The Steel Guitar Forum

Heard this old Three Dog Night tune on the jukebox last night and it brought to mind my longstanding unanswered question...
Is there a steel guitar being played in this tune? It has sure sounded like one for the past 35 years...
Thanks all...

Sorry to divert this, Ray, but your post reminded me of Elvis Presley's excellent cover of this song, with some classic James Burton obligato....

RR

Good question, Ray. I don't know about Three Dog Night but there sure is on the Waylon Live version thanks to Ralph Mooney!

Charlie

Here is Waylon's studio version (1972) with fantastic Ralph Mooney solo !

Never Been To Spain (Waylon Jennings, 1972)

Song written by Hoyt Axton.


-------
Petr
http://www.lpdiscography.com/

Here is another with a little lick of Hal Rugg:

Never Been To Spain (Sammi Smith, 1974)

------
Petr
http://www.lpdiscography.com/

All these years, and that's the first time I've heard anyone do that song except 3 Dog Night.

Somebody clean out that hole. Somebody pull that rock back over me.

I'm positive that Three Dog Night's version did have psg on it. I'm not sure who it is, but I think I remember reading somewhere that it was Rusty Young who played psg on that recording.

I have a vinyl album of Hoyt Axton's version with Pete Grant on steel.

Arch.

Yes..for sure..
there is a PSG..At one time I had several of these albums and went to see them in NYC several times..
they were really rockin'..a great show...

Michael Allsup was and still is a great Guitar player, and is still touring with them..although I don't see Chuck Negrons name mentioned as part of the band anymore.

I'm gonna do some research and see if I can dig up the PSG players credit...maybe someone still has the HARMONY LP...

t

Tony, I might be wrong, but I don't think that the "Harmony" LP gives any credits other than those to the actual band members and maybe the producer. That's the frustrating part.

I've read that a lot of albums were like that back then -- not crediting musicians who were not actual members of the band. However, I had a few Rolling Stones albums from that era, and from what I remember, to their credit (no pun intended) the Stones always credited every musician who played on any part of any given album.

I don't see Chuck Negrons name mentioned as part of the band anymore

From what I remember reading, Chuck Negron had a horrendous drug problem for a long time (which I didn't know until recently -- by the way I remember reading a long time ago that Chuck was a professional basketball player before he was a professional musician).

Anyhow, from what I remember reading, in the mid 80's, the original lineup of Three Dog Night reunited (except for one member, who I believe was the bass player). During this time, Chuck Negron was still struggling with his addiction to drugs. Chuck ended up missed too many concerts and was fired. Eventually several other original members were fired as well.

Several years later, after Negron kicked his drug problem, he approached Cory Wells and the other dude (can't recall his name -- is it Hutton?) about rejoining them, and Wells refused.

A few more years went by until Wells and Hutton made Negron an offer to come join the band, but under the condition that Negron would not be an equal share-holder and would receive less pay than the other two. Negron declined the offer and that's where the situation stands today.

On the Three Dog Night version the pedal steel parts are by Rusty Young! Some of the best of his early "minimum bar slides/snappy attack" style. I just wish it were bigger in the mix.

I saw TDN about 2 months ago... Cory Wells, Danny Hutton, Jimmy Greenspoon and Michael Allsup are there from the original band. They picked up a new bass player who sings the highest harmonies and is a monster player. The drummer is a young kid from LA who kicks butt. They sound as good as ever, but I did miss Chuck's distinctive voice on "Easy To Be Hard" and "Celebrate". The other guys covered those tunes great, though. They were a fun band to watch and hear back in the 70's and that hasn't changed at all. Great band, great harmonies, great songs, one hit after another for an hour and a half! I was in awe, just as I was the last time I heard them 35 years ago.

And yes, they did "Never Been To Spain". No steel on stage, though... but Allsup smoked it, as well as everything else he played that night.

Yeah, I'm a fan... and have been all these years. There were a few other old hippies there... folks who "remembered".

Joe Schermie, the original bass player is deceased. That only leaves Floyd Snead (drummer) and Chuck N. out.

Chuck is back on the road doing Christian rock I believe. I watched a magazine show on TV that showed his ups and downs of 3DN. He has gone thru rehab several times and now is in great shape and on the road. This was on a tv show so take it for what it's worth.