This guy is a musical genius! I took a deep dive and concluded that he is a virtuoso. The range he gets out of a ukulele is insane!  Four strings, two octaves ... crazy!

 lester wrote:

Agreed - bumping to a 9 this morning.  

Amazing skill! 

Please never play this again. It is an entirely unnecessary perversion of the original song.

 

cute.

 thewiseking wrote:

I know people don't like negative comments, but this one made me laugh and I like the song.

 aaronm wrote:
Yeah but the original was so OTT that this cover is practically a different song. Still fun though! 

cute

I can't believe how cool that was. Really nice.

 aaronm wrote:

Yes, exactly! It's nothing short of sensational how he manages to do that using an instrument that seems to be so limited.

The longer it plays the more I like it.

This is a major accomplishment. Even worse than the Original

needs more cowbell.

Doesn't work for me.

 unclehud wrote:
Too right!

I learned the bass to Blitzkrieg Bop in like 3 minutes & I don't even play bass. And if someone says that song is trash well, they don't know WTF the are talking about. :)

 Alastair wrote:

Hear hear! Just because somebody plucks something out on the love child of a guitar and a pencil sharpener, doesn't mean it's somehow automatically is imbued with magical island vibes. Burn 'em all - I'll bring the smores and a sixpack.

Personally, I wouldn't be upset if every single ukulele on earth was burned.  

Why?

Great

George Formby is alive and well.....cleanin' windows...

Please....... No !

 mineralBOB wrote:
 

Good point: technical ability does not translate to likable music, or the marketability of the song.   

The reverse is also true: someone with zero guitar experience can be taught an AC/DC lick in ten minutes.  Doesn't mean AC/DC is trash.

It isn't any better than the original - 0 rating.

At least this is better than Queen's version.  I give it a 2.

And it's not the artist, who is clearly gifted.  It's the song.

Doesn't work

 Krakus wrote:
 
I mean I can try to Kazoo this

 Silvervanman wrote:
 
I think we have to distinguish between rating (which is basically a individual taste thing) and technical skills of a musician. Probably nobody would ever deny Jake's skills but I understand that there is a risk to do such a classic in a completely other different way than all of us used to know...
BTW I rated 9 :-)

Sublime.

Jake, you blow me away.  The ukulele clearly can do anything.  That this song gets a 6 rating only shows that most listeners of RP are not musicians.

Most excellent, Garth amaine wrote:
 

 islander wrote:
 
We're worthy! We're not worthy!

I really, really like this. It neither improves upon nor detracts from the original -- it's just different.

In honor of Wayne & Garth I had to rate this as "Most Excellent"

 Silvervanman wrote:
 

Right here with you, awesome.

How can this be only a 6.3, how many of you can play like that, even in your dreams. Jeez

 JohnOfMalvern wrote:
 
Every household should have one.  Maybe two, just for backup.

Excellent arrangement skillfully performed.  RP keeps me coming back.

You have to admire their Uke to even try arranging this. Well done fellas though don't rely on me buying the CD.

Long live RP - I sing your praises to the heavens and from them.

 islander wrote:
 

Doesn't mean I wasn't envisioning it. Although to Jake's version they should be genteely nodding along in a vintage Morris Minor.

I can't believe no one has posted this yet.

great playing and sound, but why does it need to be this tired old melody?

lol! Nicely done. Good fun.

This is fantastic.

Just why?
Don't embarrass your talent!

Dislike for music is hard for me to understand, but those who dislike a guy playing an amazing and incredibly difficult transcription of this piece of music on ukelele is almost fascinating if it weren't so dull.  Why not open your mind, just a pinch?

Going to hit the next button can’t stand this song

Great uke player, fantastic for whom can listen.

Freddy is digging this from wherever he is.

I can appreciate the artistry and uniqueness of applying the ukulele in this manner with a hugely popular song. It is masterful and creative...however...this is just the sort of 'novelty' that is best to experience ONCE. Whenever I hear this...the appreciation factor gets bumped down and I have to remember that someone somewhere is hearting this for the first time and enjoying it like I did the first time.

Nice at first but soon boring. However, I'd say it's quite likable.

Spare him his life from this monstrosity

A genius!

BORING!

So good.  So impressive musically.

This is pretty close to excruciating not to mention tedious. ASTS! (Alexa Skip This Song)

Looking forward to a version on an Appalachian dulcimer.

Coming up short.

 Mita wrote: 
Are you crazy?! RP has more covers than a Motel 6!

Are u kiddin me

this is a nice sweet tune.  somehow familiar. from an old movie?

Can't wait for his versions of "The ace of spades" and "U can't touch this".

Well, to be honest, I think that actually the ukulele's inventor accidentally died before he could tell the world that it was just a joke.

First time this tune actually does remind me of some Spanish fandango. 

interesting idea but the result is not that great and it's just too long...this arrangement is taking the life and energy out of the song ! I can see there is a lot of work in the performance but I still had to PSD before the end, sorry

Blah.

Thanks for turning me onto this artist.  His music is amazing.  A solid 10 from me.

He certainly stretched that instrument further than the limits I would have imagined.   I was impressed with both his performance and his arrangement.

Nicely done, but a cover nonetheless. No covers, RP!

Did Al Yankovic switch to the ukulele?

 ench wrote: 
Agreed!

This is the first time I've ever heard someone actually play the ukulele musically. 

This is interesting, but.... I kinda like the California Guitar Trio version better. When doing live, they turn the microphones toward the audience so that it can sing along.

Hands up if you were singing along like me.

For me, this crosses the line from "Wow, whoda' thunk someone could play that on a ukulele?" to sounding like elevator music

on my own, in the office singing my heart out.   this is a 9.  sorry if you don't agree.

 ThePoose wrote: 

 hencini wrote: 
Indeed, it is:
 

A 10 FOR Jake, A 3 FOR THE TUNE. should be followed by bro. IZ

This guy is incredibly technically proficient, and the Ukulele is a fine instrument... But this track simply does not work...

Sorry, it doesn't work. His rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps is great but somehow that cleverness doesn't carry over to the other covers on his album.

Impressive ukulele, version of the song is okay not great.  6 maybe a 5 if I am grumpy.

 ThePoose wrote: 

Please tell me this is a real thing. 

A complete yawn, sorry.

Great player, though 

 mgtom wrote: 

Couldn't agree more. 

This is great!  This guy is a wonder.  And this is truly eclectic.
I'd seen it listed under Jake S. in Google Search but haven't listened to it yet.  
His version of  "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"  came really close to getting me to buy another uke.  
My first string instrument was a uke (red Airline) that my uncle gave me @ age 14.  
I ended up selling the trumpet a couple years later for a Gretch 12-string.  
I was recently looking for something portable to backpack with—still not decided.

ps: For anyone interested in ukes; there are great deals on high quality ukes with minor blemishes.
Search manufacturers for blemished.  You won't find a Casey Kamaka made Jake Shimabukuro signature model there though (they made 100 in 2006 and sold all in less than a year @ $5500
 
pps: Hey Bill.  How about some truly eclectic ethnic, indigeneous stuff like Balinese Gamelan bands on occasion?  A couple of those far out kind of things a week would be cool.

Awesome talent, unique ukelele sound, & terrific song.   Somehow all adds up to a boring tune.

Some people's talent amazes me:  especially when I can't put three chords together on a guitar and this comes out of a ukelele!!!  Good follow up, Bill, with a more obscure Queen song.  Only on RP!!!

 daveesh wrote: 
Depends on your definition of fun!

This might be the first "HoHum" rating I've issued on RP.  I didn't PSD, but it was close. Sounds like something my family would do after Turkeyday dinner. While its fun to do, I don't think I would care to listen to it any other time.

 

Son has just commented 'WTF' or similar!!  Have to agree.... it's dire! Just because he plays a uke doesn't make it good!

 Webfoot wrote: 

Bill, now kindly play Theme from Shaft by the British Ukelele Orchestra!
It will generate an automatic, reflexive LMFAO.

this is kinda fun.

 Rotterdam wrote: 

I have the opposite reaction. Without the original running through my head, I think I would just mute this. Having said that, I like the contrast and find it rather entertaining.

Only on Radio Paradise!
 

There are bits of this that I like, a lot. Then there are passages that I totally detest. Over all it's OK, I think.

Perhaps it's a good demonstration of talent, but judged as a song on its own (at least by me), it's pretty horrible...

I really liked the ending (if you know what I mean...)

Conceptually interesting, but gets on my nerves very quickly.

i bought it and now regret it.

I'm trying objectively to determine how I would feel about this had I now known the original.
Pretty sure I would find this wonderful and inventive - as well as showing an amazing musicality.
So basically, I love this. 

 dwlangham wrote: 
i'll respectfully disagree.   Novelty wins out to my ears.   Don't like it...

It's growing on me - started out "WTF", but now I'm like "Oh wow" - virtuosity!

This is really ill-advised.

This guy's Stairway to Heaven is fekkin mind blowing. 

hearing it played this way - it seems more operatic than the original. 

Say what you will, but I could not help but be compelled to sing the shit out of this song...

And now, for your Monday morning:  one big heaping helping of weird.

This walks a fine line between virtuosity and novelty side show attraction. Virtuosity wins out, imho.

A moment of calm ahh

Whoa - Tiny Tim does Queen!

 Toke wrote: 
Nice idea... but I'd rather he kept it to himself!

Brave ...very brave 

So underwhelming, this reminds me of the "Rockabye Baby!" lullaby CD's.....  I'll give it a 5 though, good background music to work by.

 Jelani wrote: 
That killed me, honestly laughing out loud ...

Apart from how I rate this song it's very RP-ish to play Queen (or another artist) after a song from Queen (or another artist) played by another