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The Beatles, You Never Give Me Your Money
For part 50 of my youtube countdown, we dissect the many ways in which life is a bitch. For instance, I was laid off my job yesterday. Yes, loyal readers, I am now but one of the unemployed masses, set to be scrambling for an unemployment check, desperately sending out resumes, left wondering what it…
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John Lennon, Jealous Guy
For part 49 of my youtube countdown, I found an awesome clip of John talking about love and relationships before launching into “Jealous Guy,” his song from 1971’s Imagine. “Jealous Guy,” was originally written when the Beatles were in India as “Child of Nature.” The original lyrics were about self discovery, but the new words…
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The Beatles, Strawberry Fields Forever
In part 46 of my youtube countdown, we travel back to the past again, my past. When I was 17 years old, “Strawberry Fields Forever” was my favorite song in the world. I don’t know why exactly, but this song just seemed like the greatest work of music I’d ever heard. I loved the loping…
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Jerry Lee Lewis, I'm On Fire
Woohoo! Welcome to the 40th entry in my now glorious youtube favorites countdown. In it, I bring you a breathtaking clip of pure rock and roll power, Jerry Lee Lewis singing “I’m On Fire.” “I’m On Fire” was a 1964 single Jerry released at the height of his anti-fame, meaning the time when the public…
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George Harrison, Paul Simon, Here Comes the Sun
For part 38 of my youtube countdown, I have another fantastic George Harrison duet. This time its with Paul. No not McCartney, but SIMON! This version of George and Paul tackle George’s incomprehensible 1969 stunner, “Here Comes the Sun.” The occasion was Saturday Night Live and the results were breathtaking. George hits all his acoustic…
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George Harrison, Bob Dylan, If Not For You
The hits keep rolling, and for part 37 of my youtube countdown I present this incredible and rare video of George Harrison and Bob Dylan playing Bob’s “If Not For You.” Holy shit, where to begin. First of all, this was a rehearsal for George’s “Concert for Bangladesh” show, the first rock charity show ever. …
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Willie Simpson, I Threw it All Away
This will be the last Dylan song I perform for a while. In my experiments with recording myself for youtube this week, Bob just offered the perfect songs for me to play with. This one, I Threw it All Away, from his Nashville Skyline record, I just couldn’t pass up. It is one of my…
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Bob Dylan & Eric Clapton, Crossroads
Part 36 of my youtube countdown rolls on with a performance of Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads Blues’ by Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. I’ve been in a real bluesy mood this week, and a clip like this really hits the sweet spot. The song, a gem in Robert Johnson’s absurdly mythological repertoire, is heavily electrified by…
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Willie Simpson, Positively 4th Street
My performance of Bob Dylan’s Positively 4th Street. This one has WAY better audio this time because it dawned on me to use a real mic. Expect my videos to get much better in the future when I get more confidence recording these things, though I like the little rasp I’ve got going here. I…
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Willie Simpson, Buckets of Rain
As promised, my performance of Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan. I played it on my Epiphone Casino because the mic picked it up better. Also, I did it in Open E tuning, so that’s why I’m looking at my guitar so much, to make sure I’m playing the right chords. I hope to have…