Steel on non Country records

Chris Templeton · Post by **Chris Templeton** » 12 Mar 2018 11:31 am

"Top Of The World": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gRiWWcBKvs

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 14 Mar 2018 3:32 pm

Sneaky Pete's first (1964) recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfCr8fZvk_k

B.J. Cole featured on this one (1974)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzSXSo3dTHU

B.J. here too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBWfUc5jKiM

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 14 Mar 2018 6:09 pm

Rick Derringer with Edgar Winter Group and on his own record All American Boy.

https://youtu.be/hz5PYxEHb6o

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 16 Mar 2018 3:20 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67CNsnCbbxM

Country Rock in 7/4

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 16 Mar 2018 4:21 pm

Linda Ronstadt

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 16 Mar 2018 6:24 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67CNsnCbbxM

Country Rock in 7/4

Played in a band that would occasionally play this for all the line dancers, creating a hilarious clusterf**k every time!

Bill L. Wilson · Post by **Bill L. Wilson** » 16 Mar 2018 9:29 pm

Vinnie Colaiuta, One Really Fantastic Drummer. Old Sting is a different breed of cat.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 16 Mar 2018 10:52 pm

BJ cole plays also on this cut by Gary Brooker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kochb7QH6o
The rhythm is also a bit complex. Drums by Dave Mattacks.

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 18 Mar 2018 6:39 pm

Joachim,
Your curiosity as to who and why the decision is made to hire a steel is what I thought of asking when I interviewed Dann Huff...Dann's personal resume spans the spectrum from Madonna to Merle Haggard...It was his decision to put steel on the sessions he produced for Peter Cetera, Kelly Clarkson, and Megadeth. Even though I was who he hired I never knew the reason steel was added...His insights are very interesting.
Paul

Tim Herman · Post by **Tim Herman** » 19 Mar 2018 3:34 am

Greg Leisz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzX0rhF8buo

David Gertschen · Post by **David Gertschen** » 22 Mar 2018 5:39 pm

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's playing on the Doobie Brothers "South City Midnight Lady" has always been one of my favorites.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 28 Mar 2018 9:35 am

this has turned into a great thread. might get more action in the Steel Players section?

on the subject of Megadeth... which album or songs feature your steel mr. Franklin?

and let's not forget this little ditty by Parliament:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFNM7nG2OUQ

Greg Leisz is all over that last Daft Punk album which was huge.

or Bruce Bouton's work with Maxwell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkeCNeHcmXY

Douglas Schuch · Post by **Douglas Schuch** » 28 Mar 2018 2:45 pm

Jimmy Buffett was originally considered more country, but kind of defined his own genre (I call it Coconut Country). Pedal steel has been a part of his sound throughout the years.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 4 Apr 2018 10:53 pm

Joachim Kettner wrote:I often wondered what made artists or producers decide to employ steel (maybe only for one track) on a record. There are many examples: Carpenters, Clapton, Tim Hardin.
The only info I have is for "Teach Your Children". Is there any more information?

I seem to have made a little world of my own playing steel in different settings. In my experience producers hire me because they see me playing or are in a band I'm playing in. One chain of events that led to some very successful work went like this:

I met a really wild improviser/composer at a club in NYC. I told him I have a pedalsteel and a gig playing quiet drone/noise music at this weird restaurant downtown. Come by and play. They feed us and we make a little cash. He shows up and its super fun playing so we get together once a week at his place basically getting drunk and experimenting with sounds. He writes an opera that gets produced that does a couple concerts. The piano player for the opera is an arranger. A year later I get a call from him to fill out some sounds in the string section for this pop record he is doing an orchestration for. The producer of the pop record see's this pedalsteel player that is fitting into a very dense arrangement. So he hires me for an overdub session on a tune by this new band called Hem. It goes really well so I end up all over the record and they hire me to tour with them as well as record.

During the course of all this I get known as a pedalsteel player who can hang with different musics. So I get calls for all sorts of stuff. NYC was just a fantastic place at the time. Everybody was looking different sounds and combinations. Plus I got a ton of work playing real simple pretty stuff from the Hem connection.

There is some truly wild and great music happening in Austin now that is not connected to the country scene.

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 5 Apr 2018 10:37 am

Freddie Roulette (all of the albums on which he recorded). Here's a track from his Back in Chicago album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV5_lqaVf9I

Pete Drake on Harvey Mandel's 1968 album, Cristo Redentor. Here's a track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHw0dOAFqvo

Glenn Ross Campbell with The Misunderstood. Here's a track from their eponymously titled 1965 album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzs7KqAT6pE

The Misunderstood moved to England and all members except Glenn left and were replaced by Brits and the band became Juicy Lucy. Juicy Lucy from their eponymously titled, 1969 album. Here's a track (note: this track fades and comes back after about 15 seconds):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ydyr5SN4oI

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 5 Apr 2018 5:33 pm

One early hit that helped start the steel on pop records trend.....

My buddy and occasional musical partner Iain (back then, Ian) Matthews and his band Matthews Southern Comfort......featuring Gordon Hundley on steel.

#1 UK hit and tons of US airplay in 1970....

"Woodstock"

https://youtu.be/qIHfuihoz70

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 5 Apr 2018 8:25 pm

Bob Hoffnar, great story and great answer!

I donâ€™t have â€œinformationâ€ as such, but like others have said, I believe an open minded and educated producer is a key ingredient for recording with pedal steel.

It also helps to have an open-minded artist that isnâ€™t afraid to expose their fan base to a song with a touch of twang on their otherwise non-country album. That seems to be much more of a rarity than it was in the 60â€™s, 70â€™s, and even into the 80â€™s. Dire Straits with Paul Franklin - what a gem of a recording On Every Street is! It seemed so obvious after only the first time listening to it. Of course this band will sound great with pedal steel! Why didnâ€™t we think of it before?

Ford Cole · Post by **Ford Cole** » 6 Apr 2018 3:21 pm

David Crowder, contemporary Christian artist, sprinkles a little steel into several of his songs and it fits very well! Does anyone know of other artists who use steel in this particular style?

Rick Bernauer · Post by **Rick Bernauer** » 6 Apr 2018 5:45 pm

For any of you who haven't checked out Bob Hoffnar's work on the Hem albums, his approach is a text book example of leaving out the "country cliches" (but I do love them) and keeping the haunting beauty of the pedal steel. That's how you get producers and bands to be willing to give PSG a try outside the country genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQrH9w8VM4 - Redwing by Hem.

Anthony Lis · Post by **Anthony Lis** » 6 Apr 2018 8:27 pm

David Gertschen wrote:Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's playing on the Doobie Brothers "South City Midnight Lady" has always been one of my favorites.

Yes—a fine song/fine steel-playing.

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 6 Apr 2018 8:31 pm

David Gertschen wrote:Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's playing on the Doobie Brothers "South City Midnight Lady" has always been one of my favorites.

Even better....on Steely Dan's "Pearl of the Quarter"

https://youtu.be/9CbL2-nvalE

Olaf van Roggen · Post by **Olaf van Roggen** » 7 Apr 2018 6:37 am

When I was in my teens my dad loved Rock n Roll and Rockabilly too. I never liked it, one of his favourite singer was Robert Gordon.

I remember a country song on one of his albums that I really liked, especially the pedal steel guitar part.

Robert Gordon must have listened to country songs too i guess.

"Standing on the outside of her door" with I think Lloyd Green on pedal steel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6zradYHnwI

Dennis Montgomery · Post by **Dennis Montgomery** » 7 Apr 2018 4:45 pm

From the British progressive rock world Steve Howe played his D10 Sho-Bud on the Yes song, "To Be Over" (1974)...this was the first time I ever heard a pedal steel! He also used it on a couple songs from his 1975 and 1994 solo albums. He plays slide more frequently than pedal steel using a double neck Fender Dual Pro on the Yes songs, "And You And I" (1972) and "Going for the One" (1977) as well as many songs off his solo albums

Tom Spaulding · Post by **Tom Spaulding** » 7 Apr 2018 6:44 pm

Steve Howe on a double-neck playing "Soon" from Relayer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pNm2VqLPx4

Doug Cassell · Post by **Doug Cassell** » 7 Apr 2018 7:35 pm

Tom Spaulding wrote:Steve Howe on a double-neck playing "Soon" from Relayer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pNm2VqLPx4

Look at Steveâ€™s face on that video. He is totally on acid!

The Steel Guitar Forum

Steel on non Country records

Man, What a Drummer!!!

Re: Steel on non Country records