Music: Dream On, a study

One song, much joy, and a version for every mood.

To me, there are few songs that bring me back to 1984. At that time, I was taking guitar lessons for about a year, and I was becoming (barely) proficient. In reality, I had a solid understanding of the fretboard, I had “upgraded” to a decent Ibanez, and I had a solid practice amp plus a few overdrive effects.

The other great thing about this time was that I was finally able to play some songs that I really wanted to learn. Among them was a staple from Aerosmith, Dream On. What really grabbed me about it was the intro, a syncopated rhythm that while it caused some hand cramps, wasn’t difficult to get down pat.

The rest of the song, the chorus, the refrains were all simple power chords, and it didn’t require some expensive (to me at the time) effects to sound great.

While I am sure you all know of what I speak, here is the tune to remind you of its awesomeness:

It is still as great today as it was then.

But, as years have gone by, I have stumbled on a few covers that deserve some love. First up is from a “Guitar Gods” project, where the incomparable Ronnie James Dio partners with the equally god-like Yngwie Malmsteen to add a hard edge to the Aerosmith classic. Unlike a lot of Malmsteen’s takes, this is not over the top, and it really holds together well with Dio’s range. I highly recommend that you click through on this one to hear a shredder’s take on the classic:

Lastly, I heard of a guitar player with a fusion bent from a compilation album titled “The Alchemists”. One of their highlighted artists, a Canadian player named Dave Martone, stood out to me. I liked his track from that beast of an album (highly recommend picking up a copy) and went looking for more.

And hoo-boy was I blown away. Among his tracks was — you guessed it — a flemenco-tinged adaptation of Dream on that is both ethereal and a deep grove. Don’t believe me? Listen for yourself:

I hope you enjoy this diversion as much as I have!

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