Mark Novak's Rock N Pop Revue

17/06/2024

"Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys. My first Beach Boys song. Come out and hear it live this coming Thursday, June 20, 2024 at Top of the Rock. Music is from 6:00-8:00pm CDT.

All instruments and voices are mine.

25/05/2024

Here's the electric set from my show at Top of the Rock on May 23, 2024. What's your favorite song from this set? Put it in ther Youtube comments section.

Live performance at Top of the Rock Restaurant & Brewery May 23, 2024. All instruments and voices are mine. Set List:Let the Good Times Roll - The Cars (1978...

24/05/2024

Here's the live acoustic set from my show at Top of the Rock on May 23, 2024. Electric set coming soon...

Live performance at Top of the Rock Restaurant & Brewery May 23, 2024. All instruments and voices are mine.

18/05/2024

"Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet. I have a cool story to tell about my first encounter with Jimmy back in 1973 but you'll have to come to Top of the Rock this Thursday, May 23 , to hear it. Show is from 6-8 pm CDT.

All instruments and voices are mine.

11/05/2024

Getting ready to start at the South Pittsburg Rotary Club's "Summer Nights" event. I have my "Gilmour" setting for when I play Comfortably Numb later in the electric set.

06/05/2024

“Rain” by The Beatles. This was the B-side of the single released in May, 1966 with “Paperback Writer” as the A-side. The band made promotional videos of both songs but neither song would appear on a Beatles album until after they’d broken up. The song features one of the first uses of backwards vocals in the song’s outro section. I was able to replicate that effect with my Boss RC300 unit. Play it loud!

All instruments and voices are mine.

22/04/2024

I’m pleased to announce a series of dates at Top of the Rock Restaurant & Brewery in Jasper, TN. I’ll be performing my show once a month throughout the outdoor music season there. My first show will be Thursday, May 23, 2024 from 6:00-8:00pm CDT and then once a month through October. I’ll announce the remaining dates as they approach. Top of the Rock is a great venue for live music on the lower outdoor patio. There is no cover charge. Please drop in at one of my shows for a great night of music, food, beverages and views.

15/04/2024

“Revolution” – On The Beatles “White Album” from November, 1968, there were two songs with “Revolution” in the title: “Revolution 1” and “Revolution 9”. They recorded the version now known as Revolution 1 in May, ’68 as the first song for that new album. The album track is a slow, blusey arrangement with some shoo-be doo-wop vocals harmonies. Lennon wanted it to be the first single from the album but McCartney balked, thinking it was too slow. The group went back into the studio in September and redid the song in the up-tempo and driving version that would become the B-side of their new single with “Hey Jude” as the A-side. The decision was made to call the single version simply “Revolution” and the album version “Revolution 1”. The heavily distorted guitar sound that kicks off the song was accomplished by running Lennon’s electric guitar directly into the mixing console and pushing the levels into heavy distortion. Then, there was “Revolution 9” which was supposed to be a continuation of Revolution 1 as an extended experimental sound collage led by Lennon and including tape loops and the famous man repeatedly saying “Number 9”. That turned out to be one of the least favorite Beatles tracks, occupying about 8-minutes of side 4 on the White Album. I hope you enjoy my take on this tune where I include a nod to the slower version with the repeated line “Don’t ya know its gonna be” in the chorus which is absent from the single. PLAY IT LOUD!

13/04/2024

This coming Friday!

25/03/2024

"Michelle" - a lovely Beatles tune from the Rubber Soul album of 1965. The Beatles didn't release any singles in Britain or the USA from this album but Michelle is the song that got the most radio play. Paul McCartney used to like to impress the girls by speaking a few lines of French. He even put it in a song. Enjoy!

All instruments and voices are mine.

08/03/2024

Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

All instruments and voices are mine.

29/02/2024

ATTENTION! I am qualified to perform this song. That is all 😁

All instruments and voices are mine.

21/02/2024

Here's one of the new additions you'll hear at my show at Redpoint Inn this Friday. I was lead singer in a band called Cinema around the time this song came out (1978) and we played this at our gigs. Ahh, memories! Hope you like it!

All instruments and voices are mine.

15/02/2024

Steely Dan is on my personal list of top 5 rock bands of all time. Their combination of complex jazz chords, innovative song structures, world-class playing and pop sensibilities is unparalelled. The Latin-flavored "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is from their 3rd album (Pretzel Logic) and is one of my favorites. It was released in 1974 and ranks as their highest charting single topping out at #4. Have a listen and please "like" and subscribe to my channel!

All instruments and voices are mine.

10/02/2024

Some Saturday fun! "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees. The song was written by Neil Diamond. It was the biggest hit by The Monkees spending 7 weeks at #1 on the US charts in early 1967.

All instruments and voices are mine.

30/01/2024

"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. This song and the album it comes from (their first} came out at the time of "Seargent Pepper's Lonley Hearts Club Band" in Summer, '67 which is often referred to as the "Summer of Love". Lyrics inspired by 19th Century writer Lewis Carroll. Groovy!

All instruments and voices are mine.

26/01/2024

My show at Redpoint Inn Restaurant & Mountain Gear that was cancelled due to weather last week has been rescheduled for Friday, Feb 23 6:00-8:30pm. I have added 10+ new songs. It will be great to see you there!

24/01/2024

"Gloria" - I was 11 years old when the Chicago-based The Shadows of Night released this tune in Dec, 1965. The song was written by Van Morrison who, with his band called Them, released their version about a year earlier. The Shadows of Knight turned it into their one big hit, reaching #10 in the US charts. I began playing this one in 1966 with my garage band buddies Frank (guitar) and Terry (drums). Our search for a bass player is a funny story which you can hear about at my next show. This song is still a classic today! I hope you like it.

All instruments and voices are mine.

19/01/2024

ATTENTION! My show at Redpoint Inn tonight has been CANCELED. Very cold temps and icy roads will require a reschedule. Stay warm and stay safe folks!

17/01/2024

“Glad All Over” by the Dave Clark Five was released at the end of 1963 and soon became their first big hit, reaching #1 in the UK and #6 in America in early 1964. The song was written by drummer and background singer Dave Clark and Mike Smith, their lead singer and keyboard player. I’m playing it in the key of C major (one step lower than their original) and the song features a neat bridge section that moves from the home key of C to an Ab chord - quite unexpected! Really clever! The tune modulates near the end a half-step up, another cool feature. All the instruments and voices are mine. Please click “like” when you listen to this on my YouTube channel and consider subscribing.

All instruments and voices are mine.

15/01/2024

You know what will bring relief from the cold and snow here in TN? Some great music from the 1960s to 1990s! Come out to Redpoint Inn this Friday from some wonderful food an drink and great tunage. Lot's of new songs will be making their debut at the show. Hope to see you there!

05/01/2024

Todd Rundgren's double album "Something/Anything" from Feb 1972 was his third solo album and is considered by many to be his best. I've long been a huge fan of his music (if not his politics 😕). A fantastic songwriter and musician who often, throughout his career, played all the instruments himself as he did on three of the four sides of this LP. Here is a beautiful pop ballad from that album. Like Todd, all the instruments and voices are mine. I hope you like it!

All instruments and voices are mine.

01/01/2024

First show of 2024 is just around the corner! Lots of new tunes to debut. Get there early to ensure a seat!

30/12/2023

Here's one from that lil ole band from Texas - "Sharp Dressed Man". If you like it, please click the "Like" button and leave a comment! As always, all instruments and vocals are mine (no pirch correction or auttune is used in my videos).

All instruments and voices are mine.

22/12/2023

The year: 1983. The band: The Police. The album: Synchronicity. The song: King of Pain. The single reached No. 3 in the US charts. Please consider liking this video and subscribing to my YouTube channel which helps the algorythm promote my channel to other viewers. Thank you!

All instruments and voices are mine.

18/12/2023

Released in Dec 1966, "For What It's Worth" became Buffalo Springfield's highest charting song at #7 in Billboard. The title of the song is nowhere to be found in the lyrics - Stephen Stills told the an Atco record company executive "I have this song here, for what it's worth, if you want it." Sunglasses were required in the making of this video. 😉

All instruments and voices are mine.

08/12/2023

Remembering John Lennon on the 43rd anniversary of his death. "If I Fell" is mostly John's song with an assist from Paul in the bridge section. It appeared on the "Hard Day's Night" album in 1964. The song structure is unusual in that it harkens back to the 1940's when some popular songs had an introductory section (often in a different key signature than the main song like what John does here) and then that was followed by the song itself. It features a lovely spread harmony vocal between Paul and John. Although we played this song (sans introduction) in the wedding band I was in back in the 1970's, I've just now gotten around to tracking it for my live shows. Hope you like it!

All instruments and voices are mine.

02/12/2023

The latest addition to my electric set:. "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf. Released in 1968, it got to #2 in the US charts. This is for all my friends who like to ride the heavy metal thunder.

All instruments and voices are mine.

17/10/2023

My latest addition to my live sets: "Good Times Roll" from The Cars first incredible album. As usual, all voices and instruments are mine.

11/10/2023

Here's a late addition to my schedule. This Friday, Oct 13th I'll be playing at the newly opened Kanti's Bar & Grill in Jasper, TN from 9:00-12:00 Central time in the evening. It will be a blast!