I've been doing a little project that will probably never see the light of day. I've been learning and recording stripped down versions of some of my favorite songs and then recording them in my own little home studio.
Just me and an acoustic guitar. Then a bass track and a little electric guitar accompaniment. I'm trying to do it as "live" as possible. No fancy studio tricks. Just stark, raw performance. I think I'm gonna call it: Gimmee the Covers.
I'm pretty happy with it so far. Now of course, since it's all copyrighted stuff, I can't really sell it or put it out there. So I realize it's all just kind of a Zen thing.
Still, it's been very gratifying to learn the songs, step through the chords, learn the words, put it all together. Somehow I think my choices of songs tell a story in themselves. Some songs I picked because I just love them. Some because I thought I could actually do them justice, some because they are obscure, odd or funny, some because I just wanted to try out the guitar parts.
Here's the list so far:
Roll Another Number by Neil Young
I'm Only Sleeping by John Lennon
Knocking on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan
While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison
Play with Fire by Jagger/Richards
Comfortably Numb by David Gilmour
Powderfinger by Neil Young
One Step Closer by U2
Rain by John Lennon
Jumping at Shadows by Peter Green
I'm gonna do some more. I'm working on Bob Marley's Redemption Song at the moment. To my ears, even when it's me playing it, it sounds like one of the greatest songs ever written.