The Steel Guitar Forum

Just listening to this cut from Let It Bleed (1969). I'm thinking I hear pedal steel in the ride in the middle...around 1 min into the song). I've searched high and low and can't find a reference anywhere. Same thing with the alternate version of Wild Horses, which I've heard was Sneaky Pete, given to him by Gram Parsons to "sweeten up"...or Gram did it...not a lot of information.

Just wondering about Silver. Any suggestions?

It might have been Ron Wood.

Not Ron Wood in 1969. I don't know the track - if it really IS pedal steel, then Sneaky Pete would be the most likely candidate, although it's really too early to even be him - more likely it's Mick Taylor playing slide (bottleneck) guitar...
Nick

it's bottleneck

Did Ry Cooder work on that album?

I don't know about that album, would Brian Jones still be with the Stones at that point? However, I believe Al Perkins played pedal steel on Exile on Main Street.....I suppose there is also the Grahm Parsons connection, maybe bringing in Sneaky Pete?

This story may help solve the mystery. Ted Smith of Melobar got a call late one night a few years ago from a guy with a British accent asking all kinds of questions about a Melobar that came out of the Mosrite factory when they were building the early models. The guy refused to say who he was until Ted threatened to hang up. Turns out it was Jimmy Page. How did he get his Melobar? He went to a party at Brian Jone's house and Brian brought out his Melobar to show Jimmy. Brian stated he had played it on seome Stones tracks. He offered to lend it to Jimmy, and Jimmy was so excited he left the party with the Melobar. That was the same weekend Brian ended up at the bottom of the pool. Jimmy didn't know what to do with the guitar and ended up keeping it. Since Brian died in 1969, it is quite possible the 1969 recording has him on it. I just don't know the timelines well enough to say. Melobar later made some guitars for the Stones, and Ron Woods tours with his still.

Brian Jones made a couple of contributions to 'Let It Bleed'; autoharp on You Got the Silver.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Got_The_Silver
As I remember it the song contains slide guitar with some sort of reverse echo.

nick allen wrote:Not Ron Wood in 1969. I don't know the track - if it really IS pedal steel, then Sneaky Pete would be the most likely candidate, although it's really too early to even be him...

Pete may not be on the Stones' cut (which was made in 1969), but his first session work was years before, with The Ventures, in 1965.

There is bottleneck slide all through the track, but at 1:15 and 1:25, whatever is being played sounds noticeably different...it sounds like pedal steel. Nice touch if it wasn't.

Thanks for the info on the Melobar. Might’ve been like this 1965 model: http://www.northcoastguitars.com.au/mosritemelo.html



Ry Cooder is credited with playing mandolin on the album. Most of the electric guitar work is Mick Taylor, Keith mainly playing acoustic. Brian was pretty much out of the picture by the time of the recording (Spring of '69), as was mentioned, credited with playing only autoharp and congas.

My own best guess is that is Ry Cooder, on slide and not pedal steel. He did play mandolin on the album also, but this was just about the time all the word was beginning to get out about him, ("because of" his work with the Stones-so it's my impression (always has been) it's Ry, & not Ron Wood, not Jimmy Page, etc.

Ronny's slide playing is a pale imitation of Ry's. Back then, RY was already playing amazing slide. As I recall, Ron didn't play much slide back then. Wish I had a copy of the tune. I could tell if it's Cooder.

Ron played slide on an early album with Rod Stewart.
it was called 'Gasoline Alley'. Ron's slide is all over it.
Keith Richards is coming out with an autobiography soon. I imagine there could be a chapter of slide players.