Stones w. Gram Parsons on steel ?!

John Steele · Post by **John Steele** » 15 Oct 2009 3:32 pm

What do you think about this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tJmgxhKqFE&NR=1

I don't buy it.
- John

Geoff Cline · Post by **Geoff Cline** » 15 Oct 2009 3:48 pm

Hmmmm. Highly unlikely. The "debate" I always heard about was whether it was Sneaky Pete or Al Perkins (or whether they both did parts and who was on what version).

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 15 Oct 2009 4:04 pm

well now...anything is possible..! what it sounds like to me is that (and of course this is just speculation) gram had some heroin mixed with coke, of course, to gain entrance into the stones world, and when sneaky pete snuck off into the bathroom gram jumped on his steel to play this.

by the way, this really is one of my favorite songs...even by susan boyle.

John Steele · Post by **John Steele** » 15 Oct 2009 4:19 pm

I've read several times that the Stones sent a track of "Wild Horses" to the States in order to have Sneaky Pete lay down steel on it, but in the end they didn't use it. I'd wager that this is it.

The mythology of Parsons long ago overtook common sense. I've also heard the claim that "he could play piano like McCoy Tyner". Yeah, right.
Anyone who has heard live work of his knows he covered up his instrumental genius very well.
I don't buy it. Interesting though.
- John

Steve Norman · Post by **Steve Norman** » 15 Oct 2009 4:25 pm

on the documentary about GP Keith Richards "gave" the song to GP to record. I think he arranged it and all, but it was written by Keith R according to the show I watched.

Walter Glockler · Post by **Walter Glockler** » 15 Oct 2009 5:43 pm

Sounds a lot like Sneaky Pete, definitely not Gram.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 16 Oct 2009 10:18 am

yeah...not very good playing but definitely sneaky's tone!

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 16 Oct 2009 3:32 pm

That was Pete.. Sounded like he was impaired, but too many signature licks I have heard too many times to think otherwise. Besides, NO ONE has that same unusual tone.. Thats pete alright,,, bob

Stephen Gregory · Post by **Stephen Gregory** » 19 Oct 2009 1:19 pm

Sounds way to amateur to be Pete, unless he was as someone suggested, impaired. Also the part sounded more clinched than if Pete was doing it. I'm guessing it was someone far less experienced than Pete but most definitely influenced by him, possibly Gram.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 19 Oct 2009 4:03 pm

Doesn't sound like Pete to me.

I'd guess it's Ron Wood.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 19 Oct 2009 4:16 pm

I guess there's a long shot that it might be Neil Flanz. Gram & Fallen Angels was from '73. I'm guessing Neil would at least know if Gram was capable of playing that steel part, and may know who actually recorded that part.
Was this recorded in LA?... Garcia was doing Pedal Steel sessions in the '70 timeframe, and knew the Stones personally, though it doesn't have his tone.
If that's Ron Wood, 'probably the best he ever sounded.

Anita Kleinow · Post by **Anita Kleinow** » 5 Nov 2009 12:16 pm

The Stones were staying at Stephen Stills/Joni Mitchell's house in Laurel Canyon. Gram was staying there also. My dad and I went up to the house and they (Mick and Keith) wanted Sneaky to play on their version and they recorded several versions there at the house. I don't know what was or wasn't used. As for Gram playing steel; no way! He could barely play guitar or piano, god bless him.

John Steele · Post by **John Steele** » 5 Nov 2009 2:00 pm

Anita, thanks for clarifying that. I suspected that was the story.

By the way, you may be interested to know that there's a production taking place in Ottawa this weekend called "Grievous Angel, the Legend Of Gram Parsons". It's partly a play but largely a musical presentation
in which alot of your Dad's steel parts will live again, courtesy of the Steel Breakers band.

- John

Ryan Barwin · Post by **Ryan Barwin** » 5 Nov 2009 8:47 pm

Sounds like Sneaky Pete to me. Not just his tone, but his kind of phrasing...though he really must have been fried out of his mind to play like that.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 6 Nov 2009 6:38 am

Nothing wrong with Sneaky Pete's playing here. It's as good as ever.

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 6 Nov 2009 7:03 am

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 6 Nov 2009 7:15 am

Sticky Fingers was recorded in'71 in France. Ron Wood was in the Faces. Ron Wood played on Faraway Eyes on Some Girls.

Mark Dershaw · Post by **Mark Dershaw** » 6 Nov 2009 9:04 am

Not a stitch of doubt in my mind. Sneaky.

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 6 Nov 2009 9:23 am

Sticky Fingers was recorded in '71 in France

I believe the version of this song released on Sticky Fingers was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama during their American tour in 1969. There's footage of the sessions in the film "Gimme Shelter"...

No doubt in my mind that it's Pete on this track. It sounds like just what Anita describes; a casual recording at a house where there was no doubt some partying going on. Nothing wrong with that but I don't think I'd go so far as to say that considering how well Pete could play at his best that he's as "good as ever"!

It sounds like a casual demo, and they chose not to release it for obvious reasons. I'm sure none of the participants expected people to be critiquing it 40 years later!

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 7 Nov 2009 7:08 am

There were just too many signatures that were Pete's... Yes, the worst I have ever heard him, but all Pete, God rest his soul.

That must have been a hell of a party!....

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 7 Nov 2009 7:29 am

I'd be willing to bet that this version was recorded in Muscle Shoals as well, and it's an outtake. The instruments sound too similar to the album version to be from a different studio and time. That open-tuned acoustic is a dead give-away, as is the drum sound. The vocal is too high-fidelity, as is the overall sound. It sounds 2-inch to me.

Fish · Post by **Fish** » 7 Nov 2009 8:35 pm

Thanks for posting this track....it's a rare artifact from a great era.

It gave me chills. God bless Pete Kleinow.

Jonathan Shacklock · Post by **Jonathan Shacklock** » 8 Nov 2009 9:20 am

According to Bernie Leadon's recollection the Stones sent a mastertape to Pete who "actually went into the studio with [Jim] Dickson to overdub a steel part, and Gram pretended that we might do vocals on it. He might have put a harmony vocal on but the Stones erased it. I'm not sure that they used Pete's track, but the tape went back to the Stones."

Take that for what you will, it's a 40 year old memory quoted from John Einarson and Chris Hillman's (relentlessly anti-Parsons) book Hot Burritos. It's pretty clear that the recording is an overdub made a few weeks after the Muscle Shoals sessions which were early December 1969 (the Burritos were in the studio in LA for their second album in the new year, with Dickson producing).

Fascinating to hear it. I think some are being a bit unfair on Pete's playing. For all we know this is a first run through and this is sheer conjecture, but it's possible Gram encouraged Sneaky to hold his best licks in reserve for the planned Burritos version. Anyway, all excuses aside it sounds pretty good to me.

Craig Witty · Post by **Craig Witty** » 17 Nov 2009 9:54 am

Definitely sounds like Pete. I know Al Perkins did a lot with the Stones....he would have been my first guess but it does sound an awful lot like Pete.