I’m not a big music guy, and this isn’t a music blog, but I’ve finally come to acknowledge that YouTube is a fantastic repository of music.
It took me a while, I know, but my 13-year-old son has a habit of playing DJ on weeknights for about an hour — he cranks up the computer speakers and picks music off YouTube to play for us. It’s actually pretty fun, and has proven to me that despite being synonymous with video, YouTube is probably the best music resource on the Net today.
So, I’m suddenly inspired to share with you four of the coolest music videos I’ve found on YouTube. They’re all a little different, but they’re also all amazing in their own way.
Travis Barker, “Souljah Boy Remix”
Barker (great last name) adds his drums and some recorded guitar to the most annoying and grating song in recent history, turning out a staggering performance that proves he’s an awfully good drummer.
Jake Shimabukuro, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Yes, that’s a ukelele. And yes, it’s okay if you cry.
Naturally Seven, “In the Air Tonight”
This has been around the Net for a while, but it’s no less amazing for it. I cannot understand why this group hasn’t gone ballistic in the U.S. yet (like David Hasselhoff, they’re huge in Germany…). Here’s the official video version of the same song.
Imogen Heap, “Just For Now”
She uses a repeater to create a really complex song, solo. The technical skill required for this just floors me, every time. (If you like the idea of using a repeater like this, Rod from Naturally Seven often does the same thing in concert: an example.)
If you have anything similar, comments are open. Extra points for any Justin Timberlake, who friggin’ rules, incidentally.
Wow. Jake Shimabukuro is simply amazing. One of the great aspects of the Web is the ability to hear (and see) great performances that would normally be unavailable. My favorite example of this is Sister Rosetta Tharp. While listening to Bob Dylan's "Theme Time Radio Hour" on XM radio - he introduces a song by Sister Rosetta Tharp. I have never heard of her, but she had wonderful mixture of Gospel and R&B in the song he played. After it was over he advised listeners to look her up on YouTube. Go see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeaBNAXfHfQ I promise you have never seen anything like this.
