphasize that enough though text on the internet. This is the version I've heard covered in bars so many times, but like a thousand times better, cause, ya know, it's Jimi Hendrix. And not that it even needs to be said, because it's totally a given, but the guitar solo is just so damn good. It's like the kind of good that makes you want to stop playing guitar because that kind of skill is practically unachievable.


Verdict: I am so glad I listened to this. I liked the song before, but after hearing this version, I love it. This is one of the best songs that I've written about in quite some time on here. And I'd write more, but I have to go put this on in my car, crank the volume, and drive down the highway at 80 miles an hour.

The Grateful Dead: Casey Jones

Number.... thirteen?


The Grateful Dead: Casey Jones

Current Knowledge: I've covered two Dead songs in my life. Shakedown Street with an old band, and Friend of the Devil. I was under the impression that The Grateful Dead was a band for hippies and crazy stoners before I heard Friend of the Devil, which is twangy and literally the opposite of Shakedown Street. This has left me very confused about the identity of this band, but two songs isn't an ideal sample size. So I figured I'd add a third.


First Thoughts: This is way more like Friend of the Devil than Shakedown Street. If I didn't know better I'd have guessed that The Eagles wrote this or something, save for the weird little key shift in the middle of the verse. That's not to say I don't like it. I actually do, but I'm pretty surprised that this is the sound of one of their greatest hits. And it's super long, but from what I remember that's a thing with this band. They did include the word cocaine in the hook, so maybe there's something to be said for that.


Verdict: What did I just listen to? Because I'm not really sure it was a Grateful Dead song. Knowing Friend of the Devil has kind of prepared me for something out of the range of what I expected, but that's pretty darn far from it. I guess I categorized them closer to Pink Floyd than The Eagles. Wikipedia to the rescue: "The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock." I am floored by this. They have so many styles that it's like they don't have a style at all. The verdict here is that I don't know anything about The Grateful Dead, I guess. On the matter of the aforementioned tune, though: it's good. I think I like Friend of the Devil better, but that's almost certainly my folk preference shining through here.

Happy Halloween! A Special Friday Feature: Don't Fear the Reaper as Covered by Joshua Path

I love Halloween, I won't lie. So I decided it was only fitting to do a Friday Feature based on an appropriate tune, despite not ever mentioning it on the blog (I already love this song),

Don't Fear the Reaper, as covered by Joshua Path!

I love this tune. I always have. And I was totally shocked to turn to the internet and be disappointed over and over with the covers people have uploaded. Nobody could sing it, nobody could play it. I was about to change songs when I stumbled upon this gem.

Meet Joshua Path. 

I don't have enough nice things to say about the way this has been executed. Where the original song is edgy and uptempo, this cover is haunting and light. It's sung flawlessly, and has an incredibly high level of production, which is nothing but beneficial here. Taking out the percussion and slowing it down really smooths out the sound in a way that gives it a ton of dimension and room to appreciate the lyrics. And the harmonies are phenomenal, really, especially the ones written in for the "I'm your man" line. I think that's what made it for me. It's an incredible rendition. Words really don't do it justice; please please please take the time to listen to this. I promise you won't be disappointed. 

More on Joshua Path: He's a guitarist/vocalist based out of LA. His sound has been described as “Early Beatles, couched in a sound similar to the Goo Goo Dolls, along with intelligent and creative storytelling not unlike Bob Dylan” by Music Connection Magazine, which I can agree with and then some. He has an impressive bio full of accolades and a sixth CD out, titled, Between Heaven and Jonestown. If you'd like to hear more from him (I certainly do), his website is here: http://www.joshuapath.com/. Thank you, Mr. Path, for doing justice to a phenomenal song that I was certain no one could do. 

Have a great Halloween! 

Fleetwood Mac: The Chain

Number 12!

The Chain, by Fleetwood Mac

Current Knowledge: I think I have heard Fleetwood Mac before. On my Pandora station. But I'm not totally sure, and this song title doesn't sound familiar. Then the other day, a friend of mine was talking about her newfound Fleetwood Mac obsession, so I decided to put it on the list.

First Thoughts: This is cool. It's haunting and twangy in a really cool way. It actually reminds me a little of Helplessly Hoping, which I adore. Maybe I just have a thing for harmonies, because that seems to be a trend with the songs I'm favoring. It starts off pretty withdrawn but it builds up really nicely into a pretty powerful rock ballad. And the bass solo in the middle is a nice divide and break into the instrumental. This honestly sounds like a song I would play with the windows down driving really fast if I wanted to feel like a badass.

Verdict: I really like this. It's carefully straddling the line between twangy country and rock, but it isn't county rock, ya know? I don't know how else to describe it. It's got all the grit you could want and it builds really nicely, but I would love to see it done with just acoustic guitar and vocals, too. I think that would be interesting. Overall, though, this is a cool tune.

Neil Young: Heart of Gold

Number 11:

Neil Young - Heart of Gold

Current Knowledge: I don't know anything about Neil Young. In looking up which song I should listen to, in less than 15 seconds I inadvertently discovered that I know at least three other songs of his, and that he was the "Young" in Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Some days I feel like I'm making musical progress, and then there are days like today, where I feel as ignorant as I did on day one. Ugh. This song is one I am not familiar with, and I was such a big fan of Helplessly Hoping that this song is nonetheless being held to high expectations.

First Thoughts: Oh god, the harmonica. I have a secret love affair with harmonicas, so already this song has like three extra points starting out. But I don't really care for his voice... what? I'm surprised with myself. I didn't think that going to be my beef with this. The lyrics are really poetic, though, and the harmonica has won me over. It's sad and soulful and suddenly I have the urge to cover this very badly.

Verdict: I'm still reeling over the fact that I wasn't totally wowed by his voice. But I guess that holds true with tons of artists from that day and age; it was more about the songs back then, I think. (ie, my entire sentiment towards All Along the Watchtower). Pushing those thoughts aside - the song itself is great. This is exactly like something I would cover (I actually got compared to Neil Young once and had no idea how to respond. Now I understand) so that will very likely be in the works. But hey, here's to learning some stuff today.

Bob Dylan: All Along the Watchtower

Number 10:

Bob Dylan: All Along the Watchtower (for whatever reason, this person has left us a picture-less video for this track, but this is the best recording, I promise.)

Current Knowledge: I cover Don't Think Twice It's Alright almost every time I play a gig, but embarrassingly enough that's pretty much the only Dylan song I know. However this particular song is covered by my musician friends very, very often. So I've heard it, and I know how it goes, but I've never heard the original version, and I'm extremely curious.

First Thoughts: Oh, how this riff reminds me of Wednesday nights and bad decisions. Regret and nostalgia all rolled into one. I've heard enough of Dylan to know that I would not be a fan of how he sang this, but part of me thinks I have heard drunk guys at various bars do it better, which is kind of messing with me. That sentiment is wrong on a lot of levels, but that's how it goes with Dylan songs. The lyrics are what's important. I would, however, like to see this guy try and audition for any vocal based show from this century, cause he'd be laughed right out of the audition line.

Verdict: Folky-er and lighter and less in tune vocally than what I've heard so many times before. I'm very curious into what the Hendrix version is like, now, because I think that might be closer to what I'm used to hearing. I think I'll have to review that one separately though, as it's practically a totally different song.

The Allman Brothers: Jessica

Number nine.

Jessica, by The Allman Brothers

Current Knowledge: Like a million and a half people have asked me about this song in one way or another. I'm not a big fan of having one of the most common female names of the 21st century, so I never looked this one up mostly out of spite. Not a fan of my name, not gonna bother with the song; this was the mindset. Nauseatingly petty, I know. Begrudgingly, I am about to change this.

First Thoughts: Agh. It starts out so awesome. It sounds hard as heck to play, honestly. The melody riff is so catchy, and the song overall falls somewhere between folk and... Caribbean sounding, maybe? It goes back and forth between so many parts, it's hard to discern what style the Allman Brothers are supposed to be based off this song alone. (Wikipedia says they're American Rock.. whatever that means.) Is this a jam band? Because this is definitely a jam band song. Everybody gets a solo for three minutes! And at the halfway point I've decided there are definitely no words to this song. Which I don't mind, I can certainly appreciate a good instrumental. I can't argue that it's not great as a musician. As a listener, though, by minute five I'm definitely a bit bored. Someone, somewhere, loves every second of this 7 minute song, I'm sure.

Verdict: It's a really technically difficult jam song, basically. Jam bands aren't really my thing, but as far as lyric-less songs go, it's solid. I am nowhere near good enough at the guitar to attempt this, so there's a lot to be said about the skill it would take to cover this one, for sure.

One last thing.. why in the world is this called Jessica? Because it drags on and is almost boring after five minutes? (That's only my worst fear as a human being) Or because it is a technical masterpiece and requires a cultured palate to appreciate it?
We're gonna go with the latter. ;)

Friday Feature: Addicted to Love, as covered by the DOT's

Here it is! The first Friday Feature, with the DOT's covering Addicted to Love:

I spent quite a bit of time perusing the internet for a solid cover of this song. I had been coming up short for a while. Florence and the Machine kept appearing in my searches, which I thought was a mistake at first. But apparently she covered this song a while back, which has seriously bolstered it's popularity on the internet. Her version is actually amazing and I like it way better than the original. But I decided that to post a cover of a famous artist covering a famous song would defeat the purpose of this feature, so I decided to find someone covering this cover. (Cover doesn't even sound like a word anymore, I've said it so much. Ugh.)

So here I am, browsing through all these covers of covers, when I stumble upon one by an a cappella group. I had seen plenty of guys on a white-walled backdrop trying to pluck this out on an acoustic guitar that I was totally starved for something different, so I eagerly clicked on the link.

And then I was thoroughly impressed.

I was in an a cappella group my first year of college, so not only does this speak to me on a nostalgic level, but I also know how difficult it is to pull something like this off. But the DOT's do it flawlessly! Their lead singer for this arrangement absolutely nails it (especially with the solo in the beginning, I got chills), and the harmonies are so on-point it's ridiculous. I think what really impresses me though is how far this song has come from the original 80's tune. I never would have thought to arrange this as an a cappella song after hearing it the first time, but I'm really glad these girls did, because it's a really, really cool version. Hats off to you.

A bit more about the DOT's: they're an all female a cappella group based out of UCSD encouraging women's empowerment through music, which are all things I can totally get behind. They have some rave reviews on their website, and their repertoire has everything from Eminem to Aretha Franklin. And the name, DOT? It stands for Daughters of Triton, which sounds like the coolest name for an a cappella group ever. If you're reading this from the west coast, I recommend you go listen to them if you get the chance. If I wasn't 2,000 miles away, I certainly would. You can check out the DOT's further at their website if you want to know more.

Edit: These lovely ladies shared this post on their Facebook page! Check it out here.

10 Artists You Will Not Find In This Blog

This where I can give a little bit of credit to my musical tastes. I've spent so much time being negative about all that I haven't heard that I think it's really important to point this out. I haven't been living under a rock my entire life, and there's a bunch of artists that I do in fact listen to regularly that fall under the you-have-to-hear-this category. In fact, if YOU haven't listened to any of these artists, get thee to a radio/YouTube/Spotify/whatever, right away.
Anyways, here are ten of my favorite artists that would otherwise be on this blog, ordered from "I like this" to my favorite artist ever.

10. Elton John 
Bizarrely enough, "Rocket Man" is one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar. My dad actually played his stuff over the years, albeit infrequently, and I never forgot it.
Favorite Song: Your Song

9. Queen
When I was in 8th grade I played the violin, and the middle school orchestra took us all to Toronto to see We Will Rock You, which is basically Queen, the musical. I loved it. From there on out, Queen has always been one of my favorite bands.
Favorite Song: Somebody To Love

8. The Band
I didn't listen to The Band until I started dating my current boyfriend of a year and a half. They are his absolute favorite, and he covers their stuff all the time. I always liked their songs when he covered them, so I started listening to the original stuff. It's awesome.
Favorite Song: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

7. Led Zeppelin
In a very similar vein with The Band, I didn't listen to much Zeppelin either until my current boyfriend. However he rarely covers them, but the local bands we have gotten to know always do. I took on a mini-version of this project and listened to a lot of Zeppelin two summers ago to avoid the embarrassment of not knowing something by everyone's favorite rock band.
Favorite Song: The Ocean

6. Billy Joel
I don't know how I know so much Billy Joel. I think I've picked up a different song or two by him every couple of years, resulting in really knowing a large portion of his discography. I cover a bunch of his stuff too.
Favorite Song: Only The Good Die Young

5. Bonnie Raitt
This woman is basically my idol right now. If I could be anyone, I'd want to be her. I love pretty much everything she does, but her guitar skills are so good that she's really tough to cover flawlessly.
Favorite Song: Papa Come Quick (for now.. this will be different in a week, I'm sure.)

4. The Eagles
As I mentioned a while ago, my dad used to play The Eagles at the dinner table. As a result, I am thoroughly versed in their material and equally as nostalgic whenever it gets played.
Favorite Song: Hotel California

3. Nirvana
This might seem a bit out of place in this list, but I am a HUGE Nirvana fan. The alt rock band I was in during high school always wanted to cover them, so I learned a ton of their stuff and got really into it for a while, and I never really stopped listening to them. And it's really fun to catch people off guard when I, a small, unassuming white girl, play any of their songs.
Favorite Song: Lithium

2. The Beatles
Fortunately, one band I got into early on and always enjoyed happened to be one of the most iconic bands of all time. I've always loved The Beatles and I always will. Blackbird was actually the first song I ever learned on guitar in one sitting, and now I cover like a half dozen Beatles tunes.
Favorite Song: Let it Be

1. Jim Croce
I could write a dissertation on this man. He's not as well known as many of the artists on this list, but he's my absolute favorite. My dad loves him as much as I do, and it took me years to figure out who this guy was, the man who could take credit for being the main soundtrack to my childhood. For those of you that may be unfamiliar with him, he died in a plane crash when he was 30 right as he was breaking into the mainstream. I know every single song he released and I'm a little bitter about the fact that there will never be any more. He would have been as big as Dylan had he survived, in my opinion. If you've never heard of him, do yourself a favor and google search him, and listen to his hits. You won't be disappointed.
Favorite Song: A Long Time Ago

Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Good

Number 4:

Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Good

Current Knowledge: This one is actually quite new to the list. My boyfriend brought it up at an open mic we were at together while someone was playing it. He was absolutely horrified that I didn't know this song, so I figured I'd take the initiative for once and actually look it up within a week of promising I would. Apparently this was in Back to the Future, but literally every 50's rock song sounds exactly the same to me.


First Thoughts: As predicted, this sounds exactly like every other 50's rock song ever. Not that it's bad, it certainly isn't. (The original is way better than the guy who was singing at the open mic, that's for sure). Maybe because I've heard so many bad covers of these kinds of songs I've been desensitized to them, but I really don't have anything profound to say about this. Except for the fact that one of these lyrics (He could play a guitar just like ringing a bell) was recently in a song released by Ed Sheeran, my most favorite musician of all time. The song is called Nina. I never understood the lyric before, but now that it is most definitely a shout out to Chuck Berry, it makes way more sense.


Verdict: I don't have much to say about this one. It was okay. I'm glad I can cross it off the list, but I definitely don't feel like I accomplished too much here. I think I've just heard too many songs like this to feel like I heard something new. I'm excited about the insight it gave me about Nina, though. That was unexpected. Maybe I just have to re-watch Back to the Future to appreciate this.