Pedal Steel in late 60's-early 70's Rock and Roll tunes

John Haspert · Post by **John Haspert** » 3 Oct 2008 3:50 pm

Hope this is a good place to post this- Can some of you oldies R&R guys and gals post names of songs with Pedal Steel Guitar (not slide or lap steel, which I also love

)that were popular on the charts in late 60's and early 70's. Teach Your Children and Someday Soon are classics. I heard a tune on the oldies station last week and it is driving crazy to figure out the title and artist.

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 3 Oct 2008 5:27 pm

I don't know of very many R&R tunes that had steel that were also popular on the charts....

Offhand, besides the ones you mentioned, these were Billboard Hot 100 hits of a more rock-n-roll bent that featured some steel:

"Listen To The Band" - The Monkees (Lloyd)
"Good Clean Fun" - The Monkees (Lloyd)
"Goin Back" - The Byrds (Red)
"You Ain't Goin Nowhere" - The Byrds (Lloyd)
"Never Goin Back" - The Lovin' Spoonful (Red)
"Lay Lady Lay" - Bob Dylan (Pete Drake)
"Sally G" - Paul McCartney (Lloyd)
"You Better Think Twice" - Poco (Rusty)

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 3 Oct 2008 7:20 pm

"Tiny Dancer" - Elton John (B.J. Cole)

This song and B.J.'s beautiful playing were one of the reasons I took up pedal steel.

Then of course there are all those Linda Ronstadt songs.

nick allen · Post by **nick allen** » 4 Oct 2008 2:28 am

Not sure about the charts, but of course there were the Burritos, EmmyLou, Byrds, especially Sweetheart of the Rodeo ("You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"), Michael Nesmith, Neil Young ("Heart Of Gold")... all probably getting radio play even if not chart hits

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 4 Oct 2008 3:20 am

The tune "So Nice To Be With You" by the group "Gallery" features some of Paul Franklin's early work. "Top of The World" by the Carpenters also comes to mind. Oh yes, and "Afternoon Delight" by the "Starland Vocal Band".

Steve Hitsman · Post by **Steve Hitsman** » 4 Oct 2008 4:23 am

"Rainbows All Over Your Blues"

George McLellan · Post by **George McLellan** » 4 Oct 2008 5:05 am

Maybe these are too far back for this thread? I don't know who the steeler was, perhaps someone can ID them.

I Wonder if I Care as Much, Everly Bros.
Oh, Little One, Jack Scott
Burning Bridges, Jack Scott

There are many more but I can't think of them right now.
Geo

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 4 Oct 2008 6:01 am

Well, those who know me probably expected this kind of take

Look up Sneaky Pete's resume:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneaky_Pete_Kleinow has a partial list

...and you'll find everyone from Booker T. and the MG's, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone and The Knack to his really well-known stuff with Linda Ronstadt and The Burritos. In the L.A. rock studios in the 70's it seemed he was everywhere at once- and yet steel wasn't his "day job", special effects stop-motion work was (he also made FAR more money as a session player than as a Burrito, which was mainly a live outlet for him). Although as a steel player he was more well known for the Burritos (and The Byrds are often mentioned, although only played with them a handful of times and on none of the Sweetheart stuff.) his recorded output probably makes him the most-heard (not most-recorded, most "heard") steel player ever - because he was playing on huge-selling rock albums, as opposed to the "real" steel players who played in the much smaller country market (with occasional rock forays).

But 4 of my favorites - all of which received some radio airplay - of his are his first studio session, The Ventures' "Blue Star" (where it's more Sneaky than The Ventures), Frank Zappa's "It Just Might Be Only a One Shot Deal" from Waka Jawaka (a wonderfully twisted "normal, fading into totally random chaos" steel solo plugged into the middle of a jazz tune), Jackson Browne's version of "Take it Easy"(which he wrote - and IMO it's a far more soulful take than the Eagle's slick version) and the short fuzzed-out intro of Joe Cocker's version of "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window".

The solo at the outro of Take it Easy is probably my favorite steel part of all time (the 15 second solo in the middle is "stun gun" enough"), and it's not really a rocker or anything flashy - what it is is about 45 seconds of slightly phase-shifted steel floating ethereally over a single chord, never repeating himself and sounding totally "in the zone" (experienced players know exactly what I mean).

The Take it Easy solo and Joe Cocker intro got me hooked into his playing, and "normal" E9 steel sounded all the same to me once I got immersed in his rock output. And he played it all on one "outdated, unsuitable for a pro steel player" (if you listen to some), constantly-evolving Fender 400.

The one other rock or country-rock solo that knocked me on my heels was Lloyd Green's intro on You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - not because I was surprised that the Byrds were doing country - it was known all over the L.A. rumor mill months before the album was released - but the part itself, being mainly a single-note line with the twisted 7th at the end, plus the just-slightly distorted Deluxe Reverb (NOT the usual "clean steel" sound, but an edgy, "In your face" blast with a more gutsy, dirty tone). It set the tone for the whole album - a "soul country" record most would hear as "The Byrds Doing Country" but had FAR more of Gram's "Cosmic American Music" going for it than most reviewers even understood. And THAT intro (and the solo) changed the music world in a little over two minutes.

Jim Hoke · Post by **Jim Hoke** » 4 Oct 2008 6:50 am

The two-note answer figure to Elvis in the bridge of "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You". The seven faint steel notes heard in verse following the re-intro on Patsy's original "I Fall To Pieces". And nobody's mentioned "Sleepwalk". Okay, that doesn't count. I think the best example of what this thread is looking for is Paul's stuff on "It's So Nice". We're looking for steel that's out of it's neighborhood in pop music. The country-rock thing was wonderful, but it ushered in more or less mandatory steel, so that doesn't count. I bet Lloyd never realized that with the intro to "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" he opened the door to scads of imitators and "amateur hippy steel" was born, among which faction I must count myself.

Jim Hoke · Post by **Jim Hoke** » 4 Oct 2008 6:54 am

Oops - how'd I forget the great B.J. Cole parts on Gerry Rafferty's "Right Down The Line"? Give it up for B.J.!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 4 Oct 2008 7:09 am

Red Rhodes with Brewer & Shipley:

"Oh, Mommy, I ain't no commie..."

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 4 Oct 2008 7:45 am

I bet Lloyd never realized that with the intro to "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" he opened the door to scads of imitators and "amateur hippy steel" was born...

In my mind, Sneaky Pete gets the credit for introducing pedal steel to rock music. His work on the Venture's song Blue Star was a couple of years before Lloyd's work with the Byrds on "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo".

Jim Means · Post by **Jim Means** » 4 Oct 2008 8:55 am

Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondels. Don't know who the steeler was but there was a long version that had some killer steel. It didn't get much play on the radio because of the length.

Jim in Missouri

Johnny Baldwin · Post by **Johnny Baldwin** » 4 Oct 2008 9:34 am

Does anyone remember Marty Cooper's "Indiana Girl". Lots of steel. Anyone know who was the steel player?

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 4 Oct 2008 10:58 am

In 1974, Steely Dan cut the Ellington/Bubber Miley song "East St.Louis Toodle-oo" for the "Pretzel Logic" LP. The cut featured Jeff Baxter on pedal steel and I remember reading at the time Baxter was playing an Emmons D-10 through an AC-30!

Joe Goldmark · Post by **Joe Goldmark** » 4 Oct 2008 11:36 am

There's also the Rusty Young stuff with Poco (Pickin' Up The Pieces, etc.) and with Buffalo Springfield (Kind Woman). I'm not sure any of this cracked the charts, but it got a lot of play on FM radio.

The End Of the World by Skeeter Davis had some nice harmonics.

Jerry Garcia with the Dead (Dire Wolf, etc.). He was also on the NRPS tunes, as was Buddy Cage. West Virginia Creeper was on "Hot Rod Lincoln," with Commander Cody, and many players were on the Linda Ronstadt cuts (Dan Dugmore, Sneaky Pete, Ed Black). Also, Tom Brumley played with Rick Nelson on many tunes that got FM play.

And of course the Fraternity Of Man with "Don't Bogart Me," which I think was Red Rhodes.

Joe

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 4 Oct 2008 12:10 pm

...Glenn Ross Campbell of www.themisunderstood.com was a huge proponant of steel guitar in a rock setting. He's still around and playing, somewhere...

Eddie Cunningham · Post by **Eddie Cunningham** » 4 Oct 2008 3:56 pm

Someone asked who played the few notes on Patsy Clines original "I fall to pieces" ; I could be wrong but I think it was Jerry Byrd doing some "pedal" sounding licks on his non-pedal steel . Also on the Everly Bros. record of " I wonder if I care as much" I believe it was Shot Jackson who did the pedal licks ?? Any body know for sure ?? Eddie "C"

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 4 Oct 2008 4:06 pm

Ben Keith was the steel guitarist on Patsy Cline's "I Fall To Pieces."

Olaf van Roggen · Post by **Olaf van Roggen** » 6 Oct 2008 12:12 pm

I remember Ian Matthews (Southern Comfort) playing "Woodstock"on the radio with Gordon Huntley on pedal steel,at that time i thought it was Sneaky Pete,there were some similarities in tone.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 6 Oct 2008 3:59 pm

Buddy cage played on Red Rooster on "Blood on the Tracks" for Dylan, and Garcia also played with Brewer and Shipley, on "One Toke Over the Line".

Bobby Black did all those albums for the Commander, including the best one, "Live at Armadillo World HQ"

Rainbows all over your Blues was Emmons.

Don't forget Al Perkins with the Burritos, and also with The Eagles.

JB

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 6 Oct 2008 4:48 pm

Please add Buddy Emmons contribution to "Feel So Bad," from Ray Charles' "Volcanic Action of my Soul" album, early 70's.

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 6 Oct 2008 5:20 pm

"Don't Bogart That Joint" by "Fraternity of Man" had some pretty cool soundin steel in it.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 6 Oct 2008 6:00 pm

Jim Cohen wrote:Red Rhodes with Brewer & Shipley:

"Oh, Mommy, I ain't no commie..."

that was Jerry, maaaaaaaaan.....

James Collett · Post by **James Collett** » 6 Oct 2008 6:38 pm

I know it's mid-70's, but the Stones Album "Some Girls" is chock-full of steel.
"Torn and Frayed" (Stones '72) features Al Perkins!

The Steel Guitar Forum

Pedal Steel in late 60's-early 70's Rock and Roll tunes

Pedal Steel in late 60's-early 70's Rock and Roll tunes

R&R

Nowhere near as famous, or even heard, but...

Patsy Cline & Everly Bros. songs steel ??