These days I rarely play the music of other artists. During my college years, and later while living in Boulder, I played in a band called Knockwood with some very talented musicians. We had more fun than fame. Cover songs were a staple for us, and helped hold the audience attention while allowing us to intersperse original material. I’ve occasionally recorded a cover if the song's really dogging me, and I feel I can do it justice. Here are a few to check out.
Selected Songs in Alphabetical Order
©1970 Stephen Stills, Gold Hill Music, Inc - The original has always been a stunning two minutes of music. Wooden guitars and vocals. Try as I may, I can only aspire to the level of Still's guitar work. I recorded this version in 2008 for a project never completed.
©1970 Jay Bolotin, Irving Music, Inc – Dan Fogelberg did a great cover of this song on his 1985 High Country Snows CD. I’d heard the original, but Dan’s arrangement really appealed to me and received wide exposure. I recorded this in 2006 for the We Go On CD.
©1970 Randy California — I’ve always loved the harmonies and the plaintive feel of this Spirit song. Here I experimented with harmony leads as well, and released this on the We Go On CD in 2006.
©1974 Dan Fogelberg, Hickory Grove Music, ASCAP – This song has always been one of my favorites of Dan’s. I recorded this arrangement in open D tuning in 2005, pretty much for the hell of it.
©1968 James Taylor, Country Road Music, Inc/Blackwood Music, Inc, BMI - Among the finest love songs of all time. I recorded this in 1992.
©1971 David Crosby, Stay Straight Music, BMI - I recorded this in 1992, and did my best to emulate the immense harmonies of Crosby and Nash.
©1975 Bruce Springsteen - This is, hands down, my favorite of Springsteen's songs. I've always thought the lyrics were so evocative that I could see the story unfold before me. I recorded this in 2008 for an eventual CD, and just shredded my voice trying to capture Springsteen's style and the emotion of the song. This is my arrangement in an open F tuning and, to date anyway, I'm most proud of this cover. A humble offering to Springsteen.
©1991 Neil Finn and Tim Finn, Roundhead Music/Rebel Larynx Music, BMI – A great song by Crowded House, with harmonies only siblings can do. Recorded in 2006.