BJ Cole steeler on Polnareff song?

[Peer Desmense]

Hi folks,

I had a question concerning the steelguitarist on a French song by French artist Michel Polnareff. The song is called "Holidays".
So I thought: Lets give Crowbear Schmit a (email) call. He couldn't give the answer himself so he gave the question away to the French steelguitarforum and Mr. JeanYves Lozach replied that in his opinion BJ Cole could be the steeler here.
Well, if so, than I guess there must be folks around here that can know this to be true and if false, perhaps somebody knows the name of the real guy involved.
The song was airplayed in the Netherlands around the mid seventies and it features a nice and interesting pedalsteel.

Greetings from Peer

[CrowBear Schmitt]

i don't know if many of you know who Michel Polnareff is
he emigrated to California some 30 odd years ago to get away from France & it's joys
i heard some stuff he recorded live in calif & i'm sure he was backed up by american musicians, steeler included
at the time he recorded in France, i doubt that they were any French steelers around
Jean Yves Lozach being the first & main studio musician he came in a bit later
so the question was, who was the steeler on Polnareff's early stuff while he was still in France ?

& who was the steeler w: him while he was in californiay ?

http://steelguitarfrance.forumactif.com ... -t1100.htm

[Peer Desmense]

No Polnareffskies here?

[B J Cole]

Hello Peer, Jean Yves Lozach is correct. I did play on Michel Polnareff's single 'Holidays'. It was a long time ago, around 1973 ifI remember rightly. Around that time I also recorded with other French artists such as Dick Rivers and Johnny Hallyday. 'Holidays' was a great track.

BJ Cole


Kline and Williams U12 E9/B6, 1957 Fender Pro amp. Revelation Pre amp, 1953 Fender Quad Stringmaster.

[CrowBear Schmitt]

well it don't get better than that !

Thanx BJ

[Peer Desmense]

Hey BJ,

Nice to get this answer from you. I always liked that song Holidays very much, not in the least because of these - in my opinion very tastefull -steelguitarfills.
Furthermore I like the way you made it sound (tone)
What did you use? Instrument? Amp?


Thanks again.

Peer

[B J Cole]

Peer, I would have played a black single neck ten string Emmons on that session. Same one I used on Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer'. I can't remember what amp I used.

BJ


Kline and Williams U12 E9/B6, 1953 Quad Fender Stringmaster, 1957 Fender Pro Amp, Revelation pre amp

[Dan Tyack]

So that's the name of that song. I always wondered why Elton John was singing about Tony Danza....

BJ, what was your rig on Gerry Rafferty's 'Right Down the Line'? I love your playing on that cut, one of my very favorite pedal steel solos that nobody ever realized was a pedal steel. You play with a strat/Mark Knopfler kind of sound and feel until the end of the solo, when you give away that it's a steel. It's so good my wife even likes it (most pedal steel playing gives her vertigo).

[B J Cole]

Dan, Thanks for the kind words. Yes, it was me on "Right Down The Line, as well as most of the rest of Gerry Rafferty's 'City To City' album. It was around 1976, so I would have been playing a single neck 12 string Emmons (this guitar eventually ended up with Nigerian steel guitarist, Ademola Adepoju).
Weldon did a great instrumental version of 'Right Down The Line' on his album 'Pedalman'.

BJ

Kline & Williams U12 E9/B6, 1953 Fender Stringmaster Quad, 1957 Fender Pro Amp, Revelation tube pre amp, etc

[Bernie Straub]

BJ, may I chime in here to say that your "Transparent Music" CD remains one of the most played albums on my iPod. I especially like what you did with the Ravel...Thanks so much.

Bernie