BKJ has always enjoyed recording, so it is obvious that he would want to get some songs available as soon as possible. Time is always the biggest enemy of such plans of course - but there's something to listen to and more songs are being added just as quickly as he can get them recorded, mixed and uploaded. They have been recorded using the same resources that BKJ would use for any live performances - the same backing tracks, same guitars, effects and so on, so they give a good idea of the live performance - except there's no audience to play to - yet! Enjoy! BKJ has decided to add the latest additions to this page at the TOP so that you don't have to scroll down to find the latest recording - hopefully that should make life a little easier!

Please note: I've been reviewing the older recordings recently, and some of the tracks just aren't good enough to leave online, so I am removing the sub-standard ones and plan to replace them with new recordings which will be better. Apologies for any inconvenience.

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BKJ MP3s

New for 2023 - Mull Of Kintyre - originally by Paul McCartney
I need to tell you a story. Decades ago, my family went to visit my Aunty Jeanne and her family down in Portsmouth. I'd been playing guitar for a little while. It turned out that my cousin Deborah had got an acoustic guitar, and of course a situation arose where I was asked to play something - when put into a position like that, I could never think of something to play that people would like - after all, I spent most of my time trying to learn some of my favourite rock tracks, which Aunty Jeanne wouldn't have known. So I asked her to suggest something. She suggested "Mull Of Kintyre" because it had been a hit fairly recently and the whole world pretty much knew it. I knew it - a bit... I knew how it started, and the first chorus or so - but after that? Nope - I wasn't a good enough musician to even try to work it out quickly. So, basically, it looked as if I wasn't much of a guitarist - and in fact, back then, I wasn't much of a guitarist to be honest. (Some may suggest I'm still not...) Crazy as it might sound now, that song has been a bete noir of mine ever since. Then one day, the Burton u3a Folk Group added the song to their repertoire - and I found I could play it... I decided it would be a nice thing to do, to record a version which could be played to Aunty Jeanne. And here it is! I've played everything myself, and I'm pleased that my software has bagpipe samples. It is very much my approximation of the song, and let's face it, Paul McCartney songs aren't the easiest to reproduce, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. Happy New Year!

New for 2023 - I Believe In Father Christmas (non-orchestral version) - originally by Greg Lake
You're probably thinking "Why's he doing this one again? He's done is several times before..." - and it's true: I have. In fact, when I got my Tascam 244 Portastudio back in 1983, it was the first song I ever recorded on it. It's one of my most favourite Christmas songs, and I have been trying to play it better and more accurately for most of my life. The last time I put a version on my website was 10 years ago, believe it or not! That version is still to be found further on down this list. But that was done using a backing track which was obtained commercially, and some aspects weren't correct. So, this year I decided to give it another try - but this time I've gone for a stripped down version (similar to what can be found on Emerson Lake & Palmer's "Works Volume 2" album) with no orchestra or choir. And this time, I have played everything on the recording - no backing tracks used at all. The tambourine is a new one I purchased a couple of weeks ago expressly to use for this! I hope you enjoy it. I do still wish you everything good and positive for Christmas and let's hope that 2024 is a better and kinder New Year for everyone!

New for 2022 - Human (Folk Style) - originally by The Killers
The previous couple of songs were performed at the Burton on Trent u3a Folk Group Concert. This one was as well! "Beyond Words" did a version of this song which was pretty much as originally performed by The Killers. But one of my friends in the Folk Group, John Carpenter, had always liked the song but had come up with a more acoustic/folk style version. We have performed it for the Folk Group a couple of times and it has been well-received which is why it was included in the concert. Sadly, my performance of this was very poor in the concert (for which I apologise) - I should have learnt the song properly before the concert but hadn't. So, to make up for that below par live performance, here is a studio recording of how it should have sounded. It's very paired down - John is playing his acoustic Spanish guitar and I am playing my Ibanez AS53-TBF semi-acoustic, which is the one John always liked best for this song. It's different but I think it works really well - what do you think?

New for 2022 - Comfortably Numb - originally by Pink Floyd
This is my 'new' version of an old favourite! I was preparing this for the same Burton u3a Folk Group Concert as "Parisienne Walkways", and after listening to the original so much, I really grew to dislike my 2017 version (further down the page) - so much so that I removed the file from the website. I didn't feel that it represented what I can do these days and I feel that my recording and production techniques have improved so much since those days - even in the last few years actually. This is the single most complex recording I have ever done in Cubase Pro - I have 18 tracks in total, including a lot of orchestral tracks, plus 6 tracks of various guitar parts, as well as 3 vocal tracks. Everything is still built upon the excellent Lick Library backing track - but there is so much missing from that track, hence why I've added so much. I've lowered the volume of the guitar solos, as well as replaying them from scratch. There have been loads of modifications, to try and capture the beauty of the original. It still fails - Floyd's version is stupendous, and let's face it, I shouldn't be able to recreate it with my humble resources - there'd be something very wrong with the original if I could. But people heard this version live in the Folk Concert and complimented me, so I feel it deserves to be heard. Will I ever be satisfied? I doubt it - but for now, this represents about the best I can do in 2022 - but I will keep trying! See what you think!

New for 2022 - Parisienne Walkways - originally by Gary Moore
I have been playing "Europa" by Santana for a long time - you'll find it lower down this page, where it was improved when I bought my sustainer guitar. Strangely, almost every time I play "Europa", people ask me "Are you playing 'Parisienne Walkways' by Gary Moore?" I can hear some vague similarities, mostly the fact that they both have sustained guitar notes. I've been rehearsing for the first Burton u3a Folk Group Concert, and I was kindly allowed to play some rock (also known as Alternative Folk!). "Europa" had been very well-received several months earlier, so I decided that this time, I would do "Parisienne Walkways". I don't think I need say any more other than that I'm playing the lead guitar and the backing track is thanks to Lick Library - I hope you enjoy my version.

New for 2021 - Silver Bells: Jazz or Silver Bells: Vocal - originally by lots of people!
I was horrified to realise that I hadn't put any new recordings on this website for the whole of 2021! Where has the year gone? I clearly have been just too busy... This has to change in 2022, but for now, I've spent the last few days putting together this piece of music. I intended it to be here closer to Christmas but things kept getting in the way, so it's here now (finally!). I have joined a u3a Jazz Group and have been enjoying that, so I intended to have a go at doing a jazz-styled version - the main guitar parts are played using my Ibanez AS53-TBF semi-acoustic (my final guitar addition - you can find its 'cousins' listed on the Ibanez website because it's no longer a current model, and these are the only colours still available) which I love the sound of. Being me, I had to include a rockier lead break, which is done using my Line 6 JTV-59. Incidentally, I've created the whole track from scratch, and am playing everything, except for the drums which I assembled. Anyway, I played this version to Gill who didn't like it... She thought it needed words and singing! So, I have produced 2 versions for your enjoyment - you can select either the Jazz version or the Vocal version. I hope you'll enjoy one of them! Happy New Year!

New for 2020 - Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24 - originally by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
I thought people might enjoy this one for Christmas - and I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas despite the strange circumstances this year. I first encountered this piece back in 2008 - John from "Beyond Words" had included it in the band opening music for our December gigs, and I liked it then, but of course I didn't know what it was or who it was playing it. But now I know - and it's actually my favourite of their pieces, and it's not at all easy to play (or at least I don't think it is) so this is my best interpretation of the piece. The backing track is again courtesy of the Hal Leonard song book, and the lead guitar is me on my Les Paul with a fresh set of strings on it! Enjoy the track and stay safe.

New for 2020 - Dreams Of Fireflies (On A Christmas Night) - originally by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
I first encountered the Trans-Siberian Orchestra a few years back when I needed to learn to play the guitar parts of a couple of pieces with The People's Orchestra (hi everyone!). I'd never come across the TSO before but I loved the music, so I bought a CD (yes, I'm old school!) and have loved their music ever since. I have been looking for backing tracks for a while, and by chance found a Hal Leonard song book a few weeks ago, which comes with backing tracks, so I thought it was about time I gave this a go. I hope you enjoy it - I am playing all of the lead guitar on my trusty Gibson Les Paul Custom, which can always be relied upon to deliver the goods!

New for 2020 - Hey You - originally by Pink Floyd
I've been thinking that it would be good to select a song that makes a feature of the lovely Yamaha fretless bass guitar which I've had since the days with "Beyond Words" - and this is the song I chose. It opens the second disc of Pink Floyd's iconic album "The Wall" and has a really heart-rending sentiment to it. I felt like it seemed quite appropriate for these current times as well. The backing track is once again thanks to Karaoke Version and I have added the fretless bass guitar, the lead electric guitar and the lead vocals. If you're not familiar with the song, it takes a bit of explaining, but even so, I hope you will enjoy it. Remember: together we stand, divided we fall.

New for 2020 - California Dreamin' - originally by The Mamas & The Papas
After several months, I've finally managed to complete another recording - the irony is that I bought the backing track for this song from Karaoke Version before anything else - it was the first backing track which I bought, back in 2013. I originally planned to play the bassline myself, but back then, it didn't sound right on a fretless bass. However, now I have my Ibanez fretted bass, it does sound right at last. I also played the flute solo myself - using one of my MIDI keyboards of course! - and finally I sang the lead vocal. The backing track is so good it didn't need much from me but these were the parts I wanted to perform. Hopefully you might enjoy the end result, even if it has taken me 7 years to finally get it right!

New for 2020 - Atlantis - originally by The Shadows
This is the single most important piece of music in my life - I was bought the single by some friends of my grandparents, and it was one of the first records I owned. I was fascinated by the sound of the guitar on it - I still am, all these years later - the sound of the lead guitar is beautiful, so clear, and I was always amazed by the fact that I couldn't tell when Hank Marvin was moving on to different strings - they all sounded the same. And after having heard this piece (which also has the fabulous string arrangement as well) I was hooked on guitar - I just had to play. So, finally, after over 50 years, I decided this piece needed to be covered, as a tribute to what started me off down this very long road. Thanks to a brilliant backing track from Karaoke Version once again, I have just added the lead guitar parts with my James Tyler Variax, set to sound like a classic Strat, plus the POD HD500 effects imitating the tape echo unit used by Hank - so here it is. I can never equal Hank Marvin's wonderful playing - but I've done my best, so have a listen, and hopefully enjoy it.

New for 2020 - Solsbury Hill - originally by Peter Gabriel
This is a song I have always loved ever since the first time I heard it. I hadn't planned to cover it but after watching some live footage of the song, I got interested in the way the acoustic guitar parts are played, the use of a capo and so on. Once I'd finished my research, I just decided it was a song well worth covering, and here it is. Most of the acoustic guitars are on the excellent Karaoke Version backing track, to which I have added some of my own, plus the electric guitar power chords at the end. I am also doing the singing. It's a positive song in these difficult times and I hope you enjoy my version.

New for 2020 - Albatross - originally by Fleetwood Mac
It's been several months since I put something new on the website, but at last, here it is. I have loved this piece of music since I first heard it being played in the background of the gallery on a BBC TV programme called "Vision On" - I didn't know what it was called in those days, but it stuck in my mind, and once I started to play guitar, it was something I kept coming back to, and here it is now. It's my interpretation, and I'm playing all of the lead guitar parts (except for a few hard-panned left and right which are on the Karaoke Version backing track), and I hope that you enjoy it.

New for 2019 - High Hopes - originally by Pink Floyd
Anyone who has seen photos of the 10 guitars I own might realise that there are quite a few of them that don't feature on any of these recordings, so I decided to put that right. This song (not the same one as performed by Frank Sinatra!) is a haunting piece which is the final track on the last Pink Floyd album recorded by the members before keyboard player Richard Wright passed away. I have always loved this song, and it has quite a different feel to other tracks - it features nylon-strung Spanish acoustic guitar, and at the end, a lap steel guitar solo (played using a slide of course), and the song starts and ends with the ringing of a church bell. This has been a very challenging song to record, because David Gilmour has been playing lap steel guitar for over 50 years - whereas I've been playing for a month or two... Have a listen and see what you think!

New for 2019 - Space Oddity - originally by David Bowie
At last another new recording. I have always liked this song and it seemed appropriate to finally produce my own version in what is the 50th anniversary of the original release of the song. I can't believe it's been that long. In addition, the song is notable because David Bowie actually played Stylophone on the original recording, and it also featured Mellotron strings played by Rick Wakeman. My version isn't quite as spectacular, but does feature a great backing track by Karaoke Version, the main vocal by myself as well as the lead guitar parts. The song has a great feel to it, so I have tried to do justice to the awesome original - I hope you enjoy it!

New for 2019 - Europa 2019 - originally by Santana
There's another version of this track which I recorded back in 2013 (I can't believe it was that long ago!). Why do another version? Well, I just bought a Burny RLC-85S 2011 SW (you'll have to scroll down the page to find the Snow White Les Paul-style model that I have) which has a built-in sustainer unit - so now I can sustain any note I want for as long as I want, and without having to play at a loud volume! It will even sustain at a whisper quiet volume. My grateful thanks to Steve Hackett for bringing these amazing guitars to my notice! The guitar is also being played through my Orange Rocker 15 all-valve amp and the combination sounds great in my opinion. See what you think, and hopefully enjoy!

New for 2019 - Pinball Wizard - originally by Elton John
When I played my very first public performance, way back in 1977, the very first song I attempted was the Elton John version of "Pinball Wizard" from the film version of "Tommy" by The Who. However, I could scarcely play guitar, let alone play and sing - and plus the sheet music I had bought turned out to be for the original version by The Who which I hadn't heard at that point. Despite all of this, it got me performing, and I have never looked back since! Suffice to say, I have access to better resources these days, so this actually is the film version of the song, performed by Elton John. The backing track is another brilliant one from Karaoke Version, and I have contributed the lead vocal and the lead and rhythm guitar, using my newly acquired Orange Rocker 15 all-valve amp - the sound is beautiful, and the amp is surprisingly loud for 15W - but then valve amps always are louder. I think the result is a million times better than my attempt back in 1977 - anyone who heard me back then, you be the judge! I hope you agree, and enjoy!

New for 2018 - It's My Life - originally by Bon Jovi
"Beyond Words" were a special group in so many ways (check out the legacy website elsewhere on this site if you don't believe me!), one of which was that we were the only act on the club circuits in the Midlands (to the best of our knowledge) to use a Talk Box with the guitar - when we performed "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi, you got the authentic Talk Box tube-in-mouth sound - it's a sound I've always loved, and I realised that there is nothing on my website featuring any Talk Box... until now! There's no way that I can sing the afore mentioned Bon Jovi song as it is just too high for me, so I chose this one instead, which was almost like a follow-up song (mentioning Tommy and Gina who feature in the original "Livin On A Prayer" song). I always loved the harmonies in the choruses as well, and hopefully the song conveys the throaty expressive power of a Talk Box for you! Enjoy!

New for 2018 - Mr Blue Sky - originally by The Electric Light Orchestra
Ever since taking part in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2018 Handover on Sunday 15th April (you can see what I was a tiny part of here) I have become obsessed with doing a version of this classic song. "Beyond Words" did cover it once, but that wasn't the whole song, including the orchestral part at the end, so I wanted to try and do the whole thing. Karaoke Version once again provided an excellent backing track, but I added some key elements myself. The lead guitar is my trusty Gibson Les Paul Custom (as you might expect), and I'm doing all of the lead singing. I also provided the vocoder parts using Sonivox Vocalizer Pro which was quite an experience, and has proved to be a very powerful piece of software. I added additional strings in the final climactic section, which lifted it very nicely (thanks to Sample Tank 3) and the final detail was the bell percussion sound, which was actually played on the original recording using a fire extinguisher (and they still use one live even now, as you can see in this YouTube clip here). However, I didn't have a fire extinguisher... So, thanks to RDS Global (my daytime employers!) I was able to take along my Zoom H4 digital recorder and managed to record one hit on the fire extinguisher that lives behind me in the office. This was then edited using WaveLab Pro 9.5 and then loaded into HALion 6 (also by Steinberg) and turned into a sampled instrument - and included in the recording. Phew! It has been something of an epic to do - but then the track is an epic so I just hope that you enjoy my version - and thanks to Jeff Lynne for writing such a fantastic song!

New for 2018 - I Know What I Like - originally by Genesis
This was the first hit single ever released by Genesis, in the days when their lead singer was Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins was mainly their drummer who also did backing vocals. It also features guitar sitar, played by Steve Hackett on the original. Suffice it to say, I have played that part courtesy of my James Tyler Variax. I've also programmed everything else to some degree or other - all of the synthesiser sounds have been created from scratch, and played by myself, and I've done the vocals as well. I hope people who already know the song think this is a decent version - and I hope people who haven't heard the song before will be curious enough to listen to the original! Cheers!

New for 2018 - Wish You Were Here - originally by Pink Floyd
This is a legendary classic from Pink Floyd - so much so it was even performed by Ed Sheeran and others (including Nick Mason, the actual drummer from Pink Floyd) at the London Olympics! But before then, I tried to play this with Shane singing whilst we were performing in Germany with "Torch" (see the Biog pages for more info on "Torch") - sadly my guitar playing wasn't up to scratch then. Hopefully you'll think it's better this time Shane! In case anyone isn't familiar with this song, it follows on from the previous song which ends by sounding as if it has been sucked into a transistor radio - so the begining of this track has radio playing, and is meant to sound as if the guitarist is playing along with the radio - you can even hear the guitarist cough before starting to play! At the end of the track, it fades into a wind sound which eventually leads into the last pieces on the album. I have tried to reproduce as much as I can - the backing track is from Lick Library again, and I've added all of the vocals and most of the acoustic guitar, plus the trusty Minimoog synthesiser plugin provided the wind effect at the end. The radio at the start is the actual part from the original track. Phew! Lots of explanation, but hopefully the track speaks for itself. Enjoy!

New for 2018 - Golden Brown - originally by The Stranglers
This isn't a song I suspect people would expect from me, but I've always liked the song - it's not at all typical of The Stranglers of course, which is probably why I like it. The backing track is another excellent one from Karaoke Version, so all I had to add was the lead vocal and the lead guitar - if you know the original, I hope you'll enjoy this - if you don't know the original, I still hope you'll enjoy it!

New for 2018 - Smoke On The Water - originally by Deep Purple
Anyone who saw "Beyond Words" will know that we regularly played this rock classic, so when one of my colleagues at work (hello Joe!) started talking about the song, it seemed the right time to do my own version. I'm using a backing track from Lick Library for my recording, so I just needed to add the guitar and the vocals. Thankfully, I think it turned out OK, but obviously you need to see what you think. I hope you'll all like it. Oh, and of course for anyone who isn't sure, the song is based on real events, which occurred when the members of Deep Purple had gone along to see a Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention concert in 1971 - the rest, as they say, is history!

New for 2018 - Forever Autumn - originally by Justin Hayward
This song is of course the hit ballad from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War Of The Worlds, which is such a classic album. I have always loved this song - the feel and the instrumentation all seem so perfectly arranged. I checked out lots of backing tracks for this song - there are some that are absolutely dire (sorry, but they are!), but this one from Music Backing Tracks is superb! All I had to do was sing the song and add the harmonies (so no guitar playing on this - although as you might guess, I can play it). I hope you'll enjoy it.

New for 2017 - Money - originally by Pink Floyd
This is the second of the classic blockbuster tracks from the legendary "The Dark Side Of The Moon" album by Pink Floyd, the other being "Time" which I've already covered. I have never performed this track live but have always loved the guitar solo in the middle of the song, and remember siting down to learn it note for note many years ago. This recording benefits from another brilliant backing track, and features 4 tracks of guitar by myself, together with my vocals. I hope I have done it justice!

New for 2017 - Time - originally by Pink Floyd
This is another special song, as I performed it in my second ever performance, back in 1979 at the Aston University Centre for the Arts. I had an awful guitar sound, awful backing track, and my singing wasn't great. This time, I have a very high quality backing track, excellent guitar, and the technology and experience to use them - and I think my singing has improved a lot. I drafted in the original clocks from the beginning of the actual track, as you just can't have this piece without them. Other than that, all of the male vocals are yours truly (female vocals are on the backing track) and all of the guitar parts are me as well. I hope that you enjoy it.

New for 2017 - Superstition - originally by Stevie Wonder
This has long been one of my very favourite Stevie Wonder songs - great words and the awesome funky Hohner Clavinet keyboard part, which actually brought the instrument to the attention of a much wider audience - you will now find "Funky Clavinet" sounds on virtually every keyboard instrument - it was an era-defining sound. This is my version of the song, and we all know that I'm no Stevie Wonder (!) but I hope I've captured the feel and spirit of the original. I'm not playing anything this time round - the backing track had it all, so I just sing. Enjoy!

New for 2017 - Shout - originally by Tears For Fears
This is one of my favourite 80s songs - love the sentiment and of course it has a tasty guitar solo. I didn't get to play it standing on the top of a cliff (as is done in the Tears For Fears video) but I did get it note for note correct. It's also a song everyone can join in on the chorus, even if they hardly even know the song. Once again, the rest of the song is provided by an excellent back track from Karaoke Version - I've added the lead vocals, lead guitar and an extra bit of synth, just to lift it a bit. Have a listen and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did performing it!

New for 2017 - The Air-Conditioned Nightmare - originally by Steve Hackett
This track is one I've been playing for decades - I have always loved the driving beat and the very up-front guitar. As you might imagine, I'm playing all of the guitar parts, and have used a variety of styles and techniques, including using my trusty eBow for one section. When Steve performs this in concerts, it doesn't usually have the solo guitar introduction - that is just on the album recording of the track, but I fancied including it - I don't do it justice but you'll get the idea. If you get the chance to hear the original, it is amazing! I hope my take on it has done it some justice!

New for 2017 - '39 - originally by Queen
Now here's a song you don't hear covered very much! This comes from the same Queen album as "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "You're My Best Friend" but if you've never listened to the whole album, you might not be familiar with the song. It has always been a favourite because it sounds anything like a Queen track. It was written and sung by Brian May and tells a strange story in the lyric. In case you can't work out what it's about, I just happen to have a clip of Dr Brian May, Ph.D himself explaining it! I love the acoustic 12-string guitars and the vocal harmonies - once again, Karaoke Version came to my rescue with a great backing track, complete with everything. I added some 12-string guitar at the start, just to emphasise the melody line, and have recorded double tracked lead vocal lines (in other words, I sang it and recorded it twice!). Enjoy!

New for 2017 - Live And Let Die - originally by Paul McCartney & Wings
I have loved this song for ages - in fact, the very first piece of sheet music I ever got was for this very song, and that was back in 1976! I have been wanting to do a very for ages as well - I learnt the guitar part the same year that I got the sheet music. On this recording, the backing track is from Yamaha - I liked their arrangement best out of the possible choices. The only things not on the backing track are my lead vocal and all of the guitar parts. I hope that you enjoy it.

New for 2017 - Wichita Lineman - originally by Glen Campbell
I was sad to hear of Glen Campbell's passing on 8th August 2017 - he was an excellent performer, great singer but for me, it was his guitar playing skills. He was a top session guitarist working with all kinds of people. One of my favourite clips is this one on YouTube. I already recorded a version of this classic song years ago, but was never really satisfied with my vocal, and I felt that now I needed to put that right as a better tribute than my old version - I hope anyone listening to this thinks that my singing sounds OK - I'll never be as good a singer as Glen Campbell but I did my best. Rest in Peace Glen.

New for 2017 - Spectral Mornings - originally performed by Steve Hackett
Just to balance things up a little, this track brings me back to guitar, and my trusty 1982 Gibson Les Paul Custom - I couldn't use anything else to play this classic Steve Hackett track. Steve has always been one of my major influences, and I have been playing his music for a long time. This is the title track of his third solo album, having been a member of Genesis previously. A friend had this at his wedding whilst the register was being signed, so if you're reading this Andy, I hope you enjoy it! And of course I hope you all do. Watch out for what is coming here next!

New for 2017 - Iris - originally performed by the Goo Goo Dolls
This is a song I love, and I suspect it's not what people would expect from me! I must confess that for this recording I took the easy way out and used one of the excellent backing tracks from Karaoke Version's website - I think this is one of their very best. Suffice it to say, in a performance I would of course play the lead break myself, but for now, I'm just singing on this track - see what you think!

New for 2017 - Comfortably Numb - originally performed by Pink Floyd
This is another song I have loved ever since I heard it for the first time. I have been playing it live whenever I can - we even had a request for it once at a "Beyond Words" gig! I first performed it in 1981 and thankfully I have been able to improve on that performance. This is another song that I am never 100% satisfied with, but I take comfort from the fact that even Pink Floyd never quite matched the stunning quality of the studio recording (in my opinion, even though they frequently came close!). I am playing all of the guitars, plus additional keyboards, and singing. See what you think - oh, and don't confuse it with the Scissor Sisters version!
Update for 2022: I have very rarely been happy with my attempts at this song, because the original is just so brilliant and iconic. I have been re-listening to the song a lot because I was preparing it for the first u3a Folk Group Concert, where I also performed "Parisienne Walkways". I now have the new studio version completed and it is available at the top of the page, with some updated and detailed notes!

New for 2017 - I'm Not In Love - originally performed by 10cc
This song is a classic from the 70s, and is one I have loved ever since I first heard it. It is also virtually impossible to do a credible cover version because of the studio techniques that were used when the track was created. I have tried to get as close to the original as possible, even as far as finding the actual recording of the band's secretary who said the "Big boys don't cry" line - I also have the original musical box sound used in the dreamy background, and finally, it is possible to buy the actual choir sounds created by Eric Stewart of 10cc which creates the atmosphere right from the start, which I did many years ago. The bottom line is that I will never really be satisfied with anything I do for this track - the original is so totally amazing, but this is my attempt, which I hope you'll like!

New for 2017 - She's Not There - this version originally performed by Santana
I have always loved Santana's music, and some of you may know that I regularly play "Europa" (which you can also find below) - but I'm sure many people think that's the only Santana track I play. Well, that's not so - and just to prove it, here's my version of their version of The Zombies song! As you might guess, I'm dealing with all of the guitar playing as well as singing - and I also added in the vibraslap at the start (and if you don't know what one of those is, look it up!). Enjoy!

New for 2017 - Avenues And Alleyways - originally performed by Tony Christie
This song was released in 1972 and was a minor hit - it was the theme song for a TV series called "The Protectors" which I remember watching avidly when I was a child. I got the box set of the DVDs for Christmas and that brought the song back into my mind - I actually prefer this Tony Christie song to the one that usually gets performed in pubs and clubs! I got new Cubase software (also for Christmas - thanks Mum!) and also got myself a hardware compressor to even out my vocal, and I found an excellent backing track, so see what you think!

Abracadabra - originally performed by the Steve Miller Band
This song was a worldwide hit for the Steve Miller Band in 1982. For the record, I am performing the lead vocals and all of the guitars.

Devil Woman - originally performed by Cliff Richard
This was a big hit for Cliff Richard in 1976, and has been one of his biggest-selling singles throughout his career; it is also usually named by Cliff as his favourite of his numerous hits. I am performing the lead vocal and the guitar in the choruses.

I Believe In Father Christmas - originally performed by Greg Lake
This song has been one of my favourites for as long as I've known the song existed! I first performed it in public in 1981 and have performed it on numerous occasions ever since, often just with a guitar and no other backing. This is the full version, and in addition to the lead vocal, I'm also playing acoustic guitar and numerous keyboards and synthesisers: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Europa - originally performed by Santana
This is another of my favourite pieces of guitar music, and has been one of my performance pieces for many years. In the beginning, I created my own backing track, but that was replaced by a commercial one more than a decade ago. I am playing the guitar for this - it really needs to be played loud with loads of feedback sustain, but I decided not to be too anti-social since the room I record in hasn't got loads of sound-proofing!

Hotel California - originally performed by Eagles
This song needs no introduction - it is one of the classic pieces for anyone who plays guitar and enjoys harmony playing. Thankfully, the commercial backing track includes most of the guitars already, so I have just added the lead part throughout. I have also performed all of the vocal parts, and tried to put the song across in my way. In case anyone is wondering, I'm playing it in Am rather than the original recorded key of Bm - but coincidentally, Don Felder who co-wrote the song now performs it himself in this key - so I'm in good company!

Your Song - originally performed by Elton John
This is a fairly gentle song but with a lovely sentiment, which I really enjoy singing. I've owned the sheet music for the song for years but had never got around to performing it, but now I have, I really like the feel and simplicity even though there are several chords! I'm performing the vocal and guitars on this recording.

Eleanor Rigby - originally performed by The Beatles
This is the only song by The Beatles that I bought as a single! It has always been one of their songs that I loved - I loved the fact that it wasn't a standard drums, bass, guitar, singing number - the string quartet gives such a different feel. I also love the haunting quality of the whole song, arrangement and the words. It is played in the "Yellow Submarine" film against some sombre animation, which serves to further reinforce the haunting quality of the song and lyric. I am performing the lead vocal, and songs like this make me really pleased with the pop shield I purchased a while back now - it certainly did its job when I recorded this!

Let's Dance - originally performed by David Bowie
This is one of my favourite Bowie numbers - and is also one of his biggest global hits. I remember watching the video on "Top Of The Pops" for the several weeks when it climbed the charts to the number 1 spot - and always thought that the image of Bowie playing the guitar solo at the end with a pair of white gloves on looked kinda cool! Of course, he didn't play the solo - that was done by the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan as I found out many years later. On my version, I'm performing the lead vocal and the guitar - I'm not Bowie or Stevie Ray but hopefully it's enjoyable - I certainly enjoyed palying and recording it!

Baker Street - originally by Gerry Rafferty
Another favourite song and a classic - I always remember some friends in guitar lessons at university (yes, I did have classical guitar lessons!) discussing the iconic saxophone riff for this song - I commented on the excellent guitar solo at the end of the song and they couldn't even remember there was a solo! If you can't remember the guitar solo it's there - as you would imagine, I'm playing all of the guitar parts here and also performing both vocal parts. I also created the backing track, based on a MIDI file which I revoiced and edited.

Wichita Lineman - originally by Glen Campbell
This is a song that has stuck in my memory for years - it always seemed to have a haunting quality, but I just love the sentiment in the second verse "And I need you more than want you, And I want you for all time" - just right for Valentine's Day! I'm singing and playing the guitar solo, which sounds strange because it is actually a baritone guitar, courtesy of my James Tyler Variax, which is tuned much lower than a normal guitar!

Sometimes When We Touch - originally by Dan Hill
This is a real classic romantic ballad, and a real challenge for my singing - sometimes when performing the song, I get so into the words that I almost do literally get choked up! OK - I admit it - I'm a romantic at heart! I'm only singing on this one as I didn't feel it needed any additional guitar parts, and I wanted to let the song speak for itself. I much prefer the original version to the disco version by the way.

Technical Note: All recordings made using the latest version of Steinberg Cubase Pro and mastered using the latest version of Steinberg WaveLab Pro available when the recordings were done.