Videoed at Indian River Correctional Institution in Vero Beach Fl. The Prison closed in 2012 and is not active. He rented a Prison Block. Numbers on the shirts spell out their names. Jeff 05333, Geoff 43633, Daryl 32795, Jeoph 53674, and Goff 04633 on the upper deck with the two others yet to be named.
The numbers on his shirts match the numbers on the phone keypad spelling each of their names.... Jeff, Geoff, Daryl and Jeoph. He learned to play the harmonica in 2014 when he played Elwood Blues a few times at Universal Studios Orlando. This is the first time he had more than 5 Geoff's.
I love how the rhythm of the guitar part suggests the chug-chug rhythm of a train, and how the hums allude to the "humming of the rails." Also, did you notice how, just before the last line, the background vocal was an extended "blo-o-o-ow" that pre-echoed "main" Geoff's "Blow my blues away"?
Was so fun meeting you in Albany! I don't have a strong opinion about watching the original vs blind reaction. In some cases, like Man of Constant Sorrow or House of the Rising Sun, there is no definitive original because the songs are over a century old. There's some merit to being familiar with what's considered the original or standard so you can compare creative choices. And i like it when reactors know something about the history of the song -- written by Ed Sheeran, or dates back to early 20th century, etc. I DO think reactors should read the video description beforehand. Some artists are stingy with info (squinting at Home Free), while others like Geoff and VoicePlay let you know who did what. And they often reveal their sense of humor. Geoff said he learned the harp for playing Elwood Blues at Universal over a decade ago. (Apparently in blues it's a harp, not harmonica.) Did three shows as Elwood and hadn't played it since, until incorporating it here. We think we know all Geoff's tricks, and then he literally pulls another out of his pocket.
Mortius, the code is the clones and Geoff's names are in their prisoner numbers. I figured it out without knowing the hint from someone else. Once I knew the hint, it was obvious and it confirmed my guesses were right.
Awesome reaction. Hint - look at the numbers on the shirts and reference your phone's keypad with the letters (2 has A,B,C; 3 is DEF) etc. And try to decifer the code. Did you miss the 3 clones on the upper level?
This was interesting! As a country fan, I like how Home Free’s version stays more true to the soul of the song, but Geoff really made this his own and I have to respect that! As far as the format of reactions, I think that when you realize the difference between the cover and the original it gets you really excited to see the creative license they took, but I would watch either format - you always have something interesting to say :)
I am happy with however you want to experience the music. I love watching you discover the magic either way. Jeff learned to play harmonica in 2014 when he played Elwood Blues at Universal. Did you miss the three extra Geoffs upstairs?
Awesome reaction Mortius! I think it would benefit you to know the original, as it gives you a bit more to talk about in the analysis. I also think it sets up some expections to be conveniently shattered by people like Geoff and Voiceplay, so it adds to the reaction too! And, as a Home Fry, I am obligated to tell you that the Home Free cover of this song is just as awesome as Geoff's...
I love your reactions, I've watched this video more times than I am willing to admit, yet you still point out things that I hadn't noticed before! Thanks Mortius..
"Left Geoff! I actually really liked you in glasses! Put'em back on!" BIG MOOD. Seriously how does he look so good already but then *even better* when wearing glasses? This man I swear 😂
I've seen a number of reactors (especially pretty young reactors) who have never heard the original that a cover is based on, and while they may enjoy the cover, they have nothing to compare it to and so can't say a lot about it. Especially for someone doing some analysis of the choices made in the cover, I think it's important to have heard the original - you don't have to have it memorized, but to have at least heard it and have some vague familiarity of what it was like and perhaps the differences that were noticed between it and the cover. Since all of Geoff's solo videos have been covers, I think it would be especially important for his videos to know the original at least a little bit - your reaction to Geoff's I See Fire would have been COMPLETELY different if you hadn't heard Ed Sheeran's original beforehand. Based on the numbers on their prison shirts, the order is Jeff, Geoff, Daryl, Jeoph - apparently Kathy has said that "Goff is a good boy and wouldn't be in prison." I don't think anyone knows exactly who the three Geoff's on the upper tier are.
That’s a really really good point about I See Fire. The other comments had made it clear that they preferred when I knew the original, but you really put it into context. Thank you!
I personally prefer to listen to the original before listening to a cover, both to know what is in store for me and also to pay some respect to the original artist, and I also prefer when reactors do the same instead of seeming completely clueless - of cause I also prefer when it's not just reactions, but reaction combined with analysis. However I like that you say, that you listen to the original afterwards, so it's not just to skip the original all together.
Hello. I think it would help you as the reactor to be familiar with the original. We are two lines in, and it bears little resemblance to the original. It's astonishing, but it's not Johnny's version. That's not a bad thing at all, but you, in my opinion, would have benefited from knowing the original before hearing the cover. You asked for opinions; this is mine. I do love you and your reactions. Keep doing what you're doing.
Agreed. Especially if you're aiming to analyze the arrangement. It would help if you were familiar with the original, so you would know when a different choice was made. And you might be surprised by how much you're still surprised (just by different things).
@@CapriUni Exactly! You were able to fan-react to Geoff, but the actual reaction to their cover would have been more complete if you had heard Johnny's version first. Still, a very enjoyable reaction! Geoff is almost Tim Foust! 🤭🤗
My two cents, reviewing the original offline before reacting to the cover worked with Mayday, so I think it would help with other covers as well...love your reactions, keep doing you.
Hey Mortius, the prisoner numbers may not have 24601, but the alphanumericaly spell the Geoffs names. 05333: Jeff 43633: Geoff 53674: Jeoph 32795: Daryl
My two cents is that I think it'd be helpful to have a frame of reference in the original since you focus on musical analysis. If you don't know the original, then it's harder to appreciate when the artist has taken creative liberties, sometimes even adding in something entirely new (Geoff in particular really likes creating completely original bridges, for instance).
I don't think it's a matter of one method being better than the other necessarily, just a case of different options with different results. My advice would be to think it over, but don't overthink it.
You're totally right about knowing the original is good for analysis but going in blind is good for reactions. It's hard to pick which is best. Personally, I like the analysis part, realizing how an artist changed things to make it their own, but it's also fun to see someone hear the song for the first time. I've seen "two for one" reactors who do both back to back. Long videos, but fascinating concept.
Both options (w/o seeing original song) of reacting to covers are legitimate- both come with the pluses and minuses you noted. I trust you to be best judge.
I barely ever know the original songs that VP and Geoff cover. I suppose I'm just too young to have grown up with that music, and with US-American country music, it's just not really popular here in Germany. In the few instances I did know them, I sometimes didn't love their covers as much as if I hadn't. (At least if I loved the original, because the whole point of a cover is to make it different - if you want the original, you just listen to the original. The only instance I can think of where I very much prefered the cover over the original I already knew was Geoff's "I see fire" which I love so much more than Ed Sheeran's.) In fact, part of what I enjoy about them is to get to know music I otherwise wouldn't have discovered. It can also be a bit distracting if a reactor keeps comparing the cover to the original instead of just analyzing the cover in front of them (depends on what you watch the reaction for, though). Long story short, I don't mind it if you don't know the original, either. For me personally, it makes your reactions more relatable.
You are right about the prison numbers on the shirts being a code. If you are close to my age, then you should know how to decipher the code if you think of something you probably use daily and have for over 15 years, but back then it looked and functioned SIGNIFICANTLY different than today's version. I was born in 1990 so I'm probably a bit older than you, but I think you'd still know what I'm talking about.
Enjoyed your reaction, as always. But since you asked…In my humble opinion, you might consider listening to the original so you can have a reference point for your reaction, and appreciate the creativity of (or in some cases the lack of) the covering artist.
Never end the video until the end of the credits rolling. Geoff had an important message at the end. Sometimes he & Voice Play do that just after a pause / blackout at the end. Geoff's cover is better than Johnny Cash's version or any other for. Geoff's voice is deeper than Johnny's. It was Kathy's idea to convert the numbers into code. She is brilliant.
It's been unusually hot in Oregon and gonna be 108° tomorrow, so it's possible he's so overheated he thought he was hallucinating the extra Geoff clones. 😂 (A decade ago, Oregon would get one week-long heatwave in the summer with maybe 2 days in the whole year where we got above 100°. Now temps in the 100s are normal, "heatwave" has had to be redefined twice since it used to mean temps over 85°, and summer actually feels like SUMMER.)
The code has to do with the numbers on Geoff's shirts, and it is a code for each of their names. That's all I'm going to say about it, hopefully no one has spoiled more in the comments! But anyway, I think that this is one of my favorite Geoff songs, I haven't heard the original either but I had heard Home Frees. And to be completely honest, I like his better than home free's version😅 Their version is great but I just like his arrangement better personally. He just always impresses me with what he does. Thank you for the amazing reaction as always friend💜
Cash devotees aren't thrilled by this cover. I like it, not being a huge cash fan. I mean, yeah he 's ok. Just not among my favourites. The numbers on his shirts are his clone names using phone keyboard letters. So you can work them out.
I actually like both Johnny Cash, and this. There's an Irish Proverb that goes: There';s 2 sides to every story, 12 versions to every song, and 22 exceptions to every rule of grammar! 😏
Geoff actually dethroned Johnny Cash as my favorite singer of all time when I discovered him, and Cash is still #2. I love this cover so much and will have both in my playlists. I did notice that this cover is particularly divisive in the comments, but I definitely feel like Geoff did the song justice.
I frequently have never heard of the choices that Geoff and Voiceplay make, so the fact that you weren't familiar with it does not bother me. In fact, forgive me, since you didn't have anything to compare it to, you weren't able to tell us what you would have preferred him to do. I heard another reactor do eactly that, giving no allowance for creative choice. HINT: Get out your phone.
