Here’s my new video guitar lesson, “The Fact Remains” by Juliana Hatfield:

YouTube – The Fact Remains by Juliana Hatfield – How to play cool songs

I hope my instructions help!

This is from Hatfield’s 2008 album How to Walk Away. It’s a great album and is very poppy and polished, unlike Made in China (2005), Juliana’s Pony: Total System Failure (2000), and Bed (1998), which are fantastic albums, but much more heavy and raw.

Visit Juliana Hatfield’s web site: www.julianahatfield.com

Here’s my new video guitar lesson, “Close Your Eyes” by Juliana Hatfield:

YouTube – Close Your Eyes by Juliana Hatfield – How to play cool songs

I hope my instructions help!

This is one of Hatfield’s softer songs, from her 2000 album Beautiful Creature. It’s yet another great song that’s pretty easy to play. The vocals are right in the middle of my range, so I enjoy singing it, too.

Visit Juliana Hatfield’s web site: www.julianahatfield.com

Here’s my new video guitar lesson, “Little Pieces” by The Juliana Hatfield Three:

YouTube – Little Pieces by The Juliana Hatfield Three – How to play cool songs

I hope my instructions help!

This is one of my favorite songs. It’s from Hatfield’s 1993 album Become What You Are, which was the first Hatfield CD I bought along with Bed in 1999. They’re both excellent and of course, I recommend buying them on Amazon, iTunes, or at your local CD store. If you have even the slightest interest in alternative rock, indie rock, or pop rock, these two purchases are no-brainers. They’re two of the best albums of the 1990s.

Visit Juliana Hatfield’s web site: www.julianahatfield.com

Here’s my new video guitar lesson, “Don’t Let Me Down” by Juliana Hatfield:

YouTube – Don’t Let Me Down by Juliana Hatfield – How to play cool songs

This is a great song from her 2004 album In Exile Deo. As you can see, the guitar part is pretty easy, which seems to be the case with many of the best songs.

“Don’t Let Me Down” features Hatfield’s raw-yet-polished vocal harmonies and ragged lead guitar playing, which I’ve enjoyed album after album. At 3:59 long, it’s a perfect pop rock song. I highly recommend checking it out on Amazon or iTunes, or buying In Exile Deo at your local CD store. If you aren’t already familiar with Juliana Hatfield’s music, you’re in for a treat!

Visit Juliana Hatfield’s web site: www.julianahatfield.com

YouTube – Figure of Eight by Paul McCartney – How to play cool songs

My parents and I saw Paul McCartney live at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, in June 1990. The concert was part of McCartney’s Friends of the Earth tour, to promote his 1989 album Flowers in the Dirt. It was my first concert and I still remember it well. Paul and his band played several new songs I’d never heard before, but he also played a bunch of Beatles songs, Wings songs, and a tribute to John Lennon which – if I remember correctly – consisted of “Help!,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “Give Peace a Chance.”

During “Fool on the Hill,” McCartney played a colorful upright piano that ascended over the audience and rotated mid-song. It was quite a sight! What ever happened to the fun, upbeat Paul McCartney from back then? I miss the silly, happy, youthful Paul.

In October 1990, McCartney released the concert, minus the Lennon tribute, as a double album called Tripping the Live Fantastic. My family and I listened to the cassette tapes in the car on a daily basis and one of my favorite songs was “Figure of Eight,” the album’s opener. When I finally heard Flowers in the Dirt, I remember liking the live version better than the studio recording, but maybe it’s just my memory playing tricks on me after all these years…or maybe it was just because I heard the live version first. I’ll have to track down the live CDs and see which one I prefer now.

I actually bought Flowers in the Dirt from the iTunes store a few nights ago and listened to the album for the first time since the early 1990s. This version of “Figure of Eight” is very good and I’ve been listening to it constantly this week. My other favorites are still here too, just as I remembered them: “This One,” “My Brave Face,” “That Day Is Done,” and “Put It There.”

“Distractions” is a pleasant surprise. I didn’t particularly like that song as a child – too soft and boring, or so I thought – but now I appreciate and enjoy the gentle mood and lush, jazzy orchestral arrangement. I can do without the rest of the songs on the album though. They’re not horrible and I might listen to them occasionally, but if they were somehow deleted from my iPhone and computer, I wouldn’t miss them.

By the way, my voice is back to normal now and I’m still hoping to post more Beatles remastered CD reviews soon. I promise!

YouTube – Puberty by Belly – How to play cool songs

I started listening to Belly in 1993. I thought their first album Star was great, so naturally I bought their second album King when it came out in 1995. I still remember the day I bought it. Actually, the two days I bought it. My friends Ljubisa, Chris, and I made our usual trip to Sam Goody in Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, NJ. King must have just come out because it was featured prominently in the CD rack and was on sale for $12. Perfect! I took a copy, along with a couple other CDs, to the cashier. The total seemed a little high, but I blamed my mental math and paid her.

When I got home that night, I checked my receipt and discovered that King rang up for $15 instead of $12. I knew something was off! I took the CD and receipt back to the mall the next night and was refunded the difference: $3.21.

Anyway, I remember getting home the first night, going up to my bedroom, putting King in my CD player, and being blown away. It was one of those albums that I could tell was amazing just from hearing the first minute of the first song, in this case “Puberty.” There was just something about it…the sparse, raw rock production (which I am often a sucker for), Tanya Donelly’s mysterious lyrics, her interesting vocal melodies, and the tight-yet-loose instrumentation by Tanya, Tom Gorman, Chris Gorman, and Gail Greenwood. King instantly reminded me of the straight-out, no-frills classic rock I grew up with, like Cream or The Jimi Hendrix Experience, on the New York K-Rock radio station in the 1980s (WXRK 92.3 FM). No fancy effects or editing, no wall of sound reverb, just a band playing great rock songs in a room.

King is still one of my favorite albums and “Puberty” is still one of my favorite songs. If you’re in the mood for a great rock album – one of the best of the 1990s – there are copies on sale at Amazon for less than $1. Enjoy!

YouTube – Charles in Charge theme song – How to play cool songs

I watched Charles in Charge on TV all the time in the late 1980s and early 1990s and recently got to watch it again on DVD via Netflix. I prefer the later episodes of the show from 1987 to 1990, featuring the Powells instead of the Pembrokes. They’re sillier than the earlier episodes from 1984 to 1985, especially Buddy Lembeck – played brilliantly by Willie Aames – who started off normal and evolved into a scheming, woman-chasing buffoon. He was hilarious and the banter between Charles (Scott Baio), Buddy, and Mr. Powell (James T. Callahan) was great.

Charles in Charge is from an era when sitcoms were lighter on sarcasm and heavier on goofiness. Many of them also focused on family values and were a bit corny, but that’s what I like about them. Today, the sitcoms I watch (Family Guy, The Simpsons, South Park, etc.) often rely on sarcasm, put-downs, gross-out humor, and jokes at the expense of minorities, homosexuals, and disabled people. I admit, they’re funny – and I realize comedy has evolved – but sometimes I miss the more light-hearted, friendly, and seemingly-innocent sitcoms of my youth.

Watching those Charles in Charge DVDs now, I remembered that sitcoms used to be funny because of the situations the characters would get into. After all, “sitcom” is a portmanteau of “situation comedy.” I wasn’t laughing at gay jokes, black jokes, wife jokes, husband jokes, or disabled jokes, I was laughing at the silliness of the plots and the characters’ reactions to each other. And at the end of each episode, I could count on Charles, Buddy, and the children to do the right thing.

To top it all off, Charles in Charge features one of the all-time classic TV theme songs. I prefer the poppier, higher-pitched version from 1987, but both are catchy and melodic. The lyrics are drivel, but Shandi Sinnamon’s vocal performance is fantastic, as is the orchestral arrangement. (The original 1984 version features strings, while the 1987 version features brass.)

Have fun!

YouTube – Voices Carry by ‘Til Tuesday – How to play cool songs

This song was requested by Tony and Troy in Sydney, Australia. It’s a great 1980s pop song and is one of my favorites, featuring interesting, but tasteful guitar work and fantastic vocals.

I hope my video helps you guys out. Thanks for the request!

YouTube – Breed by Nirvana – How to play cool songs

The first time I listened to Nevermind was in the summer of 1992 and “Breed” was one of my favorite songs on the album. Like many Nirvana songs, it’s actually pretty simple, but the magic is in the performance and production.

Nirvana is like The Beatles. Their cover versions of songs are always better than the originals…and cover versions of their songs are never good.

YouTube – Know One Knows by Badfinger – How to play cool songs

This is one of my favorite classic rock songs. Actually, the entire album Wish You Were Here is great! If you get a chance, check it out on the iTunes Store or Amazon.com (only 69 cents per song!).